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Andy's must-have bench stashes and sneaky fantasy football waiver wire adds, sleepers ahead of Week 7 in 2025. Pick up these high-upside players before Week 7.
Week 6 taught us the importance of stashing high-upside players. Managers who got ahead of the curve and stashed Kimani Vidal likely secured a solid RB2 for the foreseeable future.
In this piece, we will highlight several emerging rookies who have been climbing their depth charts and could become must-start players in the coming weeks.
However, these suggestions are not meant to be your "one-week" replacement players. The vast majority of these players hold minimal standalone value but could become must-start players as soon as they receive a boost in the depth chart. All players suggested are available in at least 75% of all Yahoo! leagues. Let's dive in!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Running Backs
Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys
5% rostered
Even though Jaydon Blue has not looked overly impressive in his limited opportunities, he is now the clear RB2 behind Javonte Williams, which makes him a priority stash candidate. With Miles Sanders (knee) hitting the IR and being shut down for the remainder of the campaign, Blue was able to make his long-awaited NFL debut in Week 5.
In the game, the Texas product logged just four rushing attempts for seven yards and ran three routes. In Week 6, Blue saw a similar role, taking just three carries for zero yards and running only one route.
During this two-game stretch, Williams has dominated the backfield, logging 77% and 85% of the snaps, respectively. However, due to Williams' massive workload, the veteran could be in danger of suffering an injury, particularly because of the numerous knee injuries he has dealt with throughout his career.
In addition, while he enjoyed a hot start to the 2024 campaign, he saw his production significantly decline in the second half. During his final 10 games, he averaged just 8.0 PPR points per gam over his final 10 contests.
While the 19.0 PPR points per game upside he is flashing in Dallas does not appear to be slowing down, managers should look to roster Blue as he is emerging as one of the top handcuffs to hold. While he may not have the upside Tyler Allgeier would possess if he were to be pushed up the depth chart, Blue would be joining an elite offense that would provide ample scoring opportunities.
Over his final two seasons in college, Blue averaged a strong 5.75 yards per carry and was productive as a receiver, catching 42 passes for 368 yards in his final season.
Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
8% rostered
My other running back to start ahead of Week 7 is another fellow rookie. Unlike Blue, Smith has seen his role gradually increase over the past few weeks, and he could make a case to take over the backfield, despite Isiah Pacheco's recent increase in opportunities. In Weeks 1 through 3, Smith took only three attempts and saw two targets.
However, in each of his last three games, Smith has seen 11 total targets and caught at least three passes in each contest. During this stretch, he has totaled 80 receiving yards. However, he was not involved in the ground attack, taking only five carries for 13 yards.
Despite his minor role as a rusher, Smith is slowly growing into Kansas City's primary receiving back. Given that Kareem Hunt and Pacheco have struggled to find their footing this season and are on pace to post a modest 4.2 YPC and a 3.8 YPC mark, respectively, Smith could see his role as a rusher increase in the second half.
Managers in the PPR formats should consider stashing Smith as his role will continue to grow as the season progresses. Remember when Jerick McKinnon averaged 20.4 PPR points per game over the final six games of the 2022 NFL Season?
A similar outcome could be in the cards for Smith, as McKinnon was really involved in the ground game and released only on his pass-catching skill set. Despite the minimal rushing attempts, McKinnon was a league-winner. Pacheco's increased role may not affect Smith's upside.
Other RBs to Consider Stashing:
- Sean Tucker TB
- Kyle Monangai CHI
- DJ Giddens IND
- Isaiah Davis NYJ
- Ray Davis BUF
High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Wide Receivers
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
10% rostered
Luther Burden has been referenced in this column before, but this may be your final opportunity to stash him. Rookie receivers typically make a larger impact after their bye week, and Burden's production proved this theory to be true. In Week 6 (following their week 5 bye), Burden caught all four of his targets for 51 yards. This yardage total was higher than both DJ Moore and Rome Odunze.
This was a stellar bounce-back outing for Burden as he caught two passes for -4 yards in Week 4. In Week 3, he enjoyed a breakout game, tallying 101 yards with his first career NFL touchdown.
Seeing him gain the trust of Caleb Williams and earn ample targets in a close game on Monday evening suggests Burden's role in the offense is growing. Burden will likely overtake the slot role from Olamide Zaccheaus in the coming weeks. Get ahead of your league mates and stash a rookie with high-end WR3 upside.
Caleb goes to Luther Burden for 37-yard gain!
CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/84ZTm8DZ8T— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
Jack Bech, Las Vegas Raiders
8% rostered
Following the trend above, we will also have another rookie, Jack Bech. Bech saw his stock plummet in training camp, as fellow rookie Dont'e' Thornton Jr. was given more snaps than him and opened the season as the team's WR3. However, recently, Bech has begun to slide into the WR3 role behind Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker.
In each of his last two games, Bech has logged more than Thornton and recently posted a season-high 75% of the snaps in their Week 6 victory over the Tennessee Titans. While Bech's box scores leave much to be desired, seeing his role increase is a very positive sign. In fact, he could become the team's WR2 much sooner than expected.
Reports suggest that Meyers is once again on the trade block. Meyers requested a trade from the Raiders at the beginning of the season, and this request may soon be granted. While Geno Smith has not played at a high level, which will limit Bech's ceiling, if he were to move into the WR2 role, he would carry FLEX upside on a weekly basis, similar to how Tucker currently does.
Managers in deep three-WR formats should consider stashing Bech ahead of Week 7 as Meyers could be shipped out of Vegas in the near future.
Other WRs to Consider Stashing:
- Jordan Whittington LAR
- Jalen Coker CAR
- Christian Watson GB
- Tory Horton SEA
High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Tight Ends
Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers
5% rostered
Isaiah Likely remains my priority tight end to stash, but since we discussed him last week, let's look at Oronde Gadsden of the Chargers. Gadsden turned in his best start from his debut season in Week 6, catching seven of his eight targets for an impressive 89 yards. Since making his debut in Week 3, Gadsden has averaged a solid 4.8 targets per game with 36.0 yards per game despite playing in a very crowded pass-catching room.
With Quentin Johnston (hamstring) sidelined last week, Gadsden was able to take on the No. 2 role, as he saw more opportunities than Keenan Allen.
While Johnston will likely return this weekend, Gadsden is still a viable stash option. In fact, seeing him claim the TE1 role over Will Dissly, Tucker Fisk, and Tyler Conklin in just one month of play is very impressive. The Chargers continue to increase his role, which could result in him carrying viable low-end TE1 upside on a weekly basis.
If one of the Chargers' pass-catchers were to miss time, Gadsden could become a top-12 option.
Other TEs to Consider Stashing:
- Ja'Tavion Sanders CAR
- Isaiah Likely BAL
- Theo Johnson NYG
High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Quarterbacks
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
20% rostered
Michael Penix Jr. has struggled at times this season but appears to be finding his footing. After posting back-to-back single-digit PPR points in Weeks 2 and 3, Penix has averaged 20.5 PPR points in his last two games.
During this stretch, Penx has averaged 281.5 passing yards per game and held a 3:1 TD:INT. Much of his production has come from Drake London, who has 268 yards and two of these passing scores over this two-game stretch.
Penix has a favorable schedule of matchups, including the Miami Dolphins in Week 8 and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. Managers with a lower-end QB1 option like Jordan Love or Matthew Stafford should consider stashing Penix, as he could offer high-end QB1 upside if he continues to build on his recent performances.
Penix with another big gain to London
BUFvsATL on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/HlfqEYzLTV— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
Other QBs to Consider Stashing:
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