We asked our writers to name their top waiver-wire targets at running back and wide receiver for the week. Here’s what they said.
All players are owned in 30% or less of Yahoo leagues.
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Who’s your top running back pickup of the week?
Marlon Mack (IND)
Mack returned to the field on Sunday and dominated backfield touches for the Colts despite playing in a negative (i.e., Nyheim Hines-friendly) game script. Indy’s offensive line has problems, they pass a ton, and Hines and Robert Turbin will remain involved. I also don’t think Mack is very good, which could be a problem. But Mack looks to be the lead back for as long as he can stay healthy. With the bye weeks about to start hitting hard, his workload will have value.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
In his first action since Week 1, Marlon Mack instantly displaced Jordan Wilkins as the Colts’s primary rusher. While he played six fewer snaps (24) than Nyheim Hines, the second-year rusher registered 89 rushing on 12 carries. A Week 7 home game against Buffalo presents a rare opportunity for the 1-5 Colts to enter as favorites, so Andrew Luck should get a breather from his record-setting pace of 48 pass attempts per game. That at least makes Mack a short-term starter who will hold some flex appeal down the road.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
The Colts are likely to stick with a committee, but Mack might have made a case for leading that group with an 89-yard effort in New York against a Jets’ defense that had only let one running back surpass 65 rushing yards all season. Mack will cede most passing-down work to Nyheim Hines but should emerge as the team’s leader in carries now that he’s fully recovered from a hamstring ailment that kept the sophomore back out of Indy’s previous three games.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Mack provided production on the ground for the Colts in his return from a hamstring injury versus the Jets. The primary runner attached to Andrew Luck will have value going forward. The Colts are likely to be involved in plenty of shootouts which will lead to goal line looks for Mack and strong fantasy upside.
Justin Mackey
I understand that Mack missed most of the season, but he should have been 50% owned even prior to Sunday’s game. The fact that he’s still just 27% owned in Yahoo! leagues is mind-boggling. For the first time all season, the Colts’ run game had some juice this past week, with Mack receiving 12 carries and turning them into 89 yards. He should garner the vast majority of the running back touches going forward, especially this week against Buffalo where the Colts should have a positive game script. He’s more than a bye-week filler at this point – he should be considered nearly a borderline RB2 for the foreseeable future in light of the injuries to the Colts’ offense, and needs to be owned in the vast majority of leagues.
Dan Harris – @danharris80
Ronald Jones (TB)
It seemed extremely likely that Jones would take over as the Bucs’ starting running back as soon as this week, but they gave Barber the lion’s share of touches again, leaving Jones as a shot in the dark stash for fantasy teams.
Bobby Sylvester – @bobbyfantasypro
Frank Gore (MIA)
The old man won’t quit. Gore is averaging just over six yards per carry in his last two games and has had more carries than Kenyan Drake in his last three. Adam Gase insists on using Gore, and his production is beginning to justify that.
Sam Schlesinger – @avishai41
Rashaad Penny (SEA)
It seems as though Seattle’s first-round draft pick is starting to finally become part of the offense. After a rough start, last week Penny surpassed Mike Davis as the team’s second-leading rusher. He is also being used in the passing game, something many were concerned about from the beginning. Although he had anything from a stellar performance in week 6, the arrow is definitely in the right direction. Seattle is now focused on running the ball more and although Chris Carson has done well if Penny improves, he could become the team’s lead back in no time. Carson often gets hurt and Seattle does not want to take the heat for drafting a running back in the first round only to use him on special teams. Penny has a bye this week, therefore, he will be ignored by many. Get him now and stash him for the upcoming weeks.
Marc Mathyk – @Masterjune70
Who’s your top wide receiver pickup of the week?
Tre’Quan Smith (NO)
The Saints had been raving about Smith all preseason but didn’t get him on the field much over the first four weeks. Then, right before the bye, Smith saw 67% of the team’s snaps which was good for second on the team. He has substantial upside and a tremendous late-season schedule.
Bobby Sylvester – @bobbyfantasypro
Forgot about Tre? Everyone else did too, apparently, as he remains available in 95% of leagues after burning the Redskins for 111 yards and two scores in Week 5. The volume hasn’t been there (just seven targets this season), and his Monday Night Football breakout did occur with Ted Ginn sidelined. Still, he’s worth stashing to see if the Saints plan to get him more involved coming out of their bye. Smith was lights out this preseason, and no one else in New Orleans has really run away with the number two receiver spot behind Michael Thomas.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
Willie Snead (BAL)
Being proactive is vital if you’re going to successfully improve your fantasy squad via the waiver wire. Despite entering Week 7 as a top-40 fantasy wideout, Snead is un-owned in 91% of leagues. Snead has racked up 18 receptions over Baltimore’s past three games and has three-plus grabs in all six games played. In addition, Snead gets a choice matchup with a New Orleans secondary that has allowed the most fantasy points this season to fantasy wideouts and it just happens to fit the “revenge game” narrative if you’re into that sort of thing. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see Joe Flacco send a few extra targets Snead’s way this week, especially in the red zone.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Albert Wilson (MIA)
He’s way too big-play dependent to trust on a weekly basis, but Albert Wilson‘s upside is too tantalizaling to ignore altogether. He has now amassed 359 receiving yards and four touchdowns (giving him more standard fantasy points than Odell Beckham Jr. and Keenan Allen) after posting 155 yards and two touchdowns in Week 6. His sucess is mostly fueled by 74 and 75-yard touchdowns in which he tallied 149 combined yards after the catch, but the 26-year-old has also drawn 21 targets in Miami’s last three games. He’s at least intriguing enough to warrant a roster spot.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
Taylor Gabriel (CHI)
The emergence of Mitch Trubisky has brought about the emergence of Taylor Gabriel as well. In his last two games, Gabriel has caught all 12 of his targets for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He managed to top 100 yards in both games. The Bears have a lot of weapons on their offense, but Gabriel and Trubisky have a clear chemistry, and at the rate the Bears are scoring right now (at least four touchdowns in their last two games), he has a high touchdown upside.
Sam Schlesinger – @avishai41
Taylor Gabriel posted his second consecutive 100-yard game for the Bears this week. He went largely overlooked following his week four breakout with Chicago on bye last week. Owners should grab the speedy playmaker while they can. Matt Nagy’s offense is able to utilize its weapons effectively and Gabriel is seeing the volume to be a fantasy factor.
Justin Mackey
Christian Kirk (ARI)
There’s a ton to like about Kirk and his connection to Josh Rosen right now. He has at least 77 yards receiving in three of his last four games, and although he was out-targeted by Larry Fitzgerald on Sunday, he did far more with his looks. Defenses tend to struggle on Thursday night, and so Kirk is in prime position to do well against the Broncos this week. With Chris Harris Jr. likely to be draped all over Fitzgerald in the slot, Kirk should find plenty of room to work against a Broncos defense allowing a ton of big plays to opposing wide receivers. Kirk is a fine bye-week filler this week, with the potential for more.
Dan Harris – @danharris80
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB)
It is never a bad move to target a wide receiver tethered to a quarterback like Aaron Rogers. Mr. “Exxon” Valdez has been spilling success for the past few weeks courtesy of both Geronimo Allison and Randal Cobb being hurt. On Monday night, he erupted for over 100 yards receiving. He’s fast, explosive and has shown that he is versatile — can catch the long bombs and can also be a short pass threat who can gather lots of YAC. Davante Adams is one concussion away from retirement and Cobb has not been that great when he has been on the field. While others will look to fill in spots temporarily by picking up Chester Rogers and Jermaine Kearse, Valdez-Scantling can be put in your lineup now and has a good chance to usurp one of the veterans who has lost a step.
Marc Mathyk – @Masterjune70
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