Every week, I will share my favorite waiver wire or free agent pickups in fantasy football. Here is what I have for week seven!
It’s the week of rookie QBs here! Two of them just made their first starts, while the other continues to put up solid fantasy numbers.
Despite throwing 2 interceptions, Rattler showed a lot of promise in his first NFL start. He threw for 243 yards, a TD, and ran for 27 yards. You also have to figure that his day could have been much better had he not lost his number one WR, Chris Olave, early in the game. The Saints also fell way behind in the second half, which made them one-dimensional, which I also believe hurt Rattler. He was a sitting duck back there in the second half, which is why he was sacked 5 times. Derek Carr should miss at least one more week, possibly multiple weeks, so Rattler is worth rostering in your 2 QB and Super Flex formats.
He is the guy I am most interested in this week. Even with him being on a terrible team that may not win another game all year, Maye is going to have plenty of garbage time opportunities every game, and it will lead to good fantasy numbers. He was so much better than Jacoby Brissett, and unless Maye gets hurt, he will be the guy in New England for the rest of the season. He threw for 243 yards and 3 TDs and rushed for 38 yards, showing off his athleticism. The 3 turnovers are somewhat expected from a rookie, and the good stats still heavily outweighed them in fantasy scoring.
He now has back-to-back games with over 200 passing yards and 2 passing TD. He also has 3 rushing TDs this season and led the Broncos in rushing in week 6 with 61 yards on 6 carries. He is going to have games that are very similar to that of Drake Maye, the difference being that the Broncos have a strong defense and shouldn’t always be playing from behind. Another difference is that Nix has a great coach and a number one WR, and to this point, we can’t say with any certainty that Maye has either. Nix will face the Saints on Thursday night this week, a return to New Orleans for coach Payton and a matchup against a team that allowed 51 points on Sunday.
With Gus Edwards on IR, Vidal is a J.K. Dobbins injury away from being the starting RB in a run-first offense. Even with Dobbins healthy, Vidal showed promise in week 6; he just didn’t get enough carries. He did make his presence felt in the passing game, though, catching a 38-yard TD pass. I wouldn’t start Vidal right now unless you are in a 14 or 16-team league, dealing with multiple RB injuries, but like I already mentioned, you want to add him now because, at some point, Dobbins will get hurt. It’s almost inevitable, and when it happens, you have yourself a starter.
If you took the advice I just gave you with Vidal and used it over the past two weeks with Guerrendo, then you can ignore this because you already have him on your roster. If you didn’t take my advice, there is still a good chance he is available in your league, but now it’s going to cost you a high-priority waiver move. Jordan Mason is hurt, CMC has no actual timetable to return, and suddenly, Guerrendo could be the starting RB for the 49ers. I truly believe that any RB can succeed in the Kyle Shanahan system, so this is going to be a huge pick-up for anyone who can get him.
Corum finally got some work in the offense before the Rams week six bye, and I fully expect him to get even more work coming out of the bye. Kyren Williams is the clear number-one RB in the offense, and as of now, with all the WR injuries, he is the number-one offensive weapon as well. The thing is, Williams has never been very durable, and an injury is likely to come as he continues to pile up touches, so it’s time to officially stash Corum. He was drafted in nearly every format and then dropped in almost every format when Williams was getting all the work. Moves like this one, Guerendo, and Vidal, are how you win fantasy leagues.
I was surprised to see Warren only rostered in 42% of leagues on sleeper. I know he missed plenty of time, but until last week, Najee Harris had been incredibly underwhelming. Warren should absolutely be rostered in a higher percentage of leagues, particularly in PPR formats, because he has always shown a strong ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. The Steelers are also a run-first offense and will run the football 30-plus times a game if they can, so Warren is sure to see touches.
After doing practically nothing for the first four weeks of the season, Bateman has delivered two straight solid games. If you play in a deeper league and you are looking for an option to put in your flex, Bateman could be what you need. He had four catches for 58 yards and a TD against the Bengals in week five and followed that up with four catches for 71 yards against the Commanders in week 6. He is trending upward and plays in what could be a shootout in week seven between the Ravens and Bucs.
QB Drake Maye has brought a new hope to the Patriots offense. Douglas could be the main beneficiary of it, too. He saw nine targets in week 6, catching 6 of them for 92 yards and a TD. He has had some other solid games this season, but overall, he has been inconsistent, and I blame the QB play for that. Now that he has Drake Maye, I put Douglas in the WR3 conversation most weeks.
He hadn’t played since week 1, a game in which he caught 8 passes for 39 yards, so it was good to see him back out on the field in week 6. Although his reception total was cut in half, only catching four passes in the loss to the Chargers, his receiving yards doubled, as he put up a team-high 78 yards. He ended the game with no injury designation, which means he should be ready to go again in a fast turnaround on Thursday night this week.
The rookie saw his first real taste of NFL action on Sunday, and he did not disappoint. Means saw a team-high eight targets (tied with Kamara) and caught 5 of them for 45 yards and a TD. He seems to have a rapport with QB Spencer Rattler, and with Chris Olave’s status uncertain, at least for this coming week, Means is in a good position to contribute once again. I wouldn’t use a waiver claim on him yet, but he should be picked up after waivers run.
It might have just been because the Lions completely destroyed the Cowboys, and every player on offense got in on the fun. Still, you should at least keep your eye on Patrick because he was a solid player in Denver before suffering horrible injuries in back-to-back seasons. He could be a terrific third WR for the Lions, who have an explosive offense, and that gives him fantasy value, especially in deeper leagues. Like with Means, wait until after waivers runs if you want to add Patrick.
Yes. He is actually available in shallow leagues. People gave up on him after 4-5 weeks and dropped him. Big mistake. Take advantage of it and scoop him up! He finally had a good fantasy day, and the Ravens look to be unstoppable on offense.
He is rostered in just 36% of leagues on Sleeper and plays in one of the best offenses in the league right now. He is the number 13 ranked TE, but this week, both Jake Ferguson and Cole Kmet are on a bye, so he is even more valuable.
It looks like Dallas Goedert could miss some time, and that opens the door for Calcaterra to be the starter. He caught all four of his targets in week six against the Browns, finishing the game with 67 receiving yards, which was 2nd on the team to only A.J. Brown.
He set a season high in receiving yards in week six, and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it came with Rattler at QB. In your shallow leagues, you can pretty much leave Johnson on the waiver wire, but in 12, 14, or 16-team leagues, you could need a bye-week replacement; I know I do, and Johnson is a solid option.
The Bengals defense has been pretty bad this season, primarily due to injuries, though. They are finally healthy again and showed it in their big week six victory on the road against the Giants. Now, they face the Browns this week, who rank last in the NFL in yards per game and 30th in points per game.
