Everyone knows that the most exciting part of fantasy football is the draft. But the draft is just the first step when it comes to building a championship team. Managing your roster during the season via trades and waivers is crucial. With that in mind, it’s never too early to start thinking about who our fantasy football players are that could be early-season waiver targets.
To be eligible for this list, the player must have an ADP of 168 or higher (12 teams x 14 roster spots = 168 players drafted) in the ESPN’s Current ADP List. Of course, with less than two months to go until the season, these ADPs will change as more drafts take place. Some players on this list may not qualify once we get closer to the season, but the good news is that we’ll still be providing you with everything you need to crush waivers this season.
Before I begin, I want to highlight two of the most important tools for my renunciation process. The first, of course, is our waiver wire toolwhich is very helpful in determining which players to bet on and how much to bet (which is something I always struggle with). If you want to get the most out of the waiver wire tool, you can sync your league to get personalized advice.
The other tool I use all the time to evaluate waiver list targets is the Usage report data, especially the game log section. Being able to see game-by-game usage trends for every player on every team is incredibly valuable when trying to stay ahead of your league mates and add a player before they really stand out and require a huge FAAB deal.
Chuba Hubbard – RB, Panthers
It’s hard to get excited about the Panthers’ offense in 2024, but there are reasons to at least keep an eye on their backfield early in the season. I expect Jonathan Brooks be the feature film back by the end of the year, but it is I am still recovering from a torn ACL in November.and Carolina has no reason to rush him back.
New HC Dave Canales also made it clear that the Panthers will be a run-oriented attack in 2024. With important additions to their offensive lineCarolina has a chance to be a much more functional offense this season, which would bode well for their RB production. Even though they have given Miles Sanders a decent contract last season, he was an absolute disaster in 2023 and Chuba Hubbard he proved to be the most effective back and did most of the work from Week 8 onwards.
It’s not a guarantee, but I expect Hubbard to remain the primary running back early in the season, so any signs of life from the Panthers’ offense will make him a priority for me. Brooks could very well take over that backfield in the second half of the season, but if I can get 8+ weeks of a starting RB through waivers, that’ll be a big boost, especially with the WR-heavy rosters I typically favor for the draft.
Kimani Vidal – RB, Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have one of the most ambiguous backfield situations heading into 2024. Gus Edwards is nominally the starter, but he’s always been part of a committee – his 198 carries last season marked a career high by far. JK Dobbins is the most talented RB on the roster, but there are serious doubts about whether he will return to his old self after multiple devastating injuries. Dobbins also only received $50,000 in guaranteed money on his contract, so he’s not even guaranteed to make the roster. sixth round rookie Kimani Vidal one of the most intriguing picks of day three of the NFL Draft because he actually has a path to early-season production.
Vidal will be a player to watch all season long — any upward trend in his snap share and rush attempts will make him a coveted addition to the waiver wire. He’s one of the players I’ll be keeping an eye on Usage report data on a weekly basis because I want to add it to my lists a week or two early.
Don’t be surprised if positive reports from training camp make Vidal ineligible for this roster in a few weeks, in which case he’ll become one of my favorite late-round targets.
Dontayvion Wicks – wide receiver, Packers
One of the most talked about players on fantasy football Twitter (X?) this offseason, Dontayvion Wicks showed real potential in his rookie season. While he didn’t run many routes, his 2.04 YPRR and 5.6 yards per reception were very solid efficiency numbers. showed real road racing skills which put him on track to take a big step forward in his second season.
The Packers’ WR room is crowded, and it’s very difficult to project the pecking order of targets in this offense, but I firmly believe the ADP gap between Wicks and the Packers’ higher-drafted WRs is too wide. His 20% target rate on route runs in 2023 was second-best on the team, and his 30% target rate on play-action passes was the best among Green Bay WRs.
I have some concerns that the Packers’ WR room will be a full-on committee with very spread out target shares, but there is so much upside in this offense that any WR who emerges at the top of the target hierarchy could be a true league winner.
Keep an eye on the snap shares for Green Bay’s WRs in the first few weeks and if we see Wicks near 70%, he should be a high priority waiver addition.
Ja’Lynn Polk – wide receiver, Patriots
New England’s WR room is wide open for someone to emerge as the top target. Veterans like Kendrick Bourne And KJ Osborn offer some floor, but do not have an exciting ceiling in their range of results. Young players like DeMario Douglas and beginners Yes’Lynn Polk And Javon Baker offer much more potential. For my money, I think Polk is the most talented of this group and should establish itself as the main target fairly quickly.
The good news is that the general pessimism about the Patriots offense is this: You shouldn’t need to spend your draft capital on any of them. Just wait and see who’s on the field more often and who’s a prime target over the first two weeks of the regular season.
While I’m very excited about Polk, I would be willing to get aggressive in acquiring Polk, Baker, or Douglas if they appear to be the preferred target for any QB under center in New England. If the Patriots start the season with Jacoby Brissett As a starter, keep an eye on how the target distribution changes as Drake Maye gets his chance – we could see the rookie elevate a different wide receiver, which could make him a valuable addition to the waiver wire when that time comes.
Noah Fant – TE, Seahawks
If you’ve been playing fantasy football for a few years, chances are you’ve been burned by Noah Fant at least once. While he never had the breakout season many expected, he has still been quite productive, averaging 561 receiving yards per season so far in his career.
The reason Fant is largely off the fantasy radar this year is because he hasn’t scored a single receiving TD in 2023. However, he’s scored three or four TDs in every season before that. Heading into 2024, there are several reasons to be excited about Fant’s fantasy football prospects. Seattle eliminated its competition by letting Colby Parkinson go into free agency and release Will Dissly. They also gave Fant a significant contract to be their starter.
These moves should ensure that Fant is clearly the best TE in Seattle’s passing game, but he’ll still have some good target competition in the form of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett And Jaxon Smith-NjigbaThe good news is that the Seahawks should have a a more dynamic passing game in 2024 thanks to new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
I want to be aware of every aspect of this Seattle offense because the combination of talent and new scheme could help them take a big step forward this season. Fant is the cheapest weapon on their team and should be on fantasy managers’ radar in the early weeks, especially if you’re unable to draft an elite TE on draft day.