High-Upside Bench Stashes: Sneaky Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds Before Week 1

Andy's must-have bench stashes and sneaky fantasy football waiver wire adds, sleepers ahead of Week 1 in 2025. Pick up these high-upside players before Week 1.

Football time is here! We are in the heat of draft weekend, and the regular season begins tonight. You can feel it in the air, and it is a wonderful time to be a fan of this great sport.

With drafts in full swing, many managers have likely already begun to peek at the waiver wire and second-guess their final selections. Have no fear, in this weekly column, we will look at some widely available high-upside stashes that can benefit your team in the long run.

However, these suggestions are not meant to be your "one-week" replacement players. The vast majority of these players hold minimal standalone value but could become must-start players as soon as they receive a boost in the depth chart. All players suggested are available in at least 60% of all Yahoo! leagues. Let's dive in!

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Running Backs

Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins

30% rostered

After opening training camp in a depth role due to being a sixth-round pick in this April's draft, Gordon now finds himself in the No. 2 spot on the roster after a wild week of events. Presumed No. 2 option, Jaylen Wright (leg), is listed to miss multiple weeks after undergoing surgery, and veteran Alexander Mattison (neck) was placed on the injured reserve.

While a pure handcuff option is never a bad stash, Gordon could see fantasy value as early as Week 1. Throughout August, star running back De'Von Achane has been dealing with a lingering calf injury. While the team's general manager has expressed that he expects Achane to be ready for Week 1, soft tissue injuries are often unpredictable and can lead to setbacks.

Achane himself has battled injuries at times during his young career, and given his 5-foot-9 stature, could be in danger of facing a significant setback during the campaign.

In addition to these injuries, Gordon has only helped his stock in the preseason by tallying over 40+ yards in each of the final two games and looking much more explosive than Wright when he was on the field.

Given Achane's current status, Gordon is a must-stash in all leagues. While it appears Achane will be ready for Week 1, he could be at a significant risk of a setback, which could open the door for Gordon to be the clear RB1 on this offense.

Woody Marks, Houston Texans

15% rostered

Another rookie running back who had had the benefit of his current injury-riddled depth chart is Woody Marks. The fourth-round rookie opened the season as the clear No. 4 in Houston, but with Joe Mixon (foot) hitting the reserve list and in danger of missing a much longer portion of the season, the Texans no longer have their presumed workhorse.

The team went out and signed veteran Nick Chubb to a one-year deal, who was coming off his most inefficient season of his career, with a modest 3.3 YPC. In 2024, Chubb posted a strong 6.1 YPC.

The Texans also have Dameon Pierce on the roster, who will likely also be given a crack at opportunities in the short term. However, given that Pierce was not trusted much last season, running the ball only 40 times, Marks may easily jump up the depth chart.

Marks finished his college career at USC, totaling a career-high 1,113 yards on the ground with 1,4454 total yards from scrimmage. Like Gordon, Marks is a top stash option as he could have complete control over this backfield by the middle of the season, given its uninspiring state. This is a long-term play worth investing in.

My final running back to consider stashing is Blake Corum of the Los Angeles Rams. Corum had a disappointing debut season, operating as the clear No. 2 to workhorse Kyren Williams. During training camp, many were even concerned that the rookie Jarquez Hunter would jump Corum on the depth chart.

However, this past week, the former National Champion received some very positive news from his coaching staff, which suggests he is the clear complement to Williams. In fact, they may very well be more than just the "RB2."

Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur noted that "the plan is to split those up a little bit and distribute, whether it's the run or the pass game, and making sure people are involved within the scheme." He went on to say that Corum "had a really good training camp" and he will "get his opportunities come Week 1."

Kyren Williams to See Reduced Workload?https://t.co/TP9IDvOjah

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 28, 2025

This represents a significant change in the coaching scheme, as the Rams rarely took Williams out of the game in 2024. Despite being locked up to a three-year extension with the club, Williams's days of averaging over 20 touches per game seem to be coming to an end.

Other RBs to stash - Dameon Pierce HOU, Chris Rodriguez Jr. WSH, DJ Giddens IND

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Wide Receivers

Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers

8% rostered

Earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers opted to trade veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen back to his original team, the Minnesota Vikings. While this move may not seem significant for fantasy purposes from Thielen's perspective, as he will face serious target competition in Minnesota, it does open the door for former undrafted rookie Jalen Coker.

Coker had an average rookie season in 2024, catching just 32 passes for 478 yards and two scores. However, he began to establish a connection with QB Bryce Young, especially during the stretch run. Over the final four games, Coker averaged five targets per game and saw at least five targets in three of these four contests.

During the first 10 games, she saw just 3.7 targets per game.

Additionally, the coaching staff has recently indicated that Coker will be deployed as the primary slot receiver in the offense, which should increase his target opportunities. While first-round rookie Tetairoa McMillan has stolen most of the headlines from Coker this offseason, don't let him sit on the waiver wire in three-WR formats.

Even though Coker has been placed on IR and will miss at least the first four games of the season, he still possesses high upside from a stash perspective. Managers in leagues that have IR spots should still view Coker as a top stash option, as he will have a viable path to emerge as the team's No. 2 pass catcher once he returns.

UDFA Jalen Coker (who got almost no reps with the first team offense during training camp/preseason in 2024) scored more fantasy points per game (8.4) than Xavier Legette (7.8)

Adam Thielen averaged 14 fPPG playing 70% of his snaps from the slot

Bryce Young peppers the slot guy https://t.co/sZ4EfYAIPi

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) August 29, 2025

Dont'e Thornton Jr., Las Vegas Raiders

12% rostered

The fourth-round rookie out of Tennessee has enjoyed a very impressive preseason and has played his way into a potential starting role. At the start of camp, Thornton appeared to be tagged for a depth role, entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick. However, throughout the preseason, Thornton has impressed and was able to enjoy a strong conclusion.

In their final preseason contest, Thornton spent time exclusively with Geno Smith and caught two of his three targets for 26 yards and a score. More importantly, during this same contest, the second-round rookie wideout Jack Bech was playing with the reserves, suggesting Thornton had jumped him on the depth chart.

In college, Thornton flashed immense upside from a big-play perspective. In his final collegiate season, Thornton led the entire SEC in YPR (25.4) and scored six times on just 26 receptions.

With the Raiders taking a run-heavy approach led by rookie standout Ashton Jeanty, Thornton could be used as the field stretcher and could be in store for several spike weeks.

Other WRs to stash - Elic Ayomanor TEN, Kyle Williams NE

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Tight Ends

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

20% rostered

While the tight end position does have as many upside options as the positions above, one name that stands out is Brenton Strange of the Jaguars. Strange spent most of the 2024 season playing behind Evan Engram. However, when Engram missed time, Strange was very effective and even became a powerful deep-league streaming target on several occasions.

In games where Strange logged at least 48 offensive snaps, he averaged a strong 12.5 PPR points per game with 42.3 yards per game.

Stange will now play in an offense led by Liam Coen, who helped Cade Otton reach a new level in Tampa Bay last season. While Strange will face high target competition playing alongside Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, he is the clear TE1 in Jacksonville and will be on the field frequently. If you have a low-end option in your tight end spot, consider adding a Strange to your bench during the first month of the season.

Do not be surprised if Strange becomes your weekly tight end after a few games.

Other TEs to stash - Mason Taylor NYJ, Elijah Arroyo SEA

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Quarterbacks (QB)

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

5% rostered

This section will typically be reserved for superflex formats, as managers in one-QB leagues will likely not need to "stash" an option outside of their QB2 that is listed on their roster.

Managers in superflex leagues looking to find a potential option for later in the season should not wait long to stash the rookie out of Ole Miss. While the Giants have made it clear that Russell Wilson is their starter, this may not last long. Dart was near perfect in the preseason and quickly showed that he was an NFL-caliber starting QB.

With the Giants opening their season playing seven playoff-contending teams over their first eight games, the Giants could look to turn over starting duties to Dart if they quickly fall behind in the playoff race. The Giants are only favored to win one game over the first eight weeks, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Their season could quickly get out of hand, which would open a clear path for Dart.

Jaxson Dart starts by at least Halloween….

His development is THE story of the pre-season

Scoop City is live⤵️

🎥: https://t.co/gXb7JQ4wOc pic.twitter.com/kR2nujNDDZ

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) August 26, 2025

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