It can be easy to start ignoring the waiver wire, especially heading into Week 7.
The truth is, the NFL never stops changing, and because of this, fantasy is constantly impacted. Whether from injuries or not, players are constantly earning new opportunities.
Something to continue looking out for is players coming off the bye week; you can grab them right off waivers before Tuesday, since they do not have a game.
Keep reading for our fantasy football Week 7 waiver wire report.
Best fantasy waiver wire pickups Week 7
NEW- Sterling Shepard, WR, Bucs (5% rostered in Yahoo Fantasy leagues)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot catch a break when it comes to their WR room. Chris Godwin is trying to fully come back from his gruesome injury last season, and then Mike Evans goes down with yet another hamstring issue. But hey, at least they drafted the surefire offensive rookie of the year in Emeka Egbuka...right?
Now that Egbuka is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 6, Sterling Shepard should be the WR1 in this offense.
While Tez Johnson is there and had the better fantasy outing in Week 6 from his TD, Shepard has been consistently involved in this offense, even when Evans and Egbuka were both healthy.
He's the clear choice for top priority this week as the Bucs face the Detroit Lions and their secondary that is quite literally falling apart. Sterling Shepard FAAB: 15%
Jaxson Dart, QB, Giants (29%)
Fantasy managers need to stop overthinking this one, because Jaxson Dart has been phenomenal. Since becoming the full-time starter, he is the QB14 overall.
Dart is coming off his best game against the Philadelphia Eagles on TNF. He threw for 195 yards and a touchdown, along with a career-high 58 rushing yards and another TD on the ground. Dart also had a career-high in rushing attempts in Week 6.
Dart has surpassed 50 rushing yards in all 3 of his starts. This makes him not only a great fantasy option but a consistent one as well.
Week 7 holds a tough matchup for Dart, as he takes on the Denver Broncos. However, the floor is too safe, and Dart should be rostered at a higher percentage. Jaxson Dart FAAB: 15%
NEW- Elic Ayomanor, WR, Titans (25%)
With Calvin Ridley dealing with a hamstring issue that prevented him from running, there is a bulk of targets available to the rest of the WR room.
Elic Ayomanor should be the favorite to inherit these targets as Ridley is expected to miss some time.
While Ayomanor has had 3 poor fantasy performances in a row, the targets, even with Ridley out there, have been intriguing. In fact, on the season, Ridley has only one more target than Ayomanor from Cam Ward.
Ayomanor is rostered at just 25% and should be a decent flex play these next 2 weeks against good game script matchups in the Patriots and Colts. Elic Ayomanor FAAB: 10%
NEW- Jordan Whittington, WR, Rams (0%)
With Puka Nacua going down with an ankle injury and expected to miss time, this obviously will free up a ton of targets. While Davante Adams will receive a bulk of them, he can't possibly take all of them.
If not for his injury, Tutu Atwell would be in this spot, but he's banged up, too. This is where Jordan Whittington comes into play; this is his second year in this offense, and he's had to be a top receiver before.
While he did not have the best of games, even with Nacua and Atwell being injured, the targets available make him too valuable to pass up on. Jordan Whittington FAAB: 5%
Josh Downs, WR, Colts (48%)
Josh Downs was a popular sleeper during draft season, but between an injury and simply not performing, many forgot about him.
Downs was once again a key piece of the Colts' offense in Week 6. He was targeted 7 times by Daniel Jones and caught 6 of them for 42 yards and a TD. This marks the 3rd time this season Downs caught 6 passes.
While Michael Pittman is the WR1, Downs can still carve out a role for himself. With the Colts' offense continuing to cook, having a piece of it is never a bad idea. Josh Downs FAAB: 5%
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers (39%)
Before the bye week, Kenneth Gainwell had a sensational performance with Jaylen Warren out. With Warren back, managers seemingly thought Gainwell's value dropped too far.
However, Gainwell was still able to produce in Week 6 despite Warren's return. This is heavily because Gainwell is featured in the passing game.
Gainwell caught all 6 of his targets from Aaron Rodgers in their win against Cleveland. Next week, they'll face a Bengals defense that allows the most fantasy points per game to the RB position. Kenneth Gainwell FAAB: 5%
Kayshon Boutte, WR, Patriots (7%)
The Patriots' offense is as confusing for fantasy as it was back in the heyday with Tom Brady, but everyone wanted a piece of a Brady-led offense. Well, that's starting to be the case with Drake Maye.
Maye has been nothing short of spectacular, and this greatly benefits all the pass catchers. In Week 6, the beneficiary was Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte was targeted 5 times, of which he caught all 5 for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns.
This is Boutte's first relevant game since Week 1, so he's not a consistent play. However, this will certainly not be the last great week from him with Maye as the QB. Kayshon Boutte FAAB: 5%
MORE: Weekly fantasy football rankings
Week 7 waiver wire streamers: Bye-week replacements to add
QB Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Dillon Gabriel, Browns (5%)
Gabriel has looked decent to start his NFL career. In Week 7, he'll take on a Dolphins defense that allows the 3rd-most fantasy points per game to the QB position.
TE Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Jonnu Smith, Steelers (20%)
Smith continues to look uninvolved in this Steelers offense, but if there was a week for a solid performance, it's in Week 7 against the Bengals.
Team Defense Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Carolina Panthers (1%)
The Jets' offense is both terrible and confusing. While the Panthers' defense is not elite by any means, they should be able to control the game.
Kicker Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Will Reichard, Vikings (4%)
The Eagles' defense has not looked as elite as we're accustomed to. The Vikings have enough offensive weapons to move the ball, but the offense is inconsistent. This leads to plenty of stalled drives, which allows for more FG opportunities.
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Week 7 Fantasy Waiver Wire stashes & watch list
Quarterback waiver pickups to stash
- Joe Flacco, Bengals (7%)
Cincy has a great schedule as it relates to the QB position. While we don't know how good this Bengals offense will be with Flacco, the SOS makes him an interesting stash.
Running Back waiver pickups to stash
- Isaiah Davis, Jets (4%)
- Bam Knight, Cardinals (9%)
- Jaydon Blue, Cowboys (16%)
With Breece Hall continuing to be in trade talks and Braelon Allen being on IR, Davis is one of the better stashes to pounce on this week. New York's fantasy matchups in general are extremely favorable to running backs the rest of the season.
Knight has been given the nod to start in Week 6. He'll see an increased role, but we still don't fully know how the touches will look.
Blue will see a promotion to the RB2 in this Cowboys offense due to Miles Sanders being out for the season.
Wide Receiver waiver pickups to stash
- Michael Wilson, Cardinals (2%)
- Jayden Higgins, Texans (12%)
- NEW- Tez Johnson, Bucs (1%)
Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game due to a concussion, which led to a nice performance from Wilson. If MHJ misses time, Wilson becomes interesting.
Higgins has been a disappointment for fantasy, but everyone is giving up a little too soon for me. This is certainly a gut feeling, but Higgins is only going to get better after the bye.
NEW- Everything that was said about Shepard can be applied to Johnson. If you prefer him over Shepard, he still holds value with all the injuries to the Bucs' pass catchers.
Tight End waiver pickups to stash
- Evan Engram, Broncos (54%)
- AJ Barner, Seahawks (13%)
These 2 TEs are almost in completely opposite situations. Engram is involved in the offense, but the fantasy points aren't coming.
Whereas Barner only caught 3 passes from 3 targets, but continues to make big plays. Both are interesting enough to want to stash, but some consistency needs to show before they're comfortable starts.
LOOK AHEAD TO WEEK 7: Fantasy football players on bye