RADIO
Mike Riggall's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups before Week 7 of the 2019 NFL season. These are free agent fantasy WRs to potentially add and stash.
We weren't really surprised by the top-scoring fantasy wide receivers from Week 6. Out of the top-20 receivers, only Jamison Crowder, Auden Tate and Jaron Brown were less than 50% owned. Jaron Brown (0% owned) was only targeted five times but he scored two touchdowns off of those five targets. Auden Tate (23% owned) hauled in five catches for 91 yards and Jamison Crowder (42% owned) led the Jets in targets with nine, snagging six of them for 98 yards.
Amari Cooper (thigh) was the only notable injury to a fantasy relevant wide receiver in Week 6. Although most of the fantasy relevant wide receivers made it through Week 6 without injury, Week 7 may present some lineup problems for fantasy owners as the Panthers, Browns, Buccaneers and Steelers are all on bye. Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore are all on bye, so this may be a week where you need to dig deep for some wide receiver help.
Most of the waiver wire targets referenced in this column are owned in less than 40% of leagues. However, there are some wide receivers that are around 60% owned that you should check your waiver wire for, because they may have been dropped for various reasons. Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown is owned in 67% of leagues, but the Bills were on bye in Week 6 and an owner in your league may have cut him if they were had a difficult roster decision. DeSean Jackson has been injured for the last few weeks, and is 69% owned. Jackson is a true difference maker in the Eagles passing game, and an owner may have cut him if they grew frustrated with his injury. Robby Anderson is owned in 59% of leagues, but he may have been dropped by an owner that grew frustrated with his low production due to tough matchups with opposing cornerbacks. Although Anderson's schedule is not easy, he demonstrated in Week 6 against the Cowboys that he can take a catch to the house on any given play.
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WR Waiver Wire - Free Agents To Consider Adding
Not all options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans - 43% owned
Corey Davis is an absolute stud at the wide receiver position but his talent has been wasted on the Titans due to Marcus Mariota's inability to get him involved in the passing game. Many fantasy owners cut bait with him after his slow start, and with Ryan Tannehill likely to take over at quarterback for the Titans, his outlook will surely improve.
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets - 42% owned
Jamison Crowder, like all New York Jets players, was borderline unusable in fantasy lineups with Luke Falk starting at quarterback. Sam Darnold was back in Week 6, and as a result, Jamison Crowder was targeted nine times. In two games with Darnold as his quarterback, Crowder has been targeted 26 times, catching 20 of them for 197 yards. The Jets face the New England Patriots in Week 7, which means the Jets outside receivers (Robby Anderson and Demaryius Thomas) are likely to get shut down, and Darnold will need to work the middle of the field to have success in the passing game.
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers - 26% owned
Diontae Johnson is clearly Mason Rudolph's favorite target since replacing Donte Moncrief in the starting lineup, and has proved to be the Steelers new deep threat in the passing game. Johnson was non-existent without Rudolph at quarterback, and the Steelers are on bye Week 7, so he may slip through the cracks.
Dante Pettis, San Francisco 49ers - 17% owned
The 49ers play the Washington Redskins in Week 7 who have given up over 14 catches and 171 yards-per-game to opposing wide receivers. Pettis played 71.8% of the snaps in Week 6 against the Rams and he's starting to play well after his slow start. Pettis hasn't put together a solid fantasy game yet, but he's running great routes and getting open, so it's only a matter of time before he breaks out.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers - 15% owned
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper went down in Week 6 with a thigh injury and is unlikely to play in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles. If you are a Cooper owner, or looking at Cowboys receivers because you need a bye week replacement for one of your players, you need to pay attention to Randall Cobb's status. In Week 6, Tavon Austin (0% owned) was targeted six times, hauling in five of them for 64 yards. Austin, however, played in place of the the Cowboys inactive slot receiver, Randall Cobb, who is just 15% owned. Devin Smith, who is just 2% owned, played in place of Michael Gallup when he was injured, and will likely fill in for Amari Cooper during his absence.
Bottom Line: If Randall Cobb plays in Week 7, pick up Cobb and play him. If Cobb sits out, pick up Tavon Austin and play him. If you are desperate and cannot go with Cobb or Austin, go with Devin Smith.
Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears - 12% owned
Marshon Lattimore is likely to cover Allen Robinson for much of the Bears Week 7 matchup against the Saints. The weak link in the otherwise tough Saints Defense has been slot cornerback PJ Williams who will be matched up on Anthony Miller for much of the game.
Adam Humphries, Tennessee Titans - 5% owned
Adam Humphries hasn't done anything of note so far in the 2019 season, but if Ryan Tannehill is named the starting quarterback in Tennessee, he may become relevant very quickly. Tannehill loves throwing to his slot receiver, as evidenced by Jarvis Landry's first few years in the NFL while playing for the Dolphins. In a PPR, Humphries is definitely worth an add.
Duke Williams, Buffalo Bills - 1% owned
The Buffalo Bills have traded away the unexciting Zay Jones which gives way to Duke Williams in the starting lineup. In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, the 6'3" wide receiver was able to haul in all four of his targets for 29 yards an a touchdown. The Bills play the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 who have been absolutely gashed by opposing wide receivers. If you're in a pinch, Williams may be a receiver you can turn to for help.
Damiere Byrd, Arizona Cardinals - 0% owned
In Week 6, Byrd saw his first action since Week 3, hauling in both of his targets for 60 yards in the Cardinals win over the Falcons. The Cardinals have another favorable matchup in Week 7 against the Giants, and although Byrd didn't play a lot of snaps against the Falcons, it's possible the Cardinals were easing him back into the flow of things after his injury, because the Cardinals had a huge lead for much of the game. Byrd is an explosive receiving threat and could hit a big one against the Giants.
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