By admin 
Even if you assembled the best team in your league on draft day, things inevitably change as the season progresses. Players get hurt, rise and fall on the depth chart, get traded, and more. That’s why you need to stay on top of developments and be ready to make changes to your roster. With that in mind, here are some players worth adding who could be available in your fantasy league.
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Quarterbacks
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (available in 32% of leagues)
I was high on Love coming into the year but thought he’d get off to a slow start in Week 1 based on Green Bay’s offensive line issues and a date on the road with blitz-happy Brian Flores. I was wrong. Love stood tall against constant pressure to rack up 387 yards and a pair of touchdowns. With better red-zone execution, he could’ve had an even bigger day. We also got our first look at MarShawn Lloyd, which was underwhelming. Right now, the Packers’ top skill-position players are all at receiver and tight end. The opportunity is there for Love to really elevate his statistical output to another level.
Others to target:
- Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (60%): The Saints looked awful for the first 30-plus minutes of the game against the Detroit Lions, but after Shough hit a deep shot to Chris Olave, everything changed. He was sharp and decisive the rest of the day, finishing with 410 yards and three TDs. Shough would be a nice QB2 with upside.
- Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (86%): Young had a huge day (361 yards, 3 TDs) in Week 1. That’s the good news. The bad news is it came in a lopsided loss to a Chicago Bears team that may not be very good defensively. We’ve also seen Young have isolated success before. For example, he passed for 448 yards and three scores versus Atlanta in Week 11 last year. The next week, Young had 169 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. As such, I remain skeptical.
Running Backs
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers (73%)
In the lead-up to Week 1, it was unclear who would be Christian McCaffrey’s backup. Now, it looks like Black might be more than that. In the opener against the Los Angeles Rams, Black ran 14 times for 65 yards while McCaffrey had 10 carries for 68. For context, last year’s backup, Brian Robinson Jr., never had more than nine carries in a game—not even in blowouts. While I still need to see more before I’m convinced that Kyle Shanahan is finally willing to consistently use a back other than McCaffrey when he’s healthy, Black is already worth adding solely because he backs up the dynamic but oft-injured CMC.
Others to target:
- NEW – Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (80%): There were positive reports out of Chiefs’ camp about Johnson, and after watching him perform on Monday night, it’s easy to see why. The rookie amassed 68 yards on 10 touches in his NFL debut, and though Kenneth Walker III looked like a superstar, Johnson still got a handful of touches even before the game got out of hand. Johnson holds immediate value as a handcuff for Walker owners.
- Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals (49%): If you read my offseason article about Jeremiyah Love being overvalued, you know the basis of that was largely the presence of Allgeier and my belief that the Cardinals would follow the blueprint from his 2023 partnership with then-rookie Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. In Week 1, Allgeier had 19 touches to 13 for Love. The Cardinals aren’t going to run Love into the ground. The durable Allgeier holds depth value for any roster.
- Woody Marks, Houston Texans (50%): On a day when David Montgomery collected 79 yards and three touchdowns, Marks still logged 10 touches. In fact, he was the more effective of the two, averaging 4.0 yards per touch compared to 3.4 for Montgomery. With Montgomery being 29 and having a lot of miles on his odometer, Marks is a smart player to stash.
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets (85%): Allen had 10 carries for 40 yards in Week 1, which did not include a touchdown that was erased via penalty. I’m still lukewarm on Allen—everything went New York’s way against a porous Tennessee Titans team—but those in deeper leagues might want to pull the trigger on a possible depth piece.
- Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (99%): Injuries have ruined Miller’s NFL career to this point, but on Sunday he turned nine carries into 30 yards and a touchdown. That was the same number of rushing attempts as Travis Etienne Jr. The concern is what role Miller will have when Alvin Kamara (knee) returns, which could be as soon as Week 2.
Wide Receivers
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers (39%)
Considering how he finished up last season, which included a 9-134-1 performance in Carolina’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, I was more than a little surprised to see Coker (ankle) available in so many leagues. Doubtless that will change after he caught eight passes for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns versus the Chicago Bears. Coker has emerged as the clear running mate to Tetairoa McMillan, and there’s no reason to expect he won’t continue to fill that role throughout 2026. The lone caveat here is that Coker picked up an ankle injury in Week 1 and is reportedly wearing a walking boot. Even if he’s set to miss a little time, however, you should scoop him up immediately.
Others to target:
- Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers (24%): I identified Golden as a breakout candidate during the offseason because he was stepping directly into Romeo Doubs’ high-volume role. In Week 1, Golden was targeted a game-high 12 times and finished with 95 yards on six catches. Talent was not the issue with Golden as a rookie. Opportunity was. This is a player who should be owned in all leagues and could serve as a WR3 almost immediately and maybe more than that soon.
- Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (51%): Already without Ricky Pearsall (knee), the Niners lost rookie De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle) in Week 1. He’s expected to miss at least a month. That’s doubly tough when you consider the loss of development time. That should keep Samuel in a significant role, though, and as Kyle Shanahan showed against the Rams, he still knows how to scheme opportunities for Samuel.
- Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints (93%): Vele’s first year in New Orleans was mostly quiet, but he posted 16 receptions, 202 yards, and a touchdown over the final three games. He picked up where he left off in Week 1 with a 7-69-1 line versus the Lions. The asterisk for Vele is what happens when first-round pick Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) returns to action. Regardless, with the rookie expected to miss around two months, Vele should have ample time to contribute.
- Caleb Douglas/Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins (88%/86%): Two things to remember: 1) someone has to catch the ball, and 2) garbage time production counts the same. In a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, Washington (3-53-0) was targeted eight times, and Douglas (5-94-0) was targeted seven. Of the two, I’d be more apt to pursue Douglas, but both hold some depth appeal, especially in larger leagues.
- Kalif Raymond, Chicago Bears (100%): On a day when the Bears amassed 560 yards and scored 59 points, their leading receiver was…Kalif Raymond? Yep. Raymond caught eight passes for 84 yards after reuniting with former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Raymond has never been more than a tertiary threat in 10 NFL seasons, though, so don’t expect it to continue. Still, those in deep formats looking to catch lightning in a bottle might want to kick the tires on Raymond.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (94%)
When the Steelers acquired Michael Pittman Jr., I thought he was the perfect player to step in and be Aaron Rodgers’ go-to guy in the short and intermediate areas. In Week 1, Pittman was sixth in targets, finishing behind Freiermuth among others. Rodgers has talked up his budding connection to the veteran tight end, and on Sunday Freiermuth caught five passes for 46 yards and the team’s lone offensive touchdown. He still feels like a fringy TE2 type, but if you’re looking for a backup tight end with a little upside, he might fit the bill.
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Others to target:
- T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (78%): Left for dead by fantasy owners after delivering a brutal 51-438-3 effort in 2025, Hockenson caught four passes for 36 yards and a touchdown against the Packers. The issue here, of course, is that Carson Wentz was the triggerman for most of the afternoon, so how Hockenson will function when Kyler Murray (concussion) returns is still a mystery.
- Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (99%): For at least one game, it was the Mike Gesicki Show in Cincinnati as the tight end led the team in receptions (5) and receiving yards (78) while catching Joe Burrow’s only TD pass of Week 1. We’ve seen Gesicki pop up now and then—he had a 6-86-1 outing versus the Buffalo Bills last December—but this passing game runs through Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, neither of whom did much in the opener. Despite a strong effort, Gesicki is no more than a desperation flier.
Defensive Teams
Defenses I like for Week 2:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (97%): The Bucs quietly did a nice job against the Bengals’ offense, which included a pick-six. The lesser Ohio opponent awaits in Week 2. The Cleveland Browns allowed five sacks, turned the ball over twice, and trailed by 31 points before scoring against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That makes the Buccaneers a strong plug-and-play option.
- San Francisco 49ers (91%): San Francisco dispelled the “super team” talk surrounding the Rams in Week 1 and looked much improved versus last year’s squad thanks to the return of some key personnel. There’s some long-term potential with the 49ers if they continue to apply pressure. Let’s see what they can do with the talent-strapped Dolphins this weekend.
- Chicago Bears (92%): It was a continuation of the 2025 Bears in Week 1 as Chicago bled points and yards but was opportunistic with three takeaways. It’s a dangerous way to live, but turnovers are the lifeblood of fantasy defenses. I like their Week 2 matchup as well. The Vikings scored 39 points, but it’s impossible to overstate how much their defense (and the officials) contributed. To that end, Minnesota managed just 239 yards of offense, had five first downs via penalty, and had a red-zone interception erased. Don’t get thrown off the scent. The Bears could have a big day against their division rivals.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 7:31 PM.