With the fantasy football season approaching the quarter mark, the major injuries just keep piling up, which makes the waiver wire an important factor in the middle of the bye weeks.
Fantasy football waiver wire: Best wide receivers available in Week 7
We take a look at the top waiver options at wide receiver this week.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
There were several more wide receiver injuries in Week 6, some more serious than others. Perhaps the most notable one is Emmanuel Sanders getting carted off with an ankle injury, which has the looks of a multi-week affair. Elsewhere, Golden Tate picked up a shoulder injury that could keep him out a few weeks (fortunately, he has a bye coming up) while Demaryius Thomas was in and out of the lineup with a leg knock. None of these are season-ending injuries, but fantasy owners will have to monitor them closely and make adjustments.
In addition to the injuries, there are two more bye teams this week — Detroit Lions and Houston Texans — making Tate, DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Marvin Jones unavailable.
With yet more turnover at the position, let’s look at the best waiver wire wide receivers owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.
Ted Ginn, New Orleans Saints (43 percent)
Ginn had probably his best game yet in a Saints uniform, grabbing four catches for 66 yards, and a touchdown. His one-dimensional deep style means that he’ll always be a boom-or-bust option in fantasy, but those boom weeks will keep him on the WR3 radar more often than not. Ginn will have another favorable matchup when the Saints take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.
John Brown, Arizona Cardinals (43 percent)
Finally healthy and securing the No. 2 starting job, Brown should be owned in all 12-team leagues at this point. He put up 63 yards and a touchdown on three catches in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Don’t look now, but Carson Palmer is dealing and the Cardinals are back in business at 3-3. Brown will be a must-start play against the Los Angeles Rams this week.
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (21 percent)
Well, Williams certainly got eased in, to put it mildly. Making his NFL debut after a back injury cost him all of training camp and the first five games, Williams ended up playing just nine snaps and seeing one target. It’s almost a given that his playing time will increase over the next few weeks, but his role in the offense is uncertain after he missed so much development time. Right now he’s only a bench stash, but the potential is there. We’ll see how the Chargers use Williams when they face the Denver Broncos this week.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (14 percent)
Quietly eating into Martavis Bryant’s workload, Smith-Schuster once again saw more playing time in Week 6, playing 44 snaps to Bryant’s 33. This became a full-blown story on Sunday night when reports claimed that Bryant asked for a trade, which the team quickly denied. Even if Bryant stays, though, he’s clearly falling out of favor in this offense. Smith-Schuster has the talent and upside to win the No. 2 receiver job outright, so he’s someone to watch in 12-team leagues.
