Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 1: It's Taysom Time

B

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Since we're now in the first week of the fantasy season, I hope you don't have to look for quarterback or tight end yet. If you do, didn't you think you should have taken care of that during the draft? Well, if you need to jump into the stream, Bo Nix is ​​your man.

Not surprisingly, Nix secured Denver's starting spot after an outstanding performance in the preseason.

Pro Football Focus ranked him as their No. 6 passer and No. 12 runner at the position. Nix has a solid matchup with Seattle to open the season. The Seahawks ranked 29th in EPA per dropback allowed and were slightly above average in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. The bigger win comes if Nix is ​​simply better than fantasy managers expect. He was a statistically outstanding prospect who scouts said needed the right system to succeed. He ended up in that system with Sean Payton. They won't need to stream quarterbacks anymore if Nix maxes out.

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Run back

Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos

For most of the summer, Jaleel McLaughlin was part of a three-man committee that included Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine, making him a rather uninspiring choice in redraft leagues. In case you haven't been following NFL news (which is OK, I have), Perine has since been cut, leaving only Williams and McLaughlin as clear starters. Audric Estime was the starter in the team's final preseason game while the other two got a day off. In their second preseason appearance, Williams started along with the rest of the first offense and McLaughlin did the bulk of the work in passing attempts. Now it looks like he will keep that role into the regular season. If McLaughlin is Sean Payton's first choice as a pass catcher out of the backfield, he will be a money-printing machine for PPR.

Over the last 10 seasons, each of Payton's offenses has ranked in the top five in running back targets. McLaughin, meanwhile, ranked in the top five in PFF receiving grade and yards per route run as a rookie. It's a match made in heaven.

Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs

You may not have heard, but Perine was released by the Broncos. Jerrick McKinnon scored 10 touchdowns as the Chiefs' first choice in pass attempts in 2022. He was a top-20 running back in PRR with 128 touches. Perine still has the pass-catcher stuff to be that type of player. Last year, he led the league with 2.1 yards per route run. He was also in the top five in PFF's receiving grade and top 15 in ESPN's catch, YAC and open score. The Chiefs moved Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the NFI list after releasing Deneric Prince and all but have Perine locked in as a pass attempt specialist. Perine should be on the roster in all formats.

Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers

Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason competed for the RB2 job behind Christian McCaffrey throughout training camp and the preseason. It looked like we were heading for an unclear replacement situation before the 49ers surprisingly placed Mitchell on the injured list, ending the season as they trimmed their roster to 53 players. That left Mason as the clear replacement for the league's most valuable fantasy player. He's one of the best handcuffs and is widely available even in less relaxed leagues.

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Wide receiver

Mike Williams, New York Jets

Not much has changed at wide receiver, as the position is driven by talent rather than running backs. However, keeping Mike Williams off the PUP list while he recovers from a torn ACL was a big win for his fantasy outlook. He'll likely be limited in his first few games, but Williams put on his best performance on film and in the standings last year in the first three weeks. He averaged 6.3 pass catches for 83 yards on 2.33 yards per route run. All three of those numbers would have been good for career highs. He's expected to be Aaron Rodgers' No. 2 receiver this year.

Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts

Josh Downs is unlikely to play in Week 1 due to an ankle injury, which clears the way for second-round rookie Adonai Mitchell to run all routes in his debut. Mitchell was an outside receiver in college, but the Colts ran him around in the preseason, letting him run 70 percent of his routes out of the slot. He also got some reps when the starting offense switched to 12-personnel. Things are looking good for Mitchell, and he's available in over half of all Yahoo leagues.

Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos

The Broncos gave us another piece of news on roster reduction day when they parted ways with Tim Patrick. Marvin Mims only played two snaps with the starters in the preseason, seemingly making him a distant WR4. However, Patrick's use likely would have given him one last chance to make the roster or put him in the spotlight for a trade that never materialized. Mims could now slide into a WR3 role, with Josh Reynolds and Courtland Sutton his competition for targets.

Tight End

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Justice has been done.

Hill is available in just over half of all Yahoo leagues. Since he's now eligible as a tight end, that number should be close to 100 percent roster. Kendre Miller will miss at least four weeks on the injured list and Jamaal Williams was one of the league's least efficient backs last year. Hill played 9 of 20 snaps in the preseason out of the backfield and had a short score as a fullback. There's a strong chance he's the team's best option as an RB2 in addition to his roles as a receiver, tight end, quarterback, punt gunner, notary and parson.