NFL Waiver Wire: Pickups Before Week 1

Welcome back to another season of "Working The Wire." Every year this column gets run as a tool for those who have waivers before the season starts or to use for those looking for late-round fliers for drafts.

This columns is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

QUARTERBACK

SECONDARY TARGETS

Gardner Minshew, JAC - Minshew Mania is spreading, and the team added a valuable weapon to the offense from this year's draft. Laviska Shenault should eventually line up opposite the talented DJ Chark while Chris Conley and Dede Westbrook are viable receiving options as well. Minshew did a great job as a rookie with only six interceptions in 470 attempts. He had 21 touchdown passes against those interceptions and his 7.0 YPA was higher than fellow rookie Kyler Murray (6.9 YPA). It's not crazy to think Minshew could be more than a bye-week filler and finish as a top-12 player at the position. FAAB: $3-$6

Tua Tagovailoa, MIA - Picking up and stashing Tua all depends on the number of bench spots a team has and how much tolerance one has to wait until he starts. Getting the starting job is a matter of "when," not "if," and not starting initially could help him made a bigger impact when he eventually is called upon. Tua has a skill set similar to Russell Wilson with his mobility, decision making and arm strength.  Just be set to have patience with him as Ryan Fitzpatrick likely will start the first handful of games for the Dolphins. FAAB: ($2-$4)

Drew Lock, DEN - Lock led the Broncos to a 4-1 record down the stretch while looking like a serviceable NFL quarterback. Lock has a full season under his belt and now has a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Courtland Sutton is one of the rising players in the league at wide receiver. Noah Fant showed explosiveness multiple times during his rookie season as evidenced by three plays of 40-plus yards. Lock is also reunited with former teammate Albert Okwuegbunam who played with him at Missouri. There's a case that Jerry Jeudy was the best wide receiver in this draft class, and that's saying a lot. KJ Hamler is a speedster who was drafted to stretch the field, and the Broncos still have Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton on the roster. Basically, this is a receiving corps that could make Lock look wonderful even if he's only a league-average quarterback. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

Matt Moore, KC, Andy Dalton, DAL, Jameis Winston, NO - These quarterbacks are grouped together for good reasons. All having starting quarterback experience and are next in line should anything happen to the starter on their team. They also play for some of the better offenses in the league and each could be a top-10 option should a starting opportunity present itself. Only consider these players in deep leagues. FAAB: $1 or FCFS

RUNNING BACK

PRIMARY TARGETS

Ryquell Armstead, Devine Ozigbo, James Robinson, JAC - Unable to trade Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars released him outright, content to move on. Fournette will land somewhere and depending on the situation could still be fantasy relevant at some point this season. Armstead is the RB target in Jacksonville as he should get first crack at the starting job, which should include goal-line work. Notice Chris Thompson is not listed; his role likely will not change as he won't suddenly become a workhorse running back. Ozigbo is on the depth chart next but he doesn't appear to be anything to get overly excited about as he was mainly used on special teams last season. Last is James Robinson, an intriguing undrafted rookie out of Illinois State. In college he had more than 5,200 all-purpose yards and scored 44 touchdowns, albeit against lesser competition. Pay attention to reports out of Jaguars camp about the backfield situation. FAAB: Armstead $10-$15; Robinson $3-$6; Ozigbo $2-$4

Antonio Gibson, Adrian Peterson, Bryce Love, WAS - It's doubtful we see Derrius Guice in the NFL again, so Washington will turn to the rest of its roster to handle the workload out of the backfield. In Yahoo fantasy leagues , Gibson (64 percent) and Peterson (56 percent) are widely owned, so they may not be available on waivers in your league. Gibson is an interesting player, as it's rare that a running back runs a 4.39 40 at 228 pounds. He was primarily used as a pass-catcher in college, though in a limited sample (33 rushes) he averaged 11.2 yards per attempt. He's definitely the upside target since everyone should know what they're getting in Peterson. AP averaged a mediocre 4.3 yards per carry last season but averaged less than 60 yards rushing per game and scored only five touchdowns in 15 games. Finally, Love is the darkhorse who will need to beat out Peyton Barber to even get a roster spot but has the most upside of the two. FAAB: Gibson $8-$12; Peterson $3-$6; Love $1 or FCFS

WIDE RECEIVER

SECONDARY TARGETS

DeSean Jackson, PHI - Jackson has always been more of a big-play wide receiver than one who counted on volume to make his fantasy production. The potential for both could happen early this season after Jalen Reagor suffered a shoulder injury that will likely cost him time. The volume should be there for Jackson right away and while he's on the wrong side of 33, reports from camp say he's healthy and hasn't slowed. Just keep in mind it's unlikely he'll stay healthy for 16 games. FAAB: $3-$6

Preston Williams, MIA - Williams was one of the better rookie surprises last season, getting off to a solid start before an ACL injury in Week 9 ended his season. The injury coupled with average overall numbers for a wide receiver have made many overlook him this season. He appears to be close to 100 percent healthy and beat reporters have sang his praises in camp. Williams should see softer coverage playing opposite DeVante Parker and should get plenty of targets in an offense with a narrow receiving tree. FAAB: $2-$4

TIGHT END

PRIMARY TARGETS

Chris Herndon, NYJ - Herndon is 50 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, and that number should be much higher considering how Jets' camp has gone. The top-5 wide receivers for the Jets are injured, and there's a chance Chris Hogan is the healthiest among them. Herndon had some sleeper buzz last season, but between his suspension and injuries that star faded quickly. This year is a different story as he's healthy and should be a main piece of the Jets' passing attack. If you're looking at your starting tight end and not thrilled, Herndon is at least worth a stash. FAAB: $5-$10