Having a good fantasy draft sets a team up really well, but most of the time to win a fantasy football league, acquisitions need to be made during the season. Each week there are several players worth exploring on the waiver wire. Here are fantasy football players to add week 1.
(Note: These are best used for standard scoring leagues. All players are rostered in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues)
Rodriguez has been in the NFL since 2023 after a great career at Kentucky. He has 920 rushing yards, 54 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in his career.
Although he hasn’t been given too much of an opportunity in the NFL, he has played decently when given a chance. Now, he reunites with Liam Coen, who was his offensive coordinator at Kentucky. Rodriguez is in line for a decent workload, all while sharing the work with LeQuint Allen and Bhayshul Tuten. In short-yardage situations, Rodriguez may get the nod and may be in more of a backfield split. He is rostered in 31.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
Johnson battled injury and only had two carries last season. He did have more touches before in his career and has been solid in short-yardage situations.
The Bears like to split carries between D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, but both have dealt with injuries in the preseason. If either have to miss the first week, Johnson could see an uptick in usage. Picking him up is more of an insurance policy than anything else and not really a long-term plan. Johnson is rostered in just 1.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
Johnson is a former third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Things didn’t work out there, as he has just 69 rushing yards in his career.
Josh Jacobs is on the commissioner’s exempt list. The Packers had MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks on the roster as possible running back options, but they still decided to trade for Johnson. Lloyd and Brooks may get the work early on as they are more familiar, but Johnson has talent if given the opportunity. He is currently rostered in just 8.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
Last season, Tucker has the best season of his career. He caught 57 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns. It was the third straight season in his career when his numbers have improved.
Tucker keeps improving and the Raiders upgraded the offense around him. They should have better quarterback and offensive line play. One area they didn’t spend a lot of resources to imrpove was the wide receiver room. Brock Bowers will still see plenty of production at tight end, but if Tucker can continue his career trend, he is rosterable. Currently, he is rostered in 26.5 percent of ESPN leagues.
This preseason, Lane has generated some buzz in the Ravens’ camp. The third-round pick out of USC caught 49 passes for 745 yards and four touchdowns in 2025 for the Trojans.
Baltimore just paid Zay Flowers, but they have been looking for more consistent wide receiver play for a while. If Lane can provide that, adding him now could pay off later for a fantasy manager. He is currently rostered in 17.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
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