Fantasy Football Week 7 Waiver Wire: Best Pickups At Each Position
Let’s be real: The fantasy football waiver wire is in dire straits.
There could be some diamonds in the rough, however.
With Week 6 (mostly) in the books, the NFL season is nearing its midway point. That means the fantasy football playoffs are coming quicker than anyone would like to admit, so you should keep poring over the waiver wire to address needs in your lineup.
Let’s look at some of the best options at each position that are owned in 65 percent or less of Yahoo! fantasy football leagues:
Quarterback: Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears (28 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
From a fantasy perspective, Trubisky is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL. The 24-year-old followed up his 354-yard, six-touchdown performance in Week 4 with 316 yards and three more touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins. He did throw one interception, his fourth of the season.
Trubisky also is a sneaky-good runner, adding 53 rushing yards in Week 4 and another 47 yards Sunday afternoon. He has a favorable matchup in Week 7 against a New England Patriots defense that just allowed 352 passing yards and four touchdowns to Patrick Mahomes.
Other quarterbacks to target: Jameis Winston (TB), Case Keenum (DEN)
Running Back: Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts (26 percent owned)
Yeah, the wire is thin.
Hear us out on Mack, though: The second-year back entered the 2018 season with the expectation that he’d be Indy’s bell-cow, but has been a fantasy afterthought after missing three straight games with a hamstring injury. He looked good in his return Sunday, however, rushing for 89 yards on 12 carries in a loss to the New York Jets.
Aside from injuries, the only knock on Mack is he doesn’t factor much into Indianapolis’ passing game. Still, if he can stay healthy, Mack could provide FLEX or possibly RB2 numbers moving forward.
Other running backs to target: Frank Gore (MIA), Austin Ekeler (LAC)
Wide Receiver: Taylor Gabriel, Bears (22 percent owned)
Sometimes claiming fantasy wideouts is all about catching lightning in a bottle, and Gabriel certainly fits that bill. The speedy receiver has become the big-play threat in the Bears’ offense, racking up 104 yards and 110 yards in his last two games, respectively. He also has caught at least five balls in four of five games this season, and gets the occasional carry out of the backfield, as well.
His touchdown totals aren’t great (only two through five games), but Gabriel should be a consistent WR3, at worst, for the rest of the season.
Other wide receivers to target: Tyrell Williams (LAC), Chester Rogers (IND)
Tight End: C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals (32 percent owned)
Speaking of thin: How about fantasy tight ends this season? Woof!
Options are few and far between on the waiver wire, but Uzomah might be the best of the bunch. Tyler Eifert is done for the season after undergoing ankle surgery, and backup tight end Tyler Kroft reportedly could be headed for surgery to repair a fractured bone in his right foot. That leaves Uzomah to carry the load at tight end in the Bengals’ offense, which has been solid so far this season.
The Auburn product caught two balls for 43 yards last week, and followed up that performance with six catches for 54 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Take a chance on Uzomah — you might be glad you did.
Other tight ends to target: Cameron Brate (TB), Vernon Davis (WAS)
