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Fantasy football waiver wire pickups analysis for MarShawn Lloyd, Mike Washington Jr., Tyler Allgeier in Week 1 (2026). Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
Running back handcuffs are always the subject of intense debate in fantasy football circles. Picking the right ones early on can pay off handsomely -- for example, in 2023, it was a great idea to grab Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams off the waiver wire before or after Week 1.
He had a huge positive impact on the teams that grabbed him. He is the exception rather than the rule, of course, but even players like Los Angeles Chargers RB Kimani Vidal were good starts due to injuries to the starters ahead of them.
Of course, it doesn't always work out. RB Trey Benson was a hot waiver add last season and did virtually nothing. So, let's break down three backup running backs as potential waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1 of the 2026 season!
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MarShawn Lloyd Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 3% of leagues
Lloyd is the presumptive starter now. It looks like Packers lead back Josh Jacobs is facing a long suspension, potentially for the full season, after he was arrested and later charged with crimes relating to physically assaulting his girlfriend.
The video footage of Jacobs is reportedly horrible -- so we could see Lloyd play for most, if not all, of the season as the RB1. That makes him a must-add in all leagues, and for drafts that have occurred since Jacobs was put on the commissioner's exempt list, he's been universally drafted.
MarShawn Lloyd gets 6️⃣ on the board for the Packers!
GBvsDEN on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/UZgYrW9dIi— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2026
He probably won't be a workhorse thanks to his injury history. He played almost no football in 2024 or 2025 due to season-ending injuries. But he has intriguing receiving upside and should get a fair amount of work.
We don't really know what we have with him yet other than potential. But he's a solid flex starter in deeper leagues for now. He needs to be rostered in every league, though.
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Mike Washington Jr. Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 6.5% of leagues
Washington seemed to be pegged to be the starter when Raiders RB1 Ashton Jeanty (ankle) suffered what was thought to be a major injury. That ended up being an ankle sprain. Jeanty shouldn't miss much time, if any. We could see his workload managed a bit early on as he recovers.
Washington was not an early draft pick. Even if Jeanty were to miss time, the Raiders could sign a veteran back to handle the early down and goal-line roles, with Washington serving as a change of pace. The rookie didn't have good tackle-breaking ability or yards-after-contact efficiency metrics in college.
Mike Washington Jr. slid in the draft partly due to age, ball security, and third down questions
The combination of big + legitimately fast (official 4.33 at the Combine) still gets undervalued at RB
All his carries from Preseason Week 1 (including the 53 yarder) below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/I4f9Aj0h7q
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) August 15, 2026
He is big and fast, though. Ridiculously so. With a few years of development, he could be a very nice back in an elite offensive system like that run by Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. This season, he's more of a handcuff, but he's worth stashing at the end of your bench in deeper leagues.
Kubiak should be able to scheme good play out of him as long as the offensive line holds up, though that's a big question mark. He likely wouldn't have a workhorse role, though.
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Tyler Allgeier Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 17% of leagues
Allgeier is the backup to RB Jeremiyah Love (ankle), who's dealing with an ankle injury of his own. Like Jeanty, he's not expected to miss many games, if any. But early in the season, we could see more of a split between Allgeier and Love, with Allgeier vulturing a lot of goal-line touches.
Love was drafted with the third overall pick. It's probably silly to think he'll be in a nasty committee with Allgeier all season. Stranger things have happened, though, with Falcons RB Bijan Robinson being in a nasty committee split with the same backup.
Tyler Allgeier opens up the scoring with authority 😤
BUFvsATL on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/1zwXODTz1P— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2025
If you pick him up, you're hoping he gets the lion's share of the goal-line touches and scores multiple touchdowns. Love is far too talented to keep off the field for long. He's a transcendental talent at his position and is excellent at the goal line. He's also powerful and elusive. Allgeier is bigger, but that's about it. In deep leagues, it makes sense to stash Allgeier at least.
If you have Love, you can also grab him as a handcuff if you have the bench space for it.
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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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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - MarShawn Lloyd, Mike Washington Jr., Tyler Allgeier. 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.
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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 MarShawn Lloyd, Mike Washington Jr., Tyler Allgeier:
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