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Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Trevor Etienne, Ollie Gordon II, and Kyle Monangai in 2025. Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
Injuries and bye weeks continue to force fantasy managers to adjust their lineups on the fly in 2025. Winning a fantasy championship requires them to navigate these absences to field a competitive team week after week.
That is especially true in Week 7, with the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills getting a week off. Fantasy managers who have leaned on James Cook and Derrick Henry in their running back position will likely find themselves scouring the waiver wire for a quick jolt of fantasy production.
This season, three rookies with roles in their respective offenses are Trevor Etienne, Ollie Gordon II, and Kyle Monangai. Are any worth picking up off the waiver wire in Week 7? Read below to find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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Trevor Etienne Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
Trevor Etienne was an afterthought in the Panthers’ offense the first three weeks of the season, logging just 24 total snaps, 18 of which were on special teams. However, the 2025 fourth-round pick got a fantastic opportunity to make an impact when lead running back Chuba Hubbard suffered a calf injury during Week 4’s game against the New England Patriots.
On one hand, Etienne has been more productive in an expanded role. From Weeks 4 to 6, Etienne handled 14 carries for 72 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and had one reception for seven yards on a 16% snap share. Unfortunately, he did not get more opportunities to prove himself because Carolina’s backup, Rico Dowdle, has been the most productive running back in the NFL the last two weeks.
Bryce Young finds Rico Dowdle for a 36-yard TD!
DALvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/2wqxlSKz7a
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
Over the last two weeks, Dowdle has led the NFL in rushing, converting 53 carries into 389 yards and a touchdown. He’s also added seven receptions (on nine targets) for 84 yards and a touchdown. The veteran running back has averaged the most fantasy points of any player, including quarterbacks, over the last two weeks (33.2).
Hubbard is expected to return to practice and, hopefully, game action in Week 7. Dowdle has forced himself into a backfield rotation. Still, realistically, Etienne will again be relegated to a player with a more prominent role on special teams than in the offense.
Etienne won’t hold fantasy value unless Dowdle and Hubbard are injured. He isn’t worth adding in fantasy at this point.
Ollie Gordon II Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
A strong preseason elevated Ollie Gordon II into one of the most popular late-round draft picks in fantasy drafts this summer. Unfortunately, that hasn’t manifested in much fantasy production.
Through six weeks, Gordon is averaging a 22.8% snap share with 3.8 carries and 9.8 rushing yards per game. Gordon certainly hasn’t been helped by a Dolphins’ offense that has struggled to generate much momentum on the ground this season. Miami currently ranks 29th in rushing success rate (36.4%) and 23rd in stuffed run rate (21.2%).
The Dolphins also haven’t been in many positive game scripts because their defense isn’t very good. According to FTNFantasy, the Dolphins are just 23rd among NFL teams in snaps with a tie or lead this season (147 snaps). 62 of their 118 rushing attempts (52.5%) have come in these situations. Gordon’s limitations as a pass catcher mean he needs to run the ball to have fantasy value. That just hasn’t happened this season.
Gordon has entrenched himself as the RB2 behind Achane, but unfortunately, that is not a valuable role considering how bad the team is (combined with how great Achane has been).
If you are hoping to secure a handcuff option, then Gordon is a fine bench stash. However, if you are looking for instant fantasy production, Gordon is not a player you should target on waivers in Week 7.
Kyle Monangai Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
Kyle Monangai has had a consistent role as a rookie in Chicago’s offense. The 2025 seventh-round pick averages a 29.1% snap share, 4.4 carries, and 1.2 targets per game. The production hasn’t been anything special (16.2 rushing yards and 9.6 receiving yards per game), but Chicago’s inconsistencies on offense can explain a lot of that to start the year.
Monangai saw a slight uptick in his role in Chicago’s first game after the bye in Week 6. His snap share (34.4%) was the second highest of the year. He also had his best game from a pure production standpoint (44 all-purpose yards), even if it didn’t manifest in much fantasy production. The rookie was still well behind D’Andre Swift (14 carries for 108 yards, two receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown) in the backfield pecking order.
Kyle Monangai takes the screen pass 25 yards!
CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/bWh9jcmaLa— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
More importantly, Chicago’s rushing attack had its best season showing in Week 6. The Bears were one of two teams (Indianapolis) that had a rushing success rate above 70% on both zone concepts (71.4%) and man concepts (75%) in Week 6.
Monangai does not have a strong enough role to make him a “must add” unless you are trying to navigate injuries or bye weeks. That said, he does have a consistent weekly role and could fall into the end zone, giving him the highest upside of anybody on this list.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
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