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Fantasy football outlooks for Germie Bernard, Omar Cooper Jr., Tyler Shough, Blake Corum, Roschon Johnson, and Josh Cuevas in Week 7. They are potential waiver wire risers and top performers.
After a week of research on the projected top studs in fantasy football, a wide receiver or even a tight end buried on the depth chart might lead the team in receiving. It's the frustrating reality of what we do here.
Now, the question in all formats -- redraft, dynasty, guillotine, and more -- is whether that output is legitimate. Does the underlying usage support it? Was it more of a fluke? Will it return to normal when another player is back from injury?
Here are six unexpected fantasy breakouts from Week 6 in the NFL. Let's play fact or fiction with these surprising names on the weekly leaderboard.
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Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints
With two seconds left in the first half, the Saints had three points. They finished with 34 in a football game against the Giants that seemingly took place in the twilight zone, and Tyler Shough, predictably, was a huge part of that.
Shough only had 16 completions and 144 passing yards, but four total touchdowns, including a sneak on the ground that salvaged the day. His 32 rushing yards were his most since Week 3.
Normally, I wouldn't want to lean into touchdowns on an inefficient day, but I actually think there's staying power to the second-year QB's do-it-all role.
New York was 30th in rushing EPA per play allowed, according to nfelo, entering the day. New Orleans' 175 yards (and 4.6 yards per carry) were the peak for Kendre Miller, CJ Donaldson, and a running game missing Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring), who remains on injured reserve.
In Week 7, Shough faces a Steelers team that is 18th in passing EPA per play allowed despite matchups with Cooper Rush and Jalon Daniels, and his own defense isn't getting many stops.
He is an intriguing streamer at home before his bye -- and an obvious start in superflex leagues.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears
With Kyle Monangai (toe) inactive, we were curious what the Bears' backfield split would look like in a more neutral game script. D'Andre Swift got 13 touches to Roschon Johnson's 10 last week, but he played 23 more snaps.
The split wasn't quite as extreme as you might have thought in a game that ended only one possession apart. Swift had 20 touches to Johnson's 15, and the former only played 14 more snaps.
As we've seen with Swift and Monangai, it just appears that Ben Johnson is going to cycle his running backs, and we want part of this backfield. They combined for 155 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in a game in which Chicago scored 31 points before the start of the final quarter.
Roschon Johnson makes it a three-score game in Atlanta!
CHIvsATL on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/0J2LEXb5wy— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
But it is getting a little scary. Swift posted just 2.8 yards per carry, and Johnson wasn't super efficient, either. If this turns into a "hot hand" approach, all of that fantasy goodness becomes unstable.
At this point, I'm still starting Swift, and I'd consider Johnson if Monangai is confirmed inactive in Week 7 against the Patriots. New England is allowing the 15th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.
Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
The top storyline from the Rams' shocking loss to the Cardinals on Sunday was starting RB Kyren Williams' assertion that the offense is inconsistent from drive to drive, "probably because [he's] not out there."
Clearly, Williams was upset that Blake Corum earned eight of the Rams' first 12 touches. Corum caught an early touchdown pass and totaled 60 scrimmage yards on 11 touches. He's the weekly RB13 entering Monday's game at 14 PPR fantasy points.
Williams finished with 67 scrimmage yards on 13 total touches. The final snap count, though, greatly favored the Notre Dame alum. He was on the field for 71% of total plays, compared to 29% for Corum.
Los Angeles starting the game with such a heavy dose of Corum was unusual. Now, Williams may have further inflamed the situation with unnecessary public comments.
With an average draft position (ADP) of around 99.1, Corum was one of the highest drafted backup running backs this year. He's largely been unstartable to this point, but that could be changing.
Normally, I'd consider this an unstable blip on the radar, but the Rams are scuffling. Corum's early usage came in a neutral script rather than trailing, a situation that has always favored Williams.
When Los Angeles can play from ahead, Corum might be slowly taking early-down work here.
Germie Bernard, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Everything you could have dreamed of after spending FAAB on Germie Bernard came to fruition on Sunday.
With Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) and Roman Wilson (finger) out of the lineup, Bernard turned 12 targets into 11 catches for 87 receiving yards and a touchdown, displaying an inherent connection with Aaron Rodgers.
Germie Bernard's FIRST career touchdown gives Pittsburgh the lead in overtime 👏 https://t.co/o9aIhjS7ma
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 18, 2026
You probably don't need me to tell you that the rookie's breakout is very real. He's maintained at least a 27% target share in two straight games -- not just against a pass-funnel Tampa Bay defense that will regularly funnel targets outside to all opponents.
DK Metcalf (15 targets) was still the main man here, and Pat Freiermuth (3 targets) might be a bit more involved in future games than he was on Sunday, playing through a calf injury. But it is still full steam ahead for the Steelers' new WR2.
The only reason I considered leaving Bernard off this list was that many expected solid production. WR3 on the week entering Monday night? That would have been a bold call.
Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York Jets
I'll transition from a rookie we expected to produce to one that was a total shocker.
In hindsight, we probably should have been more excited for 2026 first-round pick Omar Cooper Jr.'s return from an ankle injury that quickly halted his inaugural campaign. Adonai Mitchell (finger) is still out for the Jets, making their WR2 role wide open.
Cooper Jr. snatched it -- and then some. He led the team in targets (seven) and caught a monster touchdown where both safeties were keying in on Garrett Wilson, showing the effect on the overall offense in a tough matchup with New England:
The rookie Omar Cooper Jr. makes the 48-yard touchdown catch!
NYJvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/y88N5gruHa— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
He's the WR5 on the week. It'll be interesting to see how this wide receiving corps shakes out upon Mitchell's return, but the Jets are going to stay fantasy-relevant. Their six-week stretch before the bye features the Chargers, Raiders, Bills, and Dolphins twice.
It's hard to pair his draft capital with an impressive Week 6 eye test and fail to believe that he'll make his fair share of plays opposite Wilson for the remainder of the season.
Josh Cuevas, TE, Baltimore Ravens
We all got a close, primetime look at some of Mark Andrews' struggles in Week 5, and the former Pro Bowler paid the price (a little) in Week 6.
Andrews dropped a touchdown, a two-point conversion, and a key third-down conversion against Atlanta, and a fumble of his was also taken the other way for a touchdown. It was the type of performance that even a veteran like Andrews can't really afford.
This might be why the Ravens' other tight end is getting more involved. Josh Cuevas (five) actually had more targets than Andrews (three) against the Browns. One of those became a 2-yard touchdown, and the other was a 29-yard catch-and-run.
However, it did not seem intentional. Andrews played 71.9% of the snaps, while Cuevas played just 40.4%.
Part of the reason I enjoy this article is that I -- like many of you -- was impressed by little bursts from the fifth-round rookie, but it doesn't appear he's eating into Andrews' role as of yet. More games like Sunday could change that, though.
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