Week #7 Waiver Watch Of Truth
This week looks to be another busy one for the wire with more injuries occurring and players returning from injury, not to mention bye weeks in full swing. Let’s dive right in for week #7.
Quarterbacks
Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots (3% rostered) – After Mac Jones was forced to the sideline with a high ankle sprain, 4thround rookie Bailey Zappe has stepped in and led the Patriots to back to back wins in his first two starts. While the running game and defense has been the stars during New England’s 2 game win streak, Zappe was solid in his first start in Week 5, and exploded for 309 yards and 2 TDs in Week 6. Mac Jones is expected to miss at least one more week I believe, and the Patriots have a favorable matchup at home against the Bears. The Bears’ defense has been quietly good, overshadowed by their abysmal offense, but in a 2QP or Superflex league I would take the shot on Zappe over the likes of Dalton, Stafford, Tannehill, etc.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (67% rostered) – Tua is most likely owned in your league given his high roster percentage, but always worth double checking in case managers dropped him over uncertainty from the concussion injury. If he’s available, he’s by far my #1 add at QB this week. He showed off his ceiling against Baltimore in Week 3 and missed parts of Weeks 3 and 4 with the concussion. Reports say they expect Tua to start in Week 7 in a home matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Miami has a favorable schedule the rest of the way and with weapons like Hill, Waddle and Gesicki, Tua has a sky high ceiling every single week.
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons (25% rostered) – Mariota is a deeper add and most likely not your best option in 1QB leagues, but if you’re hurting at QB he makes a solid floor option as he’s provided 15+ fantasy points in 5 of 6 games this season. Currently ranked 31st in pass attempts, the Falcons don’t throw enough for Mariota to have much of a ceiling, but his rushing ability and efficiency provide a nice floor each week.
Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts (29% rostered) – After a hot and cold start to the season, Ryan delivered in a big way in Week 6 with 389 yards and 3 touchdowns. He offers nothing in the run game but showed last week he can still sling it and he gets another soft matchup next week against Tennessee. The Titans are currently the worst pass defense in the NFL allowing 287 yards per game which Ryan should be able to take advantage of. We’ll see if RB Jonathan Taylor gets back on the field this week which could limit Ryan’s volume a bit, but hopefully make the offense more efficient overall.
Running Backs
Kenyan Drake, Baltimore Ravens (8% rostered) – JK Dobbins was unfortunately very limited this week as post-game reports say Dobbins experienced some tightness in his knee. Dobbins missed all of 2021 with a major knee injury and was already slow to return this year. If the knee issues continue to linger for Dobbins, we could see much more of Kenyan Drake, as we did in Week 6. He received 12 opportunities which turned into 127 total yards and a score. Baltimore is notorious for sharing RB opportunities, but Murray showed he still has some juice and should see the majority of the committee. Murray most likely isn’t a long-term solution to save your team with the hopeful return of Gus Edwards soon. However Edwards tore his ACL in 2021 as well, and has been extremely slow to get back on the field. Murray could provide solid FLEX value for a few weeks.
Latavius Murray, Denver Broncos (18% rostered) – After signing with Denver a few weeks ago, Murray got his first taste of action in Week 4, seeing decent involvement immediately with 12 opportunities in the first game without Javonte Williams. After missing Week 5, Murray was right back in the mix and by far the lead RB for Denver Monday night with 16 opportunities. Teammates Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone were limited to only 5 total opportunities between them, signaling the Broncos’ frustrations with Gordon’s fumbling have forced Murray into the lead RB role. Murray was solid yet unspectacular turning those opportunities into 64 total yards. He’s worth an add as a FLEX play if Gordon continues to get the dog house treatment from the Denver coaching staff.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams (10% rostered) – This is a deeper stash that won’t pay dividends immediately, but we could see Williams heavily involved in the Rams’ offense coming off the bye in Week 8. Recent reports unexpectedly popped up around Cam Akers missing this week’s game for personal reasons, and now the Rams looking to trade the young RB. Coming off his achilles injury in 2021, Akers was sluggish in the playoffs last year, and hasn’t been able to get going this season. If the Rams trade away Akers, it leaves Darrel Henderson and Kyren Williams left in the backfield, assuming Williams is healed up from his ankle injury which has sidelined him since Week 1. Some reports mentioned the Rams having big plans for Williams at the beginning of the season, and we could see that play out when he returns, especially now with less competition in the backfield. If you have room on your bench, he’s worth a stash for a few weeks.
Deon Jackson, Indianapolis Colts (51% rostered) – In Week 5 Jonathan Taylor missed the first game of his career, and expectations were high for running mate Nyheim Nines. Unfortunately Hines suffered a concussion on the first drive which forced Jackson and Phillip Lindsay into action for the Colts. Jackson received 17 opportunities in that game and provided 13 fantasy points which might not have grabbed the attention of many owners. Heading into Week 6, with Taylor and Hines both inactive, Jackson was given all he could handle, and put on a superstar performance, turning 22 opportunities into 121 total yards and a touchdown. The most attractive part especially if you play in PPR leagues was the 10 targets Jackson got in this game. We don’t know the status of Hines and Taylor this early in the week, but Jackson is worth adding on the end of the bench if he’s available in case they miss again. If Taylor comes back this week, I think Jackson should stay on the bench, but if Taylor misses again and Hines were to return, I think Jackson is still an attractive FLEX option gives Hines has never been a workhorse.
Wide Receivers
WanDale Robinson, New York Giants (20% rostered) – The Giants continue to shock the world by improving to 5-1 with an impressive comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens this past week. Their defense has carried the team thus far while the offense has been good enough, but severely lacking playmakers outside of RB Saquon Barkley. Robinson was a high second round draft pick by the Giants in 2022 and after getting injured in Week 1, he’s finally healthy and back for Big Blue. In his first game back he only saw 23% of the Giants’ snaps, but you have to imagine that number improves each week forward. His 4 targets on a limited snap count is very encouraging for the young WR and as his snap share rises, he should see more opportunities, potentially in the 7-8 range per game.
Tyquan Thornton, New England Patriots (4% rostered) – Thornton was a head scratcher second round pick in the 2022 draft, but Week 6 he displayed the talent that Bill Belichick apparently saw in him. After missing the first 4 weeks of the season, Thornton appeared in his first game for New England in Week 5, seeing 3 targets and 42% of snaps. His involvement jumped way up in Week 6 with 57% of snaps and 8 opportunities in the game, which he turned into 53 total yards and 2 touchdowns. While we shouldn’t bank on multiple scores every week, he was a high draft pick who has gotten more involved in the offense the last 2 games.
Robbie Anderson, Arizona Cardinals (18% rostered) – No that is not a typo. If you haven’t followed the news the last few days, Robbie Anderson has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals after getting kicked off the sideline by his coach this past Sunday. The opportunity lined up perfectly for Arizona who just lost Hollywood Brown to a season ending foot injury, and they added the young speedster. Arizona’s offense hasn’t been the elite unit we all expected, but they have been lacking playmakers outside of Brown. Rondale Moore, a second round pick from 2021, has gotten healthy and shown flashes, and we expect Deandre Hopkins to return next week, so Anderson most likely won’t be stepping into 8+ targets a game. But he will most likely be on the field a ton for Arizona in 2 and 3 WR sets, and a few deep shots a game from Kyler is worth adding on the end of the bench.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers (57% rostered) – Claypool carries a somewhat high roster percentage, but worth checking to see if he’s available. He’s probably not a reliable starter each and every week, but showed in Week 6 he still has the capability to give you a nice week. He caught all 7 of his targets for 96 yards and a touchdown and seemed to have a connection with Mitch Trubisky, who took over for the injured Kenny Pickett. Outside of the Week 4 game where he only saw 2 targets, Claypool has received 6+ targets in every game. He’s worth throwing on the bench as some depth for the upcoming bye weeks.
Tight Ends
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots – The tight end landscape is always a crapshoot but Henry is someone on the upswing. He has seen his targets, yards and snap count increase over the last 4 weeks and he turned in his biggest performance of the season in Week 6 with 16.1 fantasy points. I’m sure there’s weeks ahead Henry will give a 2-4 point performance, but he’s worth streaming if you’re in the tight end wasteland given his increase in opportunity and productivity the last several weeks.
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos (4% rostered) – A surprise healthy scratch for Albert O led way for Greg Dulcich to start at TE for Denver. He’s a risky play to throw into the lineup immediately, but we could see a situation where Dulcich becomes the permanent starter and gets more involved in the offense as the season goes on. He saw 3 targets in his first action and cashed it in for 44 yards and a score. He was argued as the #1 TE in the 2022 class and displayed near elite athleticism in college. He’s a high upside stash that could provide a ceiling in the Tight End wasteland if gets more involved.
Daniel Bellinger, New York Giants (7% rostered) – Another deep dart throw, Bellinger has been on the field a ton lately for the Giants, seeing his snap share rise each week this season, and on the field for 94% of snaps in Week 6. He has a decent chance to score a TD with 2 already on the season, and if he can get 5+ targets a week he should provide a nice baseline in PPR leagues.
Good luck and as always, stay true!