NFL Waiver Wire: Week 7 Deep Dive

Week 7 is here, and some of the chaos that is inevitable in the NFL season has really started to hit fantasy circles. Bye weeks are coming in full force and injury madness is mounting. That leaves us with lots of questionable situations to work with, so monitoring the news will be vital as projected roles will shift. For the time being, here are some of the best deep-league options available.

Quarterback

Andy Dalton - 6% ESPN, 20% FFPC

There are rumors of Bryce Young potentially returning as the starter. But for at least Week 7, it appears Dalton will remain under center. He's proven competent by throwing for multiple touchdowns from three of his last four games.

Bo Nix - 13% ESPN, 79% FFPC

Nix has been up and down as a passer (with more downs than ups), though we shouldn't care if he gets it done from a fantasy perspective. And he's done just that by posting multiple TDs in two straight while being productive on the ground in nearly every outing.

Russell Wilson - 2% ESPN, 64% FFPC

The QB situation is ambiguous and Justin Fields is certainly more appealing from a fantasy perspective. For those in desperate need of help at the position, it could still be worth speculating on Wilson. 

Running Back

Jeremy McNichols - 6% ESPN, 31% FFPC

McNichols fell flat in the absence of Brian Robinson (knee) last week, yet his outlook isn't as bleak as his surface status suggests. He was on the field for a season-high 22 offensive snaps (39 percent), and ran a route on 14 of them. Austin Ekeler is the clear lead back if Robinson misses again, though McNichols should have a better statistical chance with a second opportunity as the change-of-pace runner/pass catcher.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire - 6% ESPN, 66% FFPC

Edwards-Helaire isn't as appealing from a fantasy perspective as he would have been in the past due to Kansas City's mediocre offense. However, he's back on the active roster for Week 7 so it could be worth stashing him to see what backfield role comes – if any.

Audric Estime – 1% ESPN

Estime was back on the field for the first time since Week 1, and did very little. Nevertheless, we've finally started to see coach Sean Payton let the youngsters play in the wide receiver corps (more on that soon), so it seems like only a matter of time before that also happens in the backfield. Javonte Williams has averaged 3.6 yards per carry (the same mark as 2023) with zero rushes of at least 20 yards on 59 attempts. He's been effective catching passes, so we could see Estime get early-down work with Williams mixing in obvious passing situations and as a fill-in runner.

D'Ernest Johnson - 0% ESPN, 2% FFPC

We know Travis Etienne (hamstring) is set to miss time, which leaves Johnson as the RB2 in Jacksonville. There's some upward mobility on that label, as he'll likely be the primary back on the field whenever the team's in negative game script. And anyone who's watched the Jaguars this season knows that's quite often.

Cam Akers – 26% ESPN, 50% FFPC

Akers is back for a second time with the Vikings after being traded on Tuesday. His appeal comes from two things, both of which rely on narrative and speculation. The timing of the deal is curious as Aaron Jones (hip) was dealing with an injury prior to the team's bye. Reports have suggested the trade wasn't related to Jones' health, but practice reports should tell us more. The second factor is that the Vikings' coaching staff has praised Akers for his work from his original stint, so he seems to have the trust if needed.

Kendre Miller – 8% ESPN

Miller was back on the active roster in time for Week 6, though was still a healthy scratch/ramping up in his return from a knee injury. He's expected to be back for Thursday with a role that's yet to be determined.

Wide Receiver

Jordan Whittington – 8% ESPN, 56% FFPC
Tutu Atwell – 18% ESPN, 34% FFPC

We know Puka Nacua (knee) won't be back until at least Week 8, which should give Atwell another chance to run a full slate of routes. The last time we saw him on the field, he commanded 10 targets. Atwell still only managed 58 yards, but a matchup against Vegas isn't daunting.

Whittington's potential to produce is dependent on Cooper Kupp's (ankle) status. If Kupp is back, Whittington can be left on the wire.

Troy Franklin – 1% ESPN, 51% FFPC

Franklin was logging a snap rate between 15 and 30 percent through five weeks, though that jumped to 66 in Week 6. More importantly, he's run 64 routes this season, 30 coming last week. Franklin still only saw three targets, but now may be the time to sneak him through before he turns in a better performance Thursday against the Saints.

Ricky Pearsall – 3% ESPN, 72% FFPC

Pearsall (chest) had his practice window opened to return from PUP. There's a decent chance the 49ers give him the full 21-day window before activating him, but any player with a potential role in the San Francisco offense is worth stashing when possible.

Xavier Hutchinson – 1% ESPN, 15% FFPC

Hutchinson was limited in his first outing with Nico Collins (hamstring) as he only logged 14 routes while registering two targets. There's an argument that was caused by game script, but we should get a better idea of his potential in the Houston offense against the Packers.

Cedric Tillman – 0% ESPN, 3% FFPC

It's difficult to get that excited about any Cleveland pass catcher given the state of their quarterback play. However, with Amari Cooper gone, team beat writers seem fairly unanimous in suggesting Tillman will get more playing time and earn some of the vertical targets Cooper has now vacated.  

Sterling Shepard – 0% ESPN, 0% FFPC

Perhaps it was because Jalen McMillan returning from injury, though Shepard definitively held onto the WR3 role in Tampa Bay last weekend as he ran 29 routes (four targets) to McMillan's six. This offense is dominated by the backs along with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, yet there's enough passing volume in many weeks for Shepard to at least enter the FLEX conversation in deep leagues.  

DJ Turner – 0% ESPN, 1% FFPC

With Davante Adams fully out of the picture, we can start to properly assess what we've seen in the Vegas offense the last few weeks. While we also have to take into account Jakobi Meyers' (ankle) absence in Week 6, Turner ran 63 routes across the two games – on par with Brock Bowers and slightly off the pace of Tre Tucker. Turner only got eight targets, though he should remain on the field for the foreseeable future.

Michael Wilson – 15% ESPN

Wilson is a bit more rostered than what we typically look for in this article, but he's worth a quick mention if Marvin Harrison can't clear concussion protocol. Arizona's passing offense will run through Trey McBride if that's the case, but Wilson would also benefit with a bump in targets.

Kayshon Boutte – 0% ESPN, 0% FFPC 

It might be time to pay attention to the New England offense again with Drake Maye under center. Even if the unit still struggles, there's a change in circumstance which means routes and targets are likely to shift. Boutte ran the second-most routes to DeMario Douglas in Week 6 and was third among wideouts (behind Ja'Lynn Polk) in targets. Without one or two dominant pass catchers, targets are likely to remain flat, yet the Patriots are likely somewhere we'll continue to look for deep-league pickups.

Tight End

Hunter Henry – 18% ESPN

Henry's borderline a "deep-league" option. But as was discussed for Boutte, it's an interesting time to speculate on New England's passing game. Henry received five targets in Week 6, which would immediately make him a valuable tight end.

Theo Johnson - 3% ESPN, 68% FFPC

Johnson has seen his targets tick up in the absence of Malik Nabers (concussion), which isn't necessarily a surprise. Nabers looks to be trending toward returning this weekend, though Johnson has been relatively efficient with his opportunity. He isn't likely to supplant Wan'Dale Robinson for targets in the short areas of the field, but represents a viable streamer.

Ja'Tavion Sanders – 0% ESPN, 68% FFPC

There's really no reason for the Panthers to not turn over the top TE role to Sanders. We've seen him pop offensive snap rates of over 75 percent in each of the last two contests while combining for eight receptions and 62 yards. Those aren't outstanding numbers, yet are intriguing enough for a rookie during his first long look as a pro.