Week 7 Adds, Drops, Buys, and Sells
What a week! Week 6 was exhilarating but the turnaround is quick. Waivers are running and we have championship rosters to build. With that in mind, here are the adds, drops, buys, and sells to consider making in Week 7.
START/SIT ASSIST | TRADE CALCULATOR
Add Rashod Bateman
Three weeks ago, I told you to stash Rashod Bateman. Now everyone and their mother is telling you he’s a priority add off the waiver wire. Luckily, you listened and already have him rostered. If not, now is your last chance to get him. Bateman made his NFL debut in Week 6. He played 65-percent of the snaps and tied Mark Andrews for a team-high 22-percent target share. Bateman was a top wide receiver prospect coming out of Minnesota and he looked great in training camp before his injury. The early usage is exciting and should only go up from here.
Add Rashaad Penny
Chris Carson has a neck injury and we don’t know when or if he will return to the field this season. Alex Collins left Sunday’s game with an injury of his own. With Rashaad Penny coming off injured reserve this week, he could step right into a significant role in this backfield. Injuries have plagued the former first round pick over his first few seasons but he has performed well when given a chance. He has all the tools to be a bell cow for as long as he’s healthy.
Add DeeJay Dallas
In that same backfield, DeeJay Dallas is coming off a game where he saw a 16-percent target share. Dallas also has the size and skill set to handle a significant workload if called upon. At worst, we should see him continue to be active in the passing game.
Buy T.J. Hockenson
After a few quiet weeks, T.J. Hockenson returned to the usage we had seen from him in the early weeks. He led all tight ends for the week with a 26-percent target share against the Bengals. He converted his 11 targets into eight receptions for 74 yards. This is more of what we expected coming into the season with the offense starving for pass-catchers. The volume should be there week over week which is really all we can ask from our tight ends.
Add Marlon Mack
Both Marlon Mack and the Colts have outwardly admitted they are seeking a trade. There was a report last week that the Chiefs have discussed trading for Mack. He has looked healthy and back to his explosive self coming off the achilles injury. He has an all-purpose skill set that a number of teams could really use right now. If he lands somewhere like Kansas City, Baltimore, or Seattle he’ll be a weekly RB2 down the stretch and in the fantasy playoffs. The NFL trade deadline is November 2nd so if anything is going to happen it’s going to be soon. Stash Mack before a deal happens and everyone is rushing to the waiver wire to add him.
Sell DeAndre Hopkins
The target share has just not been there consistently for DeAndre Hopkins this year. We have a large enough sample size at this point to say it’s probably going to continue like this for the duration of the season. The Cardinals just spread the ball around too much. While that’s all well and good for real life, it’s not so much for fantasy. He has led Arizona wide receivers in targets just three times this season. In the other three, Hopkins had a target share below 15-percent. In the meantime, Rondale Moore, Christian Kirk, and A.J. Green have all had spike weeks. Of course, Hopkins is still a high-end WR2 so you’re definitely not just selling for anything. But if the right offer comes along from someone who still believes Hopkins is near that top-tier WR1 territory, you should be listening.
Buy D.J. Moore
D.J. Moore fantasy managers may be a little frustrated with him after multiple drops and a lost fumble held him to just 10.9 PPR points in Week 6. That’s after a single-digit fantasy performance in Week 5. Panic may be setting in as they realize Sam Darnold is slowly turning back into a pumpkin, too. While none of this quite makes him a “buy-low” candidate considering what he did Weeks 1-4, but there is at least a small dip in the market that’s worth attacking. Moore has seen double-digit targets in four of six games including 13 targets in Week 6. His 32-percent target share against the Vikings was good for top-3 at his position across the league. He was also second among all players in air yards with 222 which accounted for 52.5-percent of his team’s share. The drops and fumbles will get cleaned up and the targets will continue to come.
Add Demetric Felton
Kareem Hunt is going to miss an extended period of time with the calf injury he suffered in Week 6. While Nick Chubb may be back as soon as this week, Felton is in line for passing game work in Cleveland. Felton played wide receiver for most of his time at UCLA before converting to running back. He has also played some receiver with the Browns as well. He’s worth an add in deeper PPR leagues with an expanded role on the horizon.
Add T.Y. Hilton
T.Y. Hilton injured his quad in Week 6 but early indications are he is expected to be ready for Week 7. Week 6 was Hilton’s season debut and he did not disappoint. He saw 20-percent of the targets, converting them into four receptions for 80 yards. He operated as the clear WR1 and looked like his old self. He’s still available in over 60-percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Buy Miles Sanders
It was just a few weeks ago when we thought Miles Sanders’ fantasy value was dead. He was losing snaps and targets to rookie Kenny Gainwell. Since then, has seen a significant bump in his opportunity share in the Eagles backfield. He has seen over 74-percent of the snaps in each of the last two games and has now had had a double-digit target share in four of six games, including 14-percent and 15-percent over the last two. Sanders has one of the easiest schedules for running backs moving forward so he should be able to convert the increase in usage into fantasy production.
Buy Leonard Fournette
I talked about Leonard Fournette here as a buy before Week 3. Four weeks later, it’s safe to say I was right. Since then, he has done nothing but secure his role as the bell cow in the Bucs offense even more. He has had at least five targets in each of the last three games and has 20 carries in two of the last three. This is a “buy-high” scenario but Fournette is one of these backs that is forever undervalued so it’s likely you’ll still be able to get him below what his cost should be. You’ll be getting an every down back in one of the league’s best offenses. It never hurts to make an offer. Ride him to a fantasy championship.
Buy Jaylen Waddle
Jaylen Waddle was a target magnet in Week 7. For the second time in four weeks, he had a 27-percent target share. He was able to convert those into 10 receptions for 70 yards and two scores. He was also 16th in air yards for the week. DeVante Parker will be back at some point to eat into his volume a bit, but if Tua Tagovailoa keeps dropping back 40+ times a week, there will be plenty for Waddle to continue to get his.
Buy Emmanuel Sanders
We’ve graduated from suggesting to add Emmanuel Sanders off waivers to now saying go out any buy him in trade. The targets have been consistent week over week and he has been in the top-10 in air yard on multiple occasions. That includes in Week 6 when he had 177 which accounted for nearly half of his team’s share. He didn’t score against the Titans which should allow you to buy at a reasonable price.
Hold Alexander Mattison
When it looked like Christian McCaffrey was going to come back last week, I encouraged you to hold onto Chuba Hubbard even when CMC was back. For the same reasons, I’m encouraging you to hang onto Alexander Mattison even now that Dalvin Cook is back. Mattison is a weekly RB1 whenever Cook is sidelined. Mattison ran at least 25 times in each of the two games without Cook. He had a target share of 21-percent in both contests. While it’s possible the Vikings may not have to turn to Mattison again, he’s a league-winner if Cook goes down.
Drop Jonnu Smith
Hunter Henry has emerged as the Patriots tight end to roster in fantasy football. Smith has just two targets in each of the last two games and hasn’t reached 30 receiving yards since Week 1. Even at a position that is hard to find production, Smith is droppable.
