Fantasy Football 2021 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 roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones, Giants (33% Rostered): Jones was abominable on Sunday in a brutal matchup vs. the Rams, but that was to be expected without most of his major weapons, injuries along his offensive line, and losing breakout rookie WR Kadarius Toney in the first quarter. These issues all remain, but Jones won’t be facing Aaron Donald moving forward, and he has softer matchups in Week 8 (Kansas City) and Week 9 (Las Vegas). Jones still has promising rushing upside each week, even though we haven’t seen it in the last two games, so he can still be a low-end QB1 when the matchup is right. If you will need a QB in the next three weeks, Jones can be added on the cheap.

Justin Fields, Bears (32% Rostered): Hopefully you’ve planned ahead with regard to your QB situation, because it’s thin this week on waivers. Fields just hasn’t been good for fantasy, but Sunday was his most encouraging performance to date. He only managed 174 passing yards, but he did find Darnell Mooney for a TD, and, more importantly, rushed six times for 43 yards. That’s what fantasy owners are looking for, and even if he picks up the rushing yardage on scrambles, he’s so athletic he can really atone for his passing shortcomings. He has a date with Tampa Bay this week, who have a secondary that is completely shredded by injury. It’s a risky move, but Fields could have himself a day.

Running Backs

J.D. McKissic, Football Team (42% Rostered): McKissic is going to be a top add this week since Antonio Gibson might have to miss time with his shin injury, and I’d expect McKissic to be productive. But do NOT add him under the impression you’re getting an RB1. This not Austin Ekeler here; McKissic will pile up yardage, but his opportunity will still be heavily dependent on game script. Green Bay might boat race the Football Team early, in which case McKissic will see high volume like last week. Just be aware, he will still be vulnerable to low-touch weeks.

Rashaad Penny, Seahawks (8% Rostered): Penny is coming off IR, and while that would typically be met with a shrug, he could be very valuable with Chris Carson on IR, and Alex Collins all of a sudden hurt. Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer have proven they ain’t it, while Penny has shown plenty of times he might be, if only he could stay healthy. Penny’s value drops significantly if Collins can play, which Pete Carroll hasn’t ruled out, but he is probably worth an add regardless because an injured Collins would probably not see a full workload.

D’Ernest Johnson, Browns (3% Rostered): Johnson is probably in line for a big workload this week if Nick Chubb can’t come back from his calf injury, although the matchup is ugly (Denver) and his time at the head of the backfield figures to be short-lived, even if Chubb doesn’t play in Week 7. Johnson might be playable if you’re completely desperate as a second fiddle to Chubb, but even then, Demetric Felton could be involved on passing downs while Kareem Hunt is out. I’m not excited about this add, but if you’re really in a pickle, throw a low-value bid in there and hope Chubb rests one more game.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (11% Rostered): We’re here again, having absolutely no clue how to project the Patriots backfield. Stevenson saw five carries and three targets last week, impressively catching all three for 39 yards. He saw 33% of the team’s snaps, and looked like be might make Brandon Bolden extinct. Damien Harris is still the lead dog, but Stevenson looked powerful and if he can catch the ball he is definitely a worthy stash.

Sony Michel, Rams (50% Rostered): Michel should be rostered by Darrell Henderson managers, because even if he’s a worse player, any RB getting big touches in this offense will be fantasy relevant. Much like Alexander Mattison, if Henderson goes down you’ll have to spend a LOT of FAAB on Michel. Why not grab him now when he’s free?

Ronald Jones, Buccaneers (37% Rostered): Jones is an afterthought right now, and that’s all there is to it. But he’s talented, and they’ll remember real quick if Leonard Fournette gets hurt. He’s a pure handcuff right now, but a worthy stash.

Wide Receivers

Darnell Mooney, Bears (44% Rostered): Mooney is a volatile player, but he is highly explosive and was seeing a lot of targets going into last week. He finally scored a touchdown vs. the Packers, and has a beautiful matchup this week with the Buccaneers, who not only have a secondary made up of taped together sticks, but also can light up the scoreboard and force the Bears to throw. Mooney may be inconsistent, with a too-green QB, but his style of play is matchup proof and he has actually played well all year. Touchdowns are fickle, and his totals have been punished by their absence; we’re about process here, not results.

Tim Patrick, Broncos (35% Rostered): Another week, another fantasy-relevant performance from Patrick. I’m not sure what he did to make fantasy managers hate him, but he was back in the end zone this week for his third score, and saw another six targets. What’s left to be said? With bye weeks in full force and injuries piling up, it’s very weird to see him so widely available. I’d recommend scooping him up.

Christian Kirk, Cardinals (45% Rostered): Kirk can be a big time receiver, it’s just that this team is kind of loaded. Kirk’s volume can’t be guaranteed, but in a pinch he can definitely be played with high upside, like we saw Sunday when he went for five catches, 75 yards and a touchdown. Would I draft him and count on him? No. In deeper leagues though he can be tossed out there against the Texans in Week 7.

A.J. Green, Cardinals (44% Rostered): Green is similar to Kirk in that he could go off in any week, but he actually has a higher floor. Green has seen exactly six targets in all but one game this year, and scored in half of the Cardinals’ games. He probably has a lower weekly ceiling than Kirk, but it isn’t much lower and he’s probably the superior add despite his age.

Hunter Renfrow, Raiders (47% Rostered): Renfrow was kept out of the end zone again, which he will be most weeks. He’s not a high-priority add, but he did see five more targets from Derek Carr, and will continue to steadily see targets all year. Are you desperate for a guy just won’t goose you? Add Renfrow for free.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (23% Rostered): St. Brown is emerging as the Lions’ top WR target, which probably is not worth a ton. Still, opportunity is king, and he’s seen seven or more targets in three straight games. With that kind of opportunity, touchdowns are around the corner, especially when the Lions’ defense sucks and forces pass-heavy game scripts. He’s not an exciting add, but he may come in handy for heavy bye weeks.

Tight Ends

Ricky Seals-Jones, Football Team (29% Rostered): Seals-Jones has stepped right in for Logan Thomas, drawing 15 targets in the last two games and scoring vs. the Chiefs. Green Bay is allowing 7.9 points per game to TEs, so he’s playable in Week 7.

Evan Engram, Giants (33% Rostered): It might make you barf, but Engram is approaching a point where he is damn near the only healthy body for Daniel Jones to throw to. Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney are all banged up, leaving Engram and Sterling Shepard to soak up all the targets. He might still do absolutely nothing with them – he hasn’t topped 55 yards once this year – but targets should be there.