Week 7 – Waiver Wire Pickups

Are you ready?!?

We’re at the halfway point for most fantasy leagues.  We were a mixed bag last week.  C-Kaep had the breakout game we expected, throwing for 340 yards, 2 tds, and 0 ints.  Reuben also turned in a respectable performance, catching 5 of 6 targets for 44 yards.  With some big names coming off the injury list soon (Big Ben, Dez, Romo) the waiver wire is still an important place to round out your squad.  Let’s take a look at our top picks for the week.

Blake Bortles, QB Jags (67% owned in Yahoo! leagues)

Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal now.

Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal now.

When we started writing this post last night, Blake was owned in only 43% of leagues (thus meeting our 50% ownership rule).  Overnight, much like the Google image searches for his girlfriend, interest in Blake skyrocketed.  And for good reason.

Blake is the 6th highest fantasy scoring QB in the league, ahead of guys like Cam Newton, Peyton Manning, and Russell Wilson.  He ranks 5th in TDs, 6th in rushing yards, and 7th in passing yards.  He is a top 5 QB this week, playing across the pond against the Bills.  The Bills used to have a good defense, way back in Week 1, but recently they have (much like Rex) been exposed as frauds, giving up big games to Andy Dalton and Eli Manning.  Look for Blake to continue that success.

Blake is a legitimate starting QB for the rest of the season.  FWIT, Blake started his hot streak in Week 3, when he was only owned in 11% of leagues.  What could have jumped started his career, you ask?  Probably this.

Stefon Diggs, WR Minnesota (58%)

Stefon DiggsDammit.  If only we were more motivated to finish this while watching the Royal/Blue Jays game last night.  Stefon was owned in only 2% of leagues last night.  He took a meteoric rise overnight and is now up to 58%.

You may ask yourself, who is Stefon Diggs?  Well, if you’re draft nerds like us, you’d know he’s a rookie 5th round pick out of Maryland.  We thought he could’ve gone as early as the third round, so the Vikings really got a steal.  And now he’s starting to prove us right.  Over the last two games, he’s become Teddy Bridgewater’s favorite target, average 9.5 targets per game.  We expect a shoot-out on both sides against the Lions this week, and Stefon is in a good position to continue his stellar performance.  We like him as a WR3/Flex.

Theo Riddick, RB Detroit (29%)

PPR stud.

PPR stud.

For the reasons we like Stefon, we also like Theo.  The Lions/Vikings game is going to be pass early and often.  We expect 80 passes total.  That benefits Theo, who surprisingly leads all RBs in receptions.  He’s a low end RB2 but makes for a great Flex play, especially in PPR leagues.

Nick Foles, QB St. Louis (10%)

If you're desperate, Nick can help you out (for one week only).

If you’re desperate, Nick can help you out (for one week only).

With Andy Dalton, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers on byes this week, and assuming Blake is not around, you may be in a pinch for a quarterback.  With names like Jameis Winston, Kirk Cousins, Teddy Bridgewater, and Nick Foles likely available, how do you know who to pick up?  Of those QBs, our money is on Foles this week.  But wait, isn’t Nick coming off a wretched 141 yards, 4 interception performance?  Well, yes, but that was on the road against Green Bay.  Foles has been solid at home this year, averaging nearly 250 yards.  We think he’ll hit that number at home against Cleveland tomorrow.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.