It’s that time of year! With six teams on bye in Week 7, many fantasy football owners will be turning to waivers for one-week sleepers. The Bills, Cowboys, Chargers, Jaguars, Vikings, and Steelers will be off this this coming week, so let’s hit the ground running with the best streamers and season-long stashes to help improve your team. Is there a potential league winner available this week? Probably not, but let’s just focus on getting a win in Week 7. Fortunately, there are plenty of potential waiver wire pickups and free agent adds who can help. RBs like D'Ernest Johnson, J.D. McKissic, and Rashaad Penny could all be starting, while pass-catchers like T.Y. Hilton, Rashod Bateman, and Ricky Seals-Jones have value, too. Some will require high-priority claims and high-dollar FAAB budgets, so your budget needs to be in order.
As we'll do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them.
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Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
Carson Wentz (IND). You shouldn’t be spending up on a quarterback, but if you recently lost Russell Wilson (finger) or you have a quarterback on bye this week, then I really like Wentz. He won’t light up the box score, but there’s a solid floor with him. In six-point passing TD leagues he’s put up 20-plus points in three straight games, and Week 6 marked the first time he didn’t attempt at least 30 pass attempts. In fact he completed just 11 passes on 20 attempts for 223 yards and two touchdowns. That’s outlandishly efficient, but we should see a return to normalcy in terms of volume with a friendly schedule on the horizon. He faces the 49ers in Week 7, which is a streamable matchup. Projected FAAB Bid: 4% of total budget
Tua Tagovaila (MIA). I think Tagovailoa is certainly in play as a steamer against the Falcons if you want to go that route. Admittedly, Tua has some limits, but he proved a lot of people wrong in Week 6 with over 300 passing yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3% of total budget
More potential streaming options (1-2% bids): Taylor Heinicke, Washington (@ GB), Jameis Winston, NO (@ SEA)
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
J.D. McKissic (WFT). Antonio Gibson has been dealing with a shin injury that has left him "questionable" most weeks, and it might have finally done him in this past week. He left Sunday’s game against the Chiefs numerous times, and we can only assume Gibson will be a game-time decision next week, as well. Even if he’s active and plays, we can still feel good about using McKissic as a streamer. Per JJ Zachariason, since Week 1 McKissic has a target share of 14.6 percent while Gibson is just at 6.4 percent. McKissic also has double-digit fantasy points in PPR formats in three of his past five games, and if Gibson does miss Week 7’s contest against the Packers, then McKissic could be in line for a 15-plus touch workload. Projected FAAB Bid: 10-15% of total budget
D’Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton (CLE). The Browns host the Broncos on Thursday night so the matchup is already pretty tough to stomach. With that said, be careful about rushing to the waiver wire to claim either of these two players. But Nick Chubb (calf) was inactive in Week 6, and Kareem Hunt suffered a calf injury that will sideline him for at least the next three weeks.Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did say Chubb is trending in the right direction, but it's always tough for an injured player to get ready for a Thursday night game. Additionally, the Brown offensive line is beat up, as Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin were both inactive against the Cardinals. It’s hard to gauge which of Johnson and Felton will get most of the work on Thursday after they combined for four total touches in Week 6. Everyone's assuming it’s Johnson since he has more familiarity with this offense. It's tough to feel great about either, but there are fantasy owners that likely need help at running back, so don't be surprise if Johnson gets bid up quite a bit. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-7%
(Update: Chubb has been ruled out, making Johnson a top waiver claim worth closer to 15% of your total FAAB budget.)
Rashaad Penny (SEA). If Alex Collins is available in your league, grab him, as he impressed last Sunday night and should continue starting as long as Chris Carson (neck) is out. However, Collins hurt his hip late in Week 6's game, which opens the door for Penny (calf), who's set to come off the IR this week. Penny has rarely stayed healthy enough to make a real impact, but this could be his chance. A Monday night matchup against New Orleans won't be easy, but Penny will have value if he's starting. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman (BAL). Here’s another backfield that is more likely to frustrate owners more than it will reward them. Bell, Freeman, and Latavius Murray all found the end zone in Week 6. Whoopie. Murray left the game late with an ankle injury, but it doesn’t sound like it’s too serious at the moment. However, there’s still the chance he could miss time, and this early in the week there will be speculation as to who would get the workload. Of course, you also have to consider what happens if Ty'Son Williams is active. Through the first three quarters last week, Murray led with 53 percent of the snaps, while Freeman and Bell were on the field for about 25 percent each. After Murray’s injury, it was still mostly split evenly: Around 53 percent in favor of Bell and 47 percent in favor of Freeman. While there’s an argument to be made for rostering any running back on this team, how confident are you in starting any of these guys? Don't overbid. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Rhamondre Stevenson (NE). This is a situation to monitor. Damien Harris was "questionable" because of a chest injury entering Week 6, and then he dinged up his ankle. He still had 18 carries for over 100 yards, but when he was in the medical tent getting examined, Stevenson came in to score his first touchdown. Stevenson’s value is somewhat dependent on Harris’ injury status ,and even then, history shows us we can’t trust one running back in New England. Harris has bucked that trend so far this year with his workload, but we need to keep an eye on the injury because if Harris does have to miss time, Stevenson is worth stashing in deeper leagues. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1-2%
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
Sterling Shepard (NYG). Kadarius Toney got off to a great start in Sunday’s game, but an ankle injury forced him out of the contest in the first quarter. Shepard, in his first game back from a hamstring injury, would go on to lead the Giants receivers with 10 catches on 14 targets for 76 yards. His 29-percent target share was a welcome sight, but can we expect that every week? It’s unlikely. Toney, Kenny Golladay (knee), and Darius Slayton (hamstring) could somehow all be active this week depending on their individual situations. He won’t maintain a 29-percent target share going forward, but he’s still a productive player. Projected FAAB Bid: 10-12% of budget
Rashod Bateman (BAL). It's intriguing the Ravens gave Bateman six targets in his first career game when Lamar Jackson throw the ball just 27 times. We’re seeing Jackson throw the ball a lot more this season, and Sunday was just a game where Baltimore didn’t need to throw as much. Bateman was still on the field for 45 snaps in his debut. He didn’t do very much with the volume, but this might be an opportunity to get him for cheap off the waiver wire. He’s still the third pass-catching option available in this offense, but with most defenses scheming for Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews, Bateman could find himself open for big plays in the not-too-distant future. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Tim Patrick (DEN). He. Just. Keeps. Producing. To be fair, Patrick doesn't have a high ceiling. If he did, he wouldn’t qualify as a waiver wire target since he’d be owned everywhere. Still, Patrick has just been so consistent that he should be rostered in more than 40 percent of ESPN leagues. In five of six games, he’s provided double-digit fantasy points in PPR formats, and he’s averaging 6.5 targets per game over his past four games. He’s easily in play at the flex position because of his consistency. His value will take a bit of a hit when Jerry Jeudy (ankle) returns though. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-8%
T.Y. Hilton (IND). The Colts don’t think the quad injury is serious for Hilton, and that’s great news. He looked solid against the Texans, but keep in mind, he always has great games against Houston. It's tough to feel confident about Hilton as a reliable fantasy option, but he should probably be rostered in 12-team leagues or deeper formats. He caught all four of his targets for 80 yards in a game where the Colts didn’t need to throw the ball a ton and relied heavily on Jonathan Taylor. The Colts are about to embark on a four-game stretch where they will play the 49ers, Titans, Jets, and Jaguars, and there should be more passing volume available for the Colts receivers and tight ends. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-8%
Jamal Agnew (JAX). What a crazy career trajectory for Agnew. He was drafted as a defensive back and made the transition from cornerback to wide receiver just in the past 18 months. Now, he's stepping up in the absence of DJ Chark (ankle). He hasn’t been on the field as much as Laviska Shenault has, but Agnew’s done more with the targets thrown his way. He has 11 catches on 13 targets over his past two games. You don’t need to add him at this moment unless you’re in a deeper league, but he's a receiver to look for next week when the Jags are coming off their bye. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
MORE WEEK 7: Top waiver pickups | Buy-low, sell-high
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Ricky Seals-Jones (WFT). Seals-Jones has seen 15 targets over his last two games and he found the end zone last week. As long as Logan Thomas is sidelined, RSJ is arguably a top ten tight end and he’s startable next week against Green Bay. Remember, the tight end position is still touchdown dependent and it’s easier to project workload and volume rather than touchdowns. So you can confidently play him knowing he’ll get decent targets next week and if he finds the end zone then that’s gravy. He’s currently available in 80% of ESPN leagues and he’s a great play as long as Thomas is out. Projected FAAB Bid: 7-8% of total budget
Pat Freiermuth (PIT). For what it’s worth, Freiermuth doesn’t need to be picked up this week. The Steelers are off in Week 7, but I think it’s definitely worth having this guy on your radar. In the first full game without JuJu Smith-Schuster, Freiermuth set season highs in snaps (60%), targets and receptions (seven), and yards (58). It may have been Eric Ebron finding the end zone on a rare play, but Freiermuth was certainly more involved in JuJu’s absence. And I don’t think this is necessarily a fluke because when JuJu was injured in Week 2, Freiermuth saw increased usage in that game as well. If you can stash him this week, great. If not, make sure you have your eye on him in a week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1%
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn't spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week's potential streaming pickups:
Possibly available: Cardinals (vs. Texans), Panthers (@ Giants), Saints (@ Seahawks)
Likely available but risky: Jets (@ Patriots), Giants (vs. Panthers), Dolphins (vs. Falcons), 49ers (vs. Colts)