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5 Week 1 fantasy waiver-wire claims you'll wish you'd made early

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 1: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens passes the ball during the third quarter of a game against the San Diego Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)

The NFL season is here, which means you’re finally tinkering with some Week 1 roster choices. However, by this time next week, you’ll be doing more than just setting you Week 2 lineup — you’ll likely be looking to make some tweaks to your roster in general.

There’s always a rush on the waiver wire, but the surge is the strongest following Week 1. People tend to overreact after the first slate of games.

Perhaps some of your preseason fliers didn’t pan out, and it’s time to replace them already. Leonte Carroo comes to mind. Perhaps one of your key starters will go down in Week 1 (but let’s hope not). Maybe someone has a Kevin Ogletree-like Week 1 this season. Maybe the Cowboys surprise everyone and take Ezekiel Elliott out at the goal line (probably won’t happen).

Whatever the reason, there’s going to be a mad dash on the waivers this weekend. So why not beat the rush and take some of the potential breakout players early?

We’ll take a look at players who are owned in under half of ESPN fantasy leagues — but whose ownership shares will likely rise in the coming weeks.

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

When healthy last season, Flacco was a top-13 fantasy quarterback, which means he was performing as a borderline QB1. However, he heads into the 2016 season being owned in just 16 percent of leagues.

Flacco is not a to-die-for fantasy quarterback, but he’s a high-volume passer, which gives him a safe floor from week to week. Last year, while healthy, Flacco ranked second in passing attempts with 413 (he averaged 41.3 per game). He had five 300-plus yard games, and another outing with 299 yards.

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