Week 1 Waiver Wire

Thetis, the mother of Achille’s really messed up. See she was being hunted by Peleus because the Goddess of Justice, Themis told Thetis she was “going to bear a child mightier than his father” . Peleus teamed up with a centaur, Chiron. Peleus being a mortal wanted to have a son who would be mightier than him however he was a mortal and Thetis did not want to marry a mortal so she would shape shift to try and escape Peleus. Alas, Peleus ended up capturing Thetis, who eventually ended up bearing Achilles. It is said that Thetis wanted Achilles to be invulnerable so being the Goddess of the Sea she dipped Achilles into the waters of River Styx making him invulnerable, expect for the where she was holding him…on the Achilles.

Now how does that relate to fantasy football? It doesn’t. Do I want to blame greek mythology because 2 players tore their Achilles in week 1? You can bet your ass I do.

Was it Thetis’s fault because she should have dipped Achilles deeper? What bullshit shape did she try to hide from Peleus in? Why did Chiron get involved? He/She sounds like a tool, half horse HA! Arguably if Chiron got involved we wouldn’t have any achilles issues? I dont know its bullshit and so aren’t injuries so here’s the TSF priority pickups for Week 1 of the 2023 season and let’s all hope 2023 does not resemble that turd Peleus and hunt all of ours players. Cheers!

Kenneth Gainwell, RB

Out of all the turnover the Eagles had at the RB position, they went to the 3rd year back they selected in the 5th round in 2021. Penny was a healthy scratch, Swift only received 1 carry, and Boston Scott happened to be the backup… It was all very strange to see, but it appears the backfield is clearly Gainwell’s, which is alright with me as long as we know he is going to get 15+ touches a week; he had 18 for 74 total yards, but no touchdowns.

Week 1 Stats: 9.4 Points – (14 att, 54 rush yds, 4 tgt, 4 rec, 20 rec yds)

FAAB Bid: $18-33

Kyren Williams, RB

We heard about it in the offseason, how Williams could be used as the pass catching back in the offense, but did not see him straight out take over the backfield. Akers had plenty of touches but did nothing with them besides the goal line TD. Again, another confusing start to the season for Akers, but the Rams looked great and they want to continue winning, why change anything up? Williams is the back to own in LA and I am fine putting up good money to get him to solidify a starting RB for the rest of the season.

Week 1 stats: 17.4 points (17 att, 60 rush yds, 2 TDs, 1 tgt, 1 rec, 0 rec yds)

FAAB Bid: $11 – $21

Tyler Allgeier, RB

I know it is game one and Head Coach Arthur Smith will most likely ease Bijan into a lead role, but for now you cannot ignore Allgeier’s 75 yards and 2 scores on 15 carries to start the season. He also picked up 19 receiving yards on 3 catches and was the lead back with Cordarrelle Patterson as a healthy sratch. Even if Bijan becomes the lead back at some point in the season, Allgeier is one of the best 1Bs you could ask for, and possibly the best handcuff if Bijan were to go down.

Week 1 stats: 22.9 points (15 att, 75 rush yds, 2 TDs, 3 tgt, 3 rec, 19 rec yds)

FAAB Bid: $11 – $20

Gus Edwards, RB

The same things said about picking up Hill can be said about Gus Edwards. He has always stuck around in the Ravens backfield as a headache for most fantasy managers who were always hoping another running back would get the touches that go to Gus the Bus. Gus has the frame to be used on the goal line, even though this past week we saw Hill get those carries. He also had the much more efficient line of 32 yards to Justice’s 9 with both having 8 carries.

Week 1 stats: 5.20 points (8 att, 32 rush yds)

FAAB Bid: $6 – $17

Puka Nacua, WR

Well, everyone thought the Rams would suck this year and tank, but that was not the case in Week 1. They crushed Seattle, a team who many have picked to make the Super Bowl. They did it without Kupp, but Stafford was able to make both Nacua and Atwell fantasy relevant in Week 1. It is crazy how many Rams we have on this Waiver Wire article, but this is fantasy! Puka was peppered with targets and looks to be the WR1 in that offense until Kupp gets back. Even if Kupp is back by Week 5, Puka can still be started each week. We have seen the Rams make plenty of WRs fantasy relevant in the past, and this might just be the next one in a long line of guys who come out of seemingly nowhere to find success in LA.

Week 1 stats: 16.9 (15 tgts, 10 recs, 119 rec yards)

FAAB Bid: $7 – $15

Justice Hill, RB

Let’s first just take a second to remember the short but very hopeful career of JK Dobbins, who with a new achillies injury, I think is safe to say will not live up to the potential we all once saw in him. I would never say never, but he is at least out all of this season, and possibly into the next, which means the Ravens have to once again find a new answer in their running game. Right after the injury to Dobbins, the Ravens turned to Justice Hill who punched in a TD, which was not his only one on the day as he would go on to finish with 2 TDs for 9 yards on 8 carries. Outside of the touchdowns, a lot was left to be desired and Hill will be competing with Gus Edwards, and possibly another running back not yet on the roster. Keep an eye out for Kareem Hunt or Leonard Fournette.

Week 1 stats: 12.9 points (8 rush, 9 rush yards 2 TDs)

FAAB Bid: $6 – $14

Kendrick Bourne, WR

With DeVante Parker out, Kendrick Bourne put on a show for NE and was Mac Jones’ favorite weapon. He hauled in 6 receptions on 11 targets for 64 yards and 2 TDs and should be one of the top waiver adds of the week. Bourne was quiet all of last season as he seemingly was put in the dog house by the pencil wielding elf OC the Pats had last year, but picked up where he left off from the 2021 season where he finished as the WR32. Expect the latter to be the case this season and include Bourne in your flex consideration for the rest of the year.

Week 1 stats: 21.4 points (11 tgt, 6 rec, 64 rec yds, 2 TDs)

FAAB Bid: $5 – $12

TuTu Atwell, WR

Atwell follows logically with the Puka Nacua addition, as despite all our reservations surrounding the Rams offense, both guys were able to turn in impressive performances and provide viable options for Matt Stafford. 6 catches on 8 targets for 119 yards is a great day, and had he been able to turn in a TD, which a line like that usually seems to yield, he could have been looking at an even more dominant day. He is worth a waiver add for any team looking for a WR they can start all season.

Week 1 stats: 14.9 (8 tgt, 6 rec, 119 rec yds)

FAAB Bid: $5 – $11

Joshua Kelly, RB

Kelley was already viewed as one of the top handcuffs for fantasy, but he was that and more in Week 1. Ekeler is of course the top RB there, but both backs played right around 50% of snaps. Kelley saw 16 carries behind Ek (who also had 16 carries). With the new OC in town, it looks like he is bringing over the split RB system and both may be startable all season if they continue to look like this.

Week 1 stats: 15.1 points (16 rushes, 91 rush yards 1 TD, 1 tgt, 0 rec, 0 rec yards)

FAAB Bid: $3 – $7

Rashid Shaheed, WR

Shaheed opens the season with a very impressive performance, utimately ending up looking like the WR2 behind Chris Olave in the Saints offense. It will likely be a season long battle between him and Michael Thomas, who also looked solid, but no matter how you look at it, Shaheed deserves to be rostered in most fantasy formats. He has a lot of upside for a WR in an offense that didn’t even look to fully click in Week 1, only netting 16 points on the day. As the season progresses, look for Derek Carr to use Shaheed even more, and those numbers to continue to grow.

Week 1 stats: 16.5 points (6 tgts, 5 rec, 89 rec yds, TD)

FAAB Bid: $3 – $7

Hayden Hurst, TE

We say it every year, but we’ll say it again now… Rookie QBs LOVE their TEs. Hurst also inked a 7M/year deal with the Panthers this offseason, so it makes sense that we are seeing him heavily involved in the offense. He turned 7 targets into 5 catches and 1TD that came down on the goal line on a really nice out route where Bryce Young was able to get the ball right where he needed it for an easy score. If we continue to see this pair connect down in the scoring area, Hurst should be able to maintain his value all season long.

Week 13 stats: 12.6 (7 tgt, 5 rec, 51 rec yards, 1 TD)

FAAB Bid: $3 – $7

Hunter Henry, TE

Hunter Henry had an amazing day against the Eagles, who are no slouch on D, and it appears Henry could be one of the focal points in the new look Patriots offense being called by returning OC Bill O’Brien. Henry hauled in 5 of 6 targets for 56 yards and a TD, including an incredible 1 handed catch on 4th down. He was notably used much more than Mike Gesicki, who only had 3 targets, and Henry served as the Red Zone TE, which is the weapon Bill O’Brien likes to draw schemes up for the most down in that area. He could be an every week TE, which we have so few to choose from.

Week 1 stats: 14.1 (6 tgt, 5 rec, 56 rec yards, 1 TD)

FAAB Bid: $2 – $6

There you have it folks, the week 1 2023 waiver wire. Hopefully 2023 isn’t a Trojan horse and dismantle us all. Stay Salty!