Each week, it is critical to scope out your league’s waiver wire to look for the best players to help your fantasy roster. The fantasy football managers who pay attention and pick up players at the right time can have a huge advantage when it comes to winning their league. The difference between bidding on waivers and FAAB is that with FAAB, winning the player is purely based on outbidding the other players in the league. However, it’s extremely important to be judicious with your FAAB budget throughout the season, considering it may need to last 14-17 weeks, assuming you end up making the fantasy championship.
Here is a list of players to keep on your watch list, along with their projected FAAB amounts. For purposes of this article, the assumption is that your league uses $1000 FAAB.
Also, players are removed from this list after 1-2 weeks, with the expectation that the rest of your league mates have picked them up.
QB:
New for Week 7:
Joe Flacco, Bengals–Flacco looked decent enough against Green Bay to think that there might be some juice left in his arm for the next few weeks until Joe Burrow returns. FAAB: $5-8
Spencer Rattler, Saints–He started out strong against New England, but when the Saints get close to the goal line, it’s still the Taysom Hill show. FAAB: $3-5
Shedeur Sanders, Browns–Dillon Gabriel is not the biggest QB I have ever seen, and if the Browns continue to lose, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the fans might demand that Sanders gets a look. FAAB: $1
From Previous Weeks:
Michael Penix, Jr, Falcons–People still remember his awful performance against Carolina instead of the good ones that he’s had this season. FAAB: $10-15
Dillon Gabriel, Browns–Gabriel is entrenched (for now) with Flacco in Cincinnati, but there could be a small chance they want to take a look at Shedeur Sanders, so bid cautiously. FAAB: $5-10
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings–Minnesota is on BYE in Week 6, so this is with the assumption that he gets his job back. FAAB: $5-10
Russell Wilson, Giants–There are strong rumors that Russ is going to be traded prior to the trade deadline to give him another chance to start. Purely speculative. FAAB: $5-10
Bryce Young, Panthers–Young is still incredibly up and down. FAAB: $5-10
Jaxson Dart, Giants– He looks amazing, but there will be plenty of growing pains, so be careful. FAAB: $50-60
RB:
New for Week 7:
Bam Knight, Cardinals–Shockingly, he was announced as the starter prior to game time, but he still split carries with Michael Carter. There is some juice in his game, and Benson will be out for a while, so he’s worth a long look. FAAB: $60-80
Sean Tucker, Bucs–Bucky Irving is still about 1-2 weeks away, and Tucker looked explosive on his TD run. FAAB: $50-60
Jarquez Hunter, Rams–Blake Corum is dealing with an ankle injury, so if Kyren gets injured, Hunter is the next man up. FAAB: $1-3
From Previous Weeks:
Brashard Smith, Chiefs–Expect the Chiefs to ramp up his snaps over the coming weeks. There’s a Tyrone Tracy upside to his game. FAAB: $30-35
Kimani Vidal, Chargers–With Omarion Hampton on the IR, many experts will recommend Hassan Hawkins, but I’m thinking the play might be Vidal. He’s got way more upside in his game. He looked phenomenal against Miami, and an insider source told me that Hampton will be out way longer than originally anticipated. FAAB: $225-250
Tyjae Spears, Titans–Tennessee needs all the weapons they can find, and Spears will likely see his snaps ramped up now that he’s back from an ankle injury. FAAB: $40-50
Devin Neal, Saints–Keep him on the watchlist in case the Saints trade Alvin Kamara. FAAB: $1-3
Kendre Miller, Saints–Dennis Allen absolutely hated Miller, but new head coach Kellen Moore feels differently. Miller is showing some of the skills he had in college and is looking like the clear RB2 in New Orleans. If Kamara gets traded, he could be a must-add. FAAB: $50-60
Jaydon Blue, Cowboys–Dallas might want to see if Blue can be their change-of-pace back. FAAB: $15-20
Emmanuel Wilson, Packers– Would add for sure if you have Jacobs. FAAB: $20-25
Isaiah Davis, Jets–Davis is the obvious backup to Hall and has some receiving ability. FAAB: $15-20
DJ Giddens, Colts–Giddens is the clear RB2 in Indianapolis, and if anything happens to Jonathan Taylor, he would be worth rostering. Definitely worth a dollar or two to stash. FAAB: $20-25
WR:
New for Week 7:
Tez Johnson/Sterling Shepard/Kameron Johnson, Bucs–Emeka Egbuka is likely out until Week 10, and Mike Evans is questionable for Week 7, leaving these three as the potential starting WRs for Tampa. Shepard is the veteran of the crew, and Baker likes throwing to him. Tez is flashy and has great speed and could be used on deep patterns. Kameron Johnson is the wildcard, having been heavily utilized against San Francisco. Don’t overbid on any of them because if Evans returns none of them will return value. FAAB: Shepard $20-25, Tez $15-20, Kameron $10-15
Jordan Whittington/Tutu Atwell, Rams–Puka Nacua will be out at least until Week 9 (the Rams have a BYE in Week 8), so this might be a one-week claim. Whittington is a premier blocker but doesn’t have the best hands. Atwell is fast but will only play on obvious passing downs. FAAB: Whittington $25-30, Atwell $15-20
Arian Smith, Jets–Garrett Wilson will be out for 1-2 weeks, which could leave this rookie as the de facto WR1 for the Jets. Don’t overbid as Justin Fields won’t complete many passes. FAAB: $10-15
Van Jefferson/Chimere Dike/Tyler Lockett, Titans–Calvin Ridley is likely to miss time with a hamstring injury, leaving these three to fight over snaps with Elic Ayomanor. Jefferson looked terrific against Las Vegas, but he has underwhelmed everywhere he’s been in his career. Dike is just a rookie, and Lockett seems to have lost a few steps. Buyer beware. FAAB: Jefferson $5-10, Dike $2-4, Lockett $3-5
Devaughn Vele, Saints–There was a rumor that the Saints were open to trading Chris Olave. I doubt this happens, but Vele could be worth $1 just in case the rumor has legs. FAAB: $1-2
From Previous Weeks:
Kendrick Bourne, 49ers–Played really well recently, but will lose targets when Jennings, Pearsall, and Kittle all return. FAAB: $20-25
Ryan Flournoy, Cowboys–He looks like he has more upside than Jalen Tolbert. Could emerge as the WR2 until Lamb returns. FAAB: $15-20
Jalen Coker, Panthers–Should be back in the lineup next week. More of a speculation play than anything, since McMillan and Legette are there. FAAB: $10-12
Jack Bech, Raiders–Bech was a 2nd round pick and could see more time. Like the upside. FAAB: $5-8
Malik Washington, Dolphins--With Tyreek Hill likely out for the season, Washington should assume a starting role in Miami. FAAB: $15-20
Isaiah Bond, Browns–Bond was a terrific player at the University of Texas and will steadily improve after missing most of training camp. FAAB: $30-40
Luke McCaffrey, Commanders–Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown are dealing with injuries and will likely be questionable for a while. McCaffrey has steadily improved and seems to have Dan Quinn’s trust. FAAB: $25-30
Luther Burden, Bears– Bears head coach Ben Johnson has said that they need to scheme more plays for Burden. This could be the start of big things to come for this talented young rookie. FAAB: $80-90
Tory Horton, Seahawks–He was the talk of training camp before he got injured in a preseason game. Keep Horton on the radar. FAAB: $10-15
Kayshon Boutte, Patriots—Boutte showed a good connection with Drake Maye last season, and he excels against man coverage. He is a good receiver to stash based on the defensive matchups, provided your roster can be flexible enough to carry him. He dominated against the Saints in Week 6. FAAB: $35-40
Isaac TeSlaa, Lions—TeSlaa won the WR3 position in training camp. If you are rostering St. Brown and/or Williams, he could be a very good person to keep on your bench just in case. FAAB: $20-25
TE:
New for Week 7:
Noah Fant, Bengals–Mike Gesicki left the game with an injury, which should make Fant the starter. Joe Flacco has always liked using his tight ends. FAAB: $10-12
Michael Mayer, Raiders–Has value only until Brock Bowers returns. The good news is that Las Vegas thinks of him more as a 1A than a 2. FAAB: $10-15
Oronde Gadsden, Chargers– Gadsden was an exceptional receiving tight end at Syracuse and could easily become the starter at some point during the season. FAAB: $40-45
Hunter Long, Jaguars–Will likely see the most snaps with Strange out. FAAB: $5-10
From Previous Weeks:
Evan Engram, Broncos–Likely dropped in your league due to ineffectiveness, but he’s played well recently, and this could be a sign of good things on the horizon. FAAB: $45-50
Harold Fannin, Browns–I am relisting him after Tillman’s injury, as he should get more snaps and targets. FAAB: $60-80
Isaiah Likely, Ravens–Likely may have a sizable role as the Ravens seem to be lacking production from Mark Andrews, and they need a consistent weapon on offense. FAAB: $25-30
Tommy Tremble, Panthers–Ja’Tavion Sanders left the game with an injury and will be out for multiple weeks. The Panthers like him, but he’s nothing more than a stash in a deep league. FAAB: $3-5
Mason Taylor, Jets– With the Jets lacking any serious number two receiver, Taylor has stepped up. He should be good for 3-5 receptions a week moving forward. FAAB: $10-15
A.J. Barner, Seahawks–Barner is a big-time blocking tight end with surprisingly decent skills as a receiver. Elijah Arroyo has the potential to be a good player, but Barner is currently the TE1 in Seattle. FAAB: $5-10