Greetings, fantasy football junkies, and welcome to the first edition of Living on the Wire.

Each week I will bring you advice on the best players that likely are available in the majority of fantasy football leagues. Consider this less of a start ’em or sit ’em and more of a ‘Who should I pick up this week’ type of fantasy source. Most of the advice provided will pertain most accurately to 12-team leagues, but it also may work for those of you in smaller leagues.

With that brief introduction out of the way, let’s get to it.

Wide Receiver

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns likely will be the No. 1 player claimed on the waiver wire this week. The undrafted free agent rookie made his presence felt early Sunday against Philadelphia, beating the Eagles’ secondary for a pair of touchdowns and 110 yards on four receptions. Even better for the rookie was the fact he was targeted nine times, just one look shy of team leader Marqise Lee, who had a nice debut with 62 yards on six catches.

Yes, Hurns was dangerous. Yes, he was the second-leading fantasy wide receiver in Week 1 behind only Calvin Johnson. No, you shouldn’t jump the gun to pick him up. Hurns’ value likely never again will be what it was in Week 1, especially if Jacksonville’s No. 1 wide receiver Cecil Shorts III returns to action next week against the Washington Redskins.

Look toward other wide receivers such as Carolina rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin and Pittsburgh’s Markus Wheaton. Benjamin will be the No. 1 receiver for the Panthers all season, and Wheaton provides a strong option opposite of Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh. These two are no-brainers and should be owned in every league.

Kansas City’s Donnie Avery also is available. With Dwayne Bowe sitting out in Kansas City with a suspension, Avery was the best wide receiver option for Alex Smith and the Chiefs. Avery always has quiet fantasy value, but Avery saw a whopping 13 passes come his way last week. That was tied for third most in the league with Reggie Wayne behind only Jordy Nelson and Steve Smith. Avery even saw more targets than Jay Cutler threw to Brandon Marshall!

Consider Avery a solid flex play or WR3 in deep leagues when the Chiefs face the Broncos on Sunday. Even with Bowe back, the Chiefs likely will have to throw quite a bit to keep up with Denver.

Running Back

The player who should be taken first off the waiver wire this week is Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett. Now that Ray Rice has been released by the Ravens, and with Bernard Pierce in the doghouse after a fumble Sunday against Cincinnati, Forsett will emerge as the No. 1 running back in Baltimore. Once a seventh-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks, Forsett most recently served time with the Houston Texans in 2012 and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013.

Forsett will be given the chance to prove himself as the lead back in Baltimore ahead of rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro, especially if Pierce continues to struggle. The 29-year-old running back had 70 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries while also catching five passes for 14 yards. Consider Forsett a flex play this Thursday against a Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense that gave up 183 rushing yards to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

If New York Jets running back Chris Ivory is available in your league, consider him safe to snatch up, too. The Jets are going to run the ball a lot, and Ivory figures to see a few more days like the one he had Sunday against the Raiders in which he went for 102 yards and a touchdown. Playing behind Chris Johnson won’t hamper Ivory’s touches too much.

Bobby Rainey also is a risky option for the second season in a row. After Doug Martin went down with a leg injury in Week 1, Rainey, who scored seven touchdowns last season, absorbed the majority of the carries. If you own Martin, pick up Rainey for the time being.

Tight End

The most significant injuries to offensive players came at the tight end position in Week 1, with Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert and Washington’s Jordan Reed going down. Eifert’s injury appeared to be the worst of the two as he went down with an elbow injury. Reed likely will miss at least one game with a sore hamstring.

That will benefit Cincinnati tight end Jermaine Gresham, who has been a hit-or-miss fantasy player during his previous four years in the league. Gresham had just two catches for 16 yards in Week 1, but he was targeted in the endzone once and should see his fair share of looks in a potential shootout next week against Atlanta. I wouldn’t consider Gresham a quality play most weeks, but he is worth a look as a TE2 or as a temporary fill-in if you own Eifert or Reed.

The best long-term option at tight end likely is Larry Donnell of the New York Giants. Donnell is the No. 1 tight end on the Giants’ depth chart, and he showed why Monday night against Detroit with 56 yards and one touchdown on five receptions. He was the Giants’ leading receiver in every category and received a team-high eight targets from Eli Manning, who always has loved his tight ends in the redzone.

An intriguing player is Niles Paul in Washington. The former college wide receiver from Nebraska has turned into an NFL tight end, and he hauled in four passes for 86 yards Sunday against Houston after Reed left the game early on. Robert Griffin III has plenty of receivers to throw to, but he always finds a way to get the tight ends involved. If you are looking at a potential sleeper tight end this week with Reed out, Paul might be the guy in a matchup against the Jaguars, who conceded a touchdown to Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz last week.

Defense/Special Teams

Even the best fantasy defenses can have a bad matchup on any given week. Unless you can rely on the Seattle Seahawks’ defense all season, it is always smart to take a look at the good matchups for defenses on the waiver wire.

The Miami Dolphins are a great team to pick up this week, as they play Buffalo. The Dolphins held the New England Patriots scoreless in the second half and limited them to only 89 rushing yards. E.J. Manuel certainly is no Tom Brady, and the Dolphins limited his production in the second half, too, so consider the Dolphins a strong start.

I also like the Houston Texans’ defense this week – and every week, for that matter – against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders can’t run the ball, and rookie Derek Carr won’t have much fun against J.J. Watt and the boys, even without Jadeveon Clowney.

Survivor Pool

Those of you in survivor pools can consider the Green Bay Packers a safe pick this week. Fresh off an embarrassing loss at Seattle, the Packers should fare much better against a lackluster New York Jets’ team. It’s never smart to pick a road team, so avoid the trap of picking New Orleans at Cleveland.

John Livingston is a sports writer for The Durango Herald and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. He can be reached at jlivingston@durangoherald.com or on Twitter @jlivi2.