Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds For Week 1: Kaelon Black, Malik Davis & More

As we close out Labor Day Weekend with the 2026 NFL season kicking off tomorrow, the majority of our fantasy drafts are winding down. However, that doesn’t mean we just turn on autopilot until kickoff. In my opinion, the window between your draft finishing and Week 1 beginning is one of the most crucial times to stay locked in on the most recent NFL news and, in turn, which players available on the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 1 could benefit.

Waiver Wire Adds For Week 1 Of The 2026 Fantasy Football Season

Every season, there are one or two guys that go undrafted in a majority of leagues, only to become major difference makers in the following fantasy season.

Think Bucky Irving in 2024.

Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua in 2023.

You might even remember a guy by the name of James Robinson back in 2020.

I’d wager there are multiple players available in every single one of your leagues right now that will end up playing a valuable fantasy role at some point this season. With that said, let’s figure out who they are:

(Note: future versions of this article will contain FAAB advice, but since pre-week 1 is a bit of a unique time, assume these players are essentially free if they’re currently available in your leagues)

Quarterbacks To Add On The Week 1 Waiver Wire

Malik Willis | 35% Rostered

Malik Willis is about as much of a black box that you’re going to find at the QB position in 2026. On one hand, Fantasy Life projects him for merely 3,070 pass yards this season—27th among QBs. On the other hand, he’s projected for 671 rush yards, second behind only Jayden Daniels.

That rushing work provides Willis with one of the stronger floors of any QB this year, making him one of my favorite QB targets if you were completely boxed out of the position in your draft.

Week 1 Waiver Wire Running Backs To Target

Kaelon Black | 34% Rostered

A rookie drafted 90th overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Black is one of my favorite low-owned running back handcuffs going into 2026.

There were question marks earlier in the offseason as to whether it would be second-year back Jordan James or Kaelon Black serving as the RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey, but we’ve since gotten confirmation that Black will have the first crack at this role.

Black’s prospect profile is not one that inspires a ton of confidence in his talent, and I personally believe he was significantly overdrafted by the 49ers. I’m not sure that really matters, though. The 49ers clearly have one of the most valuable backfields across the entire league when it comes to fantasy production, and we know CMC struggles with extended injuries on occasion. Black needs to be rostered everywhere going into Week 1.

Malik Davis | 18% Rostered

After a surprising turn of events this offseason, including the release of second-year backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, it appears Malik Davis is locked into the Dallas Cowboys RB2 role. I view Davis similarly to Kaelon Black—significant question marks around both of their individual talent profiles, but the environment is so conducive to scoring fantasy points that I’m not super worried.

One thing worth mentioning about Davis’ prospect profile (he’s been in the NFL since 2022, so take this with a grain of salt) is his receiving ability. Throughout Davis’ college career from 2017-2022:

0.06 avg FDPRR (82nd % among all RBs since 2014)
0.18 avg TPRR (75th%)
1.52 avg YPRR (71st%)

Obviously it’s been a while since we’ve seen this receiving work on full display, but it bodes well for Davis’ fantasy upside if Javonte goes down. I view him as a must-add in all formats before this season kicks off.

Wide Receivers To Add On The Week 1 Waiver Wire

Ja'Kobi Lane | 34% Rostered

Lane is one of the rookie receivers I am most excited about when it comes to early production opportunities. The runway is wide open for a receiver with his skill set to make an immediate impact in Baltimore.

Coming out with a CUPPS Score of 52.1, this makes Ja’Kobi Lane a 62nd-percentile wide receiver in my model. Lane is a big-body outside WR, winning with a high contested-catch percentage and leveraging his athleticism to create chunk plays. This role has previously been occupied by a blend of Rashod Bateman and Devontez Walker—albeit neither of which have done particularly well.

While I may like fellow Baltimore rookie Elijah Sarratt more from a talent perspective, the upside is definitely there for Lane to produce right out of the gate this season. He’s worth an add if you’re looking for a home run swing at the WR position.

Pat Bryant | 23% Rostered

The buzz on second-year Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant has been nonstop this offseason. Sean Payton has been on record numerous times saying he sees a big year two inbound.

The data backs this up as well. Looking at Pat Bryant’s Utilization Report over his rookie season, he was on a clear uptrend throughout the year:

All signs point to a Bryant breakout in his sophomore year. He’s one of the few non-rookie WRs I’d be interested in stashing before the season kicks off.

Tight End Waiver Wire Adds For Fantasy Football Week 1

Oronde Gadsden | 26% Rostered

In my article last week, discussing the situations I’ll be monitoring closely in Week 1, I highlighted Oronde Gadsden’s usage as something I’m especially interested in. I’ve been on record all offseason talking about how I believe Gadsden is extremely mispriced, after an absolutely awesome rookie season.

Gadsden has the potential to be one of the biggest “WTF were we thinking with this price” guys, and I think we’re going to know pretty quickly based on his week 1 usage.

If I missed out on one of the elite TEs at the top of my draft and got stuck with one of the backend TE1 floor plays (i.e., Kelce, Andrews, Goedert, Johnson, etc.) I’d be especially interested in snagging Gadsden before Week 1 kicks off as a pure upside swing.

Terrance Ferguson | 29% Rostered

If you’re looking for a TE to plug and play into your lineup in Week 1, I’m afraid those aren’t the guys I’m covering in this article.

Terrance Ferguson is a very directionally similar bet to Oronde Gadsden. Another 2025 rookie with some interesting aspects to his first-year production—most notably, his absolutely absurd 18.3-yard average depth of target—ranking first among 74 qualified TEs last year by an absolute mile (Darren Waller in second with 11.9).

As the potential third receiving option in one of the best offenses in the league with an insane aDOT, it’s easy to see how T-Ferg offers game-breaking fantasy upside. Similar to Gadsden, I’d love to stash Ferguson before Week 1 kicks off as a pure upside play.