Fantasy Football: Top Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7

Quarterbacks

Tyrod Taylor (BUF)

I had him in this column last week even though he was on a bye. His schedule coming up is hard to pass up. The next four games for Taylor are all bottom ten defenses. He gets the Bucs (31st) coming out of the bye than the Raiders (23rd), Jets (25th) and Saints (26th). The fifth game is against the Chargers and they aren’t much better. A lot of Aaron Rodgers owners should see if Taylor is on the wire.

C.J. Beathard (SF)

Beathard is a deep league add only, but being named the starter over Hoyer immediately put him on the “speculative” add list for you guys that play in 16-team leagues. The 49ers figure to be playing from behind more often than not, so Beathard could be fantasy relevant on volume alone.

Running Backs

Orleans Darkwa (NYG)

Some much for the Wayne Gallman rookie breakout talk. Darkwa had 21 carries compared to Gallman’s 9, and Darkwa averaged 5.6 ypc against what was the best run defense in the league coming into Week 6. The only downside to Darkwa is the Giants figure to be playing from behind more often than not, which could limit his touches in the run game.

Dion Lewis (NE)

Once again, the Patriot RBs situation is impossible to figure out. Lewis led all RBs in touches on Sunday with 11 and was tied with James White for the most snaps (29) among RBs. Lewis is another one of those deep league adds, or if you are very desperate. Knowing the Patriots, Rex Burkhead, who hasn’t played since Week 2, could lead the team in carries next week.

Wide Receivers

John Brown (ARI)

The J. Browns for the Cardinals are impossible to predict right now. From week to week, there is no way to know if it’s a Jaron week or a John week. I’m going to bet that if John can stay healthy, he will be the more consistent “Brown” receiver, and to further cement that, John played 72 percent of the snaps compared to Jaron at 52 percent.

Kenny Stills (MIA)

Stills’ value is based strictly on DeVante Parker‘s availability. If were to miss another game, Stills would become QB Jay Cuter’s preferred deep threat. If Parker is back, ignore Stills.

Jermaine Kearse (NYJ)

Kearse extended his streak to four consecutive games with at least three receptions, and with plus matchups against the Dolphins and Falcons on the schedule next, he could easily extend it to six.

Adam Humphries (TB)

Humphries is flying under the radar as a good PPR wide receiver. He has at least six receptions in three of his last four games and he won’t lose any value if Jameis Winston misses any time.

Tight End

Austin Hooper (ATL)

Could the Austin Hooper breakout game be coming soon? Quite possibly. He is an athletic 6-foot-3 254-pound tight end that has the skill set to be one of the top tight ends in the league. Unfortunately for him, he plays in an offense that isn’t very tight end friendly, or at least it hasn’t been since Tony Gonzalez retired. After getting at least seven targets in his last two games, Hooper is on the radar for a streamer or for desperate owners. If Mohamed Sanu remains out of the lineup, Hooper should continue to see a ton of targets.

Geroge Kittle (SF)

Kittle played 92 percent of the snaps in Week 6, and despite a few drops, posted a second consecutive fantasy relevant game. Rookie QBs, like newly promoted starter C.J. Beathard, tend to lean on their tight ends. Zach Ertz owners should take note of Kittle as well. The Eagles have a Week 10 bye, and Kittle plays the Giants in Week 10 who are one of the worst teams in defending the tight end.

Defense

Buffalo Bills

The Bills were on a bye and were dropped in a ton of leagues. They rank fourth with eight interceptions and 11th in fantasy points per game. A matchup with the Bucs that could be without Jameis Winston in Week 7 makes them a great streaming defense.

Miami Dolphins

Speaking of streaming defenses, the Dolphins play the Jets in Week 7. Despite their record and the fact that they nearly beat the Patriots, I’m not ready to trust the Jets as a good offense.

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