Early Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings (2026) - Chris Rodriguez Jr., Dalton Schultz, De'Zhaun Stribling, KC Concepcion, Jonah Coleman, Ryan Flournoy

August 24, 2026

Early fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 1 of 2026. The top free agent options to add off waivers - our waiver wire rankings help you prioritize.

It's almost fantasy football time, but we know some of you have already completed your preseason drafts! You're probably already in the process of watching the waiver wire for potential hidden gems, so we're here to assist! Our early Week 1 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2026 will help guide you through the waiver wire and make sure you pick up the right players.

There are several players who still have low ownership percentages and could make immediate fantasy impacts in 2026. Will Jonah Coleman (22%) make an impact in his first year with the Broncos, and emerge as a legitimate flex play? Will Chris Rodriguez Jr. (48%) turn the Jaguars backfield into a committee? Is Keaton Mitchell (31%) a top handcuff RB with standalone upside in L.A.?

Our Week 1 fantasy football waiver wire rankings will help answer these questions and many more -- they've been a staple on RotoBaller for years, bringing readers a quick-hit list of the top 75 fantasy football player names to consider as free agent pickups. For those new to this article series, RotoBaller's lead NFL analyst Nick Mariano brings you these waiver wire rankings in priority order. Good luck on waivers!

Who To Pickup for Fantasy Football Week 1?

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league, depending on the league size. Quarterbacks and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Keaton Mitchell, Jonah Coleman, KC Concepcion, and De'Zhaun Stribling. We recap why these players rostered under 55% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 1:

Keaton Mitchell, RB, Chargers

Week 1 Waiver Wire Ranking: 6

Los Angeles Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell did not play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Houston Texans, joining Omarion Hampton, Justin Herbert, and several other established starters on the sideline. That could be another clue that Mitchell has a real role waiting for him in Mike McDaniel's offense. The Chargers' current depth chart lists the 24-year-old second behind Hampton, and McDaniel has already said he plans to use all three of his top backs during the regular season.

Mitchell gives the group something different with his speed. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 59 attempts for Baltimore last season and has averaged 6.3 yards per rush for his career. Nothing about sitting out one preseason game guarantees a major workload, but the Chargers apparently didn't need to see Mitchell in game action while evaluating the rest of the backfield. For a player who has never topped 59 carries in a season, that's an encouraging sign that his workload could grow in Los Angeles.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Broncos

Week 1 Waiver Wire Ranking: 10

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman has continued to receive praise from head coach Sean Payton, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Payton said that there was a point where he realized he had seen enough from Coleman during practice to know that he's going to be an impact player in the NFL. "I didn't need to see additional evidence of what I've been seeing for three weeks," Payton said. That's a pretty glowing review for the rookie ball-carrier.

Even though he's third on the depth chart behind JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey, it sounds like he should have a significant role this year, perhaps as early as Week 1. He's a glaring trade target in dynasty leagues before his price adjusts, and he might even be worth selecting in the later rounds of redraft leagues. RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings have Coleman as the RB29 in dynasty leagues and the RB52 in redraft leagues.

KC Concepcion, WR, Browns

Week 1 Waiver Wire Ranking: 11

Cleveland Browns rookie first-round wide receiver KC Concepcion said his confidence "skyrocketed" after the back-to-back big catch and touchdown run on a sweep in the team's preseason opener on Saturday against the Chicago Bears, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The 21-year-old 24th overall pick from Texas A&M caught three of his four targets for 27 yards on Saturday and took his only carry for 14 yards and a touchdown while playing with the first-team offense.

Concepcion is pretty much a lock to be a starting wideout for Cleveland in his first year in the NFL in 2026, and he could even take over as the Browns' WR1 after catching 61 passes for 919 yards and an SEC-high nine touchdowns in 13 games for the Aggies last year. Concepcion caught 25 TD passes in his three years in college (two years at North Carolina State). The only thing that could hold him back in his first year in the NFL is the Browns' less-than-ideal QB situation with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders battling for the starting job. Concepcion's name should be rising up draft boards this fall as a popular late-round flier with upside.

De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, 49ers

Week 1 Waiver Wire Ranking: 16

San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling continues to get encouraging signs about where he stands with the team. During Sunday's special teams period, David Lombardi noted that Stribling worked individually with offensive assistant/wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker, the same setup veteran Mike Evans received. Lombardi described it as the "vet WR treatment." It comes just a few days after Stribling caught seven passes for 63 yards in his preseason debut against Tennessee.

The 49ers had seen enough by midway through the second quarter, pulling the No. 33 overall pick from the game with nearly eight minutes left in the half. Stribling has also been making plays in camp since returning from some early hamstring tightness. Sunday doesn't guarantee where he'll land in the receiver rotation, but San Francisco continuing to prioritize his offensive work is another positive development for the rookie.

Running Backs - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 1:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 1:

Week 1 Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the Week 1 rankings, check out some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller, including more articles which are coming soon.

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to complement our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more. Stay tuned!

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Matthew Golden, Chris Rodriguez Jr. Xavier Worthy, Jalen Coker, Khalil Shakir, Isiah Pacheco, Dylan Sampson, Tyler Allgeier, Wan'Dale Robinson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Matthew Golden, Chris Rodriguez Jr. Xavier Worthy, Jalen Coker, Khalil Shakir, Isiah Pacheco, Dylan Sampson, Tyler Allgeier, Wan'Dale Robinson. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Matthew Golden, Chris Rodriguez Jr. Xavier Worthy, Jalen Coker, Khalil Shakir, Isiah Pacheco, Dylan Sampson, Tyler Allgeier, Wan'Dale Robinson:

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