Week 1 RosterWatch Waiver Wire: WR
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com


Rueben Randle, WR New York Giants
With a year under his belt and reports of a terrific training camp, Reuben Randle is poised to hit the fantasy radar in 2013. He was a good prospect coming out of LSU (Janoris Jenkins told RosterWatch he was tougher to match up with in college than Julio Jones or A.J. Green) and the belief is he’s ready to contribute in the NFL. Any Hakeem Nicks injury could greatly enhance Randle’s value. Even if Nicks somehow stays healthy, it’s looking less likely he’ll be back next year, and the Giants have that much more incentive start polishing Randle. Eli Manning throws the ball enough that three receivers can be fantasy-worthy in this offense.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Minnesota Vikings
Admittedly, Patterson could easily be more bust than boom as a rookie. It’s a calculated risk we’re willing to take, though. He’s an electric playmaker unlike many others that we’ve watched or scouted. His competition among the Vikings receiving corps is modest to put it nicely. We’ve seen Minnesota use a similar player in Percy Harvin extensively as a rookie. This is an upside guy we are willing to gamble on.

Kendall Wright, WR Tennessee Titans
Wright could easily steal the spotlight from Kenny Britt this season. He was a pretty reliable option as a rookie- and all information indicates the former first-round pick is ready breakout in 2013. We think he has a very limited ceiling, though.

Stephen Hill, WR New York Jets
The knock as a rookie was being an NFL Combine freak that was very raw in the football department as a product of the funky Georgia Tech triple-option offense. The Jets receivers are a complete disaster. Hill is EASILY the most physically gifted option the Jets have. Rex Ryan says Hill’s smoothed the edges in his game. If he and Geno Smith start making any type of sweet music- watch out. They already seem to have the beginnings of a connection. Hill is worth keeping a close eye on or making a roster stash.

Riley Cooper, WR Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper was on our waiver report several times at the end of last season. Jeremy Maclin is lost to injury for the season. The Eagles have very few other options on the outside. Riley has a chance to be sneaky good and get off to fast start. He’s an underrated athlete.

Donnie Avery, WR Kansas City Chiefs
Avery was a good spot-play last year in Indy. Had TY Hilton not emerged, he would have been better. There is less competition in Kansas City, and Avery appeared to be an Alex Smith favorite on a few occasions during preseason action. He’s most likely a fringe flex-option all season, but if you need a big play guy, Avery isn’t a bad choice.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Indianapolis Colts
In many ways, this is out with Donnie Avery, in with DHB. Heyward-Bey is a good locker room guy who practices hard. We bet he develops chemistry with Andrew Luck. TY Hilton is our preference, but we can see 800 yard, 5 TD season out of Heyward-Bey.

Andre Roberts, WR Arizona Cardinals
Alex and the Trashman swear he has breakout potential- so we’ll roll with it. The logic is a high-volume Carson Palmer led passing attack. Roberts was also targeted during preseason action once per every 4.9 snaps- good for 18th among the 215 NFL WRs who received targets in the 2013 preseason. I get it, I guess…..

Jeremy Kerley, WR New York Jets
Kerley was a Texas High School football legend. Think of a Seneca Wallace-type- who also played defensive back and special teams in the same game. We’ve noticed the flashes he’s shown over the last few years. Often times, he’s been the Jets most reliable receiver. We aren’t exactly sure what becoming the Jets #1 WR option is exactly worth- but we think Kerley has a legitimate shot of vying for that spot with Stephen Hill.

Kenny Stills, WR New Orleans Saints
We have always loved him. He’s a Steve Johnson Jr. who slinks around downfield with deceptive speed and uses body control to make hands catches. We couldn’t believe it when the Saints picked him. It’s the perfect offense for Stills, and he’s already been getting sick in the Big Easy as fans saw in the preseason. He may only be a Drew Brees WR4/5 this season- but we’ve seen in any given week that can payoff, and if anyone in front of him gets injured it’s an immediate boost in value for Stills. Keep a close eye on him.

Markus Wheaton, WR Pittsburgh Steelers
One of our Senior Bowl favorites, Alex called him a “Mike Wallace Jr.” 6 months ago. It appears that may be starting to look correct. It’s crazy, you could tell he fit the Steelers mold immediately, and then the Steelers actually went and drafted him. The line isn’t long in Pittsburgh and Wheaton’s had a solid preseason. He could easily emerge as Big Ben’s #2 WR.

Ace Sanders, WR Jacksonville
He lept off the field at us during wide receiver drills at the NFL Combine in Indy. Rookie Ace Sanders is explosive in small space and attacks the football with soft hands. We love him as a future sensation at slot receiver. He’s also a good return man. So far all indications out of Jacksonville support all of the above. His teammates have spoken glowingly about his potential contributions. For now, we like him as a stash if your league scores special teams production.

Quinton Patton, WR San Francisco
Another Senior Bowl guy. This one with a 49er gold grill. Patton is an interesting character- seemingly in a cool and overall good way. The guy can run, the guy can make plays. The 49ers are very short at receiver. Do not be surprised if Patton emerges as a big-play threat for San Francisco this season. Best case scenario, he could do what Chris Givens did for St. Louis last season.