Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups After Week 1

Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season gave fantasy football managers plenty of surprises, and now it's time to hit the waiver wire.

While it's important not to overreact to one game, several players emerged with the kind of workload and opportunity that could translate into legitimate season-long fantasy value. Whether you're looking for an immediate starter, an injury replacement or a player who could develop into a weekly option, there are several names worth targeting before Week 2.

Here are the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups following Week 1.

Week 1 fantasy waiver wire: best pickups

Coker is one of the most intriguing wide receiver additions after Week 1. The Panthers rookie caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, while playing 84% of Carolina's offensive snaps. His combination of playing time, targets, and production makes him much more than a one-week flier.

Bryce Young also threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns in Carolina's 59-37 loss to Chicago , giving Coker an appealing quarterback situation for fantasy purposes.

Coker should be one of the highest-priority waiver claims in most leagues.

Black's Week 1 performance deserves attention, particularly because he wasn't simply a change-of-pace option behind Christian McCaffrey .

Black split work with McCaffrey and finished with 70 total yards, showing that San Francisco could have a legitimate role for him alongside its star running back.

Managers shouldn't expect McCaffrey's workload to disappear, but Black's involvement makes him an intriguing bench addition with standalone value and significant upside if his role grows.

Shough was one of the biggest quarterback surprises of Week 1. The Saints quarterback threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns, immediately putting himself on the fantasy radar.

Quarterback is typically deep enough that managers don't need to rush to add every surprise performer, but Shough is worth a roster spot in leagues where a streaming option or quarterback depth is needed.

His passing volume gives him a realistic path to fantasy relevance beyond a single big performance.

Tight end is once again a difficult position to navigate on the waiver wire, which makes Gesicki particularly interesting.

Gesicki led Cincinnati in receptions in Week 1 and emerged as a reliable target for Joe Burrow .

Managers searching for help at tight end shouldn't overlook a player who is already seeing meaningful involvement in a strong passing offense.

Wicks also deserves consideration after stepping into a much larger role in Philadelphia .

He played 91% of the Eagles' offensive snaps and finished Week 1 with 78 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The playing time is especially encouraging. Wicks isn't simply a player who happened to score a touchdown; he was on the field consistently enough to potentially maintain fantasy value.

Boston is another young receiver fantasy managers should monitor closely.

The Browns rookie led Cleveland in receiving snaps and scored a touchdown in Week 1. While some of his production came late in the game, his role makes him an intriguing stash for managers with deeper benches.

He may not immediately be a weekly starter, but Boston has enough opportunity to justify a waiver claim in deeper leagues.

Mayer becomes especially interesting because of Brock Bowers ' knee injury. Bowers is expected to miss time after undergoing a procedure, leaving Mayer with an opportunity to take on a significantly larger role in the Raiders' offense.

Mayer previously showed that he can provide fantasy production when Bowers is unavailable, making him one of the more obvious tight-end replacements for fantasy managers dealing with the Bowers situation.

Vele is another wide receiver worth adding, particularly in deeper leagues.

His emergence gives fantasy managers another young receiver to monitor as Denver 's offense develops. Several Week 2 waiver-wire analysts have identified Vele as a player whose role could continue to grow following the opening week.