Week 6 was strange by 2020 standards, and that's reflected in the top fantasy waiver wire pickups for Week 7. There isn't a consensus “must-add” player this week, but that certainly depends on who is available in your league and specific team needs. Injury replacement RBs like Boston Scott and Gus Edwards could command a lot of FAAB dollars, while breakout WRs like Tee Higgins, Christian Kirk, Keelan Cole, Travis Fulgham, and Tim Patrick could cancel each other out and go for less than they maybe should. Even crazier, the thinness of the TE position could create bidding wars for Dallas Goedert and Trey Burton despite neither potentially playing in Week 7.
As we'll do every week this season, 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 targets: Waiver wire QB pickups
Justin Herbert (LAC). Herbert’s ownership likely didn’t spike because he was on bye this last week. He's still available in a little less than half of leagues, but expect that to change heading into his Week 7 game against Jacksonville. This isn’t a great defense, and the Chargers will be able to run and throw on them with ease. Herbert’s put his cannon of an arm on full display with at least 290 passing yards in three of his four starts this year, and he has seven touchdown passes in his past two games. For this week I’m anticipating a more modest stat line of 280 passing yards and two touchdowns, but that’s still serviceable. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-12%
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire RB pickups
Giovani Bernard (CIN) Joe Mixon tried to play through his foot injury last week but was on and off the field throughout the game. The Bengals have a couple of tough matchups coming up against Cleveland and Tennessee, but Cleveland’s run defense has been suspect in recent weeks. I’m not predicting 100 rushing yards for Gio, but he’s a good start in PPR formats as a flex play if Mixon misses time. Positional need will be a reoccurring theme in this week’s piece. Mixon’s available everywhere, so if you truly need him this week he can help you win your matchup if Mixon is out. Proj. FAAB Bid: 13-17% (if Mixon is out)
Boston Scott (PHI). Alright folks, it is time to be disappointed by Scott once again so step right up and get those FAAB bids! With Miles Sanders (knee) trending in the wrong direction for Thursday night, Scott will be a hot commodity. The Eagles draw the Giants on Thursday and then Dallas in Week 8, so it’s possible we get multiple weeks of usage out of Scott. We’ve been down this road with him before, though. It paid off for a few games last year, but he burned us the first two weeks of 2020. He'll see a steady workload even if Corey Clement is involved. For now let’s assume this is a one-week rental, so desperation may determine how much you spend. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12%
J.D. McKissic (WFT). McKissic may have appeared in last week’s article as a bit of an afterthought, but now I’m willing to trust the consistency of his passing-game involvement. He now has three straight games with at least six receptions, and while he hasn’t found the end zone, he’s provided at least 8.2 PPR points in four straight games after his 14.4-point showing on Sunday. Those aren't huge numbers, but he might be worthy of a flex spot considering we’re currently without Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, Raheem Mostert, and probably Miles Sanders (plus whoever is on bye in a given week). If you need a little help at running back. McKissic’s worth a modest FAAB bid to get some cheap points. After all, Washington faces Dallas in Week 7. Proj. FAAB Bid: 11-12%
Gus Edwards (BAL). Mark Ingram left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, and the extent of it remains unknown as of Monday. Coach John Harbaugh said Ingram has a "chance" to play in Week 8 after Baltimore's bye, so that means there's a strong chance he won't play. That would mean Edwards would share backfield duties with rookie JK Dobbins, and while Dobbins maybe should get the bulk of the carries, it's Edwards who's been running as the No. 2 back most of this year, including last week when he had 14 carries to Dobbins' nine. It's tough to recommend bidding a lot on a guy two weeks before he might start, but Edwards could have major value in Week 8 if Ingram is out. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
La’Mical Perine (NYJ). Perine was a very late addition to our FAAB column last week once it was announced that Le’Veon Bell had been released. He had just nine total touches on Sunday, and he didn’t do much with them. In time, he’ll likely chew into Frank Gore ’s workload. Touches are worth something in fantasy football, so we’ll keep an eye on those. What he does with them is the big mystery. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6%
Check And See If They’re Available: Check to see if D’Andre Swift and JK Dobbins are available in your leagues, as both could be headed for even more playing time soon. ... Also, keep an eye out for Phillip Lindsay, Justin Jackson, Chase Edmonds, and Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon’s stock is trending upward now that Mostert is hitting IR. If you stayed loyal and didn’t drop him, your faith could be rewarded over the next few weeks. Again, if he is available you should look to spend about 30 percent of your FAAB to pick him up. However, his ownership is still relatively high, so he’s likely only available in shallower leagues.
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire WR pickups
Tee Higgins (CIN). I can’t believe I have to mention Higgins again, but here we are. He has 32 targets over his past four games, and he’s flashed big-play potential. As excited as I was a week ago for Chase Claypool, even I’ll admit I feel a little better about the consistency of Higgins’ workload. He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 3, but he came close on a deep ball where he was tackled inside the 10-yard line last week. We cannot let this rookie linger on waivers too much longer. Eight targets per week should not be sitting on ESPN’s waiver wire in more than 50 percent of leagues. Proj. FAAB Bid: 15-18%
Christian Kirk (ARI). There have been signs over the last couple weeks of Kirk’s emergence, but he broke out Monday night against Dallas. The target share was minimal, but he had two touchdown catches in a game where Arizona didn’t necessarily need to throw a lot, as evidenced by Kyler Murray ’s nine completions. Let’s jump on board and get him while we can because Arizona is going to have to throw a lot to keep pace next week with Seattle. All Arizona pass-catchers could be in line for big games. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12%
Travis Fulgham (PHI). I wasn’t excited about him a week ago, but am I allowed to change my tune with the benefit of hindsight? I’m still not overly optimistic, but he simply won’t be benched either when DeSean Jackson (hand), Alshon Jeffery (foot), and/or Jalen Reagor (hand) return. He now has touchdowns in three straight games and 23 targets over his past two outings. Add in the fact the Eagles draw the Giants and Cowboys (both at home) over the next two weeks, and this is enough of a reason for fantasy owners to get a little excited. I can’t imagine you’re starting him as anything more than just a flex, but he’s still contributing and Carson Wentz is looking his way. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Tim Patrick (DEN). I’ve mentioned Patrick in this article before as a solid waiver addition after he came through against the Jets a couple weeks ago, and he had another solid game against New England on Sunday. He caught four-of-eight targets for 101 yards as Jerry Jeudy drew significant coverage. This week against Kansas City shapes up to be a game where the Broncos are trailing, so I’m thinking Patrick has top-30 upside at this position. There’s more of an argument to start him in three-WR leagues, but he could be a flex play in most formats with Denver likely chasing points. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-10%
Keelan Cole (JAC). Cole is going to be a frustrating player. For starters, there are other pass-catchers I like in this offense. DJ Chark is nursing an ankle injury but he’s reliable when healthy, and I’ve written up Laviska Shenault ad nausea this year. However, Cole hasn’t seen fewer than five targets in any game this season, and he’s found the end zone three times already. He didn’t even score in Week 6 and still caught six-of-nine targets for 143 yards. Currently he’s a top-20 wide receiver in fantasy. I doubt he finishes the season that high, but he’s maintained relevance in fantasy in four-of-six weeks so far. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8%
A.J. Green (CIN). The Bengals came out firing on all cylinders on Sunday and jumped out to an impressive 21-0 lead over the Colts. Naturally, Green had his best game of the season with a team-high 11 targets. He managed to catch eight of those for 96 yards. Ownership is down on him, and if you want to take a shot, be my guest. He deserves to be mentioned in this article based on recency bias and overall name recognition. I’m not going to bother putting in a claim for him because Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are still the preferred options for Joe Burrow. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5%
Breshad Perriman (NYJ). It feels weird talking up a Jets wide receiver that isn’t named Jamison Crowder, but in his first game since returning from injury, Perriman saw eight targets in a reunion with Joe Flacco . He managed to catch four of those targets for 62 yards, which isn’t a terrible showing in your first game back from an ankle injury. The Jets have favorable matchups the next two weeks against Buffalo and Kansas City. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Check And See If they’re Available: We mentioned Mike Williams last week, but he might have fallen between the cracks because of the Chargers bye. We’d obviously feel better about Williams in Week 7 if Keenan Allen (back) were inactive, but it does seem like he’ll play this week so it’s worth monitoring the team’s practice reports. ... Brandin Cooks is also worth keeping an eye on. He found the end zone for a second straight week, albeit on a very short one-yard pass. We can’t expect too many of those, but he’s been getting looked at by Deshaun Watson Similar to Will Fuller , Cooks is an intriguing deep threat that will have his ups and downs for fantasy. ... Henry Ruggs is another wideout to monitor as his team is coming off a bye. They have a stiff matchup next week in prime time as they host Tampa Bay, though.
WEEK 7 FANTASY: Top pickups | Buy-low, sell-high
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire TE pickups
Dallas Goedert (PHI). Goedert is now eligible to return off IR since he’s missed the last three games with an ankle injury. The timing couldn’t be more perfect since Zach Ertz is set to miss at least a month with a high ankle sprain. Goedert saw 17 targets in his first two games before getting hurt in Week 3. Goedert could potentially emerge as a top-eight player rest of season at his position with his counterpart out a month. Carson Wentz still has very few people to throw to and this coaching staff loves Goedert. Proj. FAAB Bid: 13-14%
Trey Burton (IND). Burton had been trending up in recent weeks with 11 targets in his previous two games before scoring twice this past Sunday against the Bengals. One of those was a touchdown run that probably should have gone to Jonathan Taylor, but alas, it went to Burton. The downside is that the Colts are heading into their bye week, but Burton will still be involved in Week 8 and beyond. This offense gets usage out of its tight ends, and Philip Rivers has clearly given Burton (and Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox ) opportunities to score this season. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-7%
Others Receiving Votes: If you’re in a deeper league you can look at players like Darren Fells and Anthony Firkser. Deshaun Watson takes advantage of Fells’ size in the end zone, as he now has 10 touchdowns in his past two seasons. Firkser is a deep league stash if Jonnu Smith is sidelined with an ankle injury. Firkser is far from the player Smith is, but savvy fantasy owners know opportunity when they see it. Between Fells and Firkser, there are potential points to be had here.
Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire D/ST pickups
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Jaguars)
Washington Football Team (vs. Cowboys)
Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Giants)
Dallas Cowboys (@ Washington)
New York Giants (@ Eagles)
Cleveland Browns (@ Bengals)
All of these Week 7, matchup-based streamers come with risks, but they come with plenty of upside, too. The Browns have some staying power because of their ability to generate takeaways, but the rest figure to just be one-week plug-and-plays. Proj. FAAB Bids: <1%