We are now past the mid-way point for most leagues in this wild 2020 fantasy season.
This past week, we had a full slate of games and some fantasy-friendly, high-scoring shootouts. Week 7 figures to be more of the same with seven games having over-under’s of 50 points or more. Lineups need to be sharp this week, and streamers can be considered.
Injuries combined with bye weeks could leave your teams in a bind: We saw Miles Sanders, Zach Ertz, Jonnu Smith, Mark Ingram and Raheem Mostert all go down this past weekend. The injuries keep piling up. There are some short- and long-term replacement options on the wire this week.
It is also important to take a look at your team’s bye weeks for Weeks 8 and 9: There could be some adds to make preemptively, for cheap, so your team is not forced to waste a lot of FAB or a high waiver priority in the week that follows.
As always, our threshold is players rostered in less than 20% of Yahoo! Leagues.
Boston Scott RB Philadelphia (15%)
Scott will most likely be the highest FAB add in deeper leagues this week. He is worth a look for as long as Sanders is out. The Eagles have downplayed the severity of Sanders’ knee injury, but Sanders missed time at training camp, and missed the first week of this season. I would expect Corey Clement and Jason Huntley to also get some looks in a three-man backfield, but Scott will easily see the most work. He is a good receiver and had some big games last year.
La’Mical Perine RB NY Jets (20%)
We did not see a Perine breakout as the hapless Jets were shutout against Miami, but his opportunities are ticking up. The rookie is still behind 65-year old Frank Gore, but rational coaching would dictate that that the Jets need to see what they have in the 4th round rookie. While Adam Gase is quite possibly the least rational coach in the league, Perine should be rostered in deeper formats. This could be a 15-touch-per-game back within the next few weeks; if Gore goes down, Perine would see all the work.
J.D. McKissic RB Washington (14%)
McKissic makes our Waiver Grabs for the second week in a row. He also appeared in our Dumpster Dive article this past weekend. His usage and production cannot be ignored. He is splitting work with rookie runner Antonio Gibson, but is seeing a lot more targets. He has at least 6 catches and 40 yards for three straight games, and added 41 yards on the ground this past weekend; he now faces a porous Dallas Cowboys’ defense. McKissic should be rostered in all PPR formats as a floor-play option.
Gus Edwards RB Baltimore (3%)
Edwards has run hard and effective in low volume opportunities all season long; we do not know the severity of Ingram’s injury. Ingram is 31-years old, and has lacked the same explosiveness we saw from him last season. While talented rookie J.K. Dobbins could see a massive bump in usage, Edwards could also be a huge beneficiary if Ingram was to miss time. He should be added.
JaMycal Hasty RB San Francisco (1%)
Hasty looks to be a strong undrafted free agent signing for San Francisco. When Mostert went down, the 49ers gave Hasty the game-sealing rushing opportunities, and could be thrust into a larger role this week against New England. Hasty is a nice target for team’s that do not want to spend up for Boston Scott. Lots of managers will brush aside Hasty because he is not well-known and was undrafted, but he was a solid back at Baylor and looks the part athletically. Dynasty teams should also consider adding Hasty. Kyle Shannahan plays backs regardless of their draft capital. I am very intrigued by this rookie.
Tim Patrick WR Denver (18%)
Jerry Jeudy is frustrating for fantasy teams that expected him to take off this season when Courtland Sutton went down. Patrick, on the other hand, has been performing at a very high level as the de facto “WR1” in Denver. He now has back-to-back 100-yard games. He should be rostered everywhere and can be used as a bye week fill-in, WR3, or FLEX as needed. The next four games all look like strong match-ups for Patrick as well in terms of volume.
Jalen Reagor WR Philadelphia (14%)
The first round draft pick looks close to returning for Philadelphia. If he was dropped in your leagues, consider adding him now. The Eagles face-off against Dallas Week 8, then have a bye Week 10. Reagor could be a real asset for fantasy teams in the stretch run and playoffs. This draft class looks exceptional with several players popping and becoming fantasy starters and Reagor could add to this list assuming health is on his side.
James Washington WR Pittsburgh (10%)
Washington was productive last week posting a 4-68-1 line on 7 targets against Cleveland. If Diontae Johnson misses more time, Washington can be considered as a streamer against a Tennessee team that was just shredded by Deshaun Watson and the Texans.
Adam Humphries WR Tennessee (9%)
Humphries caught all 6 targets and found the end zone last weekend. He is an unexciting floor play, but will have usable weeks for the high-flying Tennessee Titans. This week looks to be a very high scoring game, and Humphries will see some targets.
Denzel Mims WR NY Jets (3%)
Mims is the bargain bin discount version of Reagor. The Jets are a frustrating team and besides Jamison Crowder, there has been no value to be found. Enter Mims. The second-round rookie should see a lot of snaps once he gets healthy. The Braxton Berrios-Jeff Smith-Breshad Perriman group of wideouts will not be able to hold-off a healthy Mims. Grab him and stash him if you have the roster space.
Logan Thomas TE Washington (14%)
Thomas has been a frustrating player this season after a lot of teams spent legitimate FAB early on to acquire him. He scored last week, and will be a low-floor TE2 for needy teams this week in a plus-match-up against Dallas.
Irv Smith TE Minnesota (9%)
We talked about Smith in our preseason waiver article. I was very bullish on Smith as a potential breakout TE; he is athletic and talented, but has been a big disappointment so far this year. We have seen increased usage the last two weeks as Smith has seen back-to-back games with at least 5 targets and 50 yards. Rational self-scouting during a bye week would result in a usage bump for Smith. Grab him and stash him this week.
Darren Fells TE Houston (6%)
Fells continues to perform well in games Jordan Akins misses. He was a Dumpster Dive hit this past weekend as he found the end zone and showed great chemistry with Watson as a safety blanket target. He looks to be the third option in Houston for as long as Akins misses.
Anthony Firkser TE Tennessee (1%)
If Jonnu Smith misses, Firkser will be a viable streamer. He is coming off a career game with 8 catches for 113 yards and 1 score. Ryan Tannehill has looked to the TE all season; we should temper our expectations from last week, but a 4-5 catch outing with a chance at the end zone is absolutely a possibility for Firkser. This is a potential one week add so do not waste a lot of FAB coins.