We’re awfully close to being halfway through the fantasy season, and now is not the time to start dialing it in. While your opponents are easing off, get ahead of them and take a look at these players who you should be grabbing off now before the waiver madness after this week’s games.

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Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – SF) – 50% Rostered

The 49ers’ defense is banged up and has been surrendering points over the last few weeks, with the Chiefs and Falcons combining for 72 points. This, in turn, has forced Garoppolo to throw more aggressively than Kyle Shanahan might wish. As a result, Garoppolo has passed for 250 yards or more in all three of his last appearances and two passing touchdowns per game. After this week’s rematch with the Rams, the Niners head into their bye week but then face games against the Chargers and Cardinals, who haven’t exactly been imposing defenses of late.

Justin Fields (QB – CHI) – 41% Rostered

After a lousy start to the season, Justin Fields appears to have turned a corner in recent weeks, finishing inside the top 12 fantasy quarterbacks in each of the last three weeks, including a Week 7 top-five performance and back-to-back 80+ rushing yard performances. Fields faces a tough matchup against the Cowboys in Week 8 but then gets the Dolphins and Lions, who both rank inside the top seven in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.

Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)– 45% Rostered

Darrell Henderson seems set to be the Rams lead back for now, but the team has been hot and cold on him over the last two years, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter had reported before the season that the Rams planned to use Kyren Williams extensively and wanted him to play a big role. Coming off a bye week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Williams involved more with Akers still in the bad books. The Rams face a difficult matchup with the Niners this week, but then they face Tampa Bay, who just allowed the Ravens to rush all over them.

Cam Akers (RB – LAR) – 43% Rostered

Speaking of Cam Akers, with the trade deadline looming, it’s worth considering that Akers’ situation could improve dramatically in the near future, and gambling on that upside might pay off. Akers hasn’t looked fantastic this season, but a change of scheme and scenery might benefit him as he looks to prove the Rams wrong about him.

James Cook (RB – BUF) – 22% Rostered

Rookies often come off bye weeks with renewed vigor and an expanded role in their offenses. The Bills return to the field with a home game against the Packers. They’re so heavily favored that Cook might see a decent amount of late-game opportunities against a defense that allows the 11th most fantasy points to running backs rushing against them. In the coming weeks, the Bills will also face the Jets, Vikings, Browns and Lions, who all rank in the bottom half of the league against running backs.

Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG) – 47% Rostered

After several performances that have demonstrated Robinson is the most reliable receiver in the Giants’ offense, it’s a little surprising to see he’s still less than 50% rostered on Yahoo leagues. Still, it’s worth checking, just in case. Over the last two weeks, Robinson has been the PPR WR23 and has had a 22.2% target share and a team-leading 12 targets. The Giants face the Seahawks before heading into a bye week and then have upcoming games against the Texans and Lions, who shouldn’t worry the G-Men.

Odell Beckham (WR – LAR) 19% – Rostered

Word on the street is that Odell Beckham is nearing a return from his ACL injury and is currently deliberating on where he intends to sign. Beckham showed last year that he could integrate into a team quickly, and plenty of good NFL teams could do with the kind of help he can bring.

Robbie Anderson (WR – ARI) – 14% Rostered

The Cardinals seem to be finally figuring themselves out, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Robbie Anderson more integrated into the offense than he was in the Week 7 game against the Saints when Anderson had barely got his name onto the back of his jersey. The Cardinals face the Vikings this week, who have allowed the league’s highest net yards per attempt in the passing game (7.3). If Anderson is utilized in the deep game, he might be a popular add before the Cardinals play the Seahawks in Week 9, who have found themselves in several shootouts this year.

Van Jefferson (WR – LAR) – 14% Rostered

The Rams have looked discombobulated on offense all season. While it would be a stretch to attribute that to Van Jefferson’s absence, it would no doubt be a help to the team to have him back out there as he looks set to return from I.R. Jefferson averaged 5.65 targets per game in 2021 and managed six touchdowns, at a time where the Rams are searching for answers he might be able to help particularly in Week 9 when the Rams face the Bucs. The latter is very banged up in the secondary.

Greg Dulcich (TE – DEN) – 42% Rostered

Since Dulcich made his debut in Week 6, he has been the TE6 in PPR formats and is second on the Broncos for receiving yards in that period (95). Things have been difficult for the Broncos, but if Dulcich shows out against the Jaguars in London, it’s not unlikely he will have an even more significant role coming out of the Week 9 bye. Year after year, we see rookies become important down the stretch, and Dulcich looks poised to do so for the Broncos.

Juwan Johnson (TE – NO) – 8% Rostered

Much of what is mentioned about the Saints tends to be about who is missing practice or games, but on the field, Juwan Johnson has quietly had a solid season and, over the last three weeks, is the PPR TE10. Johnson leads the Saints pass-catchers in red zone targets (5) and has two touchdowns in recent weeks. This week Johnson faces a Raiders side who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends, and then in Week 9, the Saints face the Ravens, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends. So it’s entirely possible Johnson has another couple of nice weeks ahead.

L.A. Chargers – 31% Rostered

The Chargers come off their bye week with a game in Week 9 against Marcus Mariota‘s Falcons and then a trip to the Niners. Neither team has been particularly dominating against defenses of late, and both quarterbacks have been known to have the occasional lapse of judgment.

Arizona Cardinals – 12% Rostered

The Cardinals’ defense has gotten a lot right lately, with three defensive touchdowns in the last two games, five sacks and three interceptions. As a result, their defense now has four games scoring double-digit fantasy points this season and should be viewed as a team capable of helping your fantasy team rather than hindering it.