Waiver Wire

Waiver Wire Pickups Week 7

By Will Holtz

Posted on October 17, 2023

Waiver Wire Pickups Week 7

Injuries have been brutal this season. From season-ending to multi-week absences, there is no escape. This makes the waiver wire one of the most important aspects of fantasy football. With injuries to Christian McCaffrey, Justin Fields and Deebo Samuel among others, there are players lurking in free agency pools that could make or break teams over the next few weeks. Let’s dive into some of the best waiver wire options ahead of Week 7.

Quarterback

Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (19% ESPN, 38% Yahoo)

Okay, hopefully, this is the last time I have to tell you to add Sam Howell if you’re hurting at quarterback. Over the last three weeks, Sam Howell has been the QB4 in fantasy points per game with the third-most passing touchdowns and fourth-most yards. He has a plethora of weapons to throw to with the likes of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson. They will often and trail in games this season and Howell has been taking advantage of garbage-time numbers. You too should take advantage of garbage time stats and add Howell to your team as he continues to produce in fantasy football.

Honorable Mention:

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

Running Back

Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns (27% ESPN, 36% Yahoo)

In a huge upset victory for the Browns over the 49ers, Kareem Hunt established himself in the Cleveland offense. While Jerome Ford finished the game with more carries, Hunt saw more work in the passing game and got the touchdown. He looks to be getting himself back into game shape and reintroducing himself as a real option in fantasy football. The snap share for Hunt has risen from 19.7% in his first game of the season in Week 3 to 36.8% this past week. His touches have also risen from seven to 15. Meanwhile, Jerome Ford’s snap count and touches have slowly dwindled as Hunt continues to carve out a role in Cleveland. Things are trending in the right direction for the 28-year-old veteran running back.

Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers (26% ESPN, 28% Yahoo)

Jordan Mason is getting a lot of attention with the injury to Christian McCaffrey, but I’m not convinced. Yes, Mason got more snaps and touches than Elijah Mitchell did during the brief time that McCaffrey missed last week, but let us not forget that Mitchell wasn’t 100% going into the game. He just missed two straight games himself due to injury and was questionable going in. Once he gets his legs under him and logs more practices leading up to a Monday night matchup with Minnesota, Mitchell will step in as the RB1 for San Francisco if McCaffrey misses time. I’m still interested in adding Mason as I want any piece of the 49ers that I can get, but don’t overthink this. Elijah Mitchell is the San Francisco running back you should be adding to your team.

Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears (42% ESPN, 52% Yahoo)

In what seems to be an absolute mess of an offense in Chicago, I’m still extremely interested in Roschon Johnson. To me, he is clearly the best running back on the roster and he has an opportunity to prove it in Week 7 assuming he clears concussion protocol. Kahlil Herbert will miss time with a high ankle sprain, Travis Homer has been dealing with a hamstring injury and D’Onta Foreman didn’t impress last week as the workhorse. This week, Roschon Johnson has a chance to snag the starting running back job and not look back, especially considering that they might have to lean on the ground attack with Justin Fields banged up.

Salvon Ahmed, Miami Dolphins (10% ESPN, 20% Yahoo)

This is about as simple as it comes. Salvon Ahmed plays for the Miami Dolphins and could see an increase in playing time down the road. Through six weeks, I think we all want a piece of the Dolphins offense and there’s an opportunity to do so off the waiver wire with Ahmed. De’Von Achane is on the IR, Jeff Wilson hasn’t been activated off the IR yet and Chris Brooks suffered an injury late in last week’s game. This leaves Miami with Raheem Mostert and Salvon Ahmed as their only two healthy running backs right now. Of course, Mostert has been excellent and will get most of the snaps and touches, but having the clear handcuff on one of the most explosive offenses of all time is worth an add to me. He’s probably limited to a bench stash right now, but Ahmed could prove to be a valuable addition later on.

Honorable Mentions:

Leonard Fournette, Free Agent
Zach Evans, Los Angeles Rams
Keonatay Ingram, Arizona Cardinals
Devin Singletary, Houston Texans

Wide Reciever

Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders (29% ESPN, 35% Yahoo)

As I’ve been saying with Sam Howell, I really hope this is the last time I have to tell you to add Curtis Samuel. He’s establishing himself as a clear go-to guy for Sam Howell and continues to deliver. He found the endzone for the third straight week last week against Atlanta and surpassed 40 receiving yards for the fourth straight game. Since Week 4, Samuel is ninth in fantasy points per game among wide receivers in half-PPR leagues and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. He has a clear connection with Sam Howell and it should only get better as the season goes along. Curtis Samuel should be considered a solid FLEX for the rest of the season.

Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (34% ESPN, 49% Yahoo)

I’m honestly shocked that Jameson Williams isn’t rostered in more leagues right now. He was an elite prospect coming out of the 2022 NFL Draft and plays on one of the most potent offenses in the league. Last week, he caught two of his three targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in his second game of the season, showing that he’s starting to get back into game shape. Next week, Detroit could be without running back David Montgomery which could force the Lions to lean on the passing game even more. Amon-Ra St. Brown will be the clear WR1, but Williams should play his way into more opportunities as the season progresses. He’s extremely talented and showed flashes in just his second game back. The 2022 first-round pick is worthy of an add in this injury-riddled season.

Honorable Mentions:

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

Tight End

Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers (17% ESPN, 19% Yahoo)

Rookie tight ends seem to be the trend through the first six weeks of the season, and by “rookie tight ends”, I mean Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions. However, another rookie pass catcher could join LaPorta as a potential fantasy lineup staple pretty soon. Luke Musgrave hasn’t had his breakout game like LaPorta has, but it’s coming. If a player was ever due for a touchdown, it’s Musgrave. It seems like every game he’s played so far this season, he’s fingertips away from a long trip to the endzone. From overthrown passes by Jordan Love to bobbles from Musgrave, he can’t seem to come through. But I’m calling it now, Musgrave will score his first career touchdown in Week 7 against the Broncos and become a waiver-wire darling in Week 8. Don’t wait and possibly miss out on the next breakout tight end. Get ahead of the waiver wire and snag Luke Musgrave before he goes off against Denver this week.

Honorable Mentions: