RADIO
Week 6 is in the books, and there are officially no more win-less teams going into Week 7 after the Detroit Lions took down the Chicago Bears in overtime. This coming week is one that is loaded with wide receivers who are more than fantasy relevant being absent due to bye weeks.
The Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers are all on bye. Yes, that's three 6-0 teams getting their bye week at the same time. It also means that the likes of Alshon Jeffery, A.J. Green, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Randall Cobb, James Jones and Davante Adams are all on bye, to name a few.
So, it's waiver wire time, because we need to fill in some holes. Fortunately, there's quite a few intriguing fantasy options on the waiver wire heading into Week 7, so let's take a look at a few of the best for the coming week.
Week 7 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers (WR)
Stefon Diggs - WR, MIN - 8% owned on Fleaflicker
Say hello to my personal "Man Crush Monday." Stefon Diggs has been the definition of a silent stud during his two games of action for the Minnesota Vikings. Diggs has totaled 13 catches for 216 yards on 19 targets over that span. Best of all, he's basically been the go-to option for Teddy Bridgewater in the passing game. There's not much to dislike about Diggs' game, as he does a little bit of everything.
To take it to another level, Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune recently reported that wide receiver Mike Wallace compared Diggs to one of the best in the league, Antonio Brown. You can't catch much higher praise than that, and it's obvious through just two games that Diggs may be well-deserving of some major love from teammates and fans. Specifically, fantasy owners should take notice, because Diggs is available in a ton of leagues currently, making him my favorite choice of them all this week. As we saw two weeks ago, even the mighty Denver Broncos defense couldn't stop this rookie receiver.
Dorial Green-Beckham - WR, TEN - 38% owned on Fleaflicker
If you've ever heard the phrase "slow and steady wins the race," then you know it's pretty much a perfect way to describe how the Tennessee Titans have brought along Green-Beckham. The second-round pick in 2015 caught two touchdowns over his first three games, but then went catch-less against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Cause for concern? Not so much, as that game was essentially an offensive snoozer, ending in a 14-13 loss for the Titans.
Turning the page to Week 6, Green-Beckham had his most productive day as an NFL player, catching three balls for 57 yards. What's even more interesting to note is that he received six targets. It's obvious that his role is increasing in Tennessee, so there's no reason not to grab him on your roster now. That's not to say that he's going to come out and be a complete fantasy stud in Week 7, but he has serious long-term potential as the season rolls on. Time to give DGB one of your roster spots.
Cecil Shorts - WR, HOU - 15% owned on Fleaflicker
In the last two games that Shorts played in, against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, there's been one key thing to note about the Houston Texans' offense. Brian Hoyer saw extended action. The facts are simple, when Hoyer is under center, it's great news for not only superstar DeAndre Hopkins, but also for Shorts as well.
According to Tania Ganguli of ESPN, Texans coach Bill O'Brien has locked in Hoyer as their starter, meaning that the quarterback carousel has come to an end, at least for the time being. That's great for Shorts, Texans fans and fantasy football players. Shorts is owned in just 15 percent of leagues currently on Fleaflicker, meaning that you can snatch him up all over the place to fill any voids. Over the past two games, Shorts has caught 10 balls for 150 yards and one touchdown, while seeing 16 targets come his direction.
Other Wide Receivers To Consider Adding
Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS - 12% owned on Fleaflicker
Crowder is quickly becoming one of the favorite targets of quarterback Kirk Cousins. While the Washington Redskins looked pretty much awful during their 34-20 loss to the New York Jets, Crowder received nine targets, resulting in four catches for 40 yards. Over the past four games, he's seen 35 targets, resulting in 237 yards. Crowder is a great PPR option, but even in standard leagues he's going to be worth grabbing if you have an open roster spot. The Jets have one of the stronger passing defenses in the NFL, allowing just 44 receptions for 573 yards and three touchdowns all year, so don't get down on Crowder's 40-yard performance in Week 6.
The Redskins face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots in their next two games, both of which have a passing defense ranked in the bottom 13 of the NFL against opposing wide receivers. Crowder should have no problem producing for fantasy owners in the near future.
Bryan Walters, WR, JAX - 0% owned on Fleaflicker
Before the 2015 season, Bryan Walters had a total of nine receptions for 84 yards and no touchdowns over two seasons. The former Cornell wide receiver was basically an unknown, that is, until he began to grab hold of the slot receiver job for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Walters didn't do much over the first three games of 2015, but he's impressed in both Weeks 5 and 6, catching 12 balls for 151 yards.
While Walters is still looking for his first NFL touchdown, his 12 targets in a 31-20 loss to the Houston Texans were a definite step in the right direction. Walters was a favorite target for Blake Bortles on Sunday, and the Jaguars face the Bills in Week 7, who have allowed 79 catches for 854 yards and seven touchdowns to opposing wide receivers. Need a plug-and-play option this coming week? Walters may be a sneaky one.
Michael Floyd, WR, ARI - 56% owned on Fleaflicker
Welcome back to fantasy relevance, Michael Floyd. Not only did Floyd catch five balls for 50 yards and a touchdown in Arizona's Week 6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he was ridiculously close to scoring a second touchdown as well. With Carson Palmer spreading the ball around quite a bit, Floyd could be another nice plug-and-play option in Week 7.
The reason? The Cardinals face a Baltimore Ravens team who has been the second-worst in the NFL against opposing wide receivers. So far in 2015, they've allowed 84 receptions for 1,096 yards and seven touchdowns to wide outs. Don't sleep on Floyd as a flex option this week if you need a filler.
