Another fantasy week is in the books and now we are onto Week 7! There were a few key players returning from injuries — like DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown — but of course where there are fantasy highs, they are kept in check by fantasy lows. Because we can't have nice things, right? 

In a surprising turn, the Colts pulled the ol' switcheroo and started Joe Flacco, even though we received positive news on Anthony Richardson all week — and that was the start of an injury-riddled Week 6 slate. No, the injury gods are not going to let you win your championship easily, but that's why we love fantasy football… RIGHT? 

Let's go through some waiver wire pickups that will (hopefully) help alleviate some stress from your lineups. 

Before we do, I want to just point out our waiver wire tool, which is an awesome way to visualize what I have below AND take advantage of some “wisdom of the crowd”-ing, as you can drop your FAAB bids in and see what other people are thinking of spending. Observe:

As always, the names you see below are in order of priority and all players listed are below 40% rostered. I've included Dwain McFarland's Utilization Score for more context where it fits! Good luck!

ON BYE IN WEEK 7

  • Chicago Bears
  • Dallas Cowboys

INJURY ROUNDUP

  • Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr (concussion)
  • Browns: Jerome Ford (hamstring)
  • Packers: Dontayvion Wicks (shoulder)
  • Jaguars: Travis Etienne (hamstring)
  • Saints: Chris Olave (concussion)
  • Eagles: Dallas Goedert (hamstring)
  • Chargers: Quentin Johnston (ankle), Gus Edwards (IR)
  • Bills: James Cook (toe), Khalil Shakir (ankle)
  • Titans: Tyjae Spears (hamstring)
  • 49ers: Jordan Mason (shoulder)

FANTASY FOOTBALL WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 7

Isaac Guerendo, RB, 49ers (0.4% rostered)

The 49ers are hoping to get Christian McCaffrey back at practice before their Week 9 bye, but there is still not much clarity on when McCaffrey will play his first game this season. Unfortunately, the team lost Jordan Mason during Thursday Night Football to a shoulder injury. He is considered day-to-day, which is good news, but that means we have to be looking at the next man up. Isaac Guerendo had 10 rushes for 99 yards against the Seahawks and will be in line for a big-ish workload if Mason can't go. 

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots (6%)

We saw a couple rookies make their debut in Week 6, but Drake Maye is the one fantasy managers could get excited about. The Patriots needed a change and Maye brought a little life back to this offense — he was able to bring more explosiveness and production, which will help their receiver room (keep scrolling to hear more about them).

Maye finished the day 20-of-33 for 243 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, which led him to 19.52 fantasy points. The Pats head to London to take on a pitiful Jacksonville Jaguars team in Week 7, which means fantasy managers can fire Maye up with even more confidence than this past week. Maye will still have up and down games because he is a rookie, but he brought optimism to a team that looked pretty deflated coming into Week 6. 

DeMario Douglas, WR, Patriots (17%)

DeMario Douglas, meanwhile, was the main beneficiary of Maye's start. Douglas led the Patriots in targets, receptions and receiving yards against the Texans. 

Maye has the ability to bring more production and explosive plays to this offense, which is exciting! We are still going to have up and down games, but with all these injuries across the league, we will take the ups and worry about the downs later!

Do not spend all your money on him, he only had a 67% route participation in a trailing game script, but he also had a 29% target share and 32% targets per route run with an 8.2 aDOT. The Patriots take on the Jaguars in Week 7, which should allow Maye and this offense to continue to gel. 

Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings (28%)

The Vikings are sitting undefeated and rested after their bye last week, but don't forget that a key piece of their offense — Aaron Jones — got banged up against the Jets and is considered week-to-week with a hip injury. Ty Chandler finished Week 5 with 16 touches and would be the next man up in this offense if Jones were to miss time. Plus, this is an offense that you want any piece of right now and he would have standalone value with the expected volume. 

The matchup in Week 7 is less than ideal, as the Vikings take on the Lions at home. However, after this game — against the NFL's third-ranked run defense — Minnesota goes on the road to take on the Rams, then comes back home to face the Colts. Keep an eye on the injury reports for Jones, but target Chandler if he is available.  

JuJu Smith-Schuster (32%)

The Chiefs were on a bye in Week 6, but we can't forget about the performance that JuJu Smith-Schuster gave us before their break. Rashee Rice was placed on IR and is done for the season, and Smith-Schuster was Patrick Mahomes' go-to target in Week 5 with seven catches for 130 yards. He had a 66% route participation and 24% target share along the way — which, for some Justin Watson managers, drove us crazy, but that's another conversation!

He's not a lock to repeat 20 fantasy points every single week, but Smith-Schuster should now be a priority add if available because of the role he can play moving forward without Rice and Hollywood Brown in the picture. 

Sean Tucker, RB, Buccaneers (1%)

Let me just say this: DO NOT FREAK OUT, BUCKY IRVING MANAGERS. Here is some of the utilization we saw from Irving (taking out the one garbage-time drive at the end of the game) in Week 6: 64% of the snaps, 45% of the attempts and 66% route participation. Here's what it looks like in the Utilization Report player comp tool:

Now, Rachaad White might be in some trouble because Sean Tucker looked SOLID. He had 45% of the attempts, 27% route participation and led in the fantasy box score with 34.2 PPR fantasy points. This is where things could get complicated — the Buccaneers probably aren't going to bench White, even though this performance puts a spotlight on what he has lacked this season. So does this turn into a three-man committee? That would be less than ideal for fantasy. Still, Tucker should be rostered after this performance in deeper formats, and we will have to see how the Buccaneers handle this situation.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers (35%)

The Packers had a fully healthy receiver room entering Week 6, but Romeo Doubs came away as the big winner. He finished with three receptions for 49 yards and two touchdowns, just a week after he was suspended for one game in what was described as “conduct detrimental to the team.” There's a great article on his return to the locker room from last week on The Athletic. 

Dontayvion Wicks went down with a shoulder injury and is considered day-to-day, but if he did miss any time we would have a bit more clarity on these receivers. It's hard to say any of the WRs are "must starts" besides Jayden Reed, but Doubs should at least be rostered. 

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (11%)

The Chargers placed Gus Edwards on IR over the weekend, which means he will miss at minimum the next three games. J.K. Dobbins is the obvious benefactor of Edwards going down and he will continue to have that workhorse role, but Kimani Vidal suddenly has value in fantasy and should be rostered.

On Sunday, he took his first career touch and turned it into a 38-yard touchdown. Vidal could make the most of this situation until Edwards returns.

Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals (34%)

Michael Wilson only had a 13% target share on Sunday, but in the three weeks prior he had been over a 20% target share. If Marvin Harrison Jr. has to miss any time with his concussion Wilson would be the WR to target on the waiver wire — although he really will only be a fantasy WR4 because of how this offense has looked. 

Are we panicking about Kyler Murray? Not necessarily (not yet), but he hasn't been able to support multiple fantasy weapons through the first six weeks and that's why we have to lower our expectations with Wilson. 

Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers (19%)

Xavier Legette missed Week 5 with an injury, but came back Sunday and finished with three receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. Rookies don't often pop off the page during the first half of the season, but as the year progresses we see them get better each week — and that's what could happen with Legette. He's going to keep getting targets and the switch to quarterback Andy Dalton does elevate this team. Look to stash him if you can with potential bigger days on the horizon.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (30%)

Raise your hand if you had Tyler Allgeier on your bench when he put up 19.8 fantasy points 

[looks around, *slowly raises hand*]  

ANYWAY. Of course any running back behind Bijan Robinson will be somewhat of an afterthought, but Allgeier has put up 19.8, 5.5 and 10 fantasy points over the last three weeks. Yes, the Falcons played the Panthers — and that's why we saw him get 18 carries — but in Week 7 the Falcons take on a Seahawks defense that has been gashed in recent weeks. 

With all the injuries around the league, Allgeier can serve as a solid FLEX option in deeper formats. 

Blake Corum, RB, Rams (15%)

This is more of a stash-play.

Of course this is Kyren Williams' backfield, but if he were to get hurt then Corum would be the running back to roster. We saw him finish Week 5 with five carries and 25 rushing yards along with one reception and eight receiving yards. Again, he doesn't have standalone value right now, so don't expect him to do much if he finds your way into your starting lineup. 

Trey Benson, RB, Cardinals (19%)

We never saw an official report, but James Conner was hurt during the Cardinals game against the Packers and because of that we saw nine carries split between Emari Demercado and Trey Benson. This highlighted a couple things, the most important being that if Conner were to miss any time the Cardinals would not turn to just Benson for a workhorse role. 

Here are the splits Dwain McFarland noted after Conner was hurt:

  • Demercado: 74% of the snaps, 33% rushing attempts 72% route participation
  • Trey Benson: 20% of the snaps, 33% rushing attempts, 8% route participation  

It's important to note that the trailing game script really did limit Benson. During Ian Hartitz and McFarland's Instant Recap (which all fantasy players NEED to be watching):

…they broke this situation down perfectly and compared Demercado and Benson to roles we have seen with Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale. The Cardinals invested in Benson, so maybe they want to see what they have in him, but there is risk — you'll need a heavily-favored Cardinals team to see Benson reach that RB2 range. 

Cade Otton, TE, Buccaneers (36%)

Baker Mayfield has been great over these last few weeks, and Cade Otton is now someone who should be rostered across more leagues. He had 9.5 fantasy points in Week 6 — with two receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown. He was tied for the second-most targets (6) on the team, but was only able to come down with two. He is a solid tight end option if you need help.

Dameon Pierce, RB, Texans (6%)

Hey, Joe Mixon managers… This is your reminder to handcuff Dameon Pierce in fantasy because we have seen how these injuries can derail your team. Pierce came back from injury in Week 6 and rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in the Texans' win over the Patriots.

Tyler Goodson, RB, Colts (4%)

So, Trey Sermon was disappointing in Week 6. We have to watch the injury reports and just hope that Jonathan Taylor is back next week, but Tyler Goodson needs to be mentioned just because Sermon's efficiency has been questionable. 

Sermon had 59% of the snaps, 69% of the rushing attempts on 18 carries and he scored 2.9 PPR fantasy points — he was totally inefficient. The new Zamir White? Lol, sorry for the jumpscare there. Sermon averaged 1.6 yards per carry, which is just awful, and he split the passing down work with Goodson.

The door is somewhat open with Goodson, but it looks like the Colts will just continue leaning on Sermon, until Jonathan Taylor gets back. In deep leagues, though, it's worth throwing a dart on Goodson. 

D'Onta Foreman / Pierre Strong Jr., RB, Browns

Jerome Ford was ruled out of Sunday's game because of a hamstring injury that he sustained during the Browns' second possession of the game. Ford was Cleveland's leading rusher entering this game, with 250 yards on 48 carries. This is not a great situation for Ford managers because the Browns are expecting to have superstar Nick Chubb back. Chubb was designated to return from the physically unable to perform list last week and it has been reported that he is expected to play against the Bengals in Week 7. 

The only real pick-ups here could be D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong Jr. — they could split work during their Week 7 matchup against the Bengals. 

D'Ernest Johnson, RB, Jaguars (0%)

Tank Bigsby is finally rostered in more than 40% of leagues, so our streak of highlighting him in the waiver wire article is over. Meanwhile, Travis Etienne went down with a hamstring injury and is considered week-to-week, per head coach Doug Pederson. D'Ernest Johnson is not a sexy name to add this week and I would not spend much FAAB on him, but we always have to look for the deeper plays. Johnson got more work in the second half of the Jaguars game against the Bears mostly because of the game script. 

The Jaguars play the Patriots, Packers, and Eagles in their next three games. 

Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Patriots (8%)

If we are speaking positively about this Patriots offense with Drake Maye moving forward… then I need to mention Ja'Lynn Polk! I know DeMario Douglas will be the go-to waiver add from this offense, but Polk could be the receiver in the next few weeks people start to target — and by that time he'll already be on your roster! This is just a stash play, but if you have room on your bench and want to take a shot on a receiver then Polk should be pretty cheap after his one catch in Week 6.

Bub Means, WR, Saints (0%)

Another dart throw that could work out, depending on what Spencer Rattler looks like for the Saints over these next few weeks. Bub Means popped across fantasy box scores with five receptions for 45 yards with one touchdown on Sunday against the Buccaneers. Of course this was after Chris Olave went down with a concussion. 

This is a short week for the Saints — they play Thursday night against the Broncos, which means they could be without Olave. Denver could be without star cornerback Patrick Surtain (also a concussion), though, which does make Means a more enticing add for this week.