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Bruno breaks down his must-add fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.
If you are replacing a starting running back this weekend, start with Kendre Miller and Samaje Perine. Miller handled 20 carries on Sunday, and Perine matched Chase Brown's touch total in the Cincinnati Bengals' last game before their bye. Both remain available in plenty of leagues, and both of their workloads deserve another look after the first round of waiver claims.
The Los Angeles Rams give you two ways into an offense missing Davante Adams. Tyler Higbee already owns a steady reception role. Konata Mumpfield has a chance to build one. Puka Nacua's calf injury on Thursday makes both players' availability worth checking before you claim.
Four teams are off in Week 7: the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington Commanders. Kirk Cousins can cover a quarterback opening, and Omar Cooper Jr. is a productive rookie back from injury for receiver-needy managers. If you need immediate RB or flex help, Miller and Cooper are my first two claims.
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2026 Fantasy Football: Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds
All six players are rostered in 60% or fewer of leagues.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
Rostered: 42%
Miller is one of my two top claims.
His 20 carries against the New York Giants were more than twice Alvin Kamara's seven, and he finished with 70 rushing yards and two catches for no receiving yards in the 34-27 victory.
Next comes the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris while Travis Etienne Jr. remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
The trend favors Miller. He had 10 attempts for 30 yards and a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, then doubled that rushing workload against the Giants.
Kamara, meanwhile, went from three carries against Minnesota to seven on Sunday.
Kamara is not going away. He caught two passes for 35 yards and a touchdown against New York, and although a back injury limited him throughout the practice week, he finished Friday without a game designation.
Miller's case rests on his recent carry totals, with Kamara still expected to contribute alongside him.
I would roster Miller in 10- and 12-team leagues and slot him in at RB2 or flex. Pittsburgh has allowed 4.0 yards per carry, so you are buying the workload, not a big-yardage ceiling.
With the Saints on a Week 8 bye, managers needing immediate help should plan on finding another replacement next week.
Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered: 11%
Cincinnati's Week 6 bye paused a meaningful change in its backfield. In the Bengals' last game, Perine carried 14 times for 68 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.
Brown had 13 carries for 39 yards and three receptions for 21 yards. Both backs finished with 16 touches.
Samaje Perine is the recipient of Joe Burrow's 2nd TD pass of the game
@CINvsMIA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/2UA9FlFNbPNFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
That was a big jump for a back who had only three carries in each of the previous two games.
Perine averaged 4.9 yards per rush against the Dolphins to Brown's 3.0, which gives Cincinnati a reason to keep handing him the ball with Brown available.
Zac Taylor praised Perine's ability to finish runs after that win while maintaining confidence in Brown. That is why the move works without a Brown injury: the latest split already supports adding Perine.
I would treat Perine as a PPR flex option and a useful add for Brown's manager. The Bengals return to Baltimore, where the Ravens have held opponents to 3.8 yards per carry.
Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York Jets
Rostered: 43%
Cooper is the other claim I would make first. His ankle injury cost him four games after a 30-yard reception in the season opener.
His return against the New England Patriots immediately gave the New York Jets a receiving threat they had been missing: six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 26-19 loss.
The 48-yard touchdown from Geno Smith was the headline, but his other five catches produced 55 yards. Smith also found Cooper for a 14-yard touchdown that offensive pass interference erased.
Cooper led the team in catches and receiving yards.
The rookie Omar Cooper Jr. makes the 48-yard touchdown catch!
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Adonai Mitchell practiced Friday and was cleared to play. That leaves Cooper competing for targets alongside Mitchell, Garrett Wilson, and Kenyon Sadiq.
I would add Cooper in 12-team leagues and consider him for a WR3 or flex opening against Miami.
The Dolphins have allowed 11 passing touchdowns through five games and 7.8 yards per pass attempt, an appealing matchup to follow his first 100-yard performance.
Konata Mumpfield, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 3%
Mumpfield is the bench add to make before the Rams settle their receiver plans for Sunday.
Nacua left Thursday's practice with a calf injury and was listed as limited, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Friday that the injury was believed to be minor, though Nacua's Week 7 availability is still uncertain.
Adams is already expected to miss six to 10 weeks after rupturing his hamstring, which leaves a substantial opening in Los Angeles' receiving corps.
The Rams list Mumpfield with the first unit on their unofficial depth chart. Sean McVay said this week that the team had not explored adding a receiver externally, and Matthew Stafford spoke positively about Mumpfield getting more opportunities.
With Nacua absent against the Denver Broncos in Week 3, Mumpfield caught four passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, including three consecutive fourth-quarter completions that gained 21, nine, and 48 yards.
The last one briefly put the Rams ahead.
STAFFORD TO MUMPFIELD! RAMS BACK IN FRONT!
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The rest of his season is thin: eight catches for 127 yards and one touchdown, including two receptions for 15 yards on Sunday.
I would add him in 12-team leagues with three starting receivers and keep him on the bench if Nacua plays. If Nacua is unavailable, Mumpfield becomes a more credible Week 7 flex option against Las Vegas.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 36%
Higbee's value runs through catches, not scores. He has caught at least four passes in four straight games, piling up 22 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown, and only one of those four games included a score.
His latest game was the weakest of the four, with four catches for 22 yards and a lost fumble against the Arizona Cardinals. Before that came 62, 67, and 83 receiving yards in consecutive appearances.
For the season, he has 24 receptions for 246 yards and one touchdown.
Terrance Ferguson remains on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen are still involved, and Parkinson caught a touchdown on Sunday, so other tight ends will compete for Stafford's throws near the end zone.
Higbee's recent catches keep him appealing in PPR anyway.
If I needed a tight end in a 12-team PPR league, I would add Higbee and start him.
The Las Vegas Raiders have surrendered 13 passing touchdowns through six games and allowed 7.9 yards per attempt, and Adams' absence removes an established scoring target from an offense already giving Higbee regular receiving work.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Rostered: 58%
Cousins has thrown multiple touchdown passes in five of six games.
That is enough for me to add and start him in 12-team single-quarterback leagues if I were replacing Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, or Jayden Daniels during their bye week.
He just completed 23 of 41 passes for 313 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception against Buffalo, and two games earlier he threw for 365 yards and two scores on 52 attempts against Kansas City.
Las Vegas has shown it will give him heavy passing work when games call for it.
Through six outings, Cousins has 1,582 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The one game without multiple touchdown passes came against New England in Week 5, and he still finished with 243 yards and one score.
The Rams have allowed only 1,043 passing yards through six games, so this recommendation runs on Cousins' own production, not the matchup.
Los Angeles is also missing Myles Garrett, while injuries to Poona Ford and Kobie Turner have depleted its defensive front.
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