Don’t get down if you lost in Week 1. It can be a blessing in disguise if you play in a league that uses “worst to first” to generate its waiver order because you’ll have first crack at the top free agents. A savvy pickup early in the season can make all the difference in the world.

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire of at least 50% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

If Joe Flacco is out there, grab him first – then move on to the rest of the list.

Shaun Hill (13.2)
Hill has a nice upcoming schedule and really only has a couple of bad matchups all year. He’d be a good fill in for Donovan McNabb owners.
Mark Sanchez (22.3)
Sanchez looked great in his first game and has a relatively easy upcoming schedule.
Jason Campbell (28.4)
Campbell is another good fill in for McNabb owners since he has a couple of easy matchups over the next two weeks.
Chad Pennington (32.2)
Matthew Stafford (12.1)
Stafford figures to post good fantasy numbers in garbage time if he can stay upright.
JaMarcus Russell (11.9)
Byron Leftwich (2.7)
Kerry Collins (6.4)
Marc Bulger (7.8)
Brady Quinn (14.6)

If Leon Washington or Cadillac Williams are available, I’d pick them up before moving onto this list…

Mike Bell (12.1)
Bell ran really well against the Lions and now there’s talk of an expanded role even when Pierre Thomas returns.
Michael Bush (12.5)
The Raiders are run-heavy and Bush is getting a lot of work, especially around the goal line.
Kevin Faulk (9.4)
Faulk always seems to be roster-worthy in PPR formats.
Correll Buckhalter (17.4)
Glen Coffee (40.7)
James Davis (32.5)
Edgerrin James (11.7)
Julius Jones isn’t the most durable guy, and the Seattle running game looked pretty good on Sunday.
Laurence Maroney (24.5)
Ladell Betts (9.9)
Jamaal Charles (15.7)
Bernard Scott (4.0)

Justin Gage (35.1)
Gage should be great in PPR leagues. He is Collins’ favorite target.
Nate Burleson (23.1)
The consummate fantasy tease might actually be primed for a productive year.
Earl Bennett (29.0)
Cutler looked his way early and often on Sunday night.
Steve Smith (24.8)
Laurent Robinson (1.6)
Chris Henry (38.8)
I still think Henry is going to be a strong sleeper this year, but he has to get healthy first.
Chansi Stuckey (4.1)
Davone Bess (1.5)
Mark Clayton (9.9)
Mario Manningham (1.0)
Domenik Hixon’s stock is falling and Hakeem Nicks is out for a couple of weeks so Manningham could emerge.
Louis Murphy (0.2)
Forget about Heyward-Bey (for now), Murphy is the Raider rookie WR to own. He caught one TD and had another called back due to penalty.
Austin Collie (1.0)
The rookie should see most of Anthony Gonzalez’s targets while he recovers from a knee injury. He has good hands and led D1 with over 1,500 receiving yards last season.
Isaac Bruce (15.3)
Chaz Schilens (1.6)
The Raiders seem to like him the most and he should be back soon from injury.
Devery Henderson (15.6)
Henderson will be a hot pickup this week, but remember, he’s traditionally been a boom or bust player.
Michael Jenkins (19.8)
Michael Clayton (0.5)
Antwaan Randle El (1.6)
He made a living in the slot on Sunday, but S. Moss isn’t going to be held to two catches every week.
Miles Austin (2.6)
Mark Bradley (2.5)
Robert Meachem (13.1)
Jerheme Urban (0.3)
Will be valuable if Boldin and Breaston continue to struggle with injuries.
Kevin Curtis (49.6)
Josh Cribbs (3.0)
He got some goal line work in the Wildcat.

I’d definitely look to add Jeremy Shockey before moving onto this list…

Heath Miller (19.4)
Brent Celek (21.4)
Todd Heap (5.8)
Benjamin Watson (3.8)
Obviously, Watson had a huge game Monday night, though one wonders if he’ll get consistent targets all season. He has been productive when healthy.
Tony Scheffler (40.5)
Robert Royal (0.1)
Randy McMichael (1.3)