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Alright, fantasy football fans - it's that time again; time to dig through the waiver wire to unearth some guys that were borderline draftable earlier this Summer but are quickly clawing to the top of their respective position, and some that could even be every-week starters down the road. Just remember, though, for every Victor Cruz or Devonta Freeman there are countless other players that will inevitably fade back into fantasy obscurity. My advice to you is not to be timid, but be brave with your waiver picks each week and always keep a few guys on the bench with the upside to help get you to that all-important league championship this year.

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 40% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Joe Flacco (BAL) - 18% owned

Flacco only put up 258 yards and 1 touchdown last week against the Bills, but he looked fully recovered from his ACL injury and connected several times to Mike Wallace including a 66-yard touchdown. He'll be heading up the Ravens' pass-happy offense in Week 2 against a Cleveland Browns team that gave up 278 yards and 2 touchdowns to the Eagles' rookie QB, Carson Wentz. A good streaming, or 2 QB option to consider.

Running Back Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Theo Riddick (DET) - 36% owned

Riddick was on fire Sunday against the Colts, scoring 2 touchdowns and racking up 108 all-purpose yards (most of which came on his 5 receptions). We've been hearing good things about Riddick and his role (along with Abdullah) on this Lions' offense this season, but it pays to temper expectations and to realize that the Colts' defense looked terrible out there. This kind of production cannot be expected on a week-to-week basis, therefore, but Riddick will get enough touches to maintain his value for the immediate future.

Wide Receiver Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Eli Rogers (PIT) - 8% owned

Rogers caught 6 of 7 targets on Monday night for 59 yards and 1 touchdown. Very much a slot player, we can't expect Rogers to be lining up on the outside or getting many red zone targets. His touchdown, in fact, was actually the result of a throw to Sammie Coates that bounced into Rogers' waiting arms. Incumbent receiver Markus Wheaton also looks to get back on the field soon, limiting Rogers' targets further. There is a lot of potential for Rogers in Pittsburgh, however, as he builds good chemistry with Roethlisberger and OC Todd Haley is already enamored with his play.

Nelson Agholor (PHI) - 5% owned

Agholor had a bad start in the NFL last year, having been drafted as a first-rounder but only ending up scoring 1 touchdown all season. It's possible that some combination of rookie jitters and unstable management and play-calling contributed to a disappointing 2015. Rookie QB Carson Wentz looked to Agholor 5 times on Sunday which resulted in 4 receptions for 57 yards and 1 touchdown. Many experts were down on the Eagles' offense this year, but they are just humming along regardless of popular opinion. Granted they played the Browns in week 1, but going up against Chicago and then Pittsburgh in weeks 2 and 3 should still offer plenty of opportunities to exploit the secondary.

Tight End Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Kyle Rudolph (MIN) - 18% owned

Rudolph caught 4 of his 8 targets for 65 yards on Sunday. Rudolph has always been a talented tight end, and the main problem here is trying to predict the continued volume of targets going his way as the season progresses. The Vikings usually have a conservative approach to the passing game and that shouldn't change when Sam Bradford takes over under center (possibly week 2), so conventional wisdom tells us that Rudolph should continue to receive opportunities in this offense. 

Defense Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

New York Jets (@BUF) - 37% owned

The Jets played well last week and look to continue in week 2 against an anemic Buffalo offense that now has #1 WR Sammy Watkins questionable from week-to-week with lingering foot pain. Shaping up to be a good play once again, the Jets should score 8-10 points in a standard scoring league.

Deeper League / Sleeper Picks

Jeremy Kerley (SF, WR), Jack Doyle (IND, TE)

Kerley looks locked into being the go-to target in a quick offense and should continue to pile up passes and opportunities. Doyle scored 2 touchdowns on Sunday, but he will likely prove to be an inconsistent value in fantasy due to the presence of Dwayne Allen and all of the other mouths to feed in Indianapolis.

Two weeks of football are now behind us in this young season and injuries impacting the fantasy playing field are already starting to pile up. I know this first hand after getting burned by early game injuries to Jonathan Stewart and Arian Foster just to name a few!  Regardless of if you've been unfortunate to lose key players on your fantasy team to injury or not, this advice is geared to help better position yourselves with waiver picks for both the short and long term.

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill (MIA) - 29% owned - Tannehill was involved heavily last week against the Patriots, netting 389 yards and 2 TDs on 45 pass attempts while also adding another 35 yards on the ground from 6 carries. With Foster's status up in the air for week 3 you should expect similar results from Tannehill against a beatable Cleveland defense.

Honorable mention: Joe Flacco (BAL) - 29% owned

Running Back

Jerick McKinnon (MIN) - 24% owned - It's been announced that Adrian Peterson suffered a torn meniscus in week 2 which should leave him sidelined this coming week if not longer. This makes McKinnon a must add as the favorite for early down work in the Vikings backfield. The only downside is history has shown McKinnon will lose goal-line touches to Matt Asiata which limits his touchdown potential.

Fozzy Whittaker (CAR) - 5% owned - After Jonathan Stewart injured his hamstring last week Whittaker entered the game and put up 100 yards rushing on 16 carries while adding another 31 yards on 3 receptions.  Stewart is expected to miss either one or two games with his injury which makes Whittaker a good bet to start while he is sidelined. The matchup isn't ideal against a tough Vikings defense, but if you are in a bind and need a starting running back for the week Whittaker is available.

Honorable mention: Matt Asiata (MIN) - 2% owned

Wide Receiver

Tyrell Williams (SD) - 48% owned - Williams looks to be the number two passing option in San Diego after the season ending injuries keep piling up to the Chargers skill players; Danny Woodhead was the latest victim after they already lost Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson. As long as he can avoid the injury curse going around he is a good bet for week to week fantasy production on a pass happy team with a terrible defense.

Victor Cruz (NYG) - 37% owned - Cruz has been showing signs of life after missing the last season and a half from a patellar tendon tear, putting up 8 catches on 12 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. I still think he needs to show a little more before I would trust him in my line up, but I also think this is the week to invest and put a waiver claim since it could pay off big if he can return to his old form.

Honorable mention: Jamison Crowder (WAS) - 6% owned

Tight End

Dennis Pitta (BAL) - 11% owned - Pitta has had an extremely injury-riddled career but he is healthy (for the moment) and looks to have a big role in the Ravens offense after grabbing 9 receptions for 102 yards on 12 targets. This type of volume would put him in the weekly TE1 conversation if it were to continue so he's worth a grab.

Honorable mention: Jacob Tamme (ATL) - 6% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Miami Dolphins (MIA) - 7% owned - The Dolphins defense are an interesting streaming play this week since Cleveland is forced to start their rookie 3rd string quarterback Cody Kessler. History shows Kessler is likely to make mistakes in his first start which means Miami is a good bet to rack up fantasy points

Week 4 is upon us which means one important thing, bye weeks have come! Only two teams on bye this week but they are the Packers and Eagles which both contain some very fantasy relevant players. If you need some fill ins, or just want to improve your teams depth, the below recommendations should be considered to help your team out.

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Joe Flacco (BAL) - 29% owned - If you are looking for a bye-week fill in at the quarterback position this week, Flacco has an amazing matchup against a Raiders pass defense giving up 340 passing yards per game and the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks through 3 weeks.

Honorable mention: Carson Wentz (PHI) - 20% owned (on bye week 4 but nice matchups weeks 5/6)

Running Back

Jordan Howard (CHI) - 25% owned - Jeremy Langford was carted off the field in week 3 with what is reported to be a high ankle sprain, which means Howard will be leading the Bears backfield for at least the next 3 weeks and potentially permanently if he performs well enough. The Bears matchups the next 3 weeks are against average to below average rushing defenses in the Lions, Colts and Jaguars. I consider Howard the waiver add of the week.

Orleans Darkwa (NYG) - 3% owned - With Rashad Jennings sitting out, Darkwa split carries with Shane Vereen in week 3 and ended up with 53 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries as well as a reception for 9 yards. It was reported today that Vereen will now miss the rest of the season with a triceps injury which means Darkwa will be the lead back for however long Jennings remains out. Whenever Jennings returns Darkwa should still hold some minor fantasy relevance.

Honorable mention: Cameron Artis-Payne (CAR) - 19% owned

Wide Receiver

Terrelle Pryor Sr. (CLE) - 23% owned - Pryor was putting up fantasy points every way imaginable against the Dolphins catching 8 out of 14 targets for 144 yards, rushing 4 times for 21 yards and completing 3 out of 5 passes for 35 yards. I'm expecting these kind of stat lines won't be showing up after Josh McCown and Josh Gordon get back in the lineup, but he's definitely worth an add and start in all formats for week 4.

Steve Smith Sr. (BAL) - 39% owned - Although he didn't make it into the end zone in week 3, Smith caught 8 of 11 targets for 87 yards. He has a great matchup against an Oakland defense giving up the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so you can expect a big game here.

Honorable mention: Cole Beasley (DAL) - 21% owned

Tight End

Kyle Rudolph (MIN) - 42% owned - Rudolph looks to be a focal point of the Vikings offense this season which is shown by his 166 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 of 26 targets. These stats make him good for second most fantasy points and targets at the tight end position behind only Greg Olsen.

Honorable mention: Cameron Brate (TB) - 2% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Washington Redskins (WAS) - 7% owned - Recommending the Redskins as a streaming defense this week since they go up against Cleveland who still will be starting their 3rd string rookie quarterback in Cody Kessler. Look for a few freebie turnovers to come the Redskins way this week.

Only four more games left in the fantasy regular season before playoffs! This is the time to either make that final push for the fantasy postseason or if you're sitting pretty that final push first-round bye week. There will also be some managers that have given up on their teams at this point; hopefully, you're lucky enough to play against them. FOUR teams are on bye this week; Colts, Raiders, Bills and Lions. Good luck!

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Trevor Siemian (DEN) - 14% owned - Siemian has not been great this year, but if you're in a pinch he does get to play against the New Orleans Saints this week.  The Saints are allowing a league worst 300 yards per game to opposing passers.

Honorable mention: Joe Flacco (BAL) - 25% owned

Running Back

Dion Lewis (NE) - 39% owned - Lewis has resumed practicing and is eligible to return off PUP this week. It still remains to be seen if he will immediately replace James White as the passing back or not, but he's worth an add this week to see how it shakes out due to his high upside.  

Rob Kelley (WAS) - 30% owned - The Redskins are coming off their bye week and Jay Gruden has already announced that Kelley will be the lead back after his impressive week 8 performance. I still think there will be some kind of time share with Matt Jones returning, but Jones looks to be one bad play away from being benched in favor of Kelley.

Honorable mentions: James Starks (GB) - 19% owned, Kapri Bibbs (DEN) - 6% owned

Wide Receiver

J.J. Nelson (ARZ) - 15% owned - Nelson was a recommended add and stash last week through the Cardinals week 9 bye after he posted 79 yards and two touchdowns on 8 catches in week 8. Bruce Arians has gone as far to say that Nelson will be a starting wide receiver in their offense moving forward.

Steve Smith SR (BAL) - 50% owned - Smith is officially off the injury report and draws a great matchup against a terrible Browns passing defense. Expect the Ravens to be throwing a lot in this game which means Smith should be grabbed and played if available.

Honorable mentions: Kenny Britt (LA) - 50% owned, Rishard Matthews (TEN) - 30% owned

Tight End

There are a lot of TEs all just above 50% owned in Yahoo! leagues that I would consider decent plays this week so I'll just list them in order of how I like them and one should be available for you!

Dennis Pitta (BAL) - 55% owned

Zach Miller (CHI) - 53% owned

Zach Ertz (PHI) - 56% owned

Cameron Brate (TB) - 54% owned

Defense/Special Teams

San Diego Chargers (SD) - 39% owned - The Chargers are up against the Dolphins in week 10.  The Dolphins strength lately has been their running game, but the Chargers are only allowing an average of 85 yards per game to opposing rushers and have forced 5 fumbles over their past 4 games.