Week 7 of the NFL season has come and gone, and as always, there were some doozies! We got lucky with injuries this week for the most part, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some other big blows that happened. Bijan Robinson managers were flabbergasted when he only got ONE carry despite no notice of any illness or injury, the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts scored nearly double their projected over/under total but Amari Cooper only had 4.2 PPR points, and Cooper Kupp only finished with 6.9 PPR points despite an extremely plus matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a weird week all around, but hey, at least we didn’t have a ton of injuries, and at least everyone is back in the schedule rotation for Week 8!

Just because there weren’t a ton of injuries in Week 7 doesn’t mean that you’re not needing a fill-in or a streamer for the upcoming weeks, so we still need to get in the trenches and dig through the waiver wire options, especially since there are four teams on bye in Week 9. We help you get ahead of the curve here at Fantasy Alarm, so, as always, let’s look at some of the options who could be out there ready for you to sign them to a lucrative fantasy football contract and help you win a championship!

(FAAB Bids are based on an average bid. If you are desperate or in a highly competitive league, you may need to increase your bid based on need.)

 

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (Available in 77% of ESPN leagues, 58% of Yahoo leagues, and 51% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 15-20%

The ACL injury and overall state of the Cardinals offense turned a ton of people off Murray, but now that the practice window has been activated and Arizona has actually been able to hang in a couple of close games (and even beat the Dallas Cowboys), it looks more and more like he’s going to come back this season. He’s a QB1 talent who should be able to produce even on a bad team, so there is no reason he should be left sitting out there on waivers, even on a bad team. They’ve got some TOUGH upcoming matchups over the next three weeks, facing the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Atlanta Falcons, but that could just provide some juicy game script situations for Murray.

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (Available in 74% of ESPN leagues, 65% of Yahoo leagues, and 66% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-6% of total budget

Carr’s performance on Thursday Night Football against the Jacksonville Jaguars wasn’t sexy, but it was adequate from a fantasy standpoint. If you’re looking for a streamer or want to get ahead on a bye-week fill-in, his floor is among the safest out there across the quarterbacks who are widely available. The volume in back-to-back games of over 50 attempts per game surely won’t be sustainable going forward, but over the next few weeks, he sees some very favorable matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings. He’s not going to see dropped passes in the end zone every week, especially not against these teams.

Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (Available in 94% of ESPN leagues, 86% of Yahoo leagues, and 80% of Sleeper leagues) 

FAAB Bid: 1-2% of total budget

Speaking of unsexy, Ridder’s performance the past few weeks has been downright ugly, but considering he was without his star running back for most of the game against Tampa Bay this week and that he lost three fumbles, his stats looked fairly decent. We’re not looking at Ridder as a long-term solution, but if you lost Justin Fields or have a quarterback on bye in the upcoming weeks, you should look into grabbing him. Week 8’s matchup against the Tennessee Titans horrendous pass defense should provide him with plenty of opportunity for fantasy points (especially considering they just traded away defensive back Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles).

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams (Available in 88% of ESPN leagues, 75% of Yahoo leagues, and 64% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 20-25%

After all the Zach Evans hype last week, it turned out to be Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman who were the guys to roster. To be fair, the Rams didn’t sign Henderson to the active roster until after waivers ran, so that mistake can be forgiven. This week, however, after we’ve seen what type of usage he’s getting in this offense, you’ve got to go pick him up. Henderson carried the ball 18 times for 61 yards and a touchdown and also saw two targets. He was demoted back to the practice squad today, but that’s typical of a player who was just signed, so he should be elevated again next week after they figure out who to cut from the active roster.

Devin Singletary, Houston Texans (Available in 74% of ESPN leagues, 85% of Yahoo leagues, and 80% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 15-20%

We’re harkening way back to Week 6 since the Houston Texans were on a bye last week, but Singletary’s usage was promising. He outsnapped Dameon Pierce 34 to 21, ran 18 routes to Pierce’s seven, and while he had one less carry, he did see the two targets. The Texans have a matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, a team that has allowed second-most fantasy points to the running back position and ranks dead last in rush DVOA. If you’re dealing with injuries or have some bye weeks to fill in the upcoming weeks, don’t forget about Singletary. 

Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals (Available in 84% of ESPN leagues, 85% of Yahoo leagues, and 80% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid:10-15%

If this feels like deja vu, don’t worry, it’s not. I know we were all very high on Demercado a few weeks ago, but he didn’t exactly pan out, leading people to drop him from their rosters in disgust. However, in Week 7, we finally saw what we were hoping for, as he led the backfield with 53 of the 66 offensive snaps, 13 carries and five targets. Although the Cardinals only scored ten points, Demercado still finished as a low-end RB2 in PPR formats due to his work in the receiving game, and with Conner out at least another couple of weeks, it should continue. Just beware of the difficult upcoming matchups when prioritizing and doling out your FAAB.

Pierre Strong, Cleveland Browns (Available in 99% of ESPN leagues, 99% of Yahoo leagues, and 96% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

Jerome Ford suffered a low-grade high ankle sprain in the Cleveland Browns win over the Indianapolis Colts, and if he can’t go, that leaves Kareem Hunt as the lead back and Pierre Strong as the number two. In even more puzzling news, the Browns released Deon Jackson on Monday, leaving just Hunt and Strong as the two backs on the roster with Ford out. We don’t have a ton to go on as far as sample size, but with the 21 carries he’s seen so far this year, he’s averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and that has much more upside than one of the washed up veterans on the wire. Don’t go too crazy on the FAAB, as we still don’t know if Ford will even miss any time, but he’s still worth a look.

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (Available in 65% of ESPN leagues, 64% of Yahoo leagues, and 48% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 12-15% of total budget

I’ve been telling y’all about Josh Downs for weeks now, and each week, he gets a little better and sees a little more work. In last week’s article, I warned against starting him against the Cleveland Browns tough defense, but boy, was I wrong! He EXPLODED for 125 yards and a touchdown on five receptions, leading the team in receptions, yardage, AND targets, and even though it was thought that he would get this work if fellow wide receiver Alec Pierce missed time, Pierce was active and Downs still saw this workload. With Gardner Minshew in at quarterback for the rest of the season, the heavy pass volume should continue, and he may be in talks for the “league winner” trophy. 

Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (Available in 76% of ESPN leagues, 74% of Yahoo leagues, and 61% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget

Another receiver from last week’s article who remains on the majority of waiver wires is Kendrick Bourne. I’m not sure if it’s because the New England Patriots were about to get Juju Smith-Schuster back in their starting lineup and people thought that would affect Bourne’s target share, whether it was the large spread, or whether they just didn’t trust the Patriots defense, but Bourne put all those questions to rest on Sunday. He played 57 of the team’s 60 offensive snaps and led the team in targets, receptions, and yardage, making a strong case to continue as the team’s number one wide receiver option even with Smith-Schuster returns. His ceiling may be capped from week-to-week, as you still can’t trust the Patriots offense, but he’s sitting as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 option so far and you can do much worse.

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers (Available in 82% of ESPN leagues, 84% of Yahoo leagues, and 74% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget

The Green Bay Packers passing attack hasn’t been what we expected at the start of the season, but Jayden Reed is still worth a look. Christian Watson went down in the fourth quarter with a lower leg injury, as did Luke Musgrave after a rough hit, and depending if either or both are unable to suit up next week, Reed should have a much higher snap count and target share. He only averaged seven yards per catch on Sunday, but he did secure a late touchdown that put the game back in reach. The Packers are also facing the Vikings next week, a defense that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points going into Monday night, so it’s a prime situation for him to shine if called upon.

Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants (Available in 98% of ESPN leagues, 95% of Yahoo leagues, and 86% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget

Last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner has finally been seeing the field with Tyrod Taylor in at quarterback, and although the New York Giants are still rotating receivers in and out of the lineup, Hyatt saw the second-most snaps of any receiver and finished second on the team in targets behind tight end Darren Waller. He only caught two of his five targets, but they went for 75 yards and if Taylor remains in at quarterback, Hyatt should continue seeing an increase in volume against the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, and Dallas Cowboys.

Jake Bobo, Seattle Seahawks (Available in 99% of ESPN leagues, 100% of Yahoo leagues, and 98% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 1-3% of total budget

I always try to throw in a deeper league stash, and this week’s guy is Jake Bobo. He had been raising some eyebrows with his play, but with DK Metcalf out, he really shined, seeing the most snaps of any wide receiver, tying for second in targets, and finding the end zone. Fellow rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba stole the show out of all the receivers, but Bobo continued to make his mark. Although Metcalf may be back for Week 8, Pete Carroll is being unusually tight-lipped about his status, and if he doesn’t, expect another big role for Bobo against the Cleveland Browns.

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills (Available in 69% of ESPN leagues, 58% of Yahoo leagues, and 59% of Yahoo leagues)

FAAB Bid: 10-12%

After weeks and months of waiting for Dalton Kincaid to have a breakout week, it finally came against the New England Patriots. Kincaid played 43 of the 71 offensive snaps, seeing eight targets, good for second on the team behind Stefon Diggs. While the snap share wasn’t huge, it’s the injury to Dawson Knox that should have you running to the waiver wire to see if he’s available. Knox has to undergo surgery on his wrist and will be out of the lineup for an undetermined amount of time, leaving Kincaid as the main guy in the tight end room on a team that throws the eight-highest percentage of their targets to the position. You’ll have to pay a hefty chunk of your FAAB to get him, but if you can and you have it, he should be worth it.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Available in 92% of ESPN leagues, 2% of Yahoo leagues, and 94% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 5-8%

If you’re unable to afford to spend up on Kincaid, I would take a close look at Cade Otton. He’s flown under the radar for the majority of the season, but he’s one of the only guys who is out there for nearly every single snap. While he has just been out there blocking in previous weeks, he actually ran 38 routes in Week 7, tied for the most on the team with Chris Godwin and Rachaad White, and he saw six targets, five receptions, and 43 yards. They have some decent matchups against the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans coming up, and you could do way worse at this position.

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (Available in 99% of ESPN leagues, 98% of Yahoo leagues, and 92% of Sleeper leagues)

FAAB Bid: 8-10%

In a late addition to the waiver wire column, we found out Tuesday that Zach Ertz is being placed on injured reserve with a quad strain, opening the door for Trey McBride. He's worked his way into a role even with Ertz in the lineup, seeing a 49% snap share over the past three games, and he's also seen a 14% target share. Not only with McBride see the snaps with Ertz out, Kyler Murray should be coming back in the next week or two, giving him a HUGE improvement at quarterback. If you can't get Dalton Kincaid, put in a contingency bid on McBride.