FlurrySports takes a look at the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 7, including Cleveland Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr.
We are six weeks deep in this NFL season, and the weekly fantasy football waiver wire pickups have turned into a desperate grind to save the season of many managers. Indulge me, if you will, as I reference some preseason ADP consensus data for a moment. Be warned, however, because it’s cringe-worthy…
At running back, four of the top 24 draftees have either landed on IR or have missed multiple games, while six additional players could be considered “busts” relative to where they were taken preseason. Meanwhile, at wide receiver, four of the top five players taken have either gotten hurt or had their fantasy outlooks dampened by bad QB/offensive line play. From WR4-24 in the ADP, another six players have missed varying amounts of games already or got hurt in Week 6. As if that wasn’t all bad enough, two of the top three tight ends, according to fantasy draft position, have barely been a factor through six weeks. Yikes indeed!
To top it all off, bye weeks are about to ramp up in a big way. A half-dozen teams will be idle in Week 8, with four more to follow in both Weeks 9 and 10. In other words, our Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire pickups must not only provide short-term support but also aim to provide some long-term relief in the midst of team byes. Using the latest snap counts, injury news and usage rates from around the league will be one’s best bet to achieving waiver wire success.
Let’s take a closer look at some of our favorite fantasy football waiver wire pickups to target heading into Week 7.
Note: Players must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. Ownership percentages will reflect their status on Tuesday mornings ahead of standard waiver processing.
Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (15.2%)
The number of quarterbacks who remain rostered in over 50% of ESPN leagues continues to be mind-blowing. Thus, in an effort to try and get out ahead of all of the byes in Week 8, we are focusing our fantasy football waiver wire pickups on a pair of QBs who have already absorbed their byes. First up is Michael Penix Jr., who remains sparsely owned due to a couple of fantasy duds in Weeks 2 and 3. Although the Falcons are a run-oriented offense, Penix has the talent and weapons to be dangerous. He also has a pair of favorable matchups against the Fred Warner-less 49ers and Dolphins in the next two weeks, adding to his credibility as a short-term bye week fill-in.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (13.7%)
While we shouldn’t expect gaudy fantasy box scores from Aaron Rodgers, those in need of a streamer or bye-week fill-in have some incentive to roster the future Hall of Famer this week. Rodgers has thrown for multiple touchdowns in three of the Steelers’ five games to date. I’d bet that he could have another such performance in Week 7 against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has allowed 12 passing touchdowns to opposing QBs on the year. If Rodgers can simply avoid throwing interceptions, the nature of the Pittsburgh offense should enable him to continue providing serviceable fantasy stat lines.
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (27.1%)
Last week, we named off both of the remaining healthy RBs in the Chargers’ backfield and actually gave the nod to Hassan Haskins in terms of preference given his ties to Michigan and Jim Harbaugh. That turned out to be a poor assessment. Instead, the Bolts played Kimani Vidal 43 snaps compared to 20 for Haskins in Week 6. The former Troy standout made good on his 21 total touches too, rushing for 118 yards and catching a touchdown pass. For now, Los Angeles still hasn’t gone out and signed a free agent RB which means Vidal needs to be rostered. He could benefit from facing a deceptively vulnerable Indianapolis run defense this week.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (23.6%)
Sunday marked Tyjae Spears’ second game back following a month-long stint on IR to begin the season. After seeing only four touches on 25% of the snaps in Week 5, Spears had nine touches while playing 59% of the snaps in Week 6. Although Tony Pollard handled the majority of the carries, Spears actually out-snapped his backfield cohort in this contest. Game script likely played a part and could continue to do so. The Titans are a disaster and are often trailing on the scoreboard. This figures to mean more run for Spears who is the team’s preferred pass-catching back. He is worth pursuing amongst fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (41.5%)
Despite clearly being the third receiver in the Colts’ offense based on snap counts, Josh Downs has been making an impact out of the slot role. Week 6 marked the fourth time in the last five games that Downs saw at least five targets, and he garnered seven or more in three of those. He has also now produced double-digit PPR point totals in three games on the season. Daniel Jones has been spreading the targets around, so the hope here is that Downs will continue seeing enough volume to maintain a stable floor. Managers can also still look to Alec Pierce (2.1%) among their Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, depending on WR positional need.
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers (37.7%)
In one of the more incredible statistical oddities ever, Kendrick Bourne has now posted exactly 142 receiving yards in two consecutive games. Mind you, up until two weeks ago, he had never hit that yardage mark in his NFL career! With Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings both banged up, and former New England teammate Mac Jones filling in at QB, Bourne has been peppered with 20 targets over the last two games. The situation regarding the 49ers receivers will remain fluid given the injuries, but Bourne’s play has probably earned him some solid run as the team’s WR3 regardless. He is at least worth rostering as depth ahead of Week 7.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots (7.0%)
This might be my own personal bias shining through but anytime Kayshon Boutte puts together a big game, my inclination is to highlight him amongst the fantasy football waiver wire pickups. Outside of Stefon Diggs (who is no longer an every-down player) and Hunter Henry, who else do we trust amongst the Patriots’ pass-catchers? The answer is no one. As a result, Boutte, who has been at or near the top of the receiving corps in terms of snaps played in almost every game this season, must at least continue to be monitored. Diggs is a target monster, but his return to form could theoretically help open up more for Boutte on the outside.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns (48.3%)
The TE position continues to be a mess when it comes to fantasy this season. As a result, many managers could benefit from making Harold Fannin Jr. a priority amongst their Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire pickups. We are two games into the Dillon Gabriel era as the Browns’ starting QB. Fannin has been a major beneficiary to date. Cleveland ran 82 offensive snaps in Week 6 and Fannin was on the field for a whopping 66 of those. He was targeted by Gabriel 10 times and caught seven of them for 81 yards. He has at least four targets in every game this season and has recorded double-digit PPR points on three occasions.
Now, for a quick rant here to continue this discussion. I am sick and tired of listening to “fantasy experts” act like Fannin and David Njoku simply cannibalize one another. Due to Fannin’s unique skillset as a receiver, this is simply not the full story. The Browns can easily deploy both players and have them lined up in different ways within a formation. While Njoku played a lower snap count in Week 6, he also took a massive hit in this game that may have factored into this.
Cleveland’s wide receiver room stinks, and investing in this passing attack is tough to do. That said, I would argue that Fannin and Njoku are perhaps the two most desired pass-catchers to deploy in this offense at the moment with a rookie under center. Lastly, it’s also worth mentioning that Fannin could have even more runway opened up in the coming if the Browns ultimately decide to trade Njoku before the deadline.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants (16.6%)
In the three games since the Giants entrusted their offense to rookie QB Jaxson Dart, Theo Johnson has seen target totals of five, seven and four, respectively. This past Thursday, the second-year pro also played 62 of a possible 69 offensive snaps. As the Giants’ wide receiver room continues to deal with numerous injuries and a lack of inspiring weapons, it simply makes sense that Johnson will continue to be a factor in the passing attack. There are a few challenging defensive matchups on deck, including this coming week against Denver. However, New York doesn’t have a bye until Week 14, which gives Johnson a bump as a fantasy football waiver wire pickups option with other TEs poised to sit idle in the coming weeks.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok for more great FlurrySports content.
