Before the First Snap: Five Waiver Adds to Make This Week

The best waiver week of the year is the one before anybody has played a game. Managers are still anchored to their draft boards, the injury news from the final preseason week has not fully sunk in, and the players below are sitting on the wire in most leagues. Here is where the Godzilla Wins fantasy panel would start.

Ted Hurst III, WR, Tampa Bay. The rookie had the camp everybody in Tampa is talking about, and the coaching staff reportedly loves him. He opens the season as the fourth receiver, which normally means nothing, except that the Buccaneers' receiving corps is dealing with injuries and the depth chart could look different by October. Stash him in deeper leagues.

Pat Bryant, WR, Denver. Bryant won the third receiver job behind Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton. The target volume will be limited early, but the thing to watch in Week 1 is red-zone usage. A big-bodied third receiver who gets goal-line looks is a touchdown-dependent flex, and those have value in the right week.

Chris Brooks, RB, Green Bay. MarShawn Lloyd is expected to be the primary backup to Josh Jacobs, but Brooks has experience in third-down and goal-line packages. If Green Bay splits the work by situation rather than by depth chart, Brooks becomes the more interesting handcuff.

Jacoby Brissett, QB, Arizona. Undrafted in most leagues. Started 11 games last year and finished as a top-10 quarterback in six of them. For a manager who drafted a single quarterback and wants a bye-week and injury hedge with real upside, this is the cheapest one on the board.

Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston. Schultz was a top-10 tight end last season and finished inside the top 12 eight times after Week 7. Only three touchdowns, which is why he went undrafted, but the target share is stable and stable targets at tight end are the whole game. If you punted the position, fix it now.

Tune in Saturday at 9 a.m. ET for Godzilla Wins, where hour two is fantasy football with John Fredericks, Frank Zaccanelli and Trent Conner.