X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Deeper League Free Agent Pickups for Week 7

Some fantasy football leagues are deep enough that the top Week 7 waiver wire adds are already gone. Jake Trowbridge identifies some deeper free agents to pickup at QB, RB, WR, and TE.

The bye week difficulties continue this week with Carolina, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay all getting their rest in Week 7. It should be noted, however, that just because a player is currently in their bye week, doesn't mean you should avoid them on the waiver wire. In fact, this is often the easiest way to secure long-term value.

Hopefully, you've been paying attention to this article in previous weeks and have been picking some of these guys up as speculative adds. If not, there are still some sparsely-owned players that can give you some value for this week and beyond.

The following players are owned in approximately 10% or fewer of Yahoo leagues, so they won't be the flashiest names on the market. But if you're looking for a good spot start or just need some high-upside lottery tickets, these are your guys. Let's look at some potential waiver wire adds in deep leagues.

Editor's Note: Access RotoBaller’s trusted fantasy football rankings for PPR, Standard, Dynasty, Super Flex, and Best Ball formats. Get tiered cheat sheets, expert analysis, and player outlooks to dominate your draft from every angle.

 

Free Agent Quarterbacks

Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers - 10% owned

Carolina will have a legitimately tough decision to make once Cam Newton is healthy enough to play. The undrafted sophomore has looked cool and confident in relief of Newton, who looked sluggish and inconsistent in the last handful of games he started going back to 2018. Allen has led the Panthers to four straight wins against respectable competition. They hadn't won a game with Newton under center since Week 9 of last season.

From a fantasy perspective, Allen has averaged 225 passing yards per game, has thrown for seven TDs and zero interceptions, and has been a steady and reliable presence in lineups. He's going into a bye this week, and has a tough matchup against San Francisco coming out of it, but I'd feel okay picking Allen up hoping he retains the starting job for a while longer.

Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers - 6% owned

If you can get the image of Rudolph's limp body crashing to the turf out of your head, you should be able to insert the young and hopefully resilient QB into your lineups with confidence after his upcoming bye week. If he starts Week 8, he gets to take on the Dolphins, who have allowed four Top 10 QB performances and an average of 23.5 fantasy points in five games. Through the rest of the fantasy season, there's really only one truly tough matchup remaining for him, which is in Week 15 against the Bills.

You may not want to invest in any individual Steelers skill position player at this point -- outside of perhaps James Conner -- but you still want the guy who's getting all of them the ball.

 

Free Agent Running Backs

Benny Snell Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers - 2% owned

With Jaylen Samuels sidelined, it was easy to be cautiously optimistic about an increased role for the rookie out of Kentucky. Snell hadn't looked special in his limited work prior to Sunday's matchup with the Chargers, but he broke out thanks in large part to a 3rd quarter injury to James Conner. Snell saw 17 carries for 75 yards and added a reception for 14 yards, proving he could fill in capably for Conner if needed.

Snell may be one of the more valuable handcuffs to own in fantasy right now given Pittsburgh's offensive style and the type of workload he would see if Conner were to miss a significant portion of time. The Steelers have their bye week to rest Conner, but be sure to keep an eye on the updates about his quad injury and grab Snell as a speculative add if you have the space.

J.D. McKissic, Detroit Lions - 0% owned

McKissic has turned into what Ty Johnson believers thought he could be in this offense. It's become increasingly clear that Detroit doesn't trust or doesn't want Kerryon Johnson to be a workhorse running back, but they've turned to McKissic to fill the spell/3rd down role over the other Johnson.

Granted, it's not as if you want to put McKissic into your starting at this very moment. He saw just five total touches and put up 11 total yards against Green Bay on Monday Night. But keep in mind this was on a night where Kerryon only touched the ball 15 times and was equally ineffective against the Packers Defense. In more favorable matchups, there could be a world where McKissic provides flex value outside his merits as the handcuff.

 

Free Agent Wide Receivers

Demaryius Thomas, New York Jets - 4% owned

This is not a typo. Demaryius Thomas may be fantasy relevant again. The Jets offense was humming against Dallas last week with Sam Darnold back under center, and it's possible multiple Jets receivers can have flex appeal given the right matchups. Granted, this week is not one of those matchups. New England has shut down every receiving corp they've been up against to this point and I don't trust the Jets to be the ones who break that pattern. But Thomas is a solid stash for Week 8 and beyond when his schedule softens considerably.

N'Keal Harry, New England Patriots - 6% owned

Allow me to reiterate my stance from last week: Now is the time to start considering stashing players like Harry that could help you later in the season. Not in Week 9 when he's first eligible to return to game action. Now. There will be plenty of meat on the bone in terms of fantasy production for the rookie wideout when he's in the starting lineup. The Patriots have relied on names like Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski, as well as the ever-inconsistent Josh Gordon over the last few, Antonio Brown-less weeks. Expect Harry to see heavy utilization down the field when he returns.

 

Free Agent Tight Ends

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills - 8% owned

The rookie tight end saw a season-high five targets in his last game and gets to play the hapless Dolphins this week. If you haven't figured it out already, the Miami defense is a cheat code for all opposing skill position players. He gets a series of five straight plus matchups against the Dolphins (twice), as well as the Eagles, Redskins, and Browns.

Knox has shown big play capabilities and brings a nice ceiling for fantasy production at a dilapidated position. With Zay Jones being shipped off to Oakland, there could be a slight bump in his target share, as well.

Darren Fells, Houston Texans - 4% owned

Fells was featured in this space last week based on his matchup with the Chiefs and his red-zone productivity. Unfortunately, Fells didn't come up with a score last week. Luckily for any fantasy owners wise enough to start him, that didn't matter since he came away with six receptions for 69 yards. It may seem like there's a timeshare happening with Houston tight ends given Jordin Akins' involvement in the passing game, but Fells is still besting him in targets and offensive snap percentage.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Quentin Johnston

Not Assured of Starting Role
Cordarrelle Patterson

on the Roster Bubble in Pittsburgh?
Shedeur Sanders

Not Assured of Roster Spot in Cleveland?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Hoping For More Downfield Opportunities
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome on the Trade Block?
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Zach Tom

An Extension Candidate in Green Bay
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Kyren Williams

Rams Not Willing to Pay Kyren Williams Top-Market Money?
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Christian Kirk

the No. 2 WR in Houston?
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Jerome Ford

the Likely Starter for Cleveland to Begin 2025
Chig Okonkwo

"Poised" for Best Season of Career
Xavier Watts

Falcons High on Xavier Watts
Xavier Restrepo

Training With Star Wideouts
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Jacob Wilson

Day-to-Day After HBP
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Reassessed Wednesday
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Jacob Wilson

Exits Early On Tuesday With Left Hand Contusion
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
Luis Garcia

Fans Four in Rehab Outing
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF