Waiver Wire Watch: Week 7 Fantasy Football Targets

Oct 16, 2017

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 7. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB). Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

This is a good week for streaming QBs, with a lot of very good low-cost options with nice matchups. The RB carousel around the league continues heading into this week, with most of my waiver money going towards the Giants backfield again. It’s not a great week to need a WR or a TE, but there are still very good stash and forward-thinking options available.

Quarterbacks

Brett Hundley, Green Bay Packers ($7)

I’m not super excited about Hundley after he threw three picks on Sunday against the Vikings. However, he faces the Saints next week and if you’re in a 2QB desperation situation, a week’s worth of practice as the starter and an easier matchup should do wonders for the third-year backup. Plus, he has long-term potential as the starter on a team that likes to air it out. Editor's Note: Over the last three preseasons, Hundley has completed 98-of-148 passes for a 7.97 yards per attempt with 10 touchdowns versus just 2 interceptions. Even for the preseason, these are very good numbers. Hundley may fall flat on his face, but his college rushing numbers look like Tyrod Taylor's, and he's a much more accurate passer. The Packers have invested three years in Hundley, and he should fare better after a week of preparation as the starter. He has a good home matchup this week against the Saints and then has a bye to get ready for the Lions.

Next up: Saints, Bye, Lions

Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills ($5)

Aaron Rodgers' owners, take note: Taylor won’t cost you much, especially coming off a bye week, but he has a terrific schedule coming up, including a matchup with the Bucs this week. Tampa Bay was torched for three touchdown passes on Sunday. Of his 10 remaining games (excluding week 17), Taylor has six green (favorable) matchups and four white (neutral) matchups, with no bad matchups to speak of.

Next up: Bucs, Raiders, @ Jets

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams ($1)

Goff had only 124 yards and a touchdown against the tough Jaguars defense on Sunday, but his schedule eases up towards the second half of the season, and he remains a solid backup QB in most fantasy leagues. This week, he has some streaming potential, as the Cardinals have given up seven touchdown passes over the past two games combined.

Next up: Cardinals, Bye, @ Giants

Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars ($1)

Bortles had 241 yards, a touchdown, and a pick against the Rams on Sunday. He hasn’t been very prolific this season, averaging only 178 yards per game as the Jaguars have emphasized defense and running the ball. However, this week he’ll face the Colts, and only the Patriots have given up more fantasy points per game to opposing QBs this year. If you need a low-cost streaming option, Bortles might be a good pickup.

Next up: @ Colts, Bye, Bengals

C.J. Beathard, San Francisco 49ers ($1)

After Brian Hoyer was benched on Sunday, Beathard came in and threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and nearly pulled off the upset victory over Washington. Beathard is a smart player with an adequate arm and he seems to have the faith of the coaching staff. On top of that, he has very good matchups against the Cowboys and the Eagles the next two weeks. He’s worth picking up as a streaming option or as a QB2 with long-term upside, despite playing for a terrible team.

Next up: Cowboys, @ Eagles, Cardinals

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals ($1)

Dalton is available in 55% of leagues right now and he has a wonderful matchup with the Colts in Week 8. Dalton should only be added if you carry multiple QBs on your roster and you can bench him at Pittsburgh this week, but he’s a viable streaming option for forward-thinking owners. He also faces the Titans and Browns over the next six games, making him a viable tandem option for bad matchups.

Next up: @ Steelers, Colts, @ Jaguars

I’m not buying: Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdowns against Arizona, but even if Jameis Winston misses extended time, I’ll wait for a Week 9 game against the Saints to grab him. I might grab a Vikings QB next week against the Browns, but I’m not excited about Case Keenum or Sam Bradford against the Ravens this week. I’ll let other people bid on Josh McCown this week after he blew up against a terrible Patriots defense. He faces the Dolphins this week, who quietly held the Falcons offense to 17 points on Sunday.

Deep Stash Options: I might consider stashing Mitch Trubisky for the future, but the Bears look content to run the ball right now. A Week 8 tilt against the Saints looks interesting. Teddy Bridgewater is coming off PUP this week, and with Bradford banged up, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he earns the starting job again. Colin Kaepernick quietly accounted for 18 total touchdowns in 12 games last season for a horrible team. If someone gets hurt and he lands on a team with some talent around him, he could quickly become a steady QB option.