Ivan Herrera 
As Week 6 of the NFL season has come and gone, fantasy football managers are already looking to make adjustments to their rosters. Injuries, surprising performances, and emerging talents often prompt the need for some shrewd waiver wire pickups. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, along with a few honorable mentions to keep an eye on. This week’s edition of Waiver Wire Pickups will feature a lot of RBs that are likely to see an uptick in workload.
1. Keaontay Ingram, RB, Arizona Cardinals (Rostered%: 9 ESPN, 40 Sleeper, 20 Yahoo)
Ingram looks to be the RB who’ll take on the majority of the workload that opened up now that starter James Conner is out. In his first start against the Rams this past Sunday, Ingram had 12 touches for 51 yards, which was the most from all three RBs that had snaps. The Cardinals were down almost the entire second half, so he wasn’t able to get a lot of running touches but was able to get two receptions in the passing game. Ingram isn’t as good as Conner, so he is more of a plug-and-play for bye weeks. But if Arizona can keep up with their opponents, Ingram can become a flex option since he will be the one who gets the majority of rushing plays.
2. Chubba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers (Rostered%: 46 ESPN, 65 Sleeper, 59 Yahoo)
Hubbard had a great day filling in for the injured Miles Sanders. He had 19 carries for 88 yards and a score against the Dolphins. The Panthers have a bye week this week, but Hubbard should still be a priority on the waiver wire. Even if Sanders uses the bye week to return Week 8, Hubbard is still a viable option, as he only averages 8 less snaps when Sanders is available. There is also no guarantee that Sanders will be back by Week 8.
3. Jordan Mason, RB, San Francisco 49ers (Rostered%: 1.5 ESPN, 4 Sleeper, 7 Yahoo)
With McCaffrey looking to be out at least this Monday against the Vikings, Mason and Mitchell look to step up as the lead backs. Mitchell has been with the 49ers longer than Mason and would seem like the better option to be the main back, but he has been out two weeks prior to Week 6. In his absence, Mason has been a solid backup for McCaffrey, and even this past week with Mitchell returning, Mason played 15 snaps compared to Mitchell’s seven. I expect Mason to lead the backfield against the Vikings as Mitchell slowly gets back to full strength.
4. Zach Evans, RB, Los Angeles Rams (Rostered%:.4 ESPN, 5 Sleeper, 4 Yahoo)
Starter Kyren Williams and backup Ronnie Rivers have both been ruled out for at least one week. So the Rams need to turn to their third and fourth RBs, who are rookie Zach Evans and veteran Royce Freeman. While I like Freeman, I prefer Evans in this situation. The rookie was an explosive back during his time at Ole Miss and TCU, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Evans is a lower-end RB2 in bigger leagues and a solid flex option in all leagues.
5. Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots (Rostered%: 20.4 ESPN, 22 Sleeper, 17 Yahoo)
Bourne has established himself as the main target for whoever is playing QB for New England. In Week 6, he set a season high in receptions (10) and yards (89). His lack of touchdowns does hurt his value a bit, as he has not reached the end zone since Week 1. Bourne would be a stash play going into Week 7 against the Bills. But after this week, he gets favorable matchups against Miami, Washington, and Indianapolis, who are all bad against WRs in fantasy. Managers should pick him up this week, as he’ll be a good WR2 and Flex option going into his last three games before the bye week.
6. Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Rostered %: 10.9 ESPN, 50 Sleeper, 33 Yahoo)
Another week of Downs not being as highly owned as he should be. In two games with Minshew as his starting QB, Downs has seen 20 targets for 13 receptions, 78 yards, and a touchdown. Only Pittman has seen more targets (25) than him in those two games. For the first time, Downs played a higher percentage of snaps than Pierce this past week, as he played three more snaps. Despite playing 63 fewer snaps than Pierce through six weeks, Downs has twice as many targets. Downs is a WR2 going forward for fantasy, especially with Richardson being ruled out for the rest of the season and Minshew becoming his new QB.
7. Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Rostered%: 32.7 ESPN, 55 Sleeper, 45 Yahoo)
The rookie WR has begun to make a name for himself with KC. Through his first six games of his career, Rice has been one of the top two WRs targeted by Mahomes in all but one game. He has also led the WR room in targets in half of the Chiefs games. Rice also leads the WR room in TDs with two and only sits one behind Kelce for the Chiefs lead in receiving touchdowns. He is a lower-end Flex play currently, but he is the KC WR that I have the most confidence in as the season goes on.
8. Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (Rostered%: 1.5 ESPN, 12 Sleeper, 5 Yahoo)
The third straight rookie that I will talk about is Mayer. Over the past three weeks, Mayer has taken control of the starting TE position with the Raiders. In Week 4, he had an even split with Hooper with 37 snaps each, but over the past two weeks, he has played in 99 snaps compared to Hooper’s 60 snaps. Against New England this past week, Mayer finished second on the team with seven targets, only behind Meyers eight targets. Mayer gets a strong run of matchups over the next six weeks prior to the Raiders’ bye week. They get games against Chicago, Detroit, Miami, and the Jets, who are all teams that allow good games against TEs. Mayer is a lower-end Flex play but can be used as a starting TE going forward.
9. Craig Reynolds, RB, Detroit Lions (Rostered%: 6.6 ESPN, 2 Sleeper, 2 Yahoo)
The Lions backfield is hurting right now as both Montgomery and Gibbs are dealing with injuries. The top healthy RB for Detroit is now Reynolds. Against the Bucs this past Sunday, Reynolds had 12 touches for 43 yards. His stats aren’t mind-blowing, but he did play most of the game as a backup behind Montgomery prior to the injury. If he gets the start in the Lions next game, then he should be able to put up better figures. With how explosive the Lions offense is, Reynolds is a solid RB2 option, especially if Montgomery is ruled out.
10. KJ Osborn, WR, Minnesota Vikings (Rostered%: 67.1 ESPN, 72 Sleeper, 65 Yahoo)
In the Vikings first game without Justin Jefferson, Osborn tied rookie Addison in targets with five. With JJ out for at least three more games, Osborn should continue to be the Vikings WR with the most targets. Osborn played in 93% of the Vikings offensive snaps, which was the highest percentage of all Vikings WRs and TEs. If he is still available in any of your leagues, then you should pick him up, as he is a great WR2 fantasy option.
Honorable Mentions:
- Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans (Rostered%: 63 ESPN, 56 Sleeper, 51 Yahoo)
- Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (Rostered%: 63.3 ESPN, 66 Sleeper, 59 Yahoo)
- Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants (Rostered%: 5.2 ESPN, 29 Sleeper, 18 Yahoo)
In the world of fantasy football, being proactive on the waiver wire can often be the difference between success and failure. These Week 7 waiver wire pickups, along with the honorable mentions, should help you strengthen your roster as the season progresses. Make sure to prioritize your team’s specific needs and potential long-term upside when making your choices.
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