Fantasy Football 2019 Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, Vikings (46% Owned): Cousins has been on this list for the last few weeks, and for whatever reason, fantasy owners aren’t buying in. The Vikings were absurdly run-heavy to start the season – and still are, to an extent – but they’re showing that they can air it out with hyper efficiency in the right matchups. Cousins has lit up the Giants and Eagles for 639 yards and six touchdowns in the last two games, and he still has a middling pass defense up next (Detroit), followed by cake matchups against Washington, and at Kansas City. Even without the 40+ attempts other QBs ride to their success, Cousins can make do with red zone passing attempts to Adam Thielen, and long range bombs to Stefon Diggs.

Josh Allen, Bills (50% Owned): Although Allen technically shouldn’t be here – he’s 50% owned – that’s low enough that it’s malpractice not to advise you check for him. Allen is one of the best rushing QBs in fantasy, and even though his passing remains inconsistent, a date with the Dolphins defense cures all ills. Allen figures to run and pass all over them this weekend, so those of you suffering through disappointment by the likes of Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers or others of that ilk can look to Allen for a boost.

Running Backs

Benny Snell Jr., Steelers (2% Owned): Snell ended Sunday night out-touching James Conner 17 to 16 after Conner left the game with a quad injury. Conner has been getting nicked up week after week, which is going to take its toll. The Steelers offense is an injury-riddled mess, but if Conner’s injury causes him to miss time, it opens the door for extremely high volume for Snell. He’ll be cheap because Pittsburgh has a bye in Week 7, but they’ll get the Dolphins in Week 8. Even if Conner returns, Snell will be a FLEX option in that game due to Miami’s horrendous front seven.

Mark Walton, Dolphins (4% Owned): Walton saw six carries this week, but was also targeted six times in the passing game (five receptions, 43 yards). Miami is playing for the future, so as the weeks go on, we could see them feeding Walton more and more in the hopes they’ve found a RB to rely on when they actually attempt to win games. Walton is very talented, and could break out given enough opportunity. He’s worth a low FAAB bid with upside of an RB2. The Dolphins situation caps his ceiling, but I do see a path to reliability for him.

Chase Edmonds, Cardinals (34% Owned): Edmonds is still a handcuff, but he’s slowly proving he has some standalone value in Arizona’s hyperactive offense. David Johnson remains the core of the offense, but Edmonds has been incredibly explosive in limited work (6.7 yards per carry), and is getting involved a little as a passer. He’ll produce if Johnson misses time, and Johnson is managing a bad back. It’s a safe bet that Edmonds will make some starts down the road this season, especially if the Cardinals collapse.

Darrel Williams, Chiefs (15% Owned): Williams is the third banana in the Chiefs backfield, but his 52-yard reception this week showed his explosiveness and served as a glimpse of what’s possible were this role primarily his. Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy owners are annoyed by Darrel Williams’ presence and relevance, and Darrel should be owned by someone in the event that Damien Williams or McCoy get hurt. In that scenario, Darrel Williams becomes a hot, high-priced waiver add. Right now, he’s super cheap because the volume is unpredictable, and low.

Wide Receivers

Cole Beasley, Bills (15% Owned): Beasley will probably be ignored coming off a bye, but he has the potential to go nuts on the Dolphins this week. He only saw three targets against Tennessee, so fantasy owners will definitely be off the scent. Don’t ignore the fact that he saw double-digit targets in the previous two games, and has seen at least nine targets in three of five tilts. Beasley is Josh Allen’s safety blanket, and he’s been consistent except for the Week 5 dud against a strong Titans secondary.

Jamison Crowder, Jets (42% Owned): This might as well have been live footage of the Jets wide receivers when it was announced Sam Darnold was returning to the field.

 Crowder caught 14 passes for 99 yards in Week 1 with Darnold, and in Week 6m with Darnold back, Crowder caught six balls for 98 yards. Touchdowns aren’t going to be plentiful for the smallish slot receiver, but Crowder gets open and will be a PPR monster moving forward with his QB.

Auden Tate, Bengals (23% Owned): I’m beginning to hate all things Bengals because of their vomit-inducing offensive line play, but if you are hard up for a WR, Auden Tate has been a bit of a target hound. He’s seen six or more targets every game since Week 3, racked up 50 or more yards in three of those games, and scored a touchdown in the only game where he dipped below 50 yards. He’s been useful for fantasy owners, and he doesn’t draw the opposition’s top DB, even sans A.J. Green. I don’t love him, but you can fire him up and be confident you won’t get a doughnut.

A.J. Brown, Titans (19% Owned): Brown has been horrible for fantasy most weeks, but I can’t quit on his size and ability. He’s a player to use strictly in plus matchups, but maybe he can pop with Ryan Tannehill at QB? Tannehill is not a major upgrade on Marcus Mariota, but at this point I’m not sure you can downgrade from a Mariota passing game. The upcoming slate for Brown is Chargers, Bucs and at Panthers, which are all exploitable for big plays.

Jakobi Myers, Patriots (1% Owned): Myers is a sneaky add. He has pretty much no stats this season, as he’s been buried on the Patriots’ busy depth chart. But Myers caught eyes this preseason, and he stepped up for four catches and 41 yards once Josh Gordon left the game this past Thursday. We don’t know how much time Gordon will miss, if any, after hurting his leg, but if he’s out Myers is likely to see a sharp uptick in targets. At 6’2, 200 lbs., Myers should see targets in the red zone, and he looks quick enough to make plays all over the field. He’s not as talented as Josh Gordon is, but you don’t need to be to succeed with Tom Brady.

Tight Ends

Darren Fells, Texans (3% Owned): Fells is lowkey becoming a steady option at the position. He’s not a big name, and he’s overshadowed by WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, but after scoring twice against Atlanta on two targets, Fells notched 69 yards on six receptions (seven targets) against the Chiefs. Fells, a former basketball player, is a matchup nightmare on the goal line, and definitely has the ability to be a useful TD-or-bust type against weaker defenses.

Dawson Knox, Bills (8% Owned): Knox carries obvious risk, but this week he will face the Dolphins, who entered last week as the worst defense against tight ends despite not even playing in Week 4. Miami’s defense struggles to defend just about every type of skill player, but they’re especially poor vs. TEs, and Knox could be a good bet for a TD or two. I’d still only play him if desperate, but he is playable.