Fantasy Football 2024 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 rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Immediately Useful

Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Chiefs (32% Rostered): It can be hard to remember things from more than a day or two ago in this crazy world of fantasy football, but the last time we saw Smith-Schuster was in Week 5, in a Chiefs uniform, catching seven of eight targets for 130 yards. He won’t always be that good, but he’s back in the precious slot receiver role for Patrick Mahomes, a spot that has consistently led to the most targets on the team among WRs since Tyreek Hill was traded. With his bye behind him, Juju is a lock for a nice target share rest of season. His ceiling isn’t as high as Rashee Rice’s was because he doesn’t have the after the catch wheels of Rice, but Juju will catch a bunch of passes.

Josh Downs, WR, Colts (48% Rostered): Downs has had seven or more receptions and 65+ yards for three straight games, and his connection with Joe Flacco will be remembered fondly. I’m not as high on his prospects with Anthony Richardson back at QB, only because Downs’ game, elite short and intermediate route running, doesn’t quite line up with Richardson’s. Richardson is supremely talented, but he is often better throwing down the field, with his short and intermediate throws being very inconsistent. Still, Downs can be Richardson’s best friend as a safety blanket if Richardson can improve his accuracy even a little bit. The talent here should be enough for Downs to be widely rostered, and after this stretch his role should be cemented.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Giants (45% Rostered): Tracy’s been the guy for two weeks now, and he’s gone over 100 yards from scrimmage both times, finding the end zone Sunday night vs. the Bengals. Tracy has explosiveness that Devin Singletary lacks, and while Singletary should still be appreciated for the savvy runner he is, Tracy has undoubtedly earned himself at worst a 50/50 split with the veteran. Will the Giants agree with me? Who knows, but Tracy has real juice and if you need RB assistance Tracy should be on the field with standalone value when Singletary is back. And with Singletary gone, Tracy looks like a three down workhorse.

Allen Lazard, WR, Jets (41% Rostered): Lazard continues to put up fantasy numbers playing with his buddy Aaron Rodgers. He has scored in half of the Jets’ games, and three of the last four. Against the Bills Lazard went for 114 yards while making one of the best catches of the season on a patented Rodgers Hail Mary to end the first half. The back-breaking penalties and horrific drops remain a staple of Lazard’s game, but fantasy managers don’t need to care about that. His role seems solidified no matter how many mistakes he makes, and to his credit, he’s making up for them with scoring plays.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (11% Rostered): I’m not chasing a touchdown here. Vidal, unlike Tracy, will be running well behind J.K. Dobbins when the latter is healthy. But Vidal did well with an increased workload on Sunday, turning six opportunities into 51 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Vidal looked very explosive, and is the clear handcuff to Dobbins with Gus Edwards on IR. There should be standalone value for him in this very run-heavy offense, but he should be treated moreso as a handcuff unless you are desperate.

Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings (28% Rostered): Chandler reverts back to the Speculative/Deep Cuts section if Aaron Jones is available to play, but should Jones miss this week’s game, Chandler will be monopolizing the Minnesota backfield touches. The matchup is pretty brutal with Detroit, but that will be softer than usual with Aidan Hutchinson out of the picture. Chandler is not a high-ceiling option in Week 7, but if Jones misses he’s someone you can comfortably play in the FLEX.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (30% Rostered): Allgier is probably still better suited for the Speculative/Deep Cut section, but in plus matchups like this past week vs. Carolina, Allgeier can run wild because the Falcons are still feeding him healthy opportunity. As frustrating as it may be to see Bijan Robinson come off the field, Allgeier had 108 scrimmage yards and a touchdown! The guy’s good, and he’s got a role here.

Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals (16% Rostered): Wilson has been pretty lively in this Arizona offense which hasn’t been as high-octane as many thought. His usage is a bit inconsistent, but in Week 1 and this past Sunday he salvaged low-catch efforts with a TD. While talented, Wilson’s exhibited a low floor, but he’s also potentially getting a short-term boost with Marvin Harrison Jr. in the concussion protocol. When Harrison is healthy, Wilson is playable, but risky. Without Harrison, Wilson should be a decent FLEX.

Christian Watson, WR, Packers (41% Rostered): Watson was back this week and did Watson things. He caught only three passes, but turned in 68 yards and a touchdown. He’s a very boom or bust player, and hopes of him morphing into a consistent force of nature are probably a pipe dream at this point. With Jordan Love, however, Watson is a dangerous threat who really can make his whole day on a single play. He’s matchup proof due to his size, speed and usage, so he is a FLEX option if you can tolerate his massive bust risk.

Braelon Allen, RB, Jets (47% Rostered): Allen shared the field with Breece Hall a bunch on Monday night, and while his stat line was abysmal, he should’ve scored a touchdown but it was called back for a holding penalty. The new regime made it a point to feed Hall, design touches in space for him, and throw him the football. Allen is very much a distant second fiddle to Hall at this point, but he is on the field and his size and power make him an appealing goal line option. He can be played in the FLEX out of desperation, but the floor is dangerously low.,

Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams (37% Rostered): It’s slim pickings on waivers for QBs, but Stafford is probably laying around your free agent pool. He’s old and doesn’t run anymore, nor does he have a single multi-TD game this season, but he did this last season as well before getting hot later in the year. He’s also expected to get Cooper Kupp back, so having Kupp in the mix, plus a matchup with the Raiders makes him a fine fill in.

Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders (25% Rostered): Ertz went four catches and 68 yards vs. the Ravens Sunday, and he continues to be a source of mediocre production at a position where any production is valued.

Jordan Whittington, WR, Rams (9% Rostered): Whittington has been on the field a lot and heavily targeted in the Rams’ last two games, and Kupp’s return will probably eat into his targets, but could help improve his efficiency. Whittington should be able to play off Kupp nicely, and should benefit from defenses scheming specifically to contain Kupp. When Puka Nacua returns, Whittington probably becomes unplayable, but until then I don’t see why he can’t be a FLEX play.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets (41% Rostered): Rodgers threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns in a pretty tough Bills matchup. It won’t get any easier next week against the Steelers, especially with the supposedly improved offensive line wilting around him, but the new offensive scheme is all about feeding targets to Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. That can only be good for Rodgers, so he can be played in a pinch.

Speculative/Deep Cuts

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Packers (49% Rostered): Wicks disappointed folks in Week 5, and then got hurt on Sunday. With two duds in a row and Watson back in the rotation, many will drop Wicks out of frustration. He’s a fun stash for teams in good health that can afford to store upside on the bench. Wicks has some brutal drops, and Jayden Reed is the alpha of this deep receiving corps, but Wicks is the second-most talented. When all the WRs are right, Wicks is the one I like most after Reed, and he’ll be cheap after more managers drop him.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers (35% Rostered): Two touchdowns make it look like Doubs got the squeaky wheel treatment, but the truth is this is just Doubs’ game. He’s a touchdown-dependent WR, who is in a high-powered offense where lots of touchdowns are available. I don’t envision many big yardage games or high-reception games for him, so the ceiling is pretty low, but he makes for an acceptable bye week/injury crunch dart throw.

Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers (42% Rostered): Jennings’ usage and snap share has come back to Earth for sure, but he remains viable as a talented receiver in a very good offense. His stock can go right back up with an injury to any of the 49ers’ elite receiving options, and he can still catch a touchdown, but the volume he was briefly seeing is gone.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (12% Rostered): Wilson continues to get around 25-40% of snaps,  rarely doing enough with them to have standalone value. Should Josh Jacobs get hurt, Wilson is an instant FLEX.

Roschon Johnson, RB, Bears (26% Rostered): Johnson had buzz as the potential “goal line” back for the Bears. Don’t buy it. Johnson gets the occasional chance, yes, but D’Andre Swift is entrenched as the guy here, and he gets goal line opportunities too. Johnson would be an exciting option if Swift got hurt; this is an emerging offense and Johnson is built for big workloads. But right now, he’s just a handcuff.

Trey Sermon, RB, Colts (50% Rostered): Sermon can be played for as long as Jonathan Taylor is out. He just stinks. Be aware. Sermon had 18 carries on Sunday, and that level of volume is always welcome, but he only turned it into 29 rushing yards. He’s a brutal watch, but volume is king, and he has it for as long as Taylor’s on the mend.

Alec Pierce, WR, Colts (31% Rostered): A week after 134 yards and a score, Pierce goosed. The duality of downfield only threats. Pierce had opportunities down the field, he simply couldn’t connect on them in Week 6. That’s what happens with players of this ilk, and if you played him you probably were upset. Pierce is the one receiver on this team who isn’t hurt by Richardson’s return, because nothing about his role changes, and Richardson is actually a better deep ball at this point than Flacco.

Justice Hill,. RB, Ravens (25% Rostered): Hill faded to the background this week as the Ravens pounded the Commanders with Derrick Henry. Hill is a player who will have moderate standalone value in games where Baltimore has to play catch up, but how often is that happening? Should Henry get hurt, Hill gets a bump, but even then he’s not taking the “Henry role.” The offense simply shifts to Lamar Jackson’s arm.