Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings & Pickups to Target (Week 7)

Our analysts combine to provide rankings for weekly waiver wire targets. We’ll help you prioritize your bids for the week ahead. And check out even more waiver wire advice here.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings

Waiver Wire Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups to Target

Zach Evans (LAR – RB): 1% rostered

Next Opponents: PIT, @DAL, @GB
True value: $12
Desperate need: $26
Budget-minded: $6

Analysis: Injuries decimated the Rams’ backfield in Week 6, with Kyren Williams sustaining an ankle injury and backup Ronnie Rivers spraining his PCL. Williams is expected to miss at least one week. Rivers is expected to be out for at least a month. Those injuries thrust Evans, a sixth-round draft pick from Ole Miss, into the spotlight. It’s possible Evans will step right into high-usage role for the Rams, although it’s also possible that veteran Royce Freeman will get substantial work, too. Heck, we can’t rule out the possibility that Freeman gets more work than Evans (although we know by now that Freeman is a player of modest talents). The 5-11, 202-pound Evans spent his first two college seasons as a committee back at TCU along with Kendre Miller and Emari Demercado. Evans transferred to Ole Miss and had 936 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns for the Rebs in 2022, but Evans’ was bypassed on the depth chart by freshman sensation Quinshon Judkins. Evans has decent speed (4.56) and runs with some power, but he didn’t display special traits during his college career — hence his failure to seize a lead-RB role in any of his three college seasons. But in fantasy football, RB value is often as much about opportunity as talent, and Evans has immediate opportunity. For Week 7 at least, he profiles as a low-end RB2 or high-end RB3. Evans’ immediate startability will drive up demand for his services, because a lot of fantasy managers will struggle to field two fantasy-viable RBs this week.

Josh Downs (IND – WR): 33% rostered

Next Opponents: CLE, NO, @CAR
True value: $2
Desperate need: $4
Budget-minded: $1

Analysis: Entering Week 6, Downs had an 18.6% target share and 17.5% first-read share, with 1.86 yards per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Downs already has two top-36 wide receiver finishes this year (WR32, WR18) and could have another one after this week has concluded. Sunday against Jacksonville, Downs had a 14.5% target share (eight targets) with five grabs, 21 receiving yards and a score. Gardner Minshew threw the ball 55 times as the Colts got blown out. Downs’ upcoming matchups are brutal, but they offer volume upside, especially if Indy gets down early. Downs is a weekly WR4 who has WR2/3 upside in PPR.

Sam Howell (WAS – QB): 38% rostered

Next Opponents: @NYG, PHI, @NE
True value: $8
Desperate need: $14
Budget-minded: $4

Analysis: What are you waiting for? Howell has now posted consecutive QB1 performances and has two more appealing matchups on the horizon. If you throw away the disaster against Buffalo, Howell is among the most consistently good QBs in fantasy football this season.

Michael Mayer (LV – TE): 5% rostered

Next Opponents: @CHI, @DET, NYG
True value: $4
Desperate need: $8
Budget-minded: $2

Analysis: Finally! Mayer is now a full-time player in the Raiders’ offense. He played 81% of snaps this week with an 18.7% target share and a 68.7% route run rate (per PFF). Over the last two weeks, he has produced some electric efficiency numbers, with a 25% target per route run rate and 3.16 yards per route run. Mayer has top-12 rest-of-season upside. Over the next four weeks, he has cushy matchups with the Bears, Lions and Jets, who have allowed the 13th-most, sixth-most and most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season.