Doing your weekly waivers in fantasy football can be more stressful than performing life-saving surgery on a loved one without any professional tools or medical knowledge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, deciding which players to add off the waiver wire each week can be stressful.
Finding and adding the right guys in shallow leagues is simple, as there are plenty of appealing options, and the waiver wire is full of talent. Unfortunately, making your waiver wire claims in deeper leagues can be a massive pain in the neck.
However, I’m here to help by giving fantasy players seven waiver wire targets they should add in deeper leagues in Week 7.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 7
All the players in this article are rostered in under 20% of ESPN leagues.
Drake Maye (QB – NE): 3.8% Rostered
Maye made his first career start in Week 6 and surprised everyone. The rookie quarterback made some bad mistakes, totaling three turnovers. However, he had 243 yards, three touchdowns, and 19.5 fantasy points on 33 pass attempts. His 243 passing yards were the most allowed, while the three touchdowns were the second-most allowed by the Houston Texans this season.
More importantly, Maye had three passing touchdowns in one game, while Jacoby Brissett had two over the first five weeks. The rookie quarterback will continue to make mistakes. However, fantasy players should add him off the waiver wire. Maye has an excellent matchup in Week 7 against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that surrendered four touchdowns and 28.6 fantasy points to Caleb Williams on Sunday.
Blake Corum (RB – LAR): 17.3% Rostered
The Rams’ Week 6 bye couldn’t have come at a better time. They have been bombarded by injuries this season, especially on offense. However, Kyren Williams has managed to stay healthy despite averaging 19 rushing attempts and 21.8 touches per game. Yet, Los Angeles has started to lighten the star running back’s workload, giving Corum more touches.
While many thought the rookie would have a consistent role out of the gate, Corum has only had a rushing attempt in two games this year. He had eight for 28 rushing yards in Week 2 but went back-to-back games without seeing the ball. However, the former Michigan star had five rushing attempts for 25 yards before the team’s bye week. Corum could continue to see his role grow, especially if the Rams’ season heads down the toilet.
Kimani Vidal (RB – LAC): 2.3% Rostered
Unfortunately, Gus Edwards was placed on injured reserve on Saturday because of an ankle injury, knocking him out for the next four weeks. While J.K. Dobbins has played well as the featured guy, many were excited to see Vidal against the Denver Broncos. The dynasty sleeper pick was a healthy scratch in every game this year until last week. While he had a limited role, the rookie made the most of it.
Dobbins saw 25 of the backfield’s 31 rushing attempts in Week 6 (80.7%). Meanwhile, Vidal finished second on the team with four rushing attempts. However, the rookie made the most of his two targets, totaling 40 receiving yards and a touchdown. Despite having 21 fewer touches, Vidal only scored 5.1 fewer half-point PPR fantasy points than Dobbins. The veteran has struggled with injuries, making Vidal an injury to Dobbins away from a potential featured role.
DeMario Douglas (WR – NE): 21.1% Rostered
Yes, I’m breaking the roster percentage rule with this pick, but we have to talk about Douglas. The Patriots passing attack over the first five weeks made going to the dentist look fun. Thankfully, that changed on Sunday with Drake Maye under center. The rookie quarterback gave the offense hope while targeting his most reliable wide receiver early and often. Douglas averaged 4.8 targets and five half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the first five contests.
By comparison, he had six receptions on nine targets for the second consecutive week, scoring his first NFL touchdown and a career-high 18.2 fantasy points. Douglas had a 27.3% target share after posting a 16.8% share with Jacoby Brissett. More importantly, the second-year pro saw as many targets (nine) as the rest of the wide receiver core combined against the Houston Texans. Douglas should continue to lead the team in targets most weeks.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – KC): 17.8% Rostered
While Kansas City had their bye in Week 6, fantasy players have made a massive mistake leaving Smith-Schuster on the waiver wire. The veteran wide receiver was off fantasy football radars entering the year, even after re-joining the Chiefs before Week 1. However, he is taking over for Rashee Rice in the slot, giving him significant appeal, especially in any PPR-scoring-type league.
The veteran wide receiver had seven receptions on eight targets for 130 receiving yards and 16.5 half-point PPR fantasy points in the team’s last game before the bye. Smith-Schuster joined Travis Kelce (10) and Xavier Worthy (six) as the only Chiefs with more than four targets in Week 5. Until Kansas City adds a big-name wide receiver before the trade deadline, Smith-Schuster has top-36 value for the rest of the season.
Jordan Whittington (WR – LAR): 8.2% Rostered
Unfortunately, Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) have been out of the lineup for weeks. Sean McVay said the ideal return date for Kupp is Week 7. However, the superstar might not be ready for Sunday’s matchup. Meanwhile, Nacua is targeting a Week 8 return. Yet, that is far from a guarantee. Therefore, Whittington is a must-add in most leagues until the two superstar wide receivers are back in the lineup at 100%.
Some called Whittington a sleeper candidate after an impressive preseason performance. However, he had little role on offense until Week 4. The rookie became a full-time player in Week 4 and Week 5, posting an 87.5% and 85.4% route participation rate. More importantly, he has had eight or more targets in back-to-back games, averaging 10.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per contest despite not finding the end zone. Whittington is the best Rams receiver until the two superstars return.
Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE – CAR): 0.3% Rostered
Carolina’s passing attack has been significantly better since the team benched Bryce Young for Andy Dalton in Week 3. Diontae Johnson has become a must-start WR2 most weeks. Meanwhile, Xavier Legette is an appealing upside flex option for fantasy players. Unfortunately, Carolina hasn’t had a third fantasy-relevant weapon in the passing game. Yet, that might change over the next few weeks with Sanders earning more of a role on offense.
The rookie tight end has averaged only 2.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game this season. However, Sanders has 12 targets over the past two weeks, including the second-most on the team (seven) behind Johnson in Week 6. More importantly, the former Texas star made the most of his targets, totaling five receptions for 49 yards and 7.4 fantasy points. Sanders was a talented prospect coming out of college and could be prime for a second-half breakout.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
