Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 7
As Week 7 approaches, NFL Fantasy lineups are starting to get harder to fill. With injuries and bye weeks coming into play, Fantasy owners must pay attention to the waiver wire a bit more. If your fantasy team is low in the standings right now, pay close attention to these names who could be starting on rosters in deeper leagues this week.
Latavius Murray, Denver Broncos, Running Back
The former Minnesota Viking is now handling most of the carries for the Denver Bronco offense. Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett’s experiment so far has been a failure in the Mile High City. The Broncos now have a 2-4 record, needing to pile up wins fast. Running back Javonte Williams, a big fantasy sleeper heading into the year, was ruled out for the year due to a knee injury.
Denver doesn’t seem to trust Melvin Gordon to be the bellcow of that offense due to fumbling problems and lack of consistency. On Thursday versus the Chargers, Denver gave Murray 15 carries or 66 yards. Murray recently joined the Broncos Oct. 3, and seeing that they trust him with this workload already is a promising sign.
Even though he didn’t find himself in the end zone, he was one of the most consistent parts of Denver‘s offense last week. They have a match up with the Jets this week who now have one of the best secondaries in football. With the way Russell Wilson has been playing so far this year, expect Denver to rely heavily on the ground game on Sunday. Murray could be a good running back filler for those owners whose running backs are on bye or injured this week.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts, Wide Receiver
Rookie receiver Alec Pierce has made a strong impression through six weeks. He and quarterback Matt Ryan have seemed to develop a chemistry. The Colts have relied on receiver Michael Pittman as their No. 1 weapon, especially with Jonathan Taylor missing time so far this season. Even though last week, Pierce only caught three passes, one was for a game-winning touchdown. Plays like that will give Ryan more trust in Pierce in big moments and often throughout the year.
The Colts are now heading to a match up with the Tennessee Titans, who have been mediocre at best thus far. Pierce was able to catch eight balls for 81 yards against a very good Denver secondary in Week 5. Consider him a possible flex play against a weaker secondary in the Titans this Sunday.
Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants, Wide Receiver
After injuring himself in the season opener and missing four games, Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson made a presence last week against the Ravens. Quarterback Daniel Jones has looked good thus far this season but remains without a true weapon to rely on. Robinson was the Giants second round pick and was garnering hype during the heat of training camp and many expected him to have an important role on this offense.
Even though he only caught three balls last Sunday, one of them ended up in the endzone. That redzone threat the Giants need other than Saquon Barkley might just be Robinson. Without Sterling Shepard for the rest of the year and health concerns about former first round pick Kadarius Toney, there won’t be much competition for Robinson if he remains healthy for the rest of the year. If the Giants continue their surprising success as well, that will only boost Robinson’s stock.
Kenyan Drake, Baltimore Ravens, Running Back
Ravens running back Kenyan Drake had a very nice day on Sunday versus the Giants. Drake ran 10 times for 119 yards and a touchdown after J.K. Dobbins went out earlier in the contest with tightness in his leg. Drake is by no means going to be the Ravens’ starter going forward, but his performance on Sunday should earn him more snaps in the future.
For a team like Baltimore, which is looking for other playmakers on offense, it wouldn’t make sense for coach John Harbaugh to cut Drake from gameplans, especially after his performance last week. Dobbins has had an injury-riddled past as well, making his health very up in the air. If Baltimore is going to make a true run in the AFC, it is going to need to find more weapons within its roster right now. This makes Drake a high-upside player worth snatching for your bench.
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions, Wide Receiver
Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds has become an unexpected part of Detroit's passing game. With injuries to Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark, this has allowed for more opportunities for Reynolds. In Detroit's last three games, Reynolds has had over seven targets in each contest. He already has two touchdowns on the year to go along with that. Even though the Lions are getting back St. Brown, Chark’s health still remains up in the air.
The chemistry that quarterback Jared Goff has with Reynolds will keep him in the Detroit lineup. For fantasy owners who are weak on wide receivers, Reynolds would be a quality addition. The one part of Detroit’s start to the season thus far that has not been the problem has been their pass game. A redzone threat like Reynolds that has history with the quarterback will only get more snaps as the Lions get deeper into their season.
Sam Kirk is a broadcast journalism major at Penn State. To contact Sam, email sjk6325@psu.edu.
