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Fantasy football waiver wire pickups analysis for Dont'e Thornton Jr., Jayden Higgins, Luther Burden III in Week 1 (2025). Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
With draft season in full swing, many managers may have already begun checking the waiver wire for options to improve their teams. It is never too early to look to the wire, as several must-start options are typically the top targets after the first month of the season.
In this piece, we will analyze three wide receivers who have begun to gain some traction at the end of the preseason.
Are Thornton Jr., Higgins, and Burden III worth adding off the waiver wire in Week 1? Here are the latest outlooks on each for fantasy football.
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Dont'e Thornton Jr. Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 10% of leagues
The Raiders selected wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. While Thornton did not have much stock early in training camp, his outlook has improved as the preseason has progressed.
Early in camp, Thornton was typically deployed behind established wide receivers Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker and even behind fellow rookie Jack Bech, whom the Raiders elected in the second round. However, recently, Thornton has overtaken Bech's spot on the depth chart and has consistently played alongside the starting lineup in the preseason.
In their preseason finale, Thornton saw all of his starting time alongside Geno Smith, which is a very positive sign for his early-season outlook.
In addition, this past week, Meyers, the team's top wideout, requested a trade. While the team has expressed that they are not actively shopping him, this could open the door for a trade later in the season. Given that Thornton has had an opportunity with the first team, he is worth adding in 12-team 3-WR formats ahead of Week 1.
Reminder:
There have been 3 players in NFL history to be 6’5” and run a 4.3 40:
Calvin Johnson
Randy Moss
Dont'e Thornton Jr... And Dont'e should start in year 1 🤯
pic.twitter.com/N7vXxQ4leN— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) August 26, 2025
Add in 12-team 3WR leagues
Jayden Higgins Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 40% of leagues
Similar to Thornton, the 22-year-old rookie wideout in Houston should also be given ample playing time this season. Higgins was selected in the second round of the draft out of Iowa State. While the Texans also selected Jaylin Noel later in the draft, Higgins is expected to have a starting role at the beginning of the season.
Higgins was listed as a starter on the team's initial depth chart that was released earlier in August. In addition, throughout the preseason, Higgins consistently saw time playing alongside the starters like Nico Collins, further cementing his role as a member of the first team.
While Higgins will face strict target competition playing alongside Collins and veteran Christian Kirk, fantasy managers should expect the wideout to see time as the team's No. 3 option to open the season. With Joe Mixon (foot/ankle) ruled out for the first four weeks of the season, the Texans will likely lean on quarterback C.J. Stroud to push the ball downfield.
As a result, Higgins will likely be a popular wire target after the season opener. Higgins should see a steady output of targets throughout his debut season and should be rostered in nearly all standard formats.
Stutter Bench from Jayden Higgins 😳 pic.twitter.com/eq8b881b0B
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) August 16, 2025
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Luther Burden III Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 25% of leagues
The final player we will look at in this piece is the Chicago Bears' rookie, Luther Burden III. The Bears selected Burden out of Missouri in the second round of the draft. However, unlike the two names above, Burden has a much tougher target competition in his debut season.
Additionally, he also missed time early in the offseason due to a hamstring injury. While he was able to return to participate in most of the training camp, given the time he missed, he may be a bit behind in his development schedule.
During the preseason, Burden saw time typically as the No. 3 option in the wide receiver room, behind veteran DJ Moore and second-year wideout Rome Odunze. However, the Bears also selected top tight end prospect Colston Loveland in the first round, which could push Burden to the No. 4 spot in terms of target opportunities.
While his talent as a slot receiver remains relatively high, he does not hold the highest amount of upside early in the season. For now, he is a solid stash option in all 3-WR formats, but is best left on the wire in all 2-WR leagues.
#Bears rookie WR Luther Burden III has earned strong praise over the last week for the work he’s put in to grasp Ben Johnson’s offense, along with his attention to detail.
Several Chicago coaches tell me there’s no hiding Burden’s immense talent … it’s far better than where he… pic.twitter.com/AE4Exgl6WM
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 13, 2025
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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:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
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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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