High-Upside Bench Stashes: Week 7

Matt MacKay's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and sleepers ahead of Week 7. He picks high-upside players to stash on your teams who can emerge as starters.

Injuries and the onset of bye weeks have stripped quite a few talented teams and their top players from lineup viability, making roster depth a necessity and no longer just a luxury. Five of the six teams with a Week 7 bye have at least a .500 record or better, meaning role players on less capable offenses will see more exposure in fantasy lineups.

Knowing which players to stash on your bench and which to leave on waivers is key to navigating the continuous depth chart shuffling seen by many teams throughout the league.

Below is my list of widely available players to consider stashing off of league waiver wires, with a couple of them even bordering on potential flex plays for Week 7 and beyond. Others vary from floor-play insurance to stashing increasingly intriguing offensive assets. Regardless of their purpose, these are all widely available players who are worth stashing to patch any holes on your roster.

David Johnson, Houston Texans

It's challenging to justify stashing any piece of the Houston Texans offense right now. The backfield is a mixture of veteran running backs that uses Mark Ingram II as the first and second-down ball carrier, while David Johnson earns the most targets as the third-down specialist. Phillip Lindsay has been relegated to only 20 percent of snaps this season, well behind the 42.4 percent offensive snaps that Johnson leads with inside their running back room. In PPR leagues, Johnson possesses more value than Ingram. However, he cedes nearly all valuable carries at the goal-line to Ingram, which caps his full potential to climb into low-end RB2 territory. He has averaged 3.9 YPC on just 20 carries, but Johnson's 10.3 percent target share keeps his value as a low-floor play that lacks explosive upside.

Giovani Bernard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay upgraded their offense this season by adding depth by signing talented scat-back Giovani Bernard, who spent his first few seasons in Cincinnati. Bernard is a player that should be stashed on benches for potential injury insurance, as he provides standalone value in PPR leagues due to his consistent hands and the possibility of seeing his targets increase. Lately, Leonard Fournette has been the leading target out of the Bucs' backfield, but Bernard did see the most targets in each of the first three games this season. When targeted, Bernard has caught 17 of 19 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. It's a limited sample size compared to Fournette's 31 targets through six games. However, the Bucs will be without Rob Gronkowski, and Antonio Brown against the Chicago Bears this weekend. Bernard could creep into RB2 territory if he is fed more than two targets, which he has not surpassed since Week 3. A stingy Chicago defense could force Tom Brady to throw more designed screens and routes in the middle of the field for Bernard, making him a definite bench stash and an intriguing, albeit risky, Flex option at home in Week 7.

Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints

Hamstring injuries tend to flare up, but third-year wideout Deonte Harris is worth stashing on your bench for his top-end speed and elite playmaking ability when healthy. Despite being the Saints' WR3 playing only 34.9 percent of the offensive snaps behind both Marquez Callaway and Kenny Stills, Harris is still seeing 14.4 percent of offensive targets this season, second amongst the wide receiving corps and third overall on the team. He can win your week with one big play as he's done in multiple games with a deep-ball touchdown reception or draw near double-digit targets when the Saints are trailing and need a score. Harris' usage is dependent on the game script, but his explosiveness makes him worth stashing on fantasy benches.

K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings

K.J. Osborn has emerged as the unquestioned WR3 for Minnesota in his second year. Osborn is featured on 62.7 percent of offensive snaps this season and has caught 74 percent of his targets, a better rate than fellow second-year star wideout Justin Jefferson. Osborn is part of the massive Week 7 Bye but has a favorable upcoming schedule and finished his last outing with six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown in their Week 6 overtime win against Carolina. He has seen seven targets in two of his previous three games and averaged 11.1 yards per target against the Panthers, meaning his momentum could transfer out of the Bye and create a consistent WR3 prospect to Flex in lineups.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta has been without a pair of wide receivers, including fourth-year wideout Russell Gage, who has not played since Week 2. In their disappointing opening loss to Philadelphia, Gage was virtually nonexistent but caught five of seven targets for 28 yards the following week. While the average depth per target was a discouraging four yards, he should return to a WR2 role behind Calvin Ridley coming out of their Week 6 Bye. Matt Ryan dominated against the New York Jets and has thrown for over 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns this season, meaning Gage could benefit the veteran figuring out Arthur Smith's offensive scheme. In the weeks following his absence, Tajaé Sharpe, Olamide Zaccheaus, nor Christian Blake proved capable of filling the role, as none of them have averaged above an 8.4 percent target share this season. A pair of upcoming favorable matchups that starts against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 could launch Gage into WR3 territory. Cordarelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts have been the alphas for the Falcons offense, but the return of Ridley also means expectations should be tempered in regards to Gage hitting his ceiling. Stash Gage and watch how Smith incorporates him back into their offense before rolling him into lineups, as he is easing into an offense that has scored at least 25 points in three of their last four games.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

It's increasingly evident that as each week passes, Mike Tomlin and Matt Canada are rewarding rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth with most of the team's offensive snaps. Since Week 4, Freiermuth has outpaced Eric Ebron and has made the most of his opportunities, hauling in 18 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown to rank as the current TE22 in PPR formats. Not only can he execute blocks well, but Freiermuth also has a ridiculous 90 percent catch rate and averages 7.9 yards per target, doubling Ebron in both statistical categories. Pittsburgh has yet to unlock their offense, but Ben Roethlisberger appears comfortable with the rookie tight end, as he already has tossed three red zone targets to Frierimuth through six weeks. So stash him on your bench and wait for the targets to become more consistent, as his usage in the passing game fluctuates tremendously.

Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team

Stashing Taylor Heinicke is a solid decision if you're concerned about a potential injury to your starting quarterback or don't necessarily like their trajectory within the offense. He is 17th in touchdown rate at 4.5 percent while ranking 15th in pass attempts of 20 yards or more, meaning Heinicke is willing to air it out for a big play from time to time. However, his mobility and rushing upside offer perhaps the most considerable appeal, as he ranks eighth in rushing yards (127) while averaging 5.1 YPC, making him a good stash on benches that can be used as a relief fill-in during Bye weeks or injuries.

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