The fantasy football season kicked off for Week 1 and some pickups and free agents to go for on the waiver wire include Ameer Abdullah, Tyler Eifert, James Jones, Tyler Lockett, Benny Cunningham, Chris Ivory, Brandon Coleman, Dion Lewis, Eddie Royal, Chris Johnson and Nelson Agholor for fantasy owners.
The first week always brings out some surprise players and there were some strong rookie performances, including from Abdullah, Marcus Mariota and Melvin Gordon. Tyler Eifert is a player fantasy owners should go for if he remains available in leagues, as he had a great game in Week 1 for the Bengals. Eifert was coming into the season after being injured last year and he opened up with a nine catch, 104-yard game in Week 1 with two touchdowns. Eifert has great size and moving forward he could be a solid tight end option for fantasy owners.
Anyone waiting out Julius Thomas and his injury should go after Eifert, as the tight end position is expected to be used a lot by Hue Jackson's offense in Cincy. The Detroit Lions were expected to use Ameer Abdullah quite a bit in the opener, but he started things off with a bang, scoring a touchdown on his first ever carry in the NFL. Joique Bell did not look 100 percent and Abdullah could end up as the lead back moving forward for the Lions.
Abdullah had 50 yards on the ground and added four catches for 44 yards and that makes him a very good fantasy option for PPR leagues. Abdullah scored one touchdown and he could be a surprise moving forward for the Lions and for fantasy owners. It may take some time to see how things shuffle out over the next few weeks between Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Bell, but Abdullah is worth a look.
James Jones was just signed by the Packers to help make up for the loss of Jordy Nelson and he made an impact right away for the team. Jones was targeted four times and caught all four balls for 51 yards and scored two touchdowns in the game against the Bears. Jones had a couple plays called back on penalties that would have padded his stats even more and Aaron Rodgers showed a comfort level with Jones again like the two had before last season, when Jones signed with the Raiders following his run in Green Bay.
Brandon Coleman had four catches for 41 yards and a TD on Sunday and he is a solid sleeper moving forward for the Saints. Benny Cunningham is worth a look until the rams get back Tre Mason and Todd Gurley, while Dion Lewis could be a solid option for the Patriots after he opened with a nice game against the Steelers. Chris Ivory had a strong game with the Jets on Sunday, while Tyler Lockett made an impact with four catches for 34 yards and a special teams touchdown on a punt return.
Check here for more fantasy football advice and more on waiver players to pick up.
