The dreaded week 7 has arrived, with a historic 6 teams on bye. We knew this was coming even before the draft, but no matter how you prepared for it, your team is still likely affected somehow due to trades/injuries/waiver adds, etc. Let's break down the fantasy QBs taking the week off, and the most viable replacement options on the wire.
On Bye
Buffalo Bills
Starters: QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs, TE Dawson Knox
Flex Level: WR Emmanuel Sanders, RB Zach Moss, WR Gabriel Davis
Dallas Cowboys
Starters: QB Dak Prescott, RB Zeke Elliott, WR CeeDee Lamb, TE Dalton Schultz, WR Amari Cooper
Flex Level: RB Tony Pollard
Los Angeles Chargers
Starters: QB Justin Herbert, RB Austin Ekeler, WR Mike Williams, WR Keenan Allen
Flex Level: TE Jared Cook
Minnesota Vikings
Starters: RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson, WR Adam Thielen
Flex Level: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Alexander Mattison, TE Tyler Conklin, WR Kendrick Osborn
Pittsburgh Steelers
Starters: RB Najee Harris, WR Diontae Johnson
Flex Level: WR Chase Claypool
Jacksonville Jaguars
Starters: RB James Robinson
Flex Level: WR Marvin Jones Jr, WR Levishka Shenault, QB Trevor Lawrence
Wow. That's a lot of fantasy-relevant names up there, and considering most fantasy leagues are 10-12 teams, having three starting QBs out means 25%-30% of your league will be floating backup. Hopefully you have some backup options rostered to help out with these byes, and many managers even began prepping for this last week, meaning the waiver wire is a little thinner than usual for a week 7.
Here are the best Week 7 waiver QBs to get you through Hell Week.
Waiver Wire
Quarterback
Honestly this is probably the least of your worries, as it's the easiest one to prepare for and many teams have been carrying a backup all season just for this reason. If you are stuck with only Allen or Herbert on your roster and you don't have a Joe Burrow or Ryan Tannehill waiting in the wings, let's rank what's left.
1. Sam Darnold, Carolina (@NYG)
Darnold had an impressive start that soured in recent weeks with a 6-point outing against Philadelphia and a 15-pointer last week against Minnesota. 6 points is unacceptable, but we can't poo-poo a 15 pointer against a solid defense when your starter is unavailable. Darnold faces the free-falling New York Giants, whose defense has allowed opposing QBs to post 20+ in each of the last two weeks, making the Carolina QB a no-brainer substitute if he is available in your league.
2. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (vs NO)
Geno Smith looked decent in his outing against Pittsburgh, posting 19 points against the tough Steelers D. This week Smith faces New Orleans, who has had a tough time limiting opposing QBs regardless of the game script. There is talk of Seattle bringing in Cam Newton, but even if that happens Smith will be the guy this weekend. If he put up close to 20 against Pittsburgh, I like him to do the same against the Saints at home.
3. Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints (@ SEA)
After an explosive week 1, Winston settled back down to earth until week 5 when he lit up the Washington Football Team for four touchdowns. Coming off a week 6 bye, the Saints face the Geno Smith-led Seattle Seahawks in a Monday night matchup that profiles to be higher scoring than expected. The Saints will look to abuse Kamara in the short passing game rather than consistently test the deep ball against Seattle, and that should clear a path for a 15-20 point floor if turnovers don't get the best of the veteran.
4. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (vs DEN)
Mayfield has been surprisingly consistent this year, profiting from several high scoring games that required the Browns to do more than just run the ball. Injury woes are catching up with Cleveland, but they have a get-right matchup with the struggling Denver defense that lost another linebacker for the season last week. The Browns may not need to pile on points against Denver, and most likely will be super run-heavy, but Mayfield isn't a bad option to plug and play for a solid 15 points if he is available in your league.
5. Tua Tagovialoa, Miami Dolphins (vs ATL)
The young QB came back last week and faced the Jags in London, losing a close game but throwing for over 300 yards and posting over 20 fantasy points. That was against the Jags D however, so Tua is probably the least reliable of the waiver adds. Atlanta has been friendly to opposing QBs, with only one INT on the year to date, but I'm not expecting Tua to go out there and blow the top off. He is a good option if all the other guys are rostered already.
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