Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 7
By Jack Thomason-
(CBS) Week in and week out you have an opportunity with fantasy football waivers to improve your team for a title run. Sometimes owners want to wait a week or see a player "do it again," but fantasy football is about probabilities, calculated risk and beating your opponents to the punch.
So it's time to get aggressive; go after the potential stars now for the remainder of the season. We are six weeks in, and trends are now evident.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles isn't the guy he was last year (his last interception cost me a game by 1.3 points). Keenan Allen is nothing more than a weekly headache. And Adrian Peterson isn't coming back.
So make the winning moves. Make the bold add/drops others aren't willing to make and have the last laugh when you're holding the trophy. That's what it's all about, isn't it?
Here are your top 10 waiver adds for Week 7, with an eye on 10- or 12-team leagues.
1. Jerick McKinnon (RB, Minnesota Vikings) -- McKinnon should be owned. The Georgia Southern product finally got his opportunity to play more than Matt Asiata, and he didn't disappoint. Against a stout Detroit front, McKinnon totaled 48 snaps, 17 touches and 82 yards to Asiata's 15 snaps, three touches and 13 yards. The Vikings are going all in on their future. We should be looking at the Teddy Bridgewater and Jerick McKinnon show from here on out. Now if they could only get Cordarrelle Patterson more involved ...
2. Mohamed Sanu (WR, Cincinnati Bengals) -- All Sanu has done this season is produce. There were discussions about his role when Marvin Jones returns, but A.J. Green is out with a turf toe injury and Jones hasn't stepped on the field since mid-August. Sanu is performing at a high level, and Green's toe issue could linger. I expect Sanu to be a large part of this offense going forward. He's coming off a 10-catch, 120-yard, one-touchdown performance on 14 targets. You can't expect that every week, but ride him while he's hot.
3. Isaiah Crowell (RB, Cleveland Browns) -- Terrance West was a surprise healthy scratch this past week. Heading into the bye week, there was a lot of noise that Crowell was surpassing him on the depth chart; the move Sunday would confirm that. The Browns are a top-five rush offense, and they ran the ball 36 times between Crowell and Ben Tate. Crowell was said by many to be the top running back talent in this year's draft, but legal issues caused him to go undrafted. He has shown his talent this season, and Sunday was no different. He carried the ball 11 times for 77 yards and a touchdown, but he also fumbled. The Browns' recent success comes from their ground game. That includes Crowell as the season progresses.
4. Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, New York Giants) -- Beckham Jr. had a solid debut but a rather uneventful second game. No one for the Giants played well in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, but their offense was clicking the previous four games. With Victor Cruz now done for the season, Beckham Jr. will become a starting wide receiver and will provide WR3 value with upside.
5. Davante Adams (WR, Green Bay Packers) -- Last week, Adams was No. 10 on this list; this week he's up five spots. Aaron Rodgers stated recently that when watching film, he sees Adams continuously gaining separation. That translated into six catches and 77 yards on eight targets against the Dolphins. The Packers need him to be a large part of this offense. They don't have production at tight end, and their running game isn't what it was last year. Look for Adams to be heavily involved moving forward.
6. Andre Holmes (WR, Oakland Raiders) -- He's played two games as a starting wide receiver for the Raiders, and Holmes has nine catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns on 20 targets. Derek Carr looked great Sunday afternoon, and Holmes is a size/speed freak who can be a major deep threat for the Raiders. He's a great complement to possession wide receiver James Jones.
7. Brandon Bolden (RB, New England Patriots) -- The New England running back situation is always a nightmare, and this add could end up no different. But Bolden needs to be owned, as Steven Ridley was lost for the season with ACL and MCL tears. After Ridley went out, Bolden received six carries last week. He didn't do much with them, but the Bills are stingy against the run. Grab him in hopes he takes over Ridley's "big back" role in an offense that suddenly looks potent again.
8. Cecil Shorts (WR, Jacksonville Jaguars) – In the two games that Shorts has been fully healthy, he's had 26 targets for 15 catches, 138 yards, one touchdown and one fumble. Shorts is lower on this list because you can't trust his health.
9. Antone Smith (RB, Atlanta Falcons) -- Atlanta coach Mike Smith said that Smith had earned more touches, but I wouldn't say six touches against the Bears qualifies as "more." But Smith keeps scoring in his limited action, as he had another long score on his way to six touches for 69 yards and a touchdown. If you need a RB3 or a "what the heck" flex play, he fits the bill.
10. Jace Amaro (TE, New York Jets) -- Jimmy Graham owners are going to be looking for a tight end to fill in for the next two or three weeks. Amaro had 12 targets for 10 catches and 68 yards last week. His role in the offense is growing weekly, and the Jets are constantly playing from behind.
Just-missed list: Carson Palmer, Storm Johnson, Theo Riddick, Tre Mason, James White, Joseph Randle, Malcolm Floyd, Brandon LaFell, Jarvis Landry, Jared Cook and Tim Wright.
Jack Thomason was the winner of 670 The Score's Bud Light Fantasy Expert Contest and is the co-host of Fantasy Streamers. Follow him on Twitter@jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
