On the one hand, an especially busy waiver wire can be a good thing — Fantasy championships can be won or lost based on those out-of-nowhere breakouts from the wire, and the likes Justin Jefferson, James Robinson and Chase Claypool are all looking like potential championship contributors from the wire this season. However, on the other hand, a busy wire usually means injuries, and if you've lost Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey or Dak Prescott, you're not exactly thrilled that you had to go to the wire.
Early in the season, there was a ton of activity on the wire, with injuries decimating lineups around the league. The past few weeks have been a bit quieter, with fewer potential season-altering additions to consider, and heading into Week 7, it's looking like things will continue in that direction. However, there are a few injuries to watch out for, most notably, Miles Sanders' knee injury that is expected to keep him out at least one week, possibly two. He won't play in Thursday night's game against the Giants, and he'll be joined on the sidelines by Zach Ertz, who has a high-ankle sprain that will likely keep him out for a month or more.
The Eagles have an in-house replacement for Sanders in Boston Scott, who should be the top target on waivers in Week 7, but the situation is less clear with Ertz; Dallas Goedert is on IR with a fractured ankle, and while he is eligible to return for Week 7, I haven't seen any sign that he is going to be back. Which means finding a new tight end if you need one will require going outside of Philly's roster.
We'll begin our early look at the waiver wire for Week with Sanders' replacement, but that isn't the only injury we're watching for. Joe Mixon, Raheem Mostert, and Mark Ingram all of left Sunday's games with injuries as well, so we'll also want to keep an eye out for their replacements as well. Here are the top options:
Early Waiver Targets
Scott didn't do much with his larger role Sunday, but we've seen how good he can be in this offense when he gets the opportunity. Scott closed out the 2019 season with 82 Fantasy points in the final four games, including one Week 14 start and then another game in Week 17 where he replaced Sanders after an early injury. This Eagles offense hasn't been nearly as good for Fantasy this season as it was the last few seasons, but this is a still a valuable role — Sanders dropped a long touchdown Sunday, and could have had a few more in earlier games if Carson Wentz had been more accurate. Scott should be viewed as a top-20 running back for as long as Sanders is out, including Week 7 against the Giants.
| ||||||||||||||||
With Mostert leaving Sunday's game with an ankle injury, it was Jamycal Hasty who saw an increased role. While Jerick McKinnon played more snaps overall, Hasty was out there milking the clock late in the game, and he actually led the team's backfield with 15 snaps in the second half. Jeff Wilson was inactive, so it's possible he could be the guy who sees a larger role if healthy, but for now, Hasty could be a low-end starting option with Mostert possibly going on IR with a high-ankle sprain. It'll also be worth watching Tevin Coleman, who is not expected to return in Week 7, but who could be back shortly after. If you've got the roster spot, he's worth stashing.
| ||||||||||||||||
Mixon left Sunday's game with a foot injury, and though he tried to play through it, he ultimately left for the final time with around eight minutes left. We'll see what that means for his availability, but we know what a MIxon absence would mean for Bernard at this point: He's a must-start fantasy option. Going back to Mixon's rookie season in 2017, Bernard has played at least 60% of the snaps six times for the Bengals and he is averaging 19.3 Fantasy points per game in those six games. He's had 27 catches in those six games, making him especially valuable in PPR, but even in non-PPR, Bernard figures to be a top-20 back if Mixon misses time.
| ||||||||||||||||
We'll see how serious the ankle injury Ingram suffered Sunday was, but the good news is he has an extra week to recover with the Week 7 bye. If he isn't up to full speed by Week 8, Edwards would probably be a must-start Fantasy running back even in a tough matchup against the Steelers. Edwards led the Ravens in carries in Week 6 with Ingram leaving early, and figures to be the lead back if Ingram misses any time. J.K. Dobbins would also feature heavily — and his passing game involvement could make him a must-start option, too — but Edwards is more widely available and will be worth stashing on waivers this week just in case.
| ||||||||||||||||
We know the Colts and Phillip Rivers want to use their tight ends heavily, and we've seen a healthy amount of Burton since his return from injury. Burton has been targeted at least five times in each of his three games, and the Colts got creative with his usage Sunday, having the former quarterback lineup in the wildcat to score a goal-line touchdown in Week 6. He also brought in a receiving touchdown from near the goal line, his first two of the season. Jack Doyle still has his role and Mo Alie-Cox will too when he is healthy, but Burton looks like the top guy here in an offense with no clear No. 1 wide receiver. He looks like a starting-caliber tight end moving forward, though not in Week 7 with the Colts on bye.
| ||||||||||||||||
Sure, it'd be a lot better if Perine had earned more than nine touches in the first game after Le'Veon Bell's release, and it may take a while for Adam Gase to fully turn things over from Frank Gore. Of course, it may not be Gase's decision for long — and, frankly, it shouldn't be. Either way, it is inevitable that Perine will end up the starter for the Jets at some point, and while this is a terrible offense, a starting running back is a starting running back. And, who knows, maybe this offense will take a step forward once they inevitably dump Gase. That's been a cure-all for Gase's former players in other places, after all.
| ||||||||||||||||
That's now two games in a row where Patrick has been the Broncos best receiver, and he did it against a tough matchup with Stephon Gillmore — even drawing a pass interference in the end zone while matchup against Gillmore at one point. Patrick has topped 100 yards in consecutive games and has 15 targets in that stretch to just nine for Jerry Jeudy, second on the team. Jeudy is the better talent, but Patrick is playing at a higher level right now, and seems to be the top option in this passing game until Noah Fant is healthy. He had 19 catches for 242 yards on 30 targets over the final four games in 2018m, so this isn't the first time he's produced. Patrick looks like a solid WR3 in his current role.
| ||||||||||||||||
I was hoping Antonio Gibson's breakout would come over the past few weeks, but Washington has stuck with a timeshare in the backfield, and that has benefitted McKissic. You won't get much in the running game from McKissic — Week 6's 41 yards are pretty close to the ceiling — but he has at least six targets in three straight games now. Kyle Allen likes to look for his running backs in the passing game, and that pushes McKissic into starting territory in a game where Washington should be chasing points yet again in Week 7 against the Cowboys.
| ||||||||||||||||
Chase Claypool rightly deserves another week of headlines for another big game, but it was actually Washington who stepped up as the top target for Ben Roethlisberger in this one. His seven targets led the team with Diontae Johnson out with a back injury and JuJu Smith-Schuster not a big part of the game plan. At this point, it's hard to know who is going to be the Steelers No. 1 receiver in any given week, but it was nice to see Washington still in the mix. It's been a pretty quiet week for him, but if Johnson is out again in Week 7, Washington could be a sneaky streaming option.
| ||||||||||||||||
