Doing your weekly fantasy football waiver wire bids can be more stressful than performing life-saving surgery on a loved one without any professional tools or medical knowledge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, deciding which players to add off the waiver wire each week can be stressful.
Finding and adding the right guys in shallow leagues is simple, as there are plenty of appealing options, and the waiver wire is full of talent. Unfortunately, making your waiver wire claims in deeper leagues can be a massive pain in the neck.
However, I’m here to help by giving managers seven fantasy football waiver wire targets they should add in deeper leagues ahead of Week 1.
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Deep League Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets
All the players in this article are rostered in under 25% of ESPN fantasy football leagues.
Joe Flacco (QB – CLE): 2.3% Rostered
Fantasy players know Flacco won’t finish the year as the Browns’ starting quarterback. However, he should be under center for the first several weeks. The veteran is an excellent QB2 option in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. DraftKings has the over/under for that AFC North matchup at 47.5 points, the second-highest for Week 1. Furthermore, the Bengals will be a team that fantasy players should stream against this season, especially at the quarterback position.
Last year, Flacco averaged 1.7 passing touchdowns and 14 fantasy points per game in his six starts. Furthermore, he was the QB2 over the final five weeks of the fantasy season in 2023, averaging 2.6 passing touchdowns and 21.8 fantasy points per game. Cleveland has solid weapons in Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and David Njoku. More importantly, Flacco will have to throw a ton early in the year, facing five talented offenses over the first five weeks.
Woody Marks (RB – HOU): 12.4% Rostered
Unfortunately, Joe Mixon will miss at least the first four weeks with a foot/ankle injury. However, the veteran running back could miss even more time. Reportedly, he could miss the entire season with the foot/ankle injury, causing his fantasy draft stock to plummet over the past few weeks. While Nick Chubb is the next man up on the depth chart, he has been a shell of his former superstar self because of multiple significant injuries.
The Texans also have Dameon Pierce, who has been a fantasy afterthought since his productive rookie year. Meanwhile, Marks won’t be a 20-touch-a-game running back. However, he can be a factor in the passing game. If Houston struggles to run the ball behind a bad offensive line, Marks could see more playing time as a James White-like weapon in the passing attack. He averaged 52.2 receptions per season in college, totaling 47 or more in all but one.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB – WAS): 2.2% Rostered
While the fantasy football community is excited about Jacory Croskey-Merritt, the seventh-round rookie was listed as the RB4 on the Commanders’ unofficial depth chart earlier this week. Yet, that doesn’t matter, as he should be the first Washington running back picked by anyone in a last-minute draft. However, fantasy players shouldn’t forget about Rodriguez, especially in deeper leagues. He has had limited fantasy production, averaging 3.2 PPR fantasy points per game in 22 career regular-season contests.
Yet, Rodriguez was productive and the team’s top running back during the preseason, averaging 6.9 yards per rushing attempt and 0.69 fantasy points per touch. More importantly, the coaching staff has praised the former Kentucky star, saying he will have a role at the goal line and on early downs following the Brian Robinson Jr. trade. Fantasy players who need an early-season flex option should check the waiver wire for Rodriguez.
Romeo Doubs (WR – GB): 18.2% Rostered
Green Bay spent a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Matthew Golden, making him the first opening-round wide receiver the team has drafted in over 20 years. While the former Texas star was my top-ranked Packers wide receiver this season, Doubs is massively undervalued. Last year, he finished as the WR56, averaging 10.2 PPR fantasy points per game as Jordan Love struggled with injuries. However, the former Nevada was a sneaky flex option in 2023.
Doubs was the WR36 that season, totaling eight receiving touchdowns. He finished first on the team and eighth in the NFL in receiving scores, totaling more than Puka Nacua (six). Unfortunately, Christian Watson will miss at least the first four games recovering from a torn ACL. More importantly, Jayden Reed is dealing with a Jones fracture in his foot. While Golden should be Green Bay’s top-scoring fantasy receiver, don’t be surprised if Doubs is second.
Elic Ayomanor (WR – TEN): 2.6% Rostered
Fantasy players should have high hopes for Calvin Ridley with Cam Ward under center. Furthermore, the veteran wide receiver has limited competition for targets, especially after the Titans let Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and his team-high nine receiving touchdowns from last year leave in free agency. However, Ayomanor has had an impressive training camp and preseason. Furthermore, the former Stanford star earned the No. 2 wide receiver role on the depth chart, ahead of Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson.
While Ayomanor was a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft, he had 125 receptions for 1,844 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 24 games at Stanford despite awful quarterback production. Furthermore, the rookie had 13 receptions for 293 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Travis Hunter in 2023. Ayomanor should see meaningful targets and have a solid Week 1 performance with Ridley facing Patrick Surtain II. He will be among the top names in waiver wire articles on Tuesday.
Adonai Mitchell (WR – IND): 2.5% Rostered
Unfortunately, Mitchell had no fantasy impact as a rookie. He averaged only 3.2 PPR fantasy points per game, catching only 22 of his 55 targets in 17 outings. However, the former Texas star flashed upside as a rookie, averaging 11.2 fantasy points per game in the two contests with more than five targets, totaling 9.2 or more in both outings. More importantly, he had an impressive training camp, making several downfield plays with the first-team offense.
Mitchell was a potential breakout candidate before the Colts named Daniel Jones their starting quarterback. The former Texas star would have more fantasy appeal if Anthony Richardson were under center because of his desire to push the ball downfield. However, Mitchell still could be a flex option in deeper fantasy leagues. Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs dealt with injuries during training camp. Mitchell could get an opportunity to shine if the veterans struggle to stay healthy early in the year.
Chig Okonkwo (TE – TEN): 11.4% Rostered
The fantasy football community has been waiting for Okonkwo to have a breakout season for years. He was the TE21 in 2024, averaging 6.7 PPR fantasy points per game for the second consecutive season. The former Maryland star flashed significant fantasy upside last year despite awful quarterback production, scoring at least 10.9 fantasy points per game in the three contests with seven or more targets despite not finding the end zone in any of those outings.
Furthermore, Okonkwo was the TE4 during the fantasy playoffs last year, averaging 7.3 receptions on 9.3 targets for 60.7 receiving yards and 14.6 fantasy points per game. More importantly, he should be the favorite to finish second on the team in targets and touchdowns behind Calvin Ridley. After having at least 70 targets in back-to-back seasons, the former Maryland star could total 100 in 2025 with Cam Ward taking over under center behind an improving offensive line.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
