Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups: Sleepers Available in Majority of Fantasy Leagues

Experienced fantasy managers know that a winning campaign doesn't end with a successful draft. Injuries, regressions and bye weeks can significantly alter lineup options, making in-season roster management a priority.

There's some manager out there that has injured running back Christian McCaffrey, injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, unreliable tight end Mark Andrews and receiver CeeDee Lamb—who is on bye this week—as their core.

Finding reinforcements on the waiver wire is a must. Fortunately, a few viable options may still be available in your league, even late in the week. You'll find a few wire targets to consider for Week 7 play here.

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye got his first NFL start last week. While he made some rookie mistakes (including a pair of interceptions), there was plenty of good to go with the bad.

Maye finished with 243 passing yards, three touchdowns and 34 rushing yards. This week, he'll face a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2024.

If there's one concern with Maye this week, it's that he's been dealing with a knee ailment. However, the Patriots are reportedly unconcerned.

"The team insider stressed the Patriots aren't concerned about the ailment and expect the 22-year-old to start Sunday," Adam London of NESN wrote.

Maye is a sneaky-good option in Week 7, and he should be available. He's still rostered in fewer than 20 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

With McCaffrey still nursing an ankle/Achilles injury, the San Francisco 49ers turned to Jordan Mason as their high-volume running back. However, Mason suffered a shoulder injury in Week 6, which opened the door for rookie Isaac Guerendo.

Guerendo tallied 99 rushing yards on 10 carries against the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday.

While the extra time off does give Mason a chance to play in Week 7—he was limited in practice this week—San Francisco should have no reason to rush him back into a heavy workload. The rookie has proven that he can be a prominent piece of the offensive game plan.

Guerendo, who is available in over 80 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, doesn't have the spiciest matchup this week—as the Chiefs have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs. However, he's proven himself as a ball carrier and should see enough volume to be considered an emergency flex play.

The fact that Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is still available in more than 50 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues is surprising. With Rashee Rice out for the season, Smith-Schuster is rapidly becoming an integral piece of Kansas City's passing attack.

Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5—Kansas City was on bye in Week 6—the 27-year-old caught seven passes for 130 yards. He should be one of Patrick Mahomes' top targets moving forward and has a fair matchup in week 7.

While the 49ers are at home and have a good defense, they haven't shut down opposing receivers. San Francisco has allowed the 13th-fewest fantasy points to the position, making this a middle-of-the-road matchup.

While Smith-Schuster may not top the 100-yard mark again this week, he has a high enough floor for flex consideration.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton has been a viable low-end streamer dating back to last season. While his ceiling is largely touchdown-dependent, he tends to have a fairly safe floor.

Otton has finished only one game without a catch this season, and the 25-year-old has been solid over the last four weeks. He had two receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown last week and had no fewer than three receptions and 44 yards in any of his previous three.

This week, the Buccaneers will host the Baltimore Ravens, who have a prolific offense but a struggling secondary. Baltimore has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, and it should keep Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in a pass-first mode.

Otton is still available in over 60 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.