Pigskin Papers Waiver Wire- 2022 Week 7
Kenyan Drake Leads the Week 7 List
(Published October 17, 2022)
Welcome to the Waiver Wire, Week 7! The Waiver Wire isn’t all that much to look at this week, but with a very strong group of fantasy players on Bye this week, plenty of fantasy managers might need help from the free agent pool. I’m here to help.
Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to identify which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Note that this advice is primarily intended for Season-Long leagues, and NOT Dynasty leagues.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.”
These are your Bye Week teams for Week 7: Buffalo, L.A. Rams, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. That’s a really strong group and those 4 teams being out of action sidelines a lot of players who are every-week starts. For those of you who’ve gotten used to the steady diet of 30 points a week from Josh Allen, maybe spend Sunday doing something other than watching football. Take a bye week. You’ve earned it.
So this week is going to be a headache for some fantasy managers. At the same time, it’s also important to be thinking a couple of moves ahead. As a matter of strategy, I like to try to plan ahead for Bye weeks when I can, to avoid missing on guys I might want as fill-ins (or having to overpay for them). Teams with Week 8 Byes are the Chiefs and Chargers - it’s only 2 teams but like this week, it’s teams that feature major fantasy talent at several positions. Now is a great time to pick up a QB, DST, TE or PK for Week 8, if you know you’re going to need one.
****WEEK 6 TAKEAWAYS, FUN FACTS AND MORE! SEE: https://www.thepigskinpapers.com/posts-1/pigskin-papers-take-3-2022-week-6
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Week 7 Waiver Wire:
Mariota is Getting it Done for the Dirty Birds
QB - Some OK QB2 streamers:
Marcus Mariota made this column last week and I’ll mention him again. He’s only averaging 22 pass attempts per game, so his ceiling is a little low. But he has a decent rushing floor, and he’s the QB16 on a points per game (ppg) basis, which its him squarely in the QB2 conversation. If you need a streaming option, or a second QB in a Superflex going forward, you could do worse than Mariota. The Falcons matchup in Week 7 is at Cincinnati, which is neither great nor terrible.
Daniel Jones is another repeat and the case for him as a streamer or QB2 is similar to Mariota’s - a low passing floor, some rushing upside, and he won’t kill you. Plus the Giants’ offense has room to improve. He’s the QB18 on a ppg basis and believe it or not, he’s scored just 2 few points than Tom Brady. The Giants are at Jacksonville this week, which is a fairly attractive matchup for Jones. Spoiler alert - this isn’t the last Daniel on the Giants in today’s column.
Matt Ryan was dropped in a number of leagues, which isn’t surprising given how his season was going before this past week. He’s had some real duds. So it’s a little hard to trust, but Ryan really got things going this past week, and his rapport with Pittman and Pierce is growing. The Colts’ next 2 opponents are Tennessee and Washington - a big plus.
It’s hard to recommend Bailey Zappe, with Mac Jones likely back this week. I’ll say this though - if Mac doesn’t play well, I think the leash is going to be short. Zappe could be worth a stash in Superflex leagues.
RB - One name stands out:
Kenyan Drake is barely rostered, and his 100 yard, 1 TD performance in relief of J.K. Dobbins (knee soreness) came out of nowhere. Drake is no sure thing - Dobbins might not miss time, and at some point we might see Gus Edwards as well. However, there is value in having the top RB on this offense, Drake looked great on Sunday, and I think he’ll have some kind of role in this offense going forward regardless of Dobbins’s status. He’s a smart add and especially given how severe the Dobbins knee injury was, and how long it has taken him to come back. For me, Drake is the closest thing there is this week to a priority add, given the potential RB2 upside.
Caleb Huntley has looked good for the run-heavy Falcons. Just remember that both Damien Williams and C. Patterson will return at some point, probably in the next few weeks. I can’t really recommend much here.
Deon Jackson looked great this past week, but this is another case of limited opportunity going forward, barring further injury. I think the Colts’ RBs will return sooner rather than later, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to get him (unless you have Taylor). Plus, he picked up his own injury (quad) on Sunday.
Malcolm Brown is back with the Rams, and got reps in relief of Darrell Henderson Sunday. With Cam Akers clearly (and suddenly) out of the picture for the Rams, this backfield continues to be an underwhelming mess. There isn’t a lot in Brown’s favor - he isn’t dynamic, the Rams can’t run the ball, and they aren’t scoring a lot. However, he’s going to have a role and is an injury away from a big opportunity, so if you have room he’s OK for bench depth.
Latavius Murray surprisingly led the Broncos’ RBs in touches on Monday night, and had some success running the ball. Who knows if this will continue but that snap share makes him worth adding if you have the space and especially if you have Gordon.
Some potential stashes, if you’ve got the space and can wait a few weeks for potential production: Gus Edwards, James Cook and Kyren Williams.
Thornton: Flashed in Camp, Splashed on Sunday
WR - As usual, some intriguing options:
Rondale Moore is rostered at a little more than 50% on most platforms - that’s surprising, given his role. With Hollywood Brown likely lost for at least 6 weeks, Moore is a solid add for depth and potential WR3/flex consideration if he’s available. Even with Hopkins returning this week, and the addition of Robbie Anderson (see below), Moore gets used a lot in this offense and has a solid floor and decent upside.
Alec Pierce was a strong recommendation last week - if he’s still available in your league, grab him as a priority add. He’s becoming an important piece of the offense, with at least 5 targets in 4 straight games and either 60 yards or a TD in each of those contests. Pittman should continue to command the most targets but Pierce is a nice second option in the Colts’ passing game.
Two more rookies worth consideration are Wan’Dale Robinson and Tyquan Thornton, who each have been banged up to start the year, and announced his arrival with important contributions on Sunday. Not surprisingly, Robinson only played 14 snaps in the Giants’ win, but given how banged up the team’s receivers have been, his role should increase pretty quickly. Still, it’s a little hard to predict what kind of snap share, route share, and target share each of these players will have, but both offenses are improving, and there’s opportunity for a decent role in each case. I like them both as bench adds with plenty of upside.
A few other receivers to consider this week, either for depth (or even a spot start) or as stashes: Chase Claypool, Corey Davis, Jameson Williams and Skyy Moore.
Robbie Anderson got traded to the Cardinals, in the wake of the Hollywood Brown injury. He’s got speed and Kyler has a big arm, so who knows. I wouldn’t make Anderson a priority but he’s worth a dart throw if you’ve got the space.
Bellinger - TDs in 2 Straight
TE - 2 Intriguing Rookies.
Daniel Bellinger made the column last week and he scored for the second straight game on Sunday. The rookie is being used more, and at a weak position, you could do worse.
Denver rookie Greg Dulcich is seeing his first game action of the year on Monday night and at the half, had 2 catches for 44 yards, including a 39 yard TD. Denver has multiple TEs, but Dulcich was on the field the most in the first half Monday, has the most athleticism of the group, and definitely put himself on the radar on Monday.
Robert Tonyan is hard to trust. Sunday’s 10 catch, 90 yard outburst was great, but it far outpaced his other games this season. He had previously not topped 40 receiving yards and had only exceeded 5 targets one other time. Given who his QB is, and the year he had 2 years ago, there’s a reason to consider him, but he’s very boom or bust and I wouldn’t want to rely on him every week.
Mike Gesicki’s big game in Week 6 came completely out of nowhere and it’s his usage that’s very hard to trust. I’ll pass, but I can understand if you want to take a chance on him.
Hunter Henry is trending up, in an offense that’s finding its groove. He’s definitely worth considering if you need help at TE. The ceiling is low, but that’s true of almost every player at this position.
Irv Smith got into the end zone last week, but only managed 7 yards on his 4 catches. His level of participation in the Vikings offense so far this year has been a disappointment. Given the overall weakness at the position and the overall quality of the Minnespota offense, he’s worth a roster spot. The Vikings are on bye this week however.
NOTE FOR PK and DST, I’m only listing streaming options that are likely to be rostered in less than 50% of leagues - for example, I’m not listing Brett Maher vs. the Lions or the NE DST vs. the Bears this week because they’re not available in most leagues.
PK
Streaming Options for Week 7: Jason Sanders (vs. Pit), Nick Folk (vs. Bears)
D/ST
Streaming Options for Week 7: GB (@WAS), LV (vs. HOU), LAC (vs. SEA)
DH
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