RADIO
Dan's top quarterback Week 7 fantasy pickups (2025). The best QB fantasy waiver wire pickups to add and Week 7 QB streamers for 1QB, 2QB, and Superflex leagues.
Week 6 was a solid week for quarterbacks in fantasy. Eight quarterbacks finished with at least 20.0 fantasy points, including two (Jaxson Dart and Jacoby Brissett) who were streaming options. Still, there were several big names out of commission due to injuries (Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray) or the bye week (C.J. Stroud), which lowered the ceiling at the position.
There are only two teams on bye in Week 7, but unfortunately, they will have a massive impact on fantasy (Buffalo and Baltimore). Thankfully, there are plenty of dependable streamers available to navigate those losses.
In this article, I will focus on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered). Let’s look at who you should consider picking up for Week 6 below. All roster percentages will be from Yahoo fantasy leagues.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Playoff Challenge #2 is back with a massive $100,000 grand prize and $203,250 total prize pool, paying down to 100th place. Here's the deal: no salary cap, no draft, no pickups, no subs. Choose 8 players, and as NFL teams get knocked out so will your players, so choose your team wisely. The entries will sell out quickly, and registrations will close on Saturday January 17th at 4:30 pm ET . Don't wait - get your team now and end your fantasy football season with a shot at $100,000! Sign Up Now!
Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons - 22% rostered
We won’t know how Michael Penix Jr. performs coming out of the bye week until after tonight’s game against the Buffalo Bills, but we do know that the second-year quarterback has flashed his massive upside throughout his first four starts this season.
Penix has two 18.0+ fantasy performances in his first four games in 2025. In those contests, he completed 70.6% of his passes for 611 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He also added 10 carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he’s also shown that there is still plenty of room for him to grow.
The Falcons’ signal caller also has two games this season with fewer than 6.0 fantasy points scored. In those games, Penix completed just 55.9% of his passes for 307 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Regardless of how tonight’s game against the Bills goes, Penix has shown the ability to provide top 12 fantasy weeks over his last seven starts dating back to last year. The Falcons have good fantasy matchups on the horizon against a banged-up 49ers defense in Week 7, the Dolphins in Week 8, and the Patriots in Week 9, giving Penix multi-week fantasy appeal.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks - 35% rostered
It is time to start putting respect on Sam Darnold’s name.
Over the last four weeks, Darold has averaged a 73.9% completion percentage, 274.0 yards, and 2.3 touchdowns per game. The overall passing volume isn’t ideal (27.8 attempts per game), but Darnold has continued to be wildly efficient in Seattle’s offense during that time.
The results have also been there for fantasy football. Darnold has five straight games with at least 15.0 points. He’s scored at least 16.0 points in his last four games, with marks of 27.6 and 22.0 over his previous two games. The veteran quarterback is now averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game. Darnold has forged an impressive connection with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, which is helping him produce at a high level in fantasy.
8 catches
162 yards
1 TD@jaxon_smith1 simply could not be stopped. @FedEx pic.twitter.com/XOWl50t9bC— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
The Seahawks have a tough matchup in Week 7 (Houston), followed by their bye week in Week 8, but Darnold has been playing at too high a level to ignore at this point. At this point, he has proven that he will have fantasy relevance outside the comfort of Minnesota’s offensive environment.
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants - 30% rostered
Jaxson Dart has proven that he is going to be a fantasy asset in all fantasy formats thanks to his ability to make plays with his legs. The 2025 first-round pick has three straight starts with at least seven carries and 54 rushing yards. He’s also got two touchdowns on the ground in three games.
JAXSON DART DOES IT HIMSELF.
PHIvsNYG on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Q3yGPJiZRQ— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2025
That, combined with respectable production as a passer (508 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions), has helped Dart score at least 15.0 fantasy points per game with two 19.0+ point performances.
His upcoming opponents (at Denver, at Philadelphia, vs. San Francisco) are far from great. Still, the ability to put up rushing production puts Dart in a territory where he is somewhat matchup-proof.
It is fair to snag Dart and leave him on the bench against arguably the best defense in the league in Week 7, but aside from that, he has top-15 upside each week.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings - 29% rostered
We still don’t know if J.J. McCarthy will be the Vikings’ starter in Week 7, especially after a Tom Pelissero report on Sunday that suggested the quarterback’s ankle “is still not 100%”. There is a real chance that Carson Wentz could get one more start for the Vikings, who want to ensure that their 2024 first-round pick is fully healthy when he returns.
However, we also do not doubt that once McCarthy is at full strength, he will be back under center for the Vikings. Minnesota was able to use the bye week to (hopefully) get healthier on the offensive line and to build more familiarity in the offense with McCarthy, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.
The second-year quarterback was inconsistent in his first two games but will be given every opportunity to grow into his role as quarterback of the future this year. If he can limit mistakes and take the easy throws, there will be big fantasy days ahead.
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals - 7% rostered
Joe Flacco’s trade to the Cincinnati Bengals rekindles his ability to put up big fantasy weeks thanks to ridiculous passing volume. Flacco had his best fantasy performance of the season in a short week of preparation (in terms of landing on a new team) against the Green Bay Packers in Week 7. The veteran quarterback had 18.7 fantasy points in his first game of the season with more touchdowns (two) than interceptions (0).
Joe Flacco's first TD pass as a Bengal!
CINvsGB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/apVOj5pbh0
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
Looking ahead, Flacco is in the ideal situation for fantasy. The Bengals' defense is atrocious. But the offense has playmakers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins who can take any reception for a chunk gain or touchdown. Flacco has at least 34 pass attempts in his five starts this year, including three games with 45.
He can be a consistent QB2 based on volume alone.
The Bengals have three straight opponents (Pittsburgh, the Jets, and Chicago) that have struggled to stop quarterbacks this season. There are big days ahead for Flacco, which means he should be rostered in Superflex or 2QB formats at least until the Bengals Week 10 bye.
Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns - 5% rostered
Dillon Gabriel struggled in Week 6, just one week after an impressive debut. Gabriel struggled to make any plays down the field, leading to an underwhelming day (221 passing yards) despite attempting 52 passes. The rookie had just 8.8 fantasy points against a Steelers’ defense that had struggled to stop opposing passing attacks to start the year.
It shouldn’t be shocking when Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick, struggles on a team with a subpar offensive line and questionable pass-catching weapons. But it does make it hard to trust him in fantasy since there are so many options dealing with injuries or in bye weeks.
That said, it is reasonable to go back to the well with Gabriel in Week 7 with a matchup against the Miami Dolphins on the horizon. The Dolphins have allowed 1,403 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks this season, with zero interceptions.
It is fair to be skeptical of Gabriel’s ability to be a consistent fantasy producer. Still, a matchup against the Dolphins is an acceptable reason to throw caution to the wind and stream him.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Michael Penix Jr., Jaxson Dart, Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco, J.J McCarthy, Dillon Gabriel. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Michael Penix Jr., Jaxson Dart, Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco, J.J McCarthy, Dillon Gabriel:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
