Top 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterbacks (Week 1)

We will have you covered throughout the fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential fantasy football waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top fantasy football waiver wire quarterbacks to target for the week below. And here are all of our fantasy football waiver wire targets for Week 1.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Quarterbacks

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterbacks

Written by Ellis Bryn Johnson

Bryce Young: 26% rostered

Young ended the 2024 season on fire. Over his final three games, he passed for seven touchdowns, rushed for three TDs, and finished as a top-two QB twice. That’s a great way to end a roller coaster of a season. It seems odd to say this about an NFL player, but Young clearly needed to develop the confidence to play in the league. After being benched in Week 3 last season, he took his second chance at starting by the horns and was a different player from Week 8 on. It’s uncertain whether Young can carry that momentum into the 2025 season, which is partly why he is widely available in fantasy leagues. The Panthers open their season against the revamped Liam Coen-led Jaguars. If Coen has the Jags’ offense clicking, they could easily feast on a shaky Carolina defense. If that’s the case, Young will be put in a position to sling the rock and potentially put up good numbers.

Michael Penix Jr.: 33% rostered

It’s common to target receivers for second-year breakouts, but why not target second-year QB breakout candidates? After signing Kirk Cousins to a surprisingly large deal last offseason, the Falcons shocked the world by drafting Penix with the eighth pick of the 2024 draft. It didn’t take long for the Falcons to realize that of the two moves, paying Cousins was the mistake. Penix showcased his cannon of an arm in his three starts to end the season. Speaking of highly drafted players, the Falcons have four skill-position players who were top-eight draft picks: Kyle Pitts (No. 4, 2021), Drake London (No. 8, 2022), Bijan Robinson (No. 8, 2023), and Penix. The Falcons also brought in WR Darnell Mooney last season. Mooney impressed as a Falcon, becoming a perfect complement to London on the outside. He is currently out with a shoulder injury, but once Mooney is back, Penix will have a great group of weapons at his disposal. The Falcons open their season at home vs. the Buccaneers. It could be one of the highest-scoring games of the week. If you don’t love your starting QB, better to add Penix now rather than waiting for his price to potentially jump come Week 2.

Cam Ward: 26% rostered

The quarterbacks on the wire for Week 1 are all “what if” cases. The biggest “what if” has to be the No. 1 pick from this year’s draft. Ward has a gunslinging mentality and isn’t afraid to push the ball downfield. Starting your NFL career on the road at Mile High, taking on the Broncos, is not an ideal situation. The Broncos are serious contenders with a tough defense. If Ward can surprise in Week 1, he will be the new hotness at QB and very expensive. He is worth a pickup for any QB-needy team, or as a potential trading chip.

Matthew Stafford: 27% rostered

Let’s continue the “what if” game. What if Stafford was being overly cautious in the offseason and is not inhibited by his back injury? Considering that he is linked to head coach Sean McVay and WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Stafford could lead an electric offense. Week 1 answers a lot of questions, and Stafford’s health may be the single biggest question in the league. Last season, the Rams were ninth in passing yards per game and 12th in pass attempts per game. As we saw in the playoffs (where the Rams nearly upset the future Super Bowl champion Eagles), this offense can hang with any team. With the addition of Adams, Stafford arguably has his best WR duo of his career. If Stafford can turn back the clock, he’s a player you’ll want to roster early to avoid a bidding war on waivers.

Sam Darnold: 14% rostered

What if Darnold is good at football? Seriously. After he switched teams in the offseason, people are forgetting how good Darnold was in 2024. This is partly because he and the Vikings collapsed in the big games down the stretch, abruptly ending their 14-3 season. Darnold finished QB9 in fantasy last year, throwing 35 TD passes. He now joins Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. In 2024, Kubiak had surprising success overseeing the New Orleans offense despite having one of the worst personnel groups in the league. Now, Kubiak is looking to implement a physical and balanced offense, using an running scheme heavy on outside zone. The Seahawks bolstered their offensive line, highlighted by the addition of first-round rookie Grey Zabel. If the line improves, Seattle will want to run the ball. That could limit Darnold’s ceiling, but it could also help make the Seattle passing attack more efficient.