NFL Waiver Wire: Preseason Edition

Welcome back to another season of "Working The Wire." I'm trying to remember how long I've been doing this. Suffice to say, it's been more than 10 years — and it never gets old.

Last year at this time we were worried about games getting canceled, key players missing time. As it turned out, the season went about as smoothly as anyone could have hoped. This season presents some different challenges as we really didn't get a full college season and some athlete opted out, making it a tad more difficult to evaluate the rookies. 

As always, drop any questions in the comments section and I'll do my best to get you an answer, no matter to what it pertains.

If you've already had your draft, there's a strong likelihood that waivers will run either this week or next before Week 1. If there's a player I missed (there are plenty out there) let me know in the comments section if you want an opinion. Let's see who might have gone overlooked in your draft.

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

Quarterback

PRIMARY TARGETS

Justin Fields, CHI - It's possible Fields was overlooked in early drafts considering the questions surrounding the rookie. He answered some of those questions in his first preseason outing and then looked more like a rookie in his second outing against a tough Bills defense. The Bears and coach Matt Nagy seem set on starting Andy Dalton Week 1. That's not necessarily a bad thing as the Bears take on a tough Rams defense in the opener, and a poor showing by Dalton may be the excuse the Bears need to make the change to Fields. This pick has a lot to do with your bench and if you can hold a player like Fields for possibly three or four weeks without him playing a snap. FAAB: $5-$10

SECONDARY TARGETS

Tyrod Taylor, HOU - It doesn't appear that we will see Deshaun Watson anytime soon, so the starting gig is Taylor's. Taylor doesn't have the greatest supporting cast, but players like Brandin Cooks and Keke Coutee might play into Taylor's skill set of throwing short, safe passes. Taylor's biggest attractiveness to fantasy owners is his legs; he averaged 525 rushing yards per season in his three years as a starter in Buffalo and rushed for 14 touchdowns as well. Expect to see Davis Mills at some point this season, but the first eight games should belong to Tyrod. FAAB: $3-$6

Trey Lance, SF - Lance is another player who may have gone overlooked with Jimmy Garoppolo seemingly in line to start the season under center. Lance looked good and bad in his first preseason game with an 80-yard touchdown strike but only went 4-for-13 on his other passing attempts. This is another case of possibly having to wait for the rookie; I prefer taking Fields over Lance if having to choose. FAAB: $3-$6

HAIL MARY

Baker Mayfield, CLE - The Browns return all 11 starters on offense and Odell Beckham is finally 100 percent healthy. I'd use Baker if you're looking to stream quarterbacks (something that's hardly done) or if your quarterback doesn't have the greatest matchup. The Browns are 6.5-point underdogs to the Chiefs in Week 1, but with an over/under total of 53.5 (the highest of the week), Cleveland should put up points likely benefiting Mayfield. The Chiefs gave up 29 passing touchdowns last season, the 11th most. FAAB: $1-$2

Running Back

PRIMARY TARGET

Malcolm Brown, MIA - It was a foregone conclusion that Myles Gaskin would reprise his role as the lead running back role this season for Miami, but Brown has other ideas. He's split work pretty evenly with Gaskin so far and has had solid success. Brown may find himself as the goal-line back being an inch taller and almost 30 pounds heavier than Gaskin, and it appears that the two could split series to begin the season. The upside for Brown is he wrestles the starting spot from Gaskin and gets the lion's share of carries. FAAB: $5-$10

SECONDARY TARGET

Kenneth Gainwell, PHI - Gainwell has been used as something of a gadget player in camp and the preseason. He has definitely carved out a role in this offense and should see about five touches per game, at least, to start the season. A fifth-round pick out of Memphis, Gainwell has the ability to make tacklers miss in the open field and is an excellent pass-catching running back. He's a bigger than Boston Scott, and I think he has more upside as well. FAAB: $3-$6

Chuba Hubbard, CAR - Christian McCaffrey is once again healthy and there's no reason to think he's not going to play as many snaps as possible this season. However, should another injury occur, Hubbard is a great lottery ticket to have on your bench. He plays in an offense that relies heavily on one running back (see Mike Davis last season) and has the skill set to be a three-down running back in the NFL. Look for him to get at least five touches per game to start the season, spelling McCaffrey as needed. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

Rhamondre Stevenson, NE - Stevenson has turned heads this summer with solid performances in preseason games and in camp. Bill Belichick has never been predicable with his running back usage, and Stevenson is the biggest running back on the New England depth chart. Stevenson should have some type of a role to start the season, and it never hurts to have a running quarterback under center to help keep defenses honest.  FAAB: $1 or FCFS

Wide Receiver

PRIMARY TARGETS

Jakobi Meyers, NE - Myers is the clear No. 1 target in the New England offense and anytime you can grab a team's top wide receiver, he's worth adding. Myers has seen his production grow as a Patriot, going from 26-359 his rookie season to 59-729 last season. Julian Edelman retired, and it's hard to imagine Nelson Agholor challenging Meyers to be the top target. If there's a couple red flags it's that he hasn't scored a professional touchdown despite 85 catches and he'll likely be matched against cornerbacks Tre'Davious White (Buffalo) and Xavien Howard (Miami) four times this season. FAAB: $5-$10

Tyrell Williams, DET - Like Meyers, Williams finds himself as the No. 1 wide receiver on a team whose offense likely won't be centered around the passing game. Williams is a year removed from shoulder surgery and is essentially playing for one last multi-year contract. He's the only receiver on the roster who has had a 1,000-yard season and should see as many targets as anyone not named T.J. Hockenson. I don't expect the Lions offense to be good, but someone has to catch the ball and I'd be on Williams over Breshad Perriman. FAAB: $4-$8

SECONDARY TARGETS

Hunter Renfrow, LVR - Renfrow appears to be the starting slot receiver for Las Vegas, a role in which he should thrive. Renfrow is a Danny Amendola type who will run short, quick routes and allow Derek Carr to get the ball out of his hands quickly. Renfrow had a decent sophomore season with 656 receiving yards, and his ability to take the next step in the fantasy world is directly linked to his targets (71, 77 the first two seasons). If he can see an uptick to more than 90 this season, expecting 800-plus receiving yards is reasonable. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

Dyami Brown, WFT - If nothing else, here's a name to know who could emerge later in the season. Brown likely will open the season buried in the depth chart (likely the No. 4 WR) but an injury or two could pave the way to playing time. A rookie out of North Carolina, he was considered a value in the third round of the draft as most expected him to go in the second. He has more upside  than teammate Adam Humphries. FAAB: FCFS

Tight End

SECONDARY TARGETS

Blake Jarwin, DAL - Jarwin was getting a lot of sleeper buzz last season before an ACL tear derailed his season. His ADP (181) has taken a hit with Dalton Schultz still on the roster, but Jarwin is the more talented receiving option. This offense should be a juggernaut and Jarwin should have plenty of room over the middle with a lot of attention being paid to the talented trio of wide receivers. FAAB: $3-$6

Anthony Firkser, TEN - Jonnu Smith took his talent north to New England, leaving 65 targets at the position. Add Firkser's 53 from last season, and he could see a big jump in that category. He's the better receiving option between him and Geoff Swaim and is obviously familiar with the offense and Ryan Tannehill. It's easy to see a path to 500-plus receiving yards and 3-4 touchdowns, especially having A.J. Brown and Julio Jones working the outsides of the field. FAAB: $3-$6

Defense

HAIL MARY

Carolina Panthers - If you're doing the streaming strategy with defenses this season, here's a great Week 1 pick. Carolina will be at home and gets rookie Zach Wilson and the  Jets. Wilson seems to be the least heralded of the rookie quarterbacks, and making his first professional start on the road should prove to be a challenge. This isn't a ringing endorsement for the Panthers defense; it's more about fading Wilson and the rest of the Jets offense. FAAB: $1-$2