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 WRs 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
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
Yikes. That's a lot of fantasy-relevant names in bold up there, and considering most leagues are 10-12 teams, having 14 start/flex WRs out means a good portion of teams will be fishing for value. Hopefully you have some options rostered to help out with this bye, and many managers even began prepping for this last week, meaning the waiver wire is a little thinner than usual for a week 7.
If you have some holes in the roster that your bench can't fill, here are the best Week 7 waiver WRs to get you through Hell Week.
Waiver Wire
1. Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
With Nick Chubb out and Kareem Hunt down, Felton and D'Ernest Johnson carried the load at the end of last week during the routing they suffered by Arizona. Felton handled the pass catching but in a situation where both Chubb and Hunt are out, both Cleveland backups suddenly have a high workload potential. Waivers will clear before we know the Chubb availability, but Felton is a solid pickup because he will see a lot of snaps regardless of whether Chubb or Johnson is carrying the rock.
2. Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints
Callaway has been inconsistent in 2021, leading to him being one of the most added and dropped players so far and thus it's a 50/50 on whether he is available in your league. The Saints themselves have been inconsistent, but after topping 70 yards in two straight outings and posting two scores last week, Callaway is a high-risk, high reward play against Seattle with Michael Thomas reportedly needing a few more weeks before returning to the field.
3. Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
It's a long shot if Hardman is available in your league, but I have a few where he was dropped out of frustration due to lack of production and the fruitful options on waivers. If he is available, the Titans are particularly soft against the passing attack and KC figures to shred them. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce will have big days, but there should be enough volume to get Hardman involved, providing decent bye value.
4. Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots
Bourne was involved in two of the craziest plays of the craziest game of week 6, when Dallas came to New England. A pass bounced off his hands that resulted in a Trevon Diggs pick 6, and later caught a 75-yard TD from Mac Jones. Despite some cloudiness in usage between Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor, Bourne has emerged over the last four weeks with enough volume to be relevant, and a sure flex option if he scores against a Jets team that has fallen apart in the second half of football games.
5. Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles
Watkins has seen a fair target share alongside rookie Devonte Smith, and while he has yet to score a touchdown, he does boast a 19.44 YPC average. The Eagles play the Raiders this week, and the game profiles to be high scoring behind the legs and arm of Jalen Hurts. We know Watkins will have a solid floor, and if he can finally get into the end zone he is a hot fantasy pickup for this week.
6. Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers
Robby is hit or miss on being available, and even if he is I still like him 6th on this list. Sam Darnold has favored other receivers in Carolina, and even in the absence of McCaffrey, his role wasn't expanded. Terrace Marshall Jr will have to clear concussion protocol before suiting up against the Giants in New York, and if the rookie doesn't make the trip Anderson could see more targets. He does have two touchdowns on the year, giving him a scoring upside against a fairly porous Giants defense.
7. Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders
Bryan Edwards has emerged as the utility knife for Derek Carr behind Darren Waller and the explosive Henry Ruggs. While he hasn't scored a TD on the year yet, he does have an impressive 20.2 YPC average and that bodes well for a week 7 matchup against the Eagles, who have not been able to stop the air raid all year.
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
With Quintez Cephus on IR, the rookie St. Brown has been the go-to guy as Tyrell Williams deals with injuries and a concussion. The offense overall has not been productive in Detroit, and a week 7 trip to LA and the Rams defense doesn't profile as a good matchup for anyone on the Lions. Desperate times call for desperate measures, however, and St. Brown is emerging as the recent target leader on an offense that needs direction. St. Brown has yet to score on the year, and perhaps an improbable comeback loss against LA will be the perfect setup for the rookie's first career touchdown catch.
9. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
After a strong rookie year, Aiyuk has failed to get involved in 2021, rather its been Deebo Samuel who has exploded as the Bay City all star. Coming off a bye for a week 7 matchup against Indianapolis, coach Kyle Shanahan may be forced to shake up his play calling and get the ball moving through the air a little more. The absence of George Kittle should also translate into more targets for the talented young receiver. It may take some time to fully develop, but on a very thin wire it may be time to pick Aiyuk back up.
10. Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts
Pascal has suffered from a general lack of usage since his three scores in two weeks to start the season. The ball gets spread around in Indy between all position groups to a point where it is hard to rely on Pascal past an off-chance TD against the stout San Francisco defense.
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