Week 1 NFL Fantasy Waiver Wire Picks & Best Player Props: Trevor Lawrence, Hollywood Brown Prop Bets

Most people have already completed their fantasy football drafts, but there is plenty of roster tinkering going on in the days and hours leading up to opening night. Below, we will highlight the best fantasy football waiver picks for Week 1 as well as this week’s NFL player props.

NFL predictions for Week 1 are now coming into focus, which means you may already have to part with that rookie WR you took a flier on in the 15th round of your draft. A boring veteran might be better suited to help you win in the here and now.

📈 Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups: Week 1

Most popular NFL pickups ranked by total adds via Yahoo Fantasy as of Tuesday, Sept. 2; confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale.

💰 Week 1 prop bets for best fantasy football waiver adds

Our NFL player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

🔥 Trevor Lawrence Over 1.5 TD passes (-112) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has already resurrected the career of one quarterback in Baker Mayfield. Could Trevor Lawrence be the next driver of the Coen Redemption Bus?

Honestly, I don't love the long-term prospects of Lawrence becoming a top 10 or simply a top 20 QB in the NFL. But for one week, at least, I think Lawrence will resemble the confident guy who was once the top overall pick in the Draft.

Coen and Lawrence are lucky enough to open up against the Carolina Panthers defense, a unit that finished dead last in defensive DVOA last season. Carolina didn’t do much to rectify the situation as they are ranked as the worst DEF in Yahoo’s fantasy rankings heading into the season, and they retained defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

The aforementioned Mayfield/Coen tag team (it was Coen’s only season in Tampa) looked sharp in Week 1 last year as the Buccaneers beat the Washington Commanders, 37-20. Mayfield threw for 4 TDs and 0 picks in that game.

I think this new Jacksonville battery of Lawrence/Coen will have similar success, at least early on in the campaign.

The best odds for Lawrence to go Over 1.5 TD passes is -112 at FanDuel. If you bet $10 at that number and Lawrence were to go Over, you would profit $8.93.

🔥 Hollywood Brown 4+ catches (-104)

Hollywood Brown has battled injury issues the past few years, and it's easy to forget that the last time he played a full slate of games he caught over 90 balls and went for over 1,000 yards receiving.

Of course, Brown has had a “questionable” tag next to his name this week, but Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that Brown “should be fine” to play Friday night against the LA Chargers.

Brown should get plenty of targets from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes considering the Kansas City offense will be without the suspended Rashee Rice.

It is a small sample size, but in the two regular season games that Brown played last season with Mahomes, he was targeted an average of 7.5 times. He had nine grabs total in those two games combined.

Mahomes has been raving about Brown all off-season, calling him a “special” player, and the Chiefs QB believes that Brown’s role will expand dramatically this season.

Brown to record 4+ catches against the Chargers is -104 at DraftKings. A $10 bet at that number would return $9.62.

🔥 Tua Tagovailoa Over 243.5 yards (-114)

Tagovailoa loves Week 1. It’s the rest of those pesky weeks that seem to get in the way.

The Miami Dolphins QB is 4-0 in Week 1 games and has put up some gaudy numbers in early September the past two years. Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards in a Week 1 win over the Jaguars last season and tossed for a whopping 466 yards two years ago in a Week 1 victory over the LA Chargers.

Yahoo has the Colts DEF ranked 26th in the NFL heading into the season. Indy allowed a grand total of 3,899 yards through the air last season, which was the seventh worst mark in the league.

The Colts are attempting to fix the situation with Lou Anarumo as the defensive coordinator. Anarumo was fired by the Cincinnati Bengals in January after a disastrous season.

Much like Lawrence, this is a matchup pick only. I don’t like Tua’s season-long Overs at all, but for one game against a below-average defense, he can put up some numbers.

FanDuel has Tua’s Over/Under for this game set at 243.5 yards (-114). I like the Over here. If you bet $10 at that number and Tua were to go Over you would net $8.77.

❓ NFL fantasy football FAQs

Who are the top waiver wire pickups this week?

The top waiver wire pickups this week are RB Najee Harris, WR Amari Cooper, QB Trevor Lawrence, WR Xavier Legette, and RB Kareem Hunt.

What are the best NFL player props this week?

The best NFL player pros this week are: Trevor Lawrence Over 1.5 TD passes (-112), Hollywood Brown 4+ catches (-104), and Tua Tagovailoa Over 243.5 yards (-114).

How do NFL player props work?

Player props are wagers on individual performances rather than the outcome of the game. Common props include passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdown scorers. For example, if a QB’s passing yards line is set at 250.5, you can bet the Over (251-plus yards) or Under (250 or fewer yards). You can also bet on if a specific player will score a touchdown in the entire game, the first or last touchdown, and more NFL odds.

You can determine the payouts and implied probabilities for any wager - or convert odds to different formats - with our odds converter.

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.