When you get to this point of the season, EVERYONE is in a different boat. The league sizes and rules are different, from smaller eight-team standard leagues to battleship-sized 14-team superflex tight end premium. You have teams that are undefeated while you have others clinging to a life raft. And you have teams with tons of depth vs. others drowning in injuries and bye weeks. We try to figure out a solution for every fantasy football vessel in this article - we even offer an even deeper article called Streamers & Stashes for Fantasy Alarm members.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to actually READ the advice; don’t just look at the names. Consider the situation your own team is in carefully. Do you need a one-week stream for bye weeks? Or are you looking for the highest risk, highest reward bench stash for down the stretch? Not every team is in the same situation, so not every team should prioritize these players in the same way.
2026 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 7 Top Targets And Strategy
As we mentioned above, the key to navigating waivers is understanding your league and understanding what you need. We’ll give our guidance on whether to use your waiver claim or your FAAB but every league is unique, so go with your gut for the final numbers.
You also need to know what kind of player you want to target. My rule of thumb is that, if the player goes DIRECTLY into my lineup at QB, WR, RB, or TE, I’m willing to use that top claim or a minimum 25% of your budget. This is a weekly game at its
We will do our best to differentiate whether this is a guy we can start right away or whether we like to have them on the bench to see if they break out. As always, if you play in deeper leagues like FFPC, check out our Streamers & Stashes article that gets down to the much lower-rostered players for those deep sleepers!
NFL Week 7 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Yahoo: 51% | ESPN: 48% | Sleeper: 41%
Kyler Murray is still rostered in most leagues, but he was dropped in 8% of leagues on Yahoo because of his bye week. So we wanted to mention him briefly just to check, as we like him better than anyone who is currently 50% rostered if he’s out there. He obviously has great weapons, but what we care most about in fantasy football is that he ran 10 times in Week 5 before the bye. So he’s the top priority if there in four-point passing leagues.
Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 57%
Our six-point passing league recommendation last week, Kirk Cousins, was added in a lot of leagues and once again put together a solid day. But Aaron Rodgers is the next best bet if he’s out there. After a slow start, Rodgers has now thrown multiple touchdown passes in four straight games. And he’s done that while a bunch of his wide receivers like Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek have been dealing with injury. Pat Freiermuth has also been limited by a calf. Yet Rodgers has still gotten it done, making him a perfectly viable option.
- Waiver Priority: Low priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Yahoo: 12% | ESPN: 13% | Sleeper: 18%
In deep leagues, our streamer recommendation still has not changed. Deshaun Watson once again ran eight times. He now has 45 rush attempts on the season, which is second only to Josh Allen’s 48 and well ahead of Drake Maye’s 45, who is third. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Browns are now 4-2, so the threat of him being benched is mostly in the rearview. Guys who are willing to run at this level can have spike weeks at any time, so he’s always on the table if you are desperate.
- Waiver Priority: Low priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Michael Penix Jr, Geno Smith, J.J. McCarthy (Superflex only)
NFL Week 7 Waiver Wire Running Backs
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Yahoo: 34% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 47%
With the bye weeks, injuries, and general disappointments (looking at you, Omarion Hampton), our priority in this article needs to be on the best possible players to start THIS week. There are folks out there who might need to put a player directly into their lineup right away. Fantasy football is a weekly game at it’s core, after all. And the best player for that in Week 7 is Kendre Miller.
Travis Etienne is out. Alvin Kamara has been playing through injury himself, which has limited him at times. At one point in this game, he even doubled over in pain and went to the ground with this back issue. That has seen Miller to the point where he actually led the team in snaps this week. Given the Saints are on bye after Week 7, maybe they give Kamara even more of a breather and lean on Miller a bit more.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos
Yahoo: 28% | ESPN: 20% | Sleeper: 37%
If you have your lineup set and are mostly just looking for the best possible stash, that might be Jonah Coleman. It is fairly rare for backups to overtake the starters in the NFL without any sort of catalyst. Injury is the most common one, but not the only way.
Sometimes a team is just doing so poorly that they need to shake things up. That can also include changing who the playcaller is. With the Broncos, both those things are seemingly true as the team is slumping hard and Sean Payton had to take over playcalling. Because he’s been out with injury, we have yet to see Coleman play in a game where Sean Payton is calling the plays. If Coleman can inject some life into an anemic offense, maybe he can run away with this starting job.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants
Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 2% | Sleeper: 10%
When John Harbaugh was asked about the running back rotation, he had some interesting things to say. He first said that running back carries are “earned” and that players need to “do something” with the opportunities and they will get more. He then added that he doesn’t like rotating backs either and that “one of those guys needs to step up and be the back”. Key word there being THE back.
Well, it’s hard to really love what we saw this week. But if someone actually did “do something” this week, it was Tyrone Tracy, no? He wasn’t super efficient but he did score two touchdowns, did he not? It’s obviously hard for Cam Skattebo to do much when he doesn’t get the ball at all, but maybe he will get another shot next week. For now, the hot hand does feel like Tracy. And Harbaugh did say he wants one guy to get the bulk of the work.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 14%
Dylan Sampson was slated to be the pass-catching back for the Cleveland Browns. He started the season returning the opening kickoff. Then Deshaun Watson threw an interception on the first drive. On the next kickoff, Sampson hurt his knee and was placed on IR. So we really did not see how Sampson was going to be deployed in this offense.
What we do know is that the practice window for Sampson to return has been opened. He was obviously ahead of guys like Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, as those guys weren’t even on the active roster then. The questions we now face are how healthy Sampson is vs. how healthy Quinshon Judkins is. It’s worth stashing Sampson just to see what his role is like (or to see if maybe the injury for Judkins regresses).
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Mike Washington Jr, Samaje Perine, Nicholas Singleton
NFL Week 7 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 50% | ESPN: 44% | Sleeper: 58%
Germie Bernard was our top add last week, so hopefully you already added him. As you can see, he’s already rostered in a lot of leagues, but we just had to mention that if he’s available, you need to drop the bag on this guy. A rookie getting back-to-back weeks of nine or more targets is when we sound the Fantasy Alarm.
- Waiver Priority: High Priority
- FAAB: 50%+
Omar Cooper Jr., New York Jets
Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 13%
In Week 1, Omar Cooper Jr. was the starting slot WR playing in 11 personnel. But he quickly got hurt and was ruled out for multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain. He was activated this week and, in his return, we expected Cooper to resume that slot role with Tim Patrick playing out wide opposite Garrett Wilson (Patrick and Wilson both played 65 snaps last week and ran 36 of 37 routes).
Instead, we were pleasantly surprised to see Cooper play slot for three WR sets, then move to flanker for two WR sets, with Patrick only coming on to play outside in three WR sets. This is ideal usage for a WR for fantasy, making him a priority add for us. The only curveball here is that Adonai Mitchell is expected back at some point. Garrett Wilson is locked in, and the Jets seem committed to using some two-tight end sets, so one of either Adonai Mitchell or Cooper will be a part-time player down the stretch - which is going to cap their upside. If they go with a rotation, that could cap the upside of both. But we at least have to give ourselves a shot with these first-round rookies, at least on a streaming basis.
- Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
- FAAB: 10-15%
Ja’Kobi Lane, Baltimore Ravens
Yahoo: 12% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 26%
Rookies are the ultimate mystery box. We mentioned it last week with Germie Bernard. Not only are they unknowns to start the season, but they often start slow and can develop as the season progresses. Sometimes they end up stuck behind veterans - even some of the great wide receivers in this league were stuck behind vets as rookies like CeeDee Lamb (Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett). That’s just the nature of the game.
Ja’Kobi Lane got a lot of hype in the preseason. And he even carved himself out a role that saw him on the field for Week 1. But he broke his arm in that first game, further delaying the mystery box being opened. Not only did he return this week, but Rashod Bateman exited with an injury. Injuries are what opened the door for Bernard, just like they did once upon a time for Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit in the second half of his rookie year.
- Waiver Priority: Low to Medium Priority
- FAAB: 5-10%
Konata Mumpfield, Los Angeles Rams
Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 3%
Davante Adams ruptured his hamstring. That kind of injury should have him miss the bulk of the meaningful fantasy football season - at least the rest of the fantasy football regular season. Knowing how GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay operate, they have probably been hammering the phones already looking for a trade partner. Stashing guys like Jerry Jeudy could make sense in that regard but guessing the trade partner isn’t always that easy.
Of the options on the team, Konata Mumpfield seems like the clear best option available. He profiles more as a big-bodied split end than a guy like Tutu Atwell. Terrance Ferguson will probably play more WR snaps as well, but he can’t return until Week 8, so it will be at least one game where we see who steps up.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Jaylin Noel, Caleb Douglas, Kendrick Bourne
NFL Week 7 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End
Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 4% | Sleeper: 15%
Chig Okonkwo was our top add last week in this article, so hopefully you already grabbed him (and started him). This past week, he flexed one of our favorite qualities of his, which is his ability to generate chunk plays. There is a reason a guy like George Kittle has been able to generate so many big plays throughout his career, and that’s because he ran a 4.52, which is 96th percentile for the position. Okonkwo ran the same 40 time.
So we already knew Chig had a decent target floor while also offering the kind of speed that allows guys to “do more with less” on their targets. What we did not expect was Terry McLaurin to suffer a serious injury. That has us now running to the wire to add Okonkwo when before we were simply sneaking him on the bench. Unfortunately, he has his bye week this week so if you are looking for a starter immediately, you will have to look elsewhere.
- Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
- FAAB: 10-15%
Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 12% | Sleeper: 13%
This was the whole narrative, wasn’t it? That you stash Terrance Ferguson because he has big contingent upside if something were to happen to one of the top two Rams wide receivers? Last year, when Davante Adams got hurt, Ferguson ran the second most routes in Week 16 behind only Puka Nacua. In Week 2, when Puka Nacua was out, Terrance Ferguson ran 24 routes, second most behind only Davante Adams. And he played 15 snaps at WR.
Well, Davante Adams is now out for a couple of months. The premonition might potentially come true. There are only two problems. Ferguson himself is currently hurt and can’t come off the IR until the week after next. And the Rams could always trade for a wide receiver. But we have to give ourselves a shot at upside by stashing a guy like this - especially if you have an IR spot to put him in. In the meantime, if you need a stream, we do prefer Tyler Higbee to Colby Parkinson as their roles are more conducive to fantasy upside.
- Waiver Priority: Low to Medium Priority
- FAAB: 5-10%
Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 27% | Sleeper: 47%
If you are actually looking for a streaming option for THIS week with a widely available guy, I’d look to Greg Dulcich. I really would rather not play the guessing games with Rams tight ends until Terrance Ferguson is back but you are welcome to try that game if you’d like. I’m looking to Dulcich here if I’m desperate for a streamer after he left on a promising note in Week 5.
In Week 3, things were looking up for Dulcich as he had a 70% route share and got seven targets, catching five, including a chunk play. Then we had the Week 4 disaster against a brutal Vikings defense where the Dolphins only ran 39 offensive plays - and Dulcich was blanked. But he bounced back in Week 5 with a 71% route participation, getting five targets and catching four of them (plus a two-point conversion). The Dolphins WRs haven’t truly established themselves as difference-makers, so I think there’s still room for Dulcich to carve something out. He’s mostly just a spot start, but there’s still a glimmer of upside there.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Tyler Higbee, Michael Mayer
NFL Week 7 Waiver DST
New York Jets DST
Yahoo: 14% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 4%
The Jets defense is actually pretty decent. They managed to force a couple of turnovers for the second week in a row and, though they didn’t get to Drake Maye, they recorded a whopping EIGHT sacks against Deshaun Watson. They should be able to make some things happen this week against a Miami Dolphins offense that is among the worst in the league.
Cleveland Browns DST
Yahoo: 21% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 12%
A big part of the Browns being 4-2 is that their defense is actually pretty solid. And, even though the Tennessee Titans did pull out a win against the division rival Indianapolis Colts this week, the Colts don’t have a strong unit. Hence the firing of GM Chris Ballard. The Titans should continue to be a plus matchup for defenses moving forward, considering this was the first week they scored more than 20 points.
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Panthers vs. TB (if Baker Mayfield is out), Cowboys vs. PHI
NFL Week 7 Waiver K
Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings
Yahoo: 60% | ESPN: 49% | Sleeper: 24%
He’s still rostered in a lot of leagues but, unlike the Vikings DST, Reichard was dropped in over 20% of Yahoo leagues during his bye, so we need to mention that he might be floating around out there. This guy has been absolutely nails, and the team is not afraid to wheel him out for 50+ yard field goals. He has made all 15 of his field goals and just hit from 40, 54, and 55 the week before the bye.
Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals
Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 59%
Both the Lions and the Bengals had their bye this past week. That saw both Jake Bates and Evan McPherson hit the waiver wire as kickers for pretty good offenses. The difference between Bates and McPherson for us is that the Lions are pretty gung-ho about going for it on fourth down, which isn’t super friendly for kickers. That’s partially why Bates is 14th in points per game among kickers, and McPherson is third. So we like McPherson a little better. Now that he’s had his bye, you can hopefully set and forget the kicker position.
Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 26% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 59%
Boswell has always been a reliable weapon for the Steelers. He currently has the fifth most points of any kicker so far this season. And he has a plus matchup this week against the Saints. It also happens to be the first-ever NFL game played in the city of Paris - don’t you want to be a part of history?
Yin & Yang Tight End Chart
As always, this section below will be updated with Yin & Yang tight end rankings for the rest of the season each week. The way Yin & Yang tight end works is, if you have someone from the standalone section, you only need to roster one player. Beyond that, we are likely rostering two - someone to start and someone to stash.
- Standalone - Guys we currently trust that also have big upside.
- Yin - A “safe” player that we can start while trying to hit on a breakout with a bench spot.
- Yang - A higher-risk, higher-reward option ideally stashed on your bench for upside.
- Handcuff - Guys with minimal usage now who could have upside if the starting TE gets hurt.