Waiver Wire Watchlist: Fantasy Football Week 1

September 12, 2026

John's fantasy football waiver wire watchlist before Week 1 of 2026. You should keep an eye on these emerging players and consider them waiver wire stashes.

The 2026 NFL season hasn't fully started yet -- we've had two games so far, but the first full Sunday slate of contests is yet to come. While there isn't any room on your roster after the draft if you drafted healthy players, if you drafted any that are on IR, you immediately have extra spots to fill.

In addition, many fantasy football managers enable autopick in the late rounds and end up dropping some of the players who were chosen. That opens up the opportunity to grab some players off waivers before the season begins.

There are quite a few interesting -- and potentially productive -- players who weren't selected in most fantasy football leagues. Let's dive into some of the best running back and wide receiver waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season!

Week 1 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs - 19% rostered

Johnson worked his way to the No. 2 spot on the Chiefs running back depth chart, behind lead back Kenneth Walker III, in the matter of just one offseason. The rookie impressed in offseason practice activities and in limited reps in the preseason.

This is likely Walker's backfield for now, but he's struggled with numerous injuries in his NFL career. He had his workload consistently capped with the Seattle Seahawks for a number of reasons -- including his tendency to bounce runs outside more often than he should in addition to his constant struggle with health issues.

Emmett Johnson Every Touch From His NFL Debut pic.twitter.com/8Bowc0KDoM

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 17, 2026

Even though he ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, he played with enough power and contact balance in the preseason to suggest that he could do well in a large role if Walker got hurt. Speed isn't the be-all end-all for NFL RBs, who can perform well if they play with great strength.

The Chiefs offense may not be what it was in previous seasons, but it still moves the ball effectively, even if drives are long and incredibly grind-heavy. Johnson is a solid pickup to stash on your bench in deeper leagues or as a handcuff to Walker.

Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers - 26% rostered

Black surprised in his first game of NFL action. Like Johnson, he's a rookie. But he handled 14 rushes and one target, turning them into 65 yards rushing and one catch for five yards. It's unclear yet what his role will be in this offense, though.

49ers starting RB Christian McCaffrey is one of the NFL's best offensive weapons, but last season, his rushing efficiency took a massive dip. He remains one of the best receiving backs in the NFL. Should CMC continue to struggle with rushing efficiency, his rushing role could shrink.

CMC with the TRUCK 🚚

SFvsLAR on Netflix pic.twitter.com/wsYVtCM3rx

— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2026

Man, that's a funny idea, isn't it. Seems like that won't happen any time soon. Even though McCaffrey is 30 years old, he still looks like an excellent rusher. He's still elusive and fast, and has good short-area quickness. Then again, it's not reasonable to pick up a running back on the waiver wire that has a real season-long consistent role.

Black is a handcuff to CMC who could get more work in games that San Francisco is winning handily. When the game is close, CMC will be on the field most of the time. That's a change from previous seasons, at least, when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan kept McCaffrey on the field even when they had a big lead late in the game.

That's reasonable, and will help protect McCaffrey's health. Black is just a bench stash for now, but if CMC gets hurt, Black's upside is massive in the RB1 role in a great offense.

Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals - 2% rostered

Perine probably doesn't have a huge role as long as Bengals lead back Chase Brown is healthy. But he has absolutely massive contingent upside. Cincinnati doesn't have much talent at all behind him on the depth chart, and Perine is 240 pounds, making him ideally suited for bulling through big tacklers.

Perine hasn't had many opportunities to start in the NFL in recent years. However, he's typically been excellent in fantasy football when he has games with 15 or more touches. That's exactly what would happen if Brown went down.

Samaje Perine 32-yard house call for the Bengals!

NYJvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/lb4h3g9ng3

— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025

Most of the time, handcuff picks don't end up doing much. But if you take one, you want him to be one that is an unquestioned every-week starter. That's what No. 34 for the Bengals is.

More RB Options:

• Najee Harris, New York Giants - 9% rostered
• Nicholas Singleton, Tennessee Titans - 3% rostered

Week 1 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders - 4% rostered

Tucker is a veteran at this point, and in a WR room without a lot of talent behind him on the depth chart, he could quickly emerge as a consistent PPR league starter. Tucker showed upside when he scored a ridiculous 40.9 PPR fantasy points in Week 3 of last season.

While he didn't come anywhere close to that production later in the season, typically, where there's smoke, there's fire. Tucker has languished on extremely unproductive offenses for years now. The Raiders hired Klint Kubiak as their next coach -- he's an amazing offensive mind, so things should change.

Tucker has to compete with tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and wide receivers Dont'e Thornton Jr. (undisclosed), Jack Bech, and Jalen Nailor, primarily. This is one of the weakest pass-catching rooms in the NFL, especially now that Bowers has been ruled out for Week 1 and is likely to miss more time with a knee ailment.

Geno Smith to Tre Tucker touchdown for the Raiders!

LVvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/CteEp7nh0v

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

The potential No. 1 receiver from any team is worth rostering in most leagues. Typically, the only WR1s that don't work out are those on extremely poor offenses or those who play in a rotation. Tucker should be on the field running more routes than any other receiver on this team.

We may not see quarterback Fernando Mendoza start this season, at least not initially. But the other good quarterback on this roster, Kirk Cousins, has shown an ability to support a true No. 1 wideout in fantasy football, as he did with WR Justin Jefferson on the Minnesota Vikings.

Tucker could emerge as a legitimate WR2 for stretches of 2026, and in leagues with deep benches, he's worth stashing.

Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys - 3% rostered

Flournoy has shown flashes of serious talent, especially last season. Playing behind WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens is bound to lead to depressed production compared to what's possible. They're both among the league's best.

Flournoy would step into the WR2 role if one of them got hurt, and he would likely thrive. Film experts have raved about his separation abilities and contested catch skills. He recently signed a one-year, $6 million extension to stay in Dallas, but he might not be there for long, as other teams inquire more about his services.

The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Since head coach Brian Schottenheimer took over, they've been a juggernaut in the passing game and efficient on the ground. Flournoy should be added and stashed on benches in deep leagues.

More WR Options:

• Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 46% Rostered
• Tyreek Hill, Free Agent

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Samaje Perine, Ryan Flournoy, Tre Tucker, Rashod Bateman, Emmett Johnson. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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.

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 Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Samaje Perine, Ryan Flournoy, Tre Tucker, Rashod Bateman, Emmett Johnson:

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