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Drake Maye, Kimani Vidal and Josh Downs highlight the top waiver wire targets entering Week 7.
Welcome to the Week 7 waiver wire watch! Consider making a waiver claim in your fantasy football leagues for the following players (available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues).
The Patriots named its second-overall pick as its starting quarterback last Wednesday. In his first full NFL game, Maye completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards, 3 scores and 2 picks with 5 carries for 38 yards. From a fantasy perspective, the best part of his performance was the explosiveness; Maye had 3 completions of 30-plus yards and 3 scrambles of 10-plus yards.
That’s particularly impressive given New England’s barren roster, and particularly exciting given the team’s upcoming matchup. Jacksonville ranks last in EPA per dropback allowed and fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks by considerable margins. Maye could be in for a breakout game across the pond.
This trio earns honorable mentions as veteran quarterbacks with arrows pointing up.
After losing at home in Week 2, Goff has completed 82% of his passes for 268.7 yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game in three straight victories. Stafford is fresh off a bye and should get Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back sooner than later. And Tagovailoa could return from injured reserve himself in Week 8, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle still in tow. All three have favorable schedules for the rest of the season. It’s worth checking if any of these quarterbacks are available on waivers for anyone in need of steady production from the position.
Allgeier continues to be a thorn in the side of Bijan Robinson fantasy managers. He tallied a season-high 18 carries, 105 yards and a spike while playing over 35% of offensive snaps for the third week in a row. As last week’s column foreshadowed, Allgeier has become a valuable short- and long-term asset given his heavy back role and handcuff value.
Jaguars starter Travis Etienne sustained a hamstring injury on Sunday after dealing with a hurt shoulder. The team hasn’t added him to injured reserve but he could miss multiple weeks — clearing the way for Bigsby to run the backfield. While he’s yet to carve out much of a role on passing downs, the second-year pro still leads the league in yards per carry and should see 12-plus touches for the foreseeable future.
This week, the Jaguars face the Patriots’ defense, which ranks bottom-six in carries, yards, touchdowns and fantasy points allowed to running backs this seasom. Bigsby should be the top waiver claim in all fantasy formats.
Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
The Bills were without James Cook on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets and the rookie Davis had a breakout performance. He rushed for 97 yards on 20 carries and also add 55 receiving yards. The 152 total yards surpassed his 93 total yards in the previous five weeks. We won’t know Cook’s status for at least a day or two, so you might need to roll the dice and prioritize Davis on waivers this week. He’s a strong start against the Titans in Week 7 if Davis is sidelined.
Guerendo made his biggest believers smile wide on Thursday night when he zoomed for a 76-yard rush. Though he only had 23 yards on his other 9 attempts, that one play showed why Guerendo was tailormade for Kyle Shanahan’s system. His combination of size and speed is tough to defend when utilized properly. Guerendo reached double-digit carries mostly due to a minor Jordan Mason injury, so he could take a step back next week — but beware of underestimating his talent.
After posting 18 carries for 129 yards in his first career start in Week 5, Tracy had 17 totes for just 50 yards last week. However, he did catch all 6 of his targets for 57 yards through the air. The fifth-round rookie has proven to be a playmaker in Brian Daboll’s defense. Devin Singletary will soon return from his groin injury, but Tracy won’t go away entirely.
Like Tracy, Vidal shouldn’t be expected to be a major contributor given his Day 3 rookie status and the presence of a veteran back. But while J.K. Dobbins is L.A.’s unquestioned starter, Vidal still earns an honorable mention after Gus Edwards landed on injured reserve. The Chargers deploy a ground-heavy attack so Vidal should have his chance to make a mark, like he did on this touchdown catch on the first touch of his career last week.
It’s the fourth straight appearance in this column for Downs, who caught 7 of 9 targets for 66 yards and a score on Sunday. In Weeks 1-3, he was recovering from an ankle sprain; in Weeks 4-6, he paced all NFL players in receptions. Get. Downs. Now.
Smith-Schuster surely won’t repeat his 7-catch, 130-yard Week 6 showing again, but a) don’t call him Shirley and b) starters in Kansas City’s offense should never be ignored. The eighth-year pro is a viable fantasy option, especially in Chiefs game with high-scoring potential, for managers lacking receiver depth.
