Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watch List for Week 7: Streaming targets, free agent sleepers

Billy Heyen

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watch List for Week 7: Streaming targets, free agent sleepers image

Josh Allen is going to be a hot commodity in the half of ESPN and Yahoo leagues he's available in heading into Week 7 waiver wires. The Bills host the Dolphins, and Allen is healed from his concussion and will be fresh off of bye. He's just one name on this week's fantasy waiver wire watch list, but admittedly, I didn't expect his ownership to be as low as it is. That's one part of the useful exercise that is this weekly article -- you sometimes find available players who you were never expecting. Allen won't even be a sleeper in Week 7. He'll just be an almost automatic start.

This article has been beating the Gardner Minshew drum hard each week, and he finally shot up in ownership to nearly 50 percent after throwing for 374 yards and rushing for 42 in Week 5. Until he creeps above that ownership limit for this list, though, he'll keep showing up. Last week's watch list also suggested picking up Kirk Cousins ahead of two good matchups, and after he took advantage of one, owners that grabbed him have to be feeling good about his Week 6 chances to come through again. I also hope you picked up the Redskins and Dolphins we recommended because their matchup this week promises a few big fantasy days.

WEEK 6 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

We're again finding this a tough week to place running backs on the list. There's a couple guys here, Chase Edmonds and Alexander Mattison, who are mostly handcuffs. There just haven't been a lot of intriguing RB developments this year, the kind that would make an enticing workload just one decision away. At receiver, we've included the recently traded Zay Jones and the man set to benefit from that move, Duke Williams. They both have deep-league sleeper appeal.

As always, we've tried to find some streaming options at TE and D/ST for you. They included Allen's tight end, Dawson Knox, along with the Packers' defense ahead of a decent matchup with the Raiders.

If you're new to this, we're just presenting some options as pickups ahead of Sunday's kickoffs that could help you going forward. Inevitably there's a dead weight on your bench, like Kalen Ballage, who could be moved on from for someone better. There's no reason not to make that speculative add right now.

WEEK 6 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | FD cash | FD GPPDK cash | DK GPP

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watch List

Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 6, looking forward to the players that could be waiver-wire targets in Week 7. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are options you could pick up early to beat the waiver buzz.

All these players are below 50-percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified. 

Week 7 Waiver Wire Watch List: Quarterback

Notable quarterbacks on a Week 7 bye: Baker Mayfield, Mason Rudolph, Jameis Winston, Kyle Allen

Josh Allen, Bills (50 percent ownership)

Allen, who was a starter in a lot of fantasy lineups in the season's opening weeks, has seen a drastic ownership decline due to his concussion in Week 4 and his Week 6 bye week. But he'd made it through concussion protocol in time to play in Week 5, and he's looking at a matchup with the Dolphins in Week 7. He should be starting in more than half of fantasy leagues then, not just owned in half.

Gardner Minshew, Jaguars (47)

The Bengals are a great matchup for Minshew in Week 7, and his ownership has risen every week since he took over the Jaguars' starting job. Fumbles notwithstanding, Minshew's seven-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio shows he can protect the ball, and he's run for more than 40 yards twice this season already. That's a good fantasy floor, and a positive matchup with the Bengals provides a high ceiling in Week 7.

Daniel Jones, Giants (40)

Playing the Cardinals in Week 7 should provide a high play count on both sides of the ball against bad defenses. Jones' ownership has fallen because of a couple rough matchups in a row, but he'll look more like the guy he did in his first NFL start when he faces off with Arizona. 

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (27)

Trubisky's ownership has fallen since he was hurt, but the injury was to his non-throwing shoulder, so when he's ready to come back, he should look fine from a throwing perspective. He's another, like Allen, who was owned in the majority of fantasy leagues early in the season, so if you're in need of QB help, he's another possible add.

WEEK 6: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts

Week 7 Waiver Wire Watch List: RB

Notable running backs on a Week 7 bye: Christian McCaffrey, Nick Chubb, James Conner, Ronald Jones/Peyton Barber

Chase Edmonds, Cardinals (25)

David Johnson continues to be dinged up, and although he hasn't missed a full game yet, Edmonds would become a quality fantasy option in Kliff Kingsbury's fast-paced offense as the potential starter. Even as a handcuff currently, Edmonds' has seen his workload climb in consecutive weeks, so maybe Arizona will try to protect Johnson's health by mixing in Edmonds more. 

Alexander Mattison, Vikings (23)

Mattison is fourth in the NFL in yards gained after first contact, in a top five with Leonard Fournette, Duke Johnson Jr., Mark Ingram and Christian McCaffrey. With the odd placement of Johnson, that's a strong list for the rookie from Boise State to be on. He's still just Dalvin Cook's handcuff -- although Mattison does get ample work in Vikings' wins -- but he's definitely a priority handcuff that every Cook owner should have.

Jay Ajayi, FA (4)

This is just a reminder that Ajayi is out there, and as of a couple weeks ago, he was back to full health and putting his name in front of teams. Maybe the fact that no one has signed him yet is a sign there's not much left in the tank, but as soon as news of a signing conceptually comes, Ajayi's ownership will fly up quickly. 

Benny Snell Jr., Steelers (1)

Jaylen Samuels is out for a month, so the fourth-round rookie from Kentucky becomes the handcuff to James Conner. Snell gained more than 1,000 yards and averaged more than five yards per carry in all three of his Wildcats' seasons, and he's a powerful runner that'll matter if he gets a bigger role.

WEEK 6 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiverTight end

Week 7 Waiver Wire Watch List: WR

Notable wide receivers on a Week 7 bye: Odell Beckham Jr./Jarvis Landry, Mike Evans/Chris Godwin, JuJu Smith-Schuster, D.J. Moore/Curtis Samuel

Mohamed Sanu, Falcons (49)

Sanu's lowest-target game of the season came in Week 5, and he still caught all five of his looks and scored a touchdown. This Atlanta offense has found a way to support four pass-catchers (Sanu, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Austin Hooper). They won't all have good weeks at the same time, but Sanu is having solid games more often that not right now. 

Jamison Crowder, Jets (43)

Crowder's 17 Week 1 targets continue to be tantalizing as a possible foreshadow for what will happen when Sam Darnold gets back. No, he probably won't see that many again, but his chemistry with Darnold is worth betting on in the first few weeks when Darnold returns from mono.

Auden Tate, Bengals (21)

He caught a touchdown in Week 5 (and should've had two). He continues to see high-end playing time with Bengals' receivers out. And he's the best outside receiver Cincinnati has, so he'll continue to have solid weeks in this role. 

Anthony Miller, Bears (13)

Miller had his first good week of the season in Week 5, catching four-of-seven targets for 52 yards. His snap counts have been on the rise all season, and there's a chance that after his seven-TD rookie season, Miller is finally going to fill the sleeper tag we gave him before the season.

Zay Jones, Raiders (4)

The Raiders have been seeking out receivers for weeks, and they traded a fifth-rounder to acquire Jones from Buffalo. There's not a ton of upside in Oakland's passing game, where he'll surely be behind Darren Waller and Tyrell Williams in the pecking order. He might have some solid PPR weeks, though.

Duke Williams, Bills (1)

Williams caught all four of his Week 5 targets for 29 yards and a touchdown. He's essentially stepping into Jones' job, and he played almost every Buffalo snap opposite John Brown on the outside. He was a star in junior college and the CFL, with a troubled time at Auburn in between. 

MORE WEEK 6 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder

Week 7 Waiver Wire Watch List: TE

Notable tight ends on a Week 7 bye: Greg Olsen, O.J. Howard, Vance McDonald

Hunter Henry, Chargers (45)

Henry's return from injury is imminent, and he's a top-10 TE when healthy. If you have an open roster spot, now is the time to grab him if he's available.

Chris Herndon, Jets (42)

Herndon is back from his four-game suspension and could be a borderline fantasy starter when Sam Darnold is healthy. His Week 7 matchup against the Patriots is scary, though, so he's not really a stream candidate, just a long-term play.

Noah Fant, Broncos (13)

The Chiefs haven't defended the tight end well for two years now. Fant continues to have some involvement in Denver's offense, and he feels like the type of athletic rookie whose ownership will sky when he finally has a big game. 

Dawson Knox, Bills (11)

Gotta love everyone playing against the Dolphins, and Knox has proven to be effective in his playing time this season. Pick him up with Allen and ride the Bills to fantasy glory in Week 7.

Jordan Akins, Texans (6)

The Colts are a bottom-five defense defending tight ends in 2019. Akins is a big target who's shown some ability to break big plays, so this is as good a matchup as any for him to do that. 

Matt LaCosse, Patriots (1)

LaCosse had more snaps in Week 5 than even Tom Brady, and the Patriots released Benjamin Watson. For better or wosre, it seems like LaCosse will be the Gronk replacement all season (or at least until Gronk comes back).

Week 7 defense streamers and sleepers

Defenses with a Week 7 bye: Browns, Steelers, Buccaneers, Panthers

Green Bay Packers (40) | Week 7 opponent: vs. Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs (27) | Week 7 opponent: @ Broncos

Arizona Cardinals (3) | Week 7 opponent: @ Giants
New York Giants (1) | Week 7 opponent: vs. Giants

The Packers' defense has been better than people have expected all season, with Za'Darius Smith providing a new pass rush and Jaire Alexander proving a lockdown corner. The Chiefs should have solid pass rush success against Denver's bad line. And whenever bad teams play, like Arizona and the Giants, at least one D/ST should have a good game.

Billy Heyen