7 Week 1 waiver claims to make a week early

Our fantasy drafts are now in the rearview mirror, and we’re all gearing up for Week 1 of the new NFL season.

But no matter how good you feel about your team now, there’s almost no chance it will look the same by the end of September — let alone the middle of November. You’ll be hitting the waiver wire just like everyone else.

In an effort to give you a head start, I broke out my crystal ball to identify some of the hot waiver wire names before they become hot waiver wire names.

1. Paul Richardson, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Richardson has been a personal favorite all offseason, and his value only increased after the Seahawks decided to part ways with Kasen Williams, who was one of the best players in the preseason this year. The Seahawks have just five wideouts on their roster, and the No. 2 spot (behind Doug Baldwin) is wide open.

Richardson displayed fantastic rapport with Russell Wilson in last year’s postseason and he’ll get looks again early this year. Given his penchant for eye-popping plays, Richardson could easily find himself atop the waiver wire must-add list after Week 1.