We cover the basics in our Weekly Waiver Wire Article. But Fantasy Alarm members are a different breed. Real sick individuals, like myself. We play in incredibly deep leagues and crazy formats, like the Scott Fish Bowl. We can’t help it. So we need to go DEEPER than just the basics. And that’s where the waiver wire streamers and stashes article comes in.

Here we get to the next layer of the waiver wire. We hit those “break glass in case of emergency” streamers for a desperate lineup decision. And we cover those deep sleeper stashes, to hold with only a hope and a prayer. As deep as you want to go, we will go. 

Best Fantasy Football Streamers and Stashes For Week 7

What is a Streamer?

A streamer is a player that you can actually start in your lineup currently. They might not be the flashiest players, but they won’t get you a zero. In deeper leagues with a lot of starting spots, you may need to call on them from time to time - especially when bye weeks and injuries come around.

What is a Stash?

The stashes are players that have appealing upside for one reason or another but aren’t reliable guys you can start now. Maybe they are injured, and you can put them in an IR spot. Maybe they are handcuffs that could have big upside if the starter gets hurt. Maybe they are rookies that need time to develop and carve out a role. Whatever it is, we want to keep an eye on them. And stash them on deep benches. 

 

 

 

NFL Week 7 Quarterback Streamers

Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 12% | ESPN: 13% | Sleeper: 18% 

We understand that Deshaun Watson has not quite delivered yet. But that’s not because the playstyle has changed. He once again ran eight times, which puts him at 45 carries for the season, second only to Josh Allen. The willingness to run at that level makes a guy a streaming option because they are capable of putting up a big game at any given time. The fact that he’s run that much but has zero rushing touchdowns this season is a bit of an anomaly. Especially because the Browns are 4-2 and at the top of their division. 

Geno Smith - New York Jets, Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 6% 

If you want to lean into the mobile element, maybe you start Malik Willis, who is running more than when the season started. But in six-point passing leagues, we might go the other way and lean into Geno Smith. He’s gotten some weapons back with Omar Cooper Jr., Mason Taylor, and Kenyon Sadiq. But really, what we are doing here is just starting the QB who is playing the Dolphins, who are arguably the worst team in the league.  

NFL Week 7 Quarterback Stashes

J.J. McCarthy - New York Giants, Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 4%   

It might sound crazy. But we can’t really ignore that JJ McCarthy entered this game with the team down 34-10 and rallied them to a more respectable 34-27 loss. He had 243 yards passing, which is more than teams like the Chargers have had in a single game all year. In superflex leagues, it’s not crazy to stash McCarthy to see if maybe he gets to throw to guys like Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. 

Fernando Mendoza - Las Vegas Raiders, Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%   

We are officially on Mendoza Watch. Despite being in the game for most of the day this week, the Raiders have now lost three straight games. The plan has always been to let Kirk Cousins try to compete while knowing that, as soon as the playoffs were out of reach, it was time to get Fernando Mendoza some work. Or maybe the Raiders decide sooner that Mendoza gives them a better shot at keeping their playoff hopes alive…

Superflex Special: Cole Payton, Philadelphia Eagles

We mentioned Cole Payton last week once Jalen Hurts showed up on the injury report. Now it’s seemingly like Payton could be done for the rest of the season. Tanner McKee isn’t super appealing here in fantasy, but Cole Payton is an athletic specimen who is absolutely willing to run. Maybe he would get leapfrogged for Joe Milton (who would be interesting as well with his rushing), but Payton has been with the team all year and probably has a better grasp on the playbook. 

NFL Week 7 Running Back Streamers

Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints Yahoo: 34% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 47%

As we discussed in the main article, Kendre Miller is the top streaming option if you need it. Travis Etienne Jr. is out, and Alvin Kamara is playing through an injury, which saw Miller actually lead his team in snaps. There aren’t many options on the wire where that’s even in the range of outcomes. 

Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 18% | Sleeper: 8%

We have a pretty short memory in fantasy football. And, with the Bengals on bye this week, they were out of sight, out of mind. So it’s easy to forget how much Samaje Perine mixed in last week. It wasn’t because the game got out of hand or because Chase Brown got hurt - this started in the first quarter and was by design. Whether it was just to split the workload or, as some have reported, because Perine is better out of shotgun, it might be worth throwing Perine in there in deep leagues to see if it happens again. That’s why he was in the stashes section last week. 

NFL Week 7 Running Back Stashes

Jonah Coleman, Yahoo: 28% | ESPN: 20% | Sleeper: 37%

We mentioned this in the main article. But there just aren’t many opportunities out there for backups to take over the starting job outright. The Broncos are desperate, so it feels like one of the few situations where that could be possible. Especially with the highly emotional Sean Payton calling the shots. 

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 14%

Because Sampson got hurt super early in the first game, we never really even saw what his role was going to be. So there is some intrigue there. Not to mention, Quinshon Judkins is banged up himself. So Sampson is worth a look in deeper leagues. 

Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders - Yahoo: 30% | ESPN: 19% | Sleeper: 35%

When it comes to handcuffs, we always want to gravitate towards the guys who are currently nicked up. It’s not an exact science, but we don’t need to explain why guys with nagging injuries are at greater risk to miss time. Ashton Jeanty has not been 100% and, with the explosiveness of Mike Washington and lack of depth behind him, that moves him up our handcuff list. Where there is smoke, there is often fire. 

Tyler Goodson, Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 0%


We are just going to leave Tyler Goodson in this section of the article until something changes. Because it seems no one respects the handcuff upside this guy currently has behind Javonte Williams.  

 

 

 

NFL Week 7 Wide Receiver Streamers

Konata Mumpfield - Los Angeles Rams, Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 3%

Terrance Ferguson should return to play some wide receiver snaps, but that can’t happen until at least Week 8. The Rams are a candidate to trade for a wide receiver, but it can take those guys time to get up to speed. So it looks like we should get at least one game where Konata Mumpfield is the WR2. When Puka Nacua missed the game in Week 3, he got 8 targets, catching 4 for 93 yards and a TD. And that was against a tough Denver Broncos defense. Not too shabby. 

Kendrick Bourne - Arizona Cardinals, Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 5% | Sleeper: 32%

Bourne was in this article last week and, as long as he remains under 30% rostered, he’s likely to be on the streaming radar for us. He’s behind Michael Wilson and Trey McBride in the target pecking order, but he’s very clearly the third target, which gives him a decent weekly floor. And he has contingent upside if one of those guys goes down.  

Efton Chism - New England Patriots, Yahoo 3% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%

Efton Chism was an option for us once AJ Brown and Mack Hollins were out. Then A.J. Brown returned, and he was off the table. Now Romeo Doubs was placed on IR with a shoulder issue, and Chism is back on the deep league streaming radar. He ended up playing the second most snaps behind AJ Brown this week. Demario Douglas is another full PPR option if you need it as well. 

NFL Week 7 Wide Receiver Stashes

Omar Cooper Jr - New York Jets, Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 13%

This section is going to be almost exclusively rookies. Veteran players have had plenty of time to carve out their roles. We know who they are. But rookies can often start slow and expand their role as the season moves on. As we mentioned in the main article, Omar Cooper Jr. was able to land in a full-time role this week, and he looked great. Adonai Mitchell will be back at some point, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. 

Ja'Kobi Lane - Baltimore Ravens, Yahoo: 12% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 26%

Same deal for Ja’Kobi Lane as it is for Omar Cooper Jr. Injuries have opened up the door for Ja’Kobi Lane to play a big role. It’s up to him now if he can run with that job. We have to give ourselves a shot at that happening. There is a real chance the rookie that you add this week could change the course of your season - if it’s the right one. There is a reason Ja’Kobi Lane has been listed as our “IR Spot Special” in this article for 4 weeks in a row. 

Caleb Douglas - Miami Dolphins Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 11% | Sleeper: 15%

It’s easy to forget that, for a brief moment there, Caleb Douglas looked like the best wide receiver on the Dolphins. He got hurt pretty quickly but is expected to return to practice this week. Malik Washington has been consistent but not spectacular, while Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. have not really run with their opportunities. Douglas was likely dropped in some of the few leagues where he was rostered because of the bye, so he’s out there. 

IR Spot Special: De'Zhaun Stribling, Yahoo: 9% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 27%

Ja’Kobi Lane was our “IR Spot Special” for many weeks here but has since been activated. Stribling is likely still a ways away with his injury, but he actually did get the role we had hoped for in Week One before getting hurt. The 49ers have been plagued by injuries, so there could be a meaningful spot for him right when he gets back. 

NFL Week 7 Tight End Streamers

Greg Dulcich - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 27% | Sleeper: 47%

Most of our favorite adds this week are stashes either because of byes or injuries. If you need to spot start someone, we don’t hate Greg Dulcich. We need to just kind of get beyond the game where they only ran 39 offensive plays and understand that that is far from normal. In the other recent games, Dulcich has been fairly involved. This week against the Jets, maybe the Dolphins can hang in this game just a little longer. 

Tyler Higbee - Los Angeles Rams, Yahoo: 32% | ESPN: 27% | Sleeper: 47%

We warned everyone NOT to start Tyler Higbee last week. But conditions have changed with the injury to Davante Adams. Terrance Ferguson is still out. And, even if the Rams were to trade for a wide receiver, they almost certainly wouldn’t be fully up to speed on the playbook by the weekend. Even though Colby Parkinson got more targets, Higbee got the better deployment, so we are leaning into that. 

NFL Week 7 Tight End Stashes

Chig Okonkwo - Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%

Chig is by far our top add at tight end, especially with the Terry McLaurin injury. But he has his bye week this week. So he ends up being a stash - for now. 

Terrance Ferguson - Los Angeles Rams, Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 12% | Sleeper: 13%

The injury to Davante Adams creates a window for someone to step into that vacuum and not just garner targets but potentially pick up some of those juicy endzone targets. In the couple of games that Puka Nacua and Davante Adams have missed, Ferguson has been that guy.