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The waiver wire after Week 1 of the fantasy football season gets tricky. In Week 1, there are always young guys like Kareem Hunt who show breakout potential who you can run to claim. Those guys tend to be gone by the time Week 2 is done. With that in mind, who is available right now?
Quarterback: Alex Smith
I am not a huge fan of Smith the real quarterback, but he is a fantasy star early in the season. Smith might not be able to carry a team on his back, but his offense has a number of playmakers who can make his job easy and help him put up big numbers. He is still owned in less than half of ESPN leagues.
Running Back: Alvin Kamara
If you ever find yourself in a bind at the position, Saints running backs can be assets in PPR leagues because of the way Sean Payton involves the position in the passing game. I say Kamara will develop into the preferred choice for New Orleans as the year goes on.
Wide Receiver: Jermaine Kearse
I told you last week that somebody was going to have to get targets and the occasional catch on this offense, and that somebody was likely to be Kearse. Since Kearse is owned in less than 20% of ESPN leagues, you clearly didn’t listen to me. You deserved the punishment of him catching a pair of touchdowns. The big fish in a small pond can be a useful fantasy player.
Tight End: Jack Doyle
Inexperienced quarterbacks sometimes use a tight end as a security blanket. Jacoby Brissett did that with Doyle on Sunday, and Andrew Luck will not be back for Week 3.