Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates for Week 7

October 23, 2026

Kipp's fantasy football breakouts, sleepers, must-starts for Week 7 of 2026. You should target these emerging players with big upside and start them with confidence.

Welcome to Week 7 of our fantasy football breakout candidate piece for the 2026 NFL season. Each week, we'll point you to emerging players who aren't just top pickups but could see their fantasy values surge by the end of the weekend.

All players listed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy football leagues, as I try to find players who are more widely available when I can. So some of the guys on this list may be lesser-known, but that doesn't mean they can't impact your squad in future weeks.

As this article is published each and every Friday, this list should be helpful for additions in the current week as well as ones to consider for the following week. Let's dive in!

Week 7 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins - 4% rostered

The Miami Dolphins backfield consists of Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright, with the former receiving the bulk of the work. That being said, Jaylen Wright still has a role in this offense and would almost certainly take over the lead back role if anything were to happen to Gordon.

Wright, even with Gordon in the backfield, has seen 11 carries over the previous two weeks. While he has not done much with said carries, he still makes for an intriguing option on your roster. The matchup this week is against the New York Jets, which is a pretty solid spot.

Overall, the Jets are allowing an average of nearly 106 rushing yards per game to running backs, which ranks sixth-worst in the league. They are also allowing an average of over 4.1 yards per carry, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. Wright may finally be able to do some damage with a respectable workload, although we are looking pretty deep with him as an option.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants - 13% rostered

Tyrone Tracy Jr. makes for an interesting running back moving forward, given that the New York Giants just released Najee Harris, and Cam Skattebo has been in the doghouse recently for fumbling. Skattebo saw just six snaps last week and had zero touches, so this is definitely a situation worth monitoring.

In Skattebo's effective absence, Tracy carried the ball six times for 18 rushing yards and one touchdown and hauled in two receptions for 27 receiving yards and one touchdown. It was a solid performance, and he outpaced Harris 28 to 11 in terms of snaps.

Now, Devin Singletary is back in the mix, so expectations should be tempered here, but Tracy could continue to see his role expand if Skattebo remains on John Harbaugh's naughty list. He may have some value this week against Houston, particularly in PPR leagues, as Houston is currently allowing nearly five receptions per game to the running back position.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. gets the first 6️⃣ on the board for the Giants!

NOvsNYG on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/aZQxb8kK15

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

More RB Options:

• Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders - 31% rostered

Week 7 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles - 32% rostered

The Philadelphia Eagles are currently a mess, as several members of the backfield, including Saquon Barkley, have been injured this season, and now Jalen Hurts is done for the season. This might be a great time for them to start pumping the ball to Makai Lemon and see what they have in terms of future prospects.

Lemon has been heavily involved in this offense recently, as he has seen six or more targets in each of the previous three games. Last week, with Tanner McKee under center, Lemon caught three of six targets for 19 receiving yards. The six targets are what stand out despite the lackluster number of receiving yards he put up.

The matchup this week is against Dallas, which could prove to be rather fruitful. Overall, Dallas is allowing nearly 12 receptions and just under 170 receiving yards per game to wide receivers. The Eagles are also home underdogs in this matchup, so they could be throwing a bit more later in the game, with Lemon being a possible beneficiary of this game script.

Hurts squeezes it into Lemon 🍋

@PHIvsJAX on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/tPVmDazUTc

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks - 29% rostered

Rashid Shaheed is quickly becoming more involved in the Seattle Seahawks' offense. Over the previous two weeks, he has seen 12 total targets, including an eight-target performance just last week at the Denver Broncos. Over that two-game span, he has hauled in seven receptions for 89 receiving yards.

Shaheed is the number three wide receiver in this offense in terms of snaps, behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, but he is firmly entrenched here, with Troy Horton only having seen 97 total snaps this season. He also gets involved in the running game from time to time, as he has had at least one rushing attempt in three of the previous five games.

The matchup this week against Kansas City is a tough one, but Shaheed could still be used as a deep threat to take the top off this defense. Thus far, he has hauled in a reception of 20 or more yards in four of his six games played.

The Chiefs have also allowed some unique production to wide receivers in the running game, as they allow over one carry and nearly six rushing yards per game to wide receivers. Perhaps the Seahawks will look to draw up a couple of rushing plays for Shaheed on Sunday night as they did back in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, one of which resulted in a touchdown.

RASHID SHAHEED RUSHING TOUCHDOWN 🏈

@LACvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/MqtXgnL7yI

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys - 15% rostered

I was not so sure Dallas would have room for a productive third wide receiver with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens hogging up all the targets, but that has not been the case, as Flournoy has seen five or more targets in four of his first six games. He also just saw nine targets in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers.

Over the previous three weeks, he has hauled in 14 receptions for 167 receiving yards and one touchdown. He is also on the field a ton, as he has seen 296 snaps this season, which is only 20 snaps behind Pickens. I think he makes for a nice addition for this week and the future.

This week, he will be up against the Philadelphia Eagles, who are currently allowing over 13 receptions per game to wide receivers, which ranks ninth-worst in the league. They are also allowing over 182 receiving yards per game, which ranks fourth-worst in the league.

I also like his long-term potential, given how much the Cowboys' offense likes to throw the ball. He should continue to see plenty of targets in such a high-volume passing attack.

The Cowboys also have some favorable matchups ahead. After they finish with the Eagles, the Cardinals, Colts, and Titans make up three of the next four games, each of which should prove to be a relatively soft matchup for Flournoy and the Cowboys.

Ryan Flournoy extends for a @DallasCowboys TD 🤠

DALvsGB on NBC/Peacock
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/y9jxkmcNfl

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2026

More WR Options:

• Jaylin Noel, Houston Texans - 13% rostered
• Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins - 44% rostered

More Fantasy Football Analysis