Fantasy Football Week 1 FAAB Report: 12 Players to Add Before Next Week's Waiver Wire
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“FAAB?! Already?!? I just drafted my team!!”
Yes! Already!
While I’m sure you drafted nothing but league-winners, it’s never too early to start thinking ahead and tinkering with your fantasy football roster.
We don’t have any waiver wire whales to dump a big chunk of our FAAB budget on yet (stay tuned starting next week!), but there are a few players out there that we can start proactively adding.
I like to think of this week’s exercise as “who is going to be next week’s FAAB/Waiver Wire poster boy?” so that we can get ahead of our league mates who are ready to dump their entire budget.
And with that, let’s take a look at three players at each position we should all be adding to the end of our rosters. And again, don’t go too crazy on spending this week – it’s early!
(Note: just so we don’t waste anyone’s time recommending players who are rostered in your league, I’m going to use 30% rostered on ESPN as the cut-off point for this article)
Quarterback
QB Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons
FAAB recommendation: 5 percent of budget
Penix is available in most fantasy leagues right now, and I’m not sure I understand why. He’s a good player, and he’s playing in a great Falcons offense with lots of weapons. While he may not end up being a superstar like some of the other quarterbacks in his draft class, Penix should finish as a top-20 fantasy quarterback this year.
QB Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
FAAB recommendation: 2-3 percent of budget
At 41 years old, Aaron Rodgers isn’t exactly the MVP Rodgers that we all remember. But he still has some fantasy usefulness. Though the Steelers will focus on their ground game, they still have some playmakers around Rodgers and will give him the opportunity to finish as a weekly top-20 (15?) fantasy quarterback. He’s highly under-rostered right now.
QB Jimmy Garappolo, Los Angeles Rams
FAAB recommendation: 1-2 percent of budget (only in Superflex leagues)
Jimmy G?! Seriously?! I know, I know. But Matthew Stafford is currently at “expected to play” for Week 1, which doesn’t exactly bode well for his full-season expectations. I wouldn’t drop anyone good for Garoppolo, but he’s definitely worth a proactive add in Superflex leagues considering the RamsB offense he plays in.
Running Back
RB Woody Marks, Houston Texans
FAAB recommendation: 5-10 percent of budget
With the uncertainty surrounding Joe Mixon’s 2025 season, I think this is the spot to dump a little bit of money this week. The only question is on who! Dameon Pierce (also worth 1-2 percent of your FAAB) and Marks are vying for touches with Nick Chubb so this situation is murky to say the least, but there’s an opportunity for someone to grab the job and run with it. While both Chubb and Pierce have both put up productive NFL seasons (and are fine to roster!), I’m going to try to grab Marks this week and hope to hit the jackpot.
RB Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears
FAAB recommendation: 2-3 percent of budget
Monangai still has D’Andre Swift in front of him, but he could assume a David Montgomery-style role in new Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s offense. While Monangai’s upside is a bit limited, he’s most definitely worth a roster spot if you’re looking to luck into a potential flex option.
RB DJ Giddens, Indianapolis Colts
FAAB recommendation: 1-2 percent of budget
Giddens looks to have locked up the backup spot in Indianapolis behind Jonathan Taylor, so he has a path to fantasy relevance. We’re never rooting for injuries, but Giddens will become a weekly fantasy starter if Taylor ever goes down.
Wide Receiver
WR Christian Kirk, Houston Texans
FAAB recommendation: 5-8 percent of budget
The Texans have a couple of rookies who could become fantasy-relevant in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, but Kirk comes in as the WR2 alongside Nico Collins right now. Still just 29 years old, Kirk should be rostered more than he currently is due to his opportunity in Houston’s offense.
WR Dont’e Thornton Jr, Las Vegas Raiders
FAAB recommendation: 1-2 percent of budget
We’re playing the lottery here, but Thornton is a great ticket to buy if you’re looking to potentially hit paydirt. While Jakobi Meyers and Amari Cooper stand in his way, Meyers has asked for a trade and Cooper looks like a shell of himself. Even though I wouldn’t lose sleep if you can’t fit Thornton on your roster right now, he is a good bench player with upside if you can scoop him.
WR Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions
FAAB recommendation: 1-2 percent of budget
TeSlaa looks to have locked down the WR3 role for the Lions. How valuable will that be fighting for targets behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta? Probably not enough to be a weekly fantasy starter, but there’s some meat on the bone here.
Tight End
TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
FAAB recommendation: 5-8 percent of budget
We’ve talked about Strange before, and he’s still available in most fantasy leagues. He won’t have much competition for targets outside of Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, and he has big-time upside if he ends up third in the pecking order for targets on the Jaguars.
TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets
FAAB recommendation: 4-5 percent of budget
Similar to Strange, Taylor has an opportunity to step into a relatively big role for his team this year. While the Jets have Garrett Wilson at receiver, they don’t have much else. There’s always the chance that Taylor struggles out of the gate like most rookie tight ends do, but there’s also the chance that he sees the second-most targets on the team this season.
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
FAAB recommendation: 2-3 percent of budget
Now that the Panthers will be without Jalen Coker for at least four games, Sanders could become an increasingly important piece in their offense. While Teteroia McMillan could see 80 percent of Bryce Young’s targets (kidding…sorta), Sanders should see enough balls come his way to provide some fantasy relevance.
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Once a top-ranked fantasy gamer on ESPN, Nick Raducanu has been playing fantasy sports for over 25 years. His written fantasy coverage includes stops at Rotoworld, Rotowire, and The New York Times.