Mike Washington Jr. and the Best Week 1 Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Pickups

The 2026 fantasy football is finally about to get underway. While your league has likely drafted by now, there's still time to tweak your roster and get things in tip-top shape before the new campaign kicks off.

The final weeks of preseason and training camp brought about a series of sweeping changes, many of which will impact the upcoming fantasy season. With so many players getting traded, cut, claimed off waivers, going down with injuries or returning from them, depth charts across the league saw a flurry of changes in a short span.

Fantasy projections have been altered accordingly. Some of the players you drafted, especially those in the later rounds, may no longer be worth rostering. Other players who went undrafted can now be considered must-add pieces.

With that in mind, let's highlight some unheralded players—available in 40 percent or more of Yahoo! fantasy leagues—that have enough upside to warrant a roster spot and could potentially even start for your team in Week 1.

Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros using PPR data.

QB Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (25 Percent Rostered)

Fantasy managers are understandably wary of Daniel Jones going into the new season. The Indianapolis Colts' QB1 ended the 2025 campaign on a sour note, with his production waning while he battled injuries before landing on the IR with an Achilles tear.

Despite the rough finish, Jones was a fantasy football revelation for the first half of last season. He scored 22-plus points in five of the first eight games and rated as the QB5 through 10 weeks of play.

Jones also proved to have a stable floor during his first season in Indy, scoring 15.8 points or more in all but one game prior to his season-ending injury. As long as he bounces back from the Achilles ailment and retains some of the mobility that helped him pile up points last year, the veteran will remain a solid play in 2026.

The Colts open the season with a decent matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, a team that allowed an average of 17.7 points per game to opposing signal-callers last year. With Alec Pierce back after an extended offseason absence, Jones will have all of his key weapons available and ready for what should be a high-scoring showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium.

If you are planning to stream quarterbacks this season, aren't satisfied with the QB you drafted or simply want to add depth behind your preferred starter, Jones is a good choice. He'll be one of the hottest Week 2 waiver wire targets with a strong showing in the opener, so get ahead of the rush by adding him now.

RB Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders (56 Percent Rostered)

Mike Washington Jr. was largely off the fantasy radar going into his first NFL season. The Las Vegas Raiders' fourth-round rookie was set to open his career stuck behind lead back Ashton Jeanty on the depth chart and wasn't projected to get enough touches to move the needle in Year 1.

That changed when Jeanty went down with an ankle sprain during a practice session last month. While the initial reports were highly concerning, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed that the sophomore standout's ankle issue is "more high than low". Still, Jeanty has been sidelined for several weeks since picking up the ailment and his availability for Week 1 remains a question.

Regardless of whether Jeanty gives it a go or not, Washington should be considered a must-add player in nearly all formats.

If Jeanty is officially declared out, Washington instantly vaults onto the RB1 radar. He'll take over the lion's share of volume usually allocated to Jeanty, who racked up a hefty 321 touches on his way to an RB11 finish as a rookie last year. Dylan Laube will also be in the mix, but Washington will be the clear backfield leader in any game Jeanty misses.

Should Jeanty play but be on a pitch count, Washington still has some RB3/flex appeal. He had a strong preseason—rushing for 119 yards on just 15 carries—and proved he can produce with limited touches. As a jumbo-sized, 6'2", 228-pound RB who ran a blistering 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine, the sky appears to be the limit for this intriguing prospect.

Even if you don't plan to start Washington when the Raiders host the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, there are few second-string backs with the same combination of upside and potential opportunity that the rookie currently has. Washington is worth adding for his handcuff value alone and shouldn't be left on waivers.

RB Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos (34 Percent Rostered)

The Denver Broncos are opening the 2026 NFL season with a crowded backfield, but it may not be long before this becomes a two-man platoon.

With J.K. Dobbins having one of the most unfortunate injury histories of any modern player, shrewd fantasy managers will want to scoop backup Jonah Coleman and keep him waiting in the wings for what seems to be an inevitable injury to Denver's starting running back.

Dobbins has been highly productive when available throughout his six years in the NFL, but he's never made it through an entire campaign unscathed. He was sidelined for seven games last season—his first with the Broncos—and four the year prior. The 27-year-old also sat the entire 2021 campaign and missed all but one game in 2023.

While RJ Harvey took control of Denver's backfield during Dobbins' absence in 2025, Coleman figures to be the main beneficiary if the veteran goes down again this year.

Coleman, a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft, quickly stood out in training camp for his immense potential. He only saw action in one preseason contest—picking up 24 yards on four totes—before head coach Sean Payton declared he had seen enough to know the rookie would play a role for the squad.

Yahoo! Sports' Nate Tice broke down the patience and skill Coleman showed during his brief exhibition appearance against the Atlanta Falcons:

Expect Coleman to burst out as Denver's RB1 if Dobbins misses time. He boasts a similar toolkit to Dobbins and can seamlessly replace the starter when given the opportunity. Harvey will remain a factor, but is a more likely to continue performing his third-down, pass-catching duties after an up-and-down showing in a more feature role last year.

Although Coleman probably won't see more than a handful of touches in Denver's upcoming Monday Night Football opener against the rival Kansas City Chiefs, he's an ideal waiver target to stash and deploy later in the season once attrition sets in.

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WR Kayshon Boutte, Houston Texans (21 Percent Rostered)

Kayshon Boutte wound up being the odd man out in the New England Patriots' deep receiving corps this offseason, but landed in an ideal spot after getting shipped to the Houston Texans before cutdown day.

Boutte will now have ample opportunity to showcase his skills on a squad that became downright desperate for receiving help last month. When projected No. 2 wideout Jayden Higgins went down with a season-ending ACL tear several weeks ago, Houston's brass sifted through the free-agent pile before opting to make a move for Boutte.

Although he hasn't had much time to learn a new system and build rapport with quarterback C.J. Stroud and his other new teammates, Boutte should still play a large role in Houston's Week 1 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. He's the most proven receiver the team has outside of No. 1 wideout Nico Collins and will contend with slot wideout Jaylin Noel and tight end Dalton Schultz for looks behind the superstar.

While Boutte's season-long outlook is murky due to the impending return of Tank Dell (who is opening 2026 on the PUP list), he'll still have at least four games to establish himself as one of Stroud's go-to weapons.

At his best, Boutte is a field-stretching playmaker who can rack up big gains and scores. He finished 2025 as the WR51 and disappeared at times, but also racked up five top-25 finishes over his first 11 appearances last season. Boutte truly shined between Weeks 6-8, a three-game stretch in which he tallied 223 yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches.

If Boutte earns Stroud's trust and becomes the team's primary deep threat, he'll have a chance to put up some week-winning numbers early in the season. Any manager seeking upside from a free-agent wideout could do far worse than adding Boutte and deploying him as their WR3 this week.

TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (31 Percent Rostered)

Brenton Strange had an up-and-down season last year, one in which he established himself as a viable weapon for the Jacksonville Jaguars but also missed five games with injury and largely lacked consistency. If he can put it all together in 2026, Strange has top-10 potential.

In the 12 games he suited up for last year, Strange recorded 46 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns. His 9.8 points per game ranked as the 15th highest amongst tight ends who participated in at least 10 contests in 2025, showing clear upside ahead of a pivotal fourth NFL season.

While Strange will have to contend with Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Travis Hunter for looks, his 6'4", 253-pound size, impressive athleticism and strong hands will help him surge up Jacksonville's pecking order if he's given a chance.

Even if he's utilized mostly as a safety valve and red area target by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Strange still should have a decent amount of fantasy value—especially the dearth of appealing options at the position—for managers seeking a bye week or injury fill-in.

Don't expect a blistering start from Strange, but he's a fantastic stash choice with undeniable breakout potential. An injury in Jacksonville's receiving corps could be all it takes for him to move out of TE2 range and into the upper echelon of the position.