Waiver Sherpa – Week 7

The week 7 waiver landscape is as barren as the Gobi desert. No major injuries opened up prime starting spots for fantasy teams. There are some rookies begging to be added on merit alone, however. And this is the best type of add, because these are players earning their volume. Guys like Higgins and Patrick should see their roles increase and can be real assets down the line. Conversely, players who get a bump simply due to injury may not capitalize on their touches (see: Mattison, Alexander)

I group the adds by position and then within the position, rank them in order of preference. The sherpa will only advise players who are rostered in less than 50% of ESPN leagues.

NEW FEATURES – I have made the FAAB suggestion a percentage of whatever your budget is instead of raw dollars. I also separated the quarterback section into suggestions for single and multi-QB formats. 

This went to press before both the Kansas City/Buffalo and Arizona/Dallas games.

Single QB – As bye weeks approach, there are some useful adds on the wire

Justin Herbert (5%) – If he’s still on your wire, I’m sure you can pick him up on the cheap although perhaps some other managers were also waiting until after the Chargers’ bye. His schedule is dynamite coming up, and he now has 10 TDs in his firs 4 NFL games.  

Superflex / 2QB – No injuries opened up new starters for multi-QB leagues

RB – Really bleak week if you need RB help

Boston Scott (15%) – Workhorse Miles Sanders was ruled out during week 6 with a knee injury, making Scott the lead back. He has flashed before and can be a threat both running and receiving. The Eagles offense is struggling mightily and gets another difficult opponent in the New York Giants next week. It should go without saying that we’ll need to watch the news on Sanders closely. Depending on how badly you need a running back, Scott could be a plug and play although I wouldn’t expect a huge return in week 7. It appears Sanders will only miss 1-2 games, so Scott is just a filler for that time. 

Gus Edwards (10-15%) – Everyone (including me) wants the Ravens to give the ball to J.K. Dobbins 20 times a game. However, this staff has not seemed willing to do that yet. Edwards continues to be utilized on a weekly basis, logging between 3-10 carries. if Ingram misses time, I think Edwards will see 10-15 carries and probably most goal line work. Losing one man in this backfield does help clear up the usage but Edwards is probably a FLEX play where you’re hoping he falls in the end zone. The Ravens have a bye next week so Ingram has some time to heal up. 

Frank Gore, La’Mical Perine (1%) – I don’t know. Just being thorough here, but if the Jets couldn’t even get on the board against Miami I don’t see how anyone on this team is startable, especially out of the backfield. Their next 3 opponents are much tougher on defense than the Dolphins, but if you’re absolutely desperate there are some RB touches on the Jets available on your wire. 

WR – You people have got to start adding these great rookie receivers

Tee Higgins (25%) – I am begging you to add Higgins. Over the last 3 weeks he leads all Bengals WRs in yards from scrimmage. Even with A.J. Green showing up in week 6 catching 8 passes for 96 yards, Higgins outshined him with a career high 125 yards. Whether the Bengals ship Green off or not, Higgins is becoming the featured playmaker in this high volume passing attack.

Jalen Reagor (10-15%) – The Eagles’ first round pick is set to come off the IR this week. Follow the news to see if he is activated, but Reagor will jump right into a role with this struggling offense. He is an exciting receiver who should be able to handle touches in a variety of ways. The Eagles simply have no choice but to try and inject some spark into this team. Their season is not over given the state of the NFC East, so they have plenty left to play for despite being 1-4-1.

Tim Patrick (10-15%) – In his first game without Sutton, Fant or Hamler, Patrick led the Broncos in targets, receptions and yards. By going over the century mark, Patrick put himself on the fantasy map and won’t go overlooked during this waiver run. The third year pro is set up to break out with only Jerry Jeudy a threat to his targets. Over the next 5 weeks, all the Broncos’ matchups have solid fantasy potential: KC, LAC, @ATL, @LV, MIA.  I think he can be a fine bench piece or FLEX option as the bye weeks come up. 

Travis Fulgham (10%) – This is now back to back weeks of leading the Eagles in targets and yards with a score. DeSean Jackson and Jalen Reagor are ready to return in week 7, and Alshon Jeffery lingers on the depth chart. Fulgham will likely be involved some but I think his best weeks may have just happened. 

Laviska Shenault (5%) – After 2 straight weeks building momentum, he had a dud in week 6, so if Shenault is still on your wire I’m sure you can slip him onto your roster without much trouble. I still like his potential going forward.  

Russell Gage (1-5%) – The WR3 in Atlanta operates better when the WR room is healthy, as he found he groove again against Minnesota going 4-65. Gage can’t beat teams’ better corners, but if he is an afterthought to the defense he can thrive. I think he’s a nice bench piece and bye week filler. 

Denzel Mims (1-5%) – The Jets offense is an abomination in all phases but Mims was a second round pick and New York needs to know what they have. Don’t fool yourself into thinking he will be any sort of league winner, but he may be able to do something for the Jets and your fantasy team. 

TE – a stud TE goes down, but is his replacement worthwhile?

Anthony Firkser (1-5%) – Jonnu Smith took a shot and was ruled out with an ankle injury in week 6. Firkser, his agile understudy filled in admirably. The third year tight end completely dominated the Harvard receiving ranks. He’s an intriguing add if Smith is going to miss time. The Titans has a history of utilizing their tight ends and I don’t think the role changes dramatically with Smith out. 

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