🏈 Week 1 Waiver Wire and Trade Targets

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It's The Touchdown Press Newsletter. Your #1 source for all things fantasy football, DFS, and sports betting, along with 10,000+ fellow degenerates.

It’s officially Week 1 of the NFL season: Where fantasy football dreams begin and your Sunday chores magically disappear!

Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

• The BEST waiver pickups for Week 1 🙌 

• Early-season trade targets 🎯 

• Season-long fantasy football advice ✍️

• The latest player news from around the NFL 🏈 

Deon Jackson, RB (IND):

So, you gambled on Jonathan Taylor and lost. Now what?

If you don’t have a viable replacement on your roster, then you may be able to find something with Jackson, who is expected to start while Zack Moss continues to recover from an arm injury.

Rookie QB Anthony Richardson is raw but athletic. The threat of his legs could actually help open up some running lanes for Jackson, while the team could also opt to play conservatively and keep it on the ground more often.

While the volume numbers haven’t been terrific for Jackson, his best game arguably came last October vs. these same Jaguars when he caught all 10 of his targets for 79 yards, added 42 more and a TD on the ground and finished as the week’s PPR RB1.

So if you’re strapped for RB options, roll the dice on the volume.

Van Jefferson, WR (LAR)

Just when we thought we were out of the woods on Cooper Kupp, he suffers a setback with his hamstring.

If he misses time, Van Jefferson steps into the presumptive WR1 role in an offense that targeted Kupp nearly 11 times per game in his 8 healthy starts in 2022.

According to the air yards tool on Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life website, Jefferson was 4th in ADOT, which doesn’t mean all that much on its own, but if he were to see an uptick in raw volume, it may lead to quality production.

The Rams have some difficult games on the slate for the early part of the season, including the Bengals, 49ers, and Eagles, all teams that could promote high-scoring affairs or at the very least put LA in a position where they’ll need to throw the football.

Ultimately, Van’s value will be directly tied to Kupp’s situation, but he’ll be a capable fill-in if he has to miss time.

Derek Carr, QB (NO):

Carr probably isn’t on many fantasy radars as a QB1, but if you’re looking for a backup or if you play in a 2-QB format, he’s worth taking a peek.

First of all, Carr may have some of the best weaponry of his career now that he’s in New Orleans. Chris Olave is a budding superstar, Michael Thomas is a former fantasy no. 1, and Jamaal Williams scored 17 TDs last season.

That’s before we even mention Alvin Kamara, who has declined but still shown capability.

The Raiders’ schedule is also fairly QB-friendly, with early-season matchups vs. the Packers, Titans, Patriots, and Panthers, all in the bottom half of the league vs. QBs.

Sometimes a change of scenery is just what a guy needs, and the Saints are doing their best to put Carr in the best situation.

Jahan Dotson, WR (WAS):

Terry McLaurin was the Commanders’ WR drafted first in most leagues this summer, but he’s now dealing with turf toe, and Dotson started to build some of his own accolades last year.

His 7 TDs were tied with guys like DeVonta Smith, Tyreek Hill, and Tee Higgins, and he really came on late in the year.

From Weeks 13-18 last SZN:

• 20th in target share

• 3rd in RZ target share

• 14.6 fantasy points per game

He’s a huge buy-low candidate who could swing your fantasy team’s fortunes if he hits.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB (NE):

Are we really worried about the presence of Ezekiel Elliott?

Sure, Zeke will spell Rhamondre at times, but if you watched closely last year, you saw that he was wearing down at times toward the end due to overuse and poor offensive management.

Zeke’s presence may actually help.

Mondre was also:

• 4th in receptions (69)

• 7th in receiving yards (421)

• 3rd in evaded tackles (113)

• 6th in yards created per touch (3.43)

Also, take a look at this guy’s efficiency metric as a receiver from Fantasy Life’s air yards tool.

He’s 2nd only to Derrick Henry in RACR, which tells us how well he converts air yards into production.

Marvin Mims, WR (DEN):

The latest on Jerry Jeudy is that he’ll miss some time with a hamstring injury. That will provide Mims with an opportunity to contribute immediately, and possibly carve out a bigger permanent role.

Mims was a revelation at Oklahoma, catching 20 TDs over 3 seasons, and finishing both the ‘21 and ‘22 campaigns with over 20 yards per reception.

The 1,083 yards last year aren’t too shabby.

He also enters the league with 40-yard and burst scores well into the 90th percentiles.

I’ve written a lot this summer about trusting Sean Payton to do a good job with the Denver offense. Suddenly it looks like Mims will be a big beneficiary of that coaching.

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If you deposit $100, PrizePicks will give you $100. If you deposit $50, PrizePicks will give you $50.

It’s as simple as that! Don’t forget to check out 💥 My favorite PrizePicks & Bets this week.

Also… For Week 1 only, PrizePicks is offering a free square. If you don’t like one of my picks above, feel free to replace with this.

🚑 Giants' WR Beasley Benched: Week 1 Woes Begin

🏈 Colts Roll the Dice With Veteran RB Visit

🛠️ Patriots' O-Line Shakeup: Vet Lands on IR

🪶 D-Line Depth Dilemma in Kansas City

🦵 The Sneed's Knees: CB Uncertain for Week 1

🏃‍♂️ Richie James Jr. Limited in Practice

🤕 Toney Returns With Lions Matchup in Sight

🚨 Kittle's Leg Woes Continue: 49ers Tight End Update

🦁 Isaiah Buggs Benched: Lions Drama Unfolds for Week 1

🏈 Mark Andrews Bringing Tight End Relief to Ravens

It’s been a long road, fans. But we finally made it. I’ll be here every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday morning during the NFL season to bring you the best NFL and DFS content you can find.

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