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), Rashid Shaheed (knee)
  • 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. 

Ray Davis, RB, Bills (14%)


The Bills were without James Cook on Monday Night Football, but Ray Davis stepped up in a major way. He finished with with 20 carries for 97 yards and 152 yards from scrimmage. If that doesn't make him a priority waiver wire add, just realize that both those numbers were game-highs for any Bills player this season. Keep checking the injury reports for  Cook's status, but get Davis off the waiver wire immediately!

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 (including 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.