10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 7

By now, most of the early breakout players have been added to fantasy rosters, so identifying pickups can require more nuance. Unless, of course, injuries are opening a path to production for certain options.

Here are some of the best additions you can make to your squads based on everything we know so far. (I'll mostly stick to players rostered on 50% or fewer of Yahoo teams and also list some other viable pickups who may be available in shallower leagues or relevant only in deeper leagues).

Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Roster Percentage: 16%

Tua Tagovailoa is on the streaming radar this week as he gets a dream date with the Atlanta Falcons, a defense that came into Week 6 allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game (22.2) to quarterbacks.

In his return from injury on Sunday, Tagovailoa put up 21.36 fantasy points in a similarly dope matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for 329 yards and 2 scores while adding 22 rushing yards on 3 carries. And he did that without Will Fuller, Preston Williams and DeVante Parker.

Tagovailoa is a priority add if you're streaming at quarterback.

Mac Jones, Patriots

Roster Percentage: 17%

Mac Jones is a serviceable streaming play in deeper leagues in Week 7 as the New England Patriots host the New York Jets.

My concern with Jones is that this could become a run-heavy game for the Pats' offense. That was the case when these two teams played in Week 2, when New England won comfortably and Jones posted a mere 7.44 fantasy points.

But since that game, Jones has thrown 51, 40, 30 and 21 passes in the last four games, with the 21-attempt outing coming in Week 6. Is the uptick in passing volume game-script related or are the Patriots putting more on Jones' plate as he progresses in his rookie season? We will see. On a thin week for streamers, though, Jones is worth a look in this soft matchup.

Also, if we know before waivers process who is starting for the San Francisco 49ers between Trey Lance (31% rostered) or Jimmy Garoppolo (7%), that signal-caller is a viable streamer at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

Others to Consider:
Trey Lance (31%; vs. Colts)/Jimmy Garoppolo (7%), Jameis Winston (36%; at Seattle Seahawks), Daniel Jones (34%; vs. Carolina Panthers)

Running Backs
Alex Collins, Seahawks

Roster Percentage: 59%

Alex Collins is still out there in nearly 40% of leagues, and with Chris Carson landing on IR last week, Collins likely has at least two more games as the Seattle Seahawks' lead back.

On Sunday night, Collins handled 20 of 26 running-back carries and posted 101 rushing yards and a score while "adding" one catch for -3 yards. He did that in a tough matchup at the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Collins was the majority of Seattle's second-half offense.

There are some negatives. He missed a little time late in the game due to an injury, which is something to monitor, and he lost some passing-game work to DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer, playing 39 of 65 snaps, per PFF. But as long as Collins is good to go for Week 7, the rushing volume is hard to leave on the wire.

While Rashaad Penny is eligible to come off IR for Week 7, there's no guarantee that happens, and it's not a lock Penny leaps Collins on the depth chart even if it does.

Mark Ingram, Texans

Roster Percentage: 32%

This isn't sexy, but Mark Ingram is worthy of a bench spot in most leagues as we grind through bye weeks.

Ingram racked up 18 carries in Week 6, and he had 16 rushes the week before that. He now has at least 14 carries in four of six games. That's not too bad.

The negatives are obvious -- the Houston Texans' offense stinks, and Ingram isn't being used much in the passing game (six targets all year). But his 18 carries Sunday came in a game in which Houston lost 31-3, and he ran 11 routes with two targets, so he's not a total zero as a pass-catcher.

After Houston's Week 10 bye, the schedule gets pretty nice, too, as they face the Titans, Jets, Colts, and Seahawks from Week 11 through Week 14.

D'Ernest Johnson, Browns

Roster Percentage: 2%

Nick Chubb sat out Week 6, and Kareem Hunt exited early with an injury. D'Ernest Johnson could be the Cleveland Browns' top back if Chubb isn't able to return in Week 7.

Johnson played 12 snaps and ran 7 routes, both of which were second-best among Cleveland's backs on Sunday.

If Chubb is able to return for the next game and/or Hunt's injury isn't serious, Johnson is best left on the waiver wire, but he's a worthwhile speculative add early in the week.

Others to Consider:
Michael Carter (52%), Kenyan Drake (53%), Eli Mitchell (64%), Joshua Kelley (0%)

Wide Receivers

Sterling Shepard, Giants

Roster Percentage: 52%

In his return from injury, Sterling Shepard led the New York Giants' wideouts in snaps (68 of a possible 75), routes run (54 on 56 dropbacks), and targets (14) in Week 6. He could be entrenched as Big Blue's top receiver for a bit as Darius Slayton remained out Sunday while Kadarius Toney played only six snaps after tweaking the ankle injury that limited him entering Week 6.

Shepard now has 9, 10, and 14 targets in his three fully healthy games, and his 76 yards on Sunday were his fewest in any of those three outings (113 and 94 in the other two).

Out there in roughly half of leagues, Shepard is a quality pickup.

Rashod Bateman, Ravens

Roster Percentage: 28%

Rashod Bateman made his debut with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday and was targeted 6 times, hauling in 4 balls for 29 yards.

That's not going to blow anyone away, but the six looks tied Mark Andrews for the team lead. Plus, Bateman ran as the team's number-two wideout, with his 44 snaps and 22 routes run both ranking second on the Ravens (on 69 plays and 33 drop backs). We could see bigger production from the rookie down the road.

The Ravens get the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins over their next three games (with their Week 8 bye mixed in). Those are three beatable pass defenses, and the Ravens' passing attack is really clicking right now with Lamar Jackson playing at an elite level.

Darnell Mooney, Bears

Roster Percentage: 44%

Darnell Mooney paced the Chicago Bears' wideouts in snaps (57 of 61) and routes run (36 of 37) in Week 6, and he tied Allen Robinson for the team lead in targets (8).

The Bears came into Week 6 looking like they wanted to run the ball as much as possible, but Justin Fields was forced to throw a career-high 27 passes in a negative game script against the Green Bay Packers. We could see a similar story play out in Week 7 as the Bears are on the road at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That benefits Mooney, and it's a Bucs D that has been getting torched through the air for most of 2021, allowing the ninth-most half-PPR points per game (33.8) to receivers coming into Week 6.

Others to Consider:
Henry Ruggs (53%), A.J. Green (44%),

Tight Ends
Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington

Roster Percentage: 29%

Prior to getting hurt, Logan Thomas had played 100% of the snaps through three weeks. Ricky Seals-Jones has jumped straight into that role.

RSJ logged a 99% snap rate a week ago and then played 100% of the snaps in Week 6. He also ran a route on 37 of 39 passing plays. He's got 15 targets with 99 yards and a score across the last two weeks and is firmly in the TE1 (top-12) conversation until Thomas -- who is on IR and has to miss at least one more game -- returns.

Unless you have one of the elite options at tight end, Seals-Jones is probably a better play than whoever you're trotting out there.

Others to Consider:
Dan Arnold (9%), Cole Kmet (19%), Pat Freiermuth (6%)

Defenses
Arizona Cardinals D/ST

Roster Percentage: 57%

The Arizona D/ST is in a great spot in Week 7 versus the Houston Texans.

I don't need to sell you too much on rostering a defense facing Houston, but I'll say this -- this game shapes up a lot like when the Buffalo Bills faced the Texans. The Bills' offense got out to a lead and forced the Texans to have to air it out, and that went very well for the Buffalo D/ST defense, which ended up with 23 fantasy points.

Kyler Murray and company should put up gobs of points, and that will likely result in a lot of drop backs for Davis Mills, which means plenty of chances for sacks and picks.

The Cards' D/ST could go berserk. Go get 'em.

Others to Consider:
New England D/ST (59%; vs. New York Jets), San Francisco D/ST (48%; vs. Indianapolis Colts), Cleveland D/ST (58%; vs. Denver Broncos on TNF)