Is Rondale Moore A Good Fantasy Football Pickup for Week 7? Waiver Wire Outlook

Early in the 2021 season, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore, who was a rookie at the time, made noise as a must-add fantasy football free agent. Unfortunately, he underwhelmed for much of the season after posting seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown in Week 2.

Moore missed the first three games this year as he battled through a hamstring injury, but returned in Week 4 and is seeing plenty of opportunities in Arizona's passing attack.

Should we buy into Moore in 2022, or are we just setting ourselves up for disappointment again? Is he worth a look on waivers heading into Week 7?

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What Has Rondale Moore Done So Far This Season?

In his season debut, Moore finished with just three receptions for 11 yards on five targets. The counting stats were far from prolific, but the important takeaway was that Moore immediately usurped the majority of Greg Dortch's snaps. Dortch was heavily utilized through the first three weeks of the season and was even the fantasy WR19 in PPR scoring in that span.

Moore's role continued to evolve in Weeks 5 and 6, as he played on 91% and 99% of offensive snaps in those two contests, respectively. He managed seven receptions for 68 yards on eight targets against the Eagles in Week 5 and turned a whopping 10 targets into six receptions for 49 yards this past Sunday in a divisional loss to the Seahawks.

The Purdue product has been operating as the clear WR2 while sharing the field with Marquise Brown. The Cardinals have not spread the ball around a lot, which is a very encouraging sign that Moore's usage should persist.

Really nice narrow target funnel in Arizona

Currently as it stands early in the 3rd quarter, Rondale Moore has a 42.9% target share and Marquise Brown has a 35.7% target share

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) October 16, 2022

What Is The Outlook For Rondale Moore Going Forward?

There are some obvious factors that could impact Moore's target share in the coming weeks.

Three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is eligible to return in Week 7 following his six-game suspension to open the season. We saw Hopkins average 10 targets per game with Kyler Murray in 2020, and it's unlikely that Moore takes away from this pre-existing chemistry.

Marquise Brown was excellent as Murray's primary target this season, but Hollywood unfortunately went down in Week 6 with an apparent foot injury that is expected to sideline him for some time. This explains the surprising transaction made by Arizona on Monday.

Sources: The #AZCardinals have traded for #Panthers WR Robbie Anderson. A new WR for Kyler Murray. pic.twitter.com/kdXhEd4DVC

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 17, 2022

Robbie Anderson should be expected to take on a lesser version of whatever role the team had in mind for Brown with Hopkins returning. With Zach Ertz in the mix as well, there is significant target competition for Moore. The good news is that Moore's job as the starting slot receiver is safe. The Cardinals should continue to find ways to get him the ball underneath while Hopkins and Anderson line up on the outside.

Should I Pick Up Rondale Moore Off the Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football?

The short answer is yes. Moore has been too involved to ignore and his duties are not being threatened by any other Cardinals receiver at this point. His season-long outlook ranges from bye-week fill-in to weekly flex play, but he should be rostered nonetheless.

For fantasy managers in need of a starter right away, Moore should be treated as a top priority on waivers. It is uncertain if Arizona will have the newly-acquired Anderson on the field with their Week 7 matchup coming on Thursday night, and Hopkins may be eased in after such a short week of practice. This would clear the path for Moore to become a must-start fantasy option this week as he should be deployed as a primary target against a New Orleans defense that was picked apart by the Bengals in Week 6.

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