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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire pickups and fantasy football sleepers for Week 7. His top free agent options for 14-team fantasy leagues or deeper.
The waiver wire is getting ultra-thin in deep leagues, but there are still handcuff running backs, rookies who could break out soon, and a few players ready to contribute immediately to consider picking up.
The top waiver wire adds are often obvious for traditional 10 and 12-team leagues, but a larger pool of players is in consideration in leagues of 14 people or more. Some of these Week 7 deeper-league waiver wire suggestions will have value right away, while others are simply bench stashes that could help your fantasy team in the future. We won't cover chalk pickups like Jordan Mason and Rashee Rice in this article.
Without further ado, here are the top deeper league waiver wire targets for Week 7, including Zach Evans, Keaontay Ingram, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Michael Mayer, Taysom Hill, and more.
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Running Back Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Zach Evans and Royce Freeman appear to be set up to lead the Rams' backfield in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kyren Williams (ankle) is expected to be out for a game or two, and Ronnie Rivers (knee) is a candidate to be placed on Injured Reserve. It is unclear whether Evans or Freeman would get the bulk of the running back touches, but since the Steelers allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to running backs before their Week 6 bye, one of the two backs could have value.
Kareem Hunt turned 15 touches into 71 yards in the Week 7 upset of the San Francisco 49ers. Jerome Ford saw 19 touches, so it looks like the Cleveland backfield is going to be close to an even split. When Deshaun Watson (shoulder) returns to the lineup, this offense will have a lot more upside from its fantasy-relevant players.
Tyjae Spears randomly saw his role reduced in Week 6. Prior to the loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Spears saw at least eight touches in each game since Week 1. In Week 6, he rushed four times for 15 yards and caught one pass for 48 yards. With the Titans heading into a bye week at 2-4, some of its younger players might get increased roles moving forward. The Tulane product has proven he's an explosive playmaker out of the backfield.
Keaontay Ingram and Damien Williams operated as the Cardinals' RB1 and RB2 in the absence of James Conner (knee), who is on Injured Reserve. Emari Demercado saw just three touches, while Ingram and Williams combined for 21. Neither back will have a ton of upside in this offense, but many fantasy managers are desperate for healthy running backs of any kind.
Zach Charbonnet doesn't appear to be fantasy-viable as a handcuff running back right now, but the injury rate is high at the position. If Kenneth Walker has to miss any games this year, Charbonnet would be a no-brainer in starting lineups.
Trayveon Williams has almost zero standalone value as Joe Mixon’s backup. However, he’s the clear RB2 in Cincinnati. If Mixon has to miss any time and the Bengals’ offense continues to fire after it finally looked good in Week 5 and 6, Williams could be a flex option at some point this season.
Kendre Miller is clearly the pure backup running back to Alvin Kamara when the Saints aren't blowing teams out. However, the rookie likely has more juice than Jamaal Williams (hamstring). When Williams comes back from Injured Reserve, it won't be surprising if Miller remains the RB2 in an offense with a high ceiling.
Rico Dowdle did not miss any game action after suffering a hip injury in Week 4. He remains Tony Pollard's direct backup, so he’s still on the fantasy radar.
Tank Bigsby is simply worth stashing because he'd likely see a full workhorse role if Travis Etienne has to miss any time this season. The Jaguars offense is getting on track, so that would be a valuable role.
Note: Any direct backup running back, especially one in a good offense, should be considered a bench stash in deep leagues.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Marvin Mims Jr. is seventh among Broncos in targets, yet he's the second-leading receiver, only behind Courtland Sutton. As the Broncos' season gets ugly, you'd think they'd like to get the young players more involved. Jerry Jeudy and Sutton have been in trade rumors too, so hopefully Mims will be more involved one way or another.
Robert Woods leads the Texans with 43 targets and found the end zone for the first time in Week 6. This offense led by CJ Stroud is quietly one of the best passing games in the NFL, so Woods is worth a pickup in deep PPR leagues.
Michael Wilson trails only Marquise Brown among Cardinals in receiving yards. He has hauled in 18 of his 22 targets for 217 yards and two scores. He's already fantasy-viable but could see a boost later in the season if Kyler Murray (knee) gets activated.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught four of his five targets for 48 yards in the Week 6 loss to the Bengals. He likely won't be worth starting yet, but if the aging Tyler Lockett or oft-banged-up DK Metcalf have to miss any action, he could be a high-upside flex play.
Rondale Moore continues to get used in a gadget role as a running back/wide receiver hybrid. That's not always a good thing for fantasy football, but he's been explosive this season and could provide boom weeks.
Ronnie Bell and Jauan Jennings can be utilized as low-end flex options if Deebo Samuel (shoulder) doesn't play in Week 7 against the weak Minnesota Vikings secondary.
Tight End Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Logan Thomas was held to just one catch in Week 6. However, he caught nine passes for 77 yards in Week 5. The tight end position is scarce, so any tight end capable of putting up that kind of game should be rostered in deep formats.
Jonnu Smith is tied for second in receptions (26) among Falcons' pass-catchers. He's also second in receiving yards (282). In Week 6, he scored his first touchdown of the season. Needless to say, he'd been fantasy-viable thus far and will likely continue to be.
Michael Mayer caught just three passes through his first three NFL games. In Week 6, he saw a career-high 81% snap share and caught five of his six targets for 75 yards. The Notre Dame product was the most productive prospect at tight end in the 2023 class based on raw production and now might be the time when he starts to break out.
Gerald Everett should provide a few spike weeks in the absence of Mike Williams (torn ACL).
Taysom Hill is expected to be less involved in the Saints' offense every season, but he just always sticks around. During the Week 6 absence of Juwan Johnson (calf), Hill caught seven of his eight targets for 49 yards. If he's utilized as a pass-catcher moving forward, he could have real upside at the position.
Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues/2-QB Leagues
Kyler Murray might not play this year coming off of a torn ACL. The Cardinals might have a brutal record by the time he's ready to play, making it not worth it for him to give it a go. However, if you need help at quarterback and have the roster space, he's worth stashing. He has been a QB1 in fantasy points per game every season of his career.
Desmond Ridder has posted two straight games of at least 19.1 fantasy points. His turnover woes aren't sitting well with Falcons fans, but he's been a productive fantasy option. In favorable matchups, he has plenty of upside surrounded by a ton of stud skill players.
Gardner Minshew will have the starting QB job in Indianapolis as long as Anthony Richardson (shoulder) remains out. The 27-year-old has a career passing touchdown-to-interception ratio of 47 to 18, so he could be a solid temporary fill-in for Superflex and two-QB leagues. He posted 329 yards in Week 6 against the Jaguars.
Tyrod Taylor will have limited upside as the Giants’ starter if Daniel Jones (neck) has to miss another game. However, all starting quarterbacks are viable options in Superflex/two-QB leagues.
Mike White would be given the keys to the Dolphins' explosive offense if the oft-injured Tua Tagovailoa gets banged up this year. That makes him worth stashing in Superflex and two-QB leagues.
Malik Willis or Will Levis could start at quarterback after Tennessee’s Week 7 bye. After the loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 in London – will they begin to look toward the future? It's unclear who would start for Tennessee, but Willis looked lost once again in relief of Tannehill (ankle) on Sunday.
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