Waiver Wire Pickups Week 7

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

How are you owners feeling after Week 6? Better get ready because we have another week to hit these waivers hard as the fantasy season starts heating up. We saw a ton of points scored in Week 6 and saw some productive fantasy outings from last week’s article that included Jameis Winston, Mitchell Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, Taylor Gabriel, Christian Kirk, Mohamed Sanu, David Moore, Cameron Brate, Austin Hooper, David Njoku, and the Dallas D/ST. Also, we saw some injuries pile up as the week concluded. So who you are going to add this week?

Key Tips: 

• Stay ahead of your bye weeks. In Week 7, Green Bay, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and Seattle will be on bye weeks. In Week 8, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tennessee are on bye weeks.
• If you have been waiting on a player and you still have not seen it after six weeks, it’s time to move on. Especially if you are 0-6 or 1-5, you cannot afford to hold on anymore. It’s time to make changes to your roster, so be more aggressive on the waiver wire and through trades.
• Keep things in perspective. Look at your record in regards to how many games out of a playoff spot you are versus whoever is in first. Your goal should be to make the playoffs and from there, anything can happen.

Without further ado, here are your waiver wire targets for Week 7!

Week 7 Waiver Wire QB Pickups

Jameis Winston
ESPN: Less than 58% owned


Still mightly available in a lot of fantasy leagues, if you are not convinced after his performance in Week 6, I am not sure what will change your mind on Jameis Winston. He predictably shredded the Atlanta Falcons defense in a very Winston manner. 395 yards, four touchdowns and of course two Winston-like interceptions. Right now, Winston is just surrounded by too many weapons for him to not be a viable fantasy asset moving forward. In Week 7, Winston takes on the Cleveland Browns at home. In 2018, the Browns on the road have allowed the most passing attempts (46.5), fifth-most passing yards (319.5), most completions (31.5), and second most passing touchdowns (3) on average. Grab him if he is still on your waiver wire and start him this week!

Mitchell Trubisky
ESPN: Less than 33% owned


Trubisky had another productive outing against the Miami Dolphins in Week 6. 316 yards, 3 touchdowns, and just one interception. Trubisky is showing that in the right situation, he can produce in fantasy formats. In Week 7, Trubisky gets to take on the Patriots at home. Playing at home is a key factor in this matchup. Only twice has New England held opposing quarterbacks to under 18 fantasy points and those both occurred with New England playing at home. The Patriots also rank dead last in sacks on the road per game (.5). Trubisky is a hot quarterback right now that I think can succeed in this matchup against New England. After the Patriots, Trubisky has the Jets, and then the Bills. Things could continue trending up for the Chicago signal-caller.

Baker Mayfield
ESPN: Less than 43% owned


Baker Mayfield did not get much help from his receivers on Sunday. Mayfield went 22-for-46 for 238 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, and a 52.6 rating. It was probably the worst performance of the Mayfield-led Browns this season. However, they have the perfect get right game coming up next week against our favorite Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. Allowing over 28 fantasy points per game to the quarterback position this should really be a no-brainer to use Mayfield in this matchup (whether you believe defense matters or not).

Joe Flacco

ESPN: Less than 18% owned

Now if you missed out on the first three guys (there were all featured on last week’s article) my dumpster dive on the waiver this week is Joe Flacco. He has the Saints in Week 7, and they have allowed the third most fantasy points to the QB this season. The Ravens are second in the NFL in passing attempts, and the Saints on the road have allowed an average of three passing touchdowns per game.  Flacco has also been much better playing at home dating back to last season. He’s averaged over 17 fantasy points at home over his last five home starts.

*Priority Order* FAAB Spend:  Winston, Mayfield, Trubisky, Flacco 5% of the total budget

 

 

Week 7 Waiver Wire RB Pickups

Marlon Mack
ESPN: Less than 27% owned


Marlon Mack rushed 12 times for 89 yards and had one reception for four yards in Week 6. In both appearances in 2018, Mack has double-digit touches. Mack also dominated the carries by owning 12 of the 23 carries on the Colts in Week 6. However, despite his running success Mack still trailed running back Nyheim Hines in targets (3 vs 2) and snap percentage (44% vs 35%). Mack if healthy has established himself as the primary runner on the Colts, but still has limited upside with Nyheim Hines still in the mix. In Week 7, the Colts will play the Bills who have allowed the 12th most fantasy points to the running back position.


FAAB Spend: 5%

Frank Gore
ESPN: Less than 12% owned


Frank Gore ran for 101 yards on 15 carries with one target for 18 yards in their Week 6 victory over the Bears. Gore, keep in mind is the NFL’s oldest running back, and was the first player to rush for 100 yards against Chicago this season. It took the game going into overtime for it to happen, but nevertheless, the feat was impressive. Miami’s backfield remained a near even split on Sunday with Kenyan Drake out-touching Gore (17 vs 16). Once again though, Gore owned the majority of carries (15 vs 13) and had the better yards per carry on the day (6.73 vs 4.38). On the season Gore has an average yards per carry of 4.89 on 62 total carries. That’s higher than Todd Gurley (4.83). The Dolphins will be playing Detriot in Week 7 who have allowed the third most rushing yards per game (145.8), and the sixth most rushing first downs per game (7.2). Gore is also getting the majority of red zone opportunities. Over the past three weeks, Gore has the third highest market share of red zone opportunities (60%) in the NFL.


FAAB Spend: 5%

Peyton Barber
ESPN: Less than 43% owned


Peyton Barber rushed 13 times for 82 yards and hauled in all four of his targets for 24 yards and a touchdown in Week 6. Coming out after the bye week, Ronald Jones figured to take on a bigger role, but Sunday showed otherwise. Barber started and was clearly the leader in the backfield. Barber out-snapped Jones by a significant margin (62% vs 18%). Perhaps getting Jones to work back in Week 4 lit some fire under Barber, because in Week 6 Barber’s 20 fantasy points scored were more than he had scored cumulatively all season. Barber will face a tougher test next week against the Browns, but he will have some fantasy appeal because the Browns defense has been less elite on the road this season. On the road, the Browns have allowed the second most rushing first downs per game.


FAAB Spend: 3%

D’Onta Foreman
ESPN: Less than 9% owned


Texans coach Bill O’Brien does not expect D’Onta Foreman (Achilles’, PUP) to be activated this week. I don’t think he’s quite ready,” O’Brien added. Again, it’s tough to trust Foreman who is coming off an Achilles injury. But with Lamar Miller continuing to underwhelm at the running back position, adding Foreman is a great stash move. Miller has yet to exceed 15 fantasy points in any game this season. Foreman is definitely a player to stash to the end of your bench if you have room to do so. The Texans will play Jacksonville in Week 7, so it’s probably better that Foreman does not come back this week to face a pissed off Jaguars defense.


FAAB Spend: 1%

Rashaad Penny
ESPN: Less than 25% owned


Penny had his best game as a pro rushing for 43 yards on nine carries. He also caught both of his targets for 27 yards in Week 6. Penny was the most effective back in Seattle on Sunday. His production outdid both Chris Carson (59 yards on 14 touches) and Mike Davis (26 yards on seven touches). Carson is still the most-own guy, but things could change in Penny’s favor over the bye week. You probably don’t need to add him through the bye week, but he is worth keeping an eye on and stashing if you can on our bench. The Seahawks ground game has an excellent matchup in post their bye week in Week 8, against the Detriot Lions.

70 yards on 11 touches for Rashaad Penny today. Trending up.

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) October 14, 2018

FAAB Spend: 1%

Ito Smith
ESPN: Less than 14% owned


Ito Smith rushed 11 times for 22 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay. Devonta Freeman has already been ruled out of Week 7, and Smith has benefited greatly when he has missed time. In the games that Freeman has missed Smith has had double-digit touches in both games and played in at least 43% of the total snaps in each game respectively. Smith has also scored 3 straight touchdowns in three straight weeks. The Falcons do not seem to shy away from Smith as he is leading the Falcons in the market share of red zone opportunities. His market share in that area on the season is 29.63% and over the past three weeks, it is a whopping 42.86% market share in the red zone. Over the past three weeks, Smith has the sixth highest market share of red zone opportunities in the NFL. The Falcons will play the Giants in Week 7 who have allowed double-digit fantasy points to at least one opposing running backs every single game this season.


FAAB Spend: 5%


 


 


 

Week 7 Waiver Wire WR Pickups

Marquise Goodwin
ESPN: Less than 44% owned


FAAB Spend: 10%


Marquise Goodwin had four receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns in Week 6. Goodwin who was plagued by injuries for the majority of 2018 seemed to finally be healthy and it showed. He only had five catches on the season in the three total games he had played. Initially, we all felt C.J. Beathard would destroy any fantasy relevant players in San Francisco, but he has surprisingly been able to move the 49ers offense the past few weeks. With the 49ers playing the Rams next week with a struggling Marcus Peters on the outside Goodwin is worth a look for a high upside WR3/FLEX play for Week 7.

Albert Wilson
ESPN: Less than 6% owned


FAAB Spend: 3%


Albert Wilson had six catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets on Sunday. Now, you probably feel like you are chasing the touchdowns and the big plays here with adding Wilson this week. Do not be so pessimistic. I think there is something to this performance by Wilson. In Week 6 he played in 64% of the snaps, second on the team in targets (9), and DeVante Parker continues to miss time. Wilson has big-play upside, but it’s because of the yards after the catch that he is able to create. That differs from Kenny Stills whose big-play ability relies on deep throws down the field. In an offense with inconsistent quarterback play, you need to buy more into Wilson because his particular skillset is much less reliant on quarterback performance and more about his own ability.

Taylor Gabriel
ESPN: Less than 33% owned


FAAB Spend: 3%


I told you Gabriel was for real! Another week has gone by and another productive outing for a Mr. Taylor Gabriel. The second week in a row that he went over 100 yards, and this was in a tough matchup too against the Dolphins who have played well against slot receivers. After five games Gabriel is second on the team in targets, and third on the team in offensive snaps for skill position players. I do not expect Gabriel to cool off anytime soon with the Patriots coming to visit in Week 7. New England has allowed over 315 passing yards per game on the road this season boding well for Gabriel and the rest of the Chicago wide receivers.

Christian Kirk
ESPN: Less than 14% owned


FAAB Spend: 3%


Christian Kirk has to be Josh Rosen’s favorite target. The rookie wide receiver caught six of seven targets for 77 yards in Week 6 against the Vikings. This is the second straight week that Kirk has led Arizona in receiving. Kirk also played a season-high 79% of snaps and after six weeks he is tied with Ricky-Seals Jones with the second most targets on Arizona (31). With the Denver Broncos coming to Arizona for this week I think Kirk can be picked up in started with the four teams on bye weeks. The Broncos defense has allowed over 100 yards to a wide receiver over the past two weeks.

Josh Reynolds
ESPN: Less than .1% owned


FAAB Spend: 3%


The story of Reynolds’ Week 7 potential is directly correlated with Cooper Kupp’s knee injury. It appears Kupp will miss some time making Reynolds a must add for Week 7 against the 49ers. We have seen Reynolds snap percentage jump up to 55% and 62% over the past two weeks due to the injuries to the other Rams’ wide receivers. No team runs more plays out of three wide receiver sets, so Reynolds will get a ton of playing time in one of the league’s most prolific offenses.


 


 

Antonio Callaway
ESPN: Less than 21% owned


FAAB Spend: 1%


Callaway caught just two of his ten targets for nine yards in Week 6. The problem for rookie wide receivers most of the time is that they do not get enough opportunities. With Callaway the complete opposite is true. He has 34 targets over the past four weeks, and the Browns are very weak at wide receiver depth. With the targets there Callaway becomes a glory play against the Tampa Bay defense in Week 7 that has allowed the second most fantasy points to the wide receiver position this season.

Jermaine Kearse
ESPN: Less than 21% owned


FAAB Spend: 1%


Jermaine Kearse had nine receptions on ten targets for 94 yards in Week 6. Kearse’s stock has been on the steady incline after becoming the main slot receiver in Week 5. With Quincy Enunwa on the shelf for the foreseeable future, expect Kearse to see a similar to the workload to that of what we saw with Enunwa at the beginning of the season. With indications that Enunwa’s injury could be severe Kearse is a must-add player for PPR leagues because he will be seeing a steady influx of targets.

Chris Godwin
ESPN: Less than 21% owned


FAAB Spend: 1%


Winston picked up where he left off with Chris Godwin at the end of last season. Godwin caught six receptions for 57 yards on nine targets and a touchdown in Week 6. He finished tied for the team lead with nine targets.  It seems like the sizzle from Godwin has died down since the beginning of the season, but it’s time to buy back in. This kid is uber talented and will continue to see opportunities because the Buccaneers have to throw so often.

Chester Rogers
ESPN: Less than 13% owned


FAAB Spend: 1%


Targets, targets, and more targets. This is the story of Chester Rogers in 2018. With double-digit targets in three straight games, Rogers will be a fantasy starter in Week 7 versus Buffalo. The Colts are just so dependent on throwing the ball 45 plus time per game that Rogers has too safe of a floor to not be utilized.

Justin Hardy
ESPN: Less than 0% owned


FAAB Spend: 1%


Similar to the Josh Reynolds scenario, Hardy could see an uptick in work if Mohamed Sanu/Calvin Ridley misses extended playing time with the injuries they suffered during Sunday’s contests. Hardy saw the largest snap percentage boost when those previously mentioned receivers left the game, so that is who I would put my money on to reap those benefits.


Honorable Mentions:  Tre’Quan Smith NO, Marquez Valdes-Scantling GB, Courtland Sutton DEN


 


 

Week 7 Waiver Wire TE Pickups

O.J. Howard
ESPN: Less than 37% owned


FAAB Spend: 5%


That injury did not last long at all. Howard sprained his MCL in the Week 4 game at Chicago and was projected to miss 2-4 weeks. Usually, injuries always take the longer side, but in Howard’s case he was back in two weeks and did not look limited at all. He hauled in all four of his targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in Week 6. Howard has so much talent and upside at the tight end position that he needs to be a weekly started tight end. Especially next week when the Buccaneers play the Browns who have traditionally struggled mightily against the position.

C.J. Uzomah
ESPN: Less than 16% owned


FAAB Spend: 1%


As I watched the Bengals-Steelers game, my notes had one big takeaway: C.J. Uzomah has got the juice. He had seven receptions for 54 yards on seven targets. His seven targets were tied for third on the team behind A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. Uzomah will continue to be heavily used a the primary tight end and third option on the Bengals offense moving forward. With a Sunday night clash against the Chiefs up next for the Bengals, all Bengals skill players become viable fantasy starters in a game that figures (like most Chiefs games) to be a shootout. The Chiefs have also allowed the third most fantasy points to the tight end position in 2018.


*TE Priority* Howard, Uzomah

Defense/Special Teams Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

Colts DST vs Buffalo
Buffalo has given up the most fantasy points to Team Defenses this season.


ESPN: Less than 7% owned

Arizona DST vs Tennesse
The Cardinals D/ST has averaged over 17 fantasy points per game over the last two weeks.


ESPN: Less than 21% owned

Detriot DST vs Miami
Miami has given up the 3rd most fantasy points to Team Defenses this season and the most over the last two weeks.


ESPN: Less than 7% owned


– Andrew Erickson is a fantasy writer for Gridiron Experts. Follow me and vote in my twitter poll!

Who will be the most added player on the waiver wire for Week 7?#FantasyFootball #WaiverWire

— Andrew Erickson (@AndrewErickson_) October 16, 2018

 

 

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