Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early Must-Adds For Week 7
Moving toward Week 7, here are you early must-adds off the fantasy football waiver wire.
Week 6 on the 2024 NFL schedule is winding down, with Sunday and Monday night games to be completed. But it’s not too early for fantasy football managers to start looking to Week 7, with two teams (Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears) on bye.
Here are your early must-adds off the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 7.
Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots
With Rhamondre Stevenson out due to a foot injury, Gibson became New England’s lead back on Sunday against the Houston Texans. His touch total (13 carries, three catches) was more noticeable than his yardage output (43 total yards), as he had 13 of the first 17 carries by Patriots’ running backs before their final drive in a 20-point loss.
Stevenson’s status for Week 7 is unclear right now, but there’s room for Gibson to eat too in a very favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gibson had at least 56 total yards in three of four games from Week 2-5 (when Stevenson played), and he has had a least seven touches in all six games this season.
If Stevenson isn’t good to go for Week 7, Gibson would be in line for more carries in a more favorable/neutral game script. If Stevenson is able to play, Gibson would go back to the role he had before Sunday.
Regardless, looking at Week 7 and beyond, Gibson should be added in any 12-team league he’s still available in.
ESPN Ownership: 43.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 50%
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Allgeier had a team-high 18 carries for 105 yards with a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, while adding one catch for three yards. Bijan Robinson had a nice day too (15 carries for 95 yards, two touchdowns; three catches for 10 yards). But as noted by Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, the game situation led to basically an equal snap share (27 snaps for Robinson, 25 for Allgeier after the first quarter).
Since Week 1, Allgeier has double-digit touches and at least 65 total yards in three of five games with nine and seven touches in the other two.
Allgeier will be hard to start as anything more than a cross-your fingers flex option as long as Robinson is healthy. But Jahnke did offer a note that could be helpful to determining weeks Allgeier is likely to be more fantasy viable.
“Generally, in games where the Falcons are losing, we should expect Robinson to dominate snaps, and in games like this where they maintain a lead and win, we can expect both running backs to reach double-digit touches.”
Allgeier should be added in any 12-team league where he’s available (and there seem to be plenty). Bye weeks may make it tougher, but Robinson owners should prioritize trying to add him as the handcuff.
ESPN Ownership: 43%
Yahoo! Ownership: 30%
Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Wilson saved his fantasy day with a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers, but he had just two total catches for 21 yards with his lowest target total since Week 2 (four). He had at least six targets in each of the previous three games, with at least five catches and over 60 yards in two of those contests.
The Cardinals lost Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion against the Packers. If he can’t clear protocol before a Monday night game Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Wilson would be the No. 1 wide receiver and the clear No. 2 target for Kyler Murray behind tight end Trey McBride.
Wilson has been on the radar as a deeper league add, but with Harrison’s status up in the air he’s firmly on the radar in leagues with 12 or more teams as a starting option in Week 7 (and maybe beyond).
ESPN Ownership: 14.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 16%
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
After leading the Patriots with nine targets in Week 5, Douglas did it again on the same number of targets Sunday against the Houston Texans (six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown). Of course that has come with two different quarterbacks starting under center (Jacoby Brissett, rookie Drake Maye), and Douglas has at least six catches and more than 55 yards in three of his last four games.
Week 7 brings a very nice matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who entered Week 6 allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers) before allowing a two-touchdown game to Keenan Allen on Sunday.
The Patriots may actually have a functional offense with Maye at quarterback, and it’s not a reach to say Douglas is the No. 1 receiver. He’s at least a WR3/flex option in a nice matchup for Week 7, with definite potential to sustain value along that line all the way through to a Week 14 bye.
ESPN Ownership: 21.1%
Yahoo! Ownership: 7%
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence was not great on Sunday against the Chicago Bears (23-for-35 for 234 yards), with a mix of bad throws and lackluster play from his receivers leaving a lot of production on the table. But he did have two touchdown passes for the third straight game, and Jacksonville’s defense is sure to keep him having to throw the ball plenty.
Week 7, in London for a second straight game, is not a great-looking matchup for Lawrence against the New England Patriots. But New England has allowed over 280 passing yards or multiple passing touchdowns in four of their last five games (both once) and the exception over that stretch was with Tyler Huntley under center for the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
Before a Week 12 bye, Lawrence will face the Green Bay Packers (Week 8), Philadelphia Eagles (Week 9), Minnesota Vikings (Week 10) and Detroit Lions (Week 11). All could be negative game scripts, setting Lawrence up for fantasy production even if it’ll be a frustrating watch.
Fantasy football is a bottom-line business. Lawrence looks like a viable fill-in for single-quarterback leagues, or a QB2 in superflex, to help navigate the teeth of bye weeks.
ESPN Ownership: 32.45
Yahoo! Ownership: 52%
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
In Week 5, Smith-Schuster turned back the clock with seven catches (on eight targets) for 130 yards against the New Orleans Saints. A 50-yard catch-and-run skewed his yardage total, but the rapport he had with Patrick Mahomes when was with the Chiefs in 2022 (78 receptions for 933 yards) appeared to be back.
A Week 6 bye surely curbed what might have ordinarily been a massive rush to add Smith-Schuster last week. Upcoming matchups are a mixed bag, and there is a chance the Chiefs trade for a wide receiver in the coming weeks.
Still, Smith-Schuster is on the waiver wire radar as a WR3/WR4 in leagues with 12 or more teams-with some favoritism to PPR leagues. Already being done with his bye week boosts his appeal a bit.
ESPN Ownership: 17.8%
Yahoo! Ownership: 31%
D’Onta Foreman, RB, Cleveland Browns
With Jerome Ford lasting just four snaps before suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, it became a proverbial Foreman week in the Nick Chubb-less Browns’ backfield. Of course playing from behind and the general ineptitude of Cleveland’s offense didn’t make it a huge day for Foreman (10 carries for 31 yards, two catches for 16 yards). Pierre Strong was the passing down back.
If it was simply the idea Ford could miss Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Foreman might top this week’s list of waiver wire adds. But Chubb is expected to play, as he completes his return from his torn ACL in Week 2 of last season. How much he’ll play in his first game back is a natural question, but it would divide the workload even more in a great matchup.
Still, with health questions for Ford and Chubb, Foreman is a worthwhile add in deeper leagues and he’s worth noting as a potential add outside of that once there’s firmer news about one or both of Ford and Chubb.
ESPN Ownership: 3.3%
Yahoo! Ownership: 1%
Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers
With Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) out and Jordan Mason eventually exiting the game for good with a shoulder injury, Guerendo was left as the 49ers’ lead back in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks, with Patrick Taylor and Deebo Samuel mixed in. The rookie has not efficient, before a 76-yard run boosted him to 99 yards on 10 carries.
Since they played Thursday night to start Week 6, the 49ers have extra time before they play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported McCaffrey is not expected to return for that game, and until there’s word on Mason’s health his status will be unclear (he has been deemed day-to-day).
While he showed some pass-catching chops in college, Guerendo seems sure to lose noticeable work to Taylor and Samuel if he is atop San Francisco’s running back depth chart for Week 7 (or anything beyond). Still, being lined up for the majority of the work in the 49ers’ running back mix if things fall that way has automatic value in fantasy.
Adding Guerendo is mostly a move for deeper leagues as we start looking toward Week 7. But that could change very quickly as the coming week goes on.
ESPN Ownership: 0.9%
Yahoo! Ownership: 4%