Waiver Wire Pickups Week 7

Waiver Wire Pick-ups Week 7

After a very busy week in fantasy football with four teams on bye last week, fantasy owners won’t get any break this week with six more teams on bye. So if you are missing some keys players this week here are some replacements that can give you a chance to slip through the bye week with a win.

Quarterbacks

Josh Freeman- 40% owned- The Tampa Bay Bucs face off against the New Orleans Saints and one of the worst defensive backfields in the NFL. Freeman has looked good all year in fact only once this year has Freeman scored less than 10 points in standard fantasy scoring. Last week Freeman finally looked like he was in sync with Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams made himself known to the fantasy world. Another way Freeman scores points for his fantasy owners is with his scrambling ability and through rushing touchdowns. Josh Freeman threw the ball to seven different receivers so there should be no doubt that he has the talent to make the throws to anyone but as any quarterback would he prefers Vincent Jackson.

Matt Hasselbeck- 6% owned- With Jake Locker still out Hasselbeck figures to get the start for a Tennessee Titans team that has yet to establish themselves as a running football team. Finally Kenny Britt re-emerged as a fantasy and real life solid WR1 and with Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, and Kendall Wright on the field Hasselbeck will have plenty of options to throw to. Last week the Buffalo Bills looked better than they have all year as a defensive unit but don’t forget that they gave up 97 combined points in their two games before last week. So Hasselbeck should have plenty of upside this week.

Running Backs

Felix Jones- 21% owned- Since Demarco Murray will not start against Carolina, Felix Jones warrants an immediate waiver wire pick up especially if you need a flex play or own Demarco Murray. This week, Dallas will face a very weak Carolina defense and will likely give Jones 15-20 carries. Jones has shown he can run strong and will be ranked somewhere around the top 20 in running backs this week.

William Powell- 31% owned- The closer to long term option to grab this week will be William Powell. Granted Powell does not have a good offensive line in front of him he showed he can run hard and figures to be the starter going forward for the Cardinals. Powell will put up flex numbers and until he shows more than he did last week it is hard to consider him a starter. But Powell is worth owning in every league. And if you read this article last week, you now are ahead of the game on Powell because we made this call last week.

Wide Receivers

Brandon Gibson- 21% owned- After Danny Amendola’s injury, St Louis looked very weak at wide receiver. But as we called last week, Brandon Gibson is the man to own here. Gibson had a team high nine targets and caught seven of them for 91 yards. With a less than stellar rushing attack if the Rams want to have any success they will probably have to air the ball out so Gibson looks to benefit from that situation greatly.

Stephen Hill- 15% owned- After having a great first week in the NFL with two touchdowns, Stephen Hill sat out four weeks with a hamstring injury. But with his first week back Hill didn’t take long to find the end zone again. If this guy continues to stay healthy and find the end zone he will have a very solid year and he will be a guy you can grab before the run right now as no one really owns him yet. The Jets also seem to be pretty confident in Mark Sanchez passing so Hill will get the opportunity to make plays.

Donnie Avery- 15% owned- Avery was targeted a team high 12 times and is a very solid option that is still widely available. The Colts have a very solid matchup every week for the rest of the year from a passing offense stand point and with an injury to starting running back Donald Brown that has thrust Vick Ballard into a starting role the passing game in the Colts offense will see more of a benefit than the rushing game. Avery and Luck have a connection that Luck continues to try to explore.

Deep Sleeper: Santana Moss- The Giants and Redskins are about to do battle in New York week 7. Leadership and experience may come in handy in what could be a high scoring divisional match-up.

Stash for Cash: Brandon Stokley- Peyton Manning called “Stoke” his favorite slot receiver in the comeback win on Monday night, that’s got to be worth a stash for the future. Stokley is on a bye week 7, but might be a nice addition for the future.

Tight Ends

Joel Dreessen-15% owned- Finally Dreessen did not vulture a touchdown but still racked up 6 receptions for 57 yards. He is becoming a solid week to week option and a very decent bye week fill in. Joel Dreessen catches the ball well and Manning trusts Dreessen. And trust between a quarterback and a tight end means you are going to get some looks in the red zone where it is important to catch the ball well and important that the quarterback thinks you can make the play. Again last week he was also on the waiver wire list last week. Also I said Anthony Fasano last week would be a great play and he had 33 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. So if you happen to need another tight end or Dreesen is already taken in your league, then Fasano could be a decent option. Although Dressen and Fasano are on a bye this week both are great pick ups going forward.

Dustin Keller- 24% owned- Keller has missed a number of games this year due to a hamstring injury but over the past few years has been one of Mark Sanchez‘s favorite and most consistent targets. This is a contract year for Keller so sooner rather than later he needs to start making plays or he might be finding a new team next year. Keller faces a New England team that has given up the 3rd most fantasy points to tight ends this season and will look to take advantage of their inability to stop them.

Kickers

Phil Dawson- 23% owned- Last week I told you to roll out Dawson and if you did he pulled out 11 points for you and is still 100% and while he is not getting a bunch of attempts Dawson still has all the components you want in a kicker, an offense that can stall on drives, an offense that is not high powered, and a strong kicking leg.

Defense/Special Teams

Dallas D/ST- 20% owned- As the cowboys look to take on one of the worst offensive units in the league this year in the Carolina Panthers, they should probably have a pretty solid day in the world of fantasy football. The Cowboys have not scored strong numbers as a defensive unit this year but if there is any week to believe in them it is this week.

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