If you like winning, come back every week for under-the-radar fantasy waiver wire pickups to keep you in contention until the final contest. We leave no stone unturned to ensure we give you the BEST chance to win week in and week out. Let’s get to it with our Week 7 waiver wire pickups.

The fantasy football season is an unstoppable force. Regardless of injuries, underperformances or subpar coaching scenarios, it moves forward like a living, breathing thing. We do what we can with what we have. However, your Week 7 waiver wire pickups could be the saving grace that keeps your season going.

~ Check out our Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings ~

This week, we’re dealing with more teams on bye, more injuries, and guys like Deshaun Watson having historically bad seasons. Week 7 brings challenges, and moves must be made to stay in contention.

Let’s get into who’s who and who you should target for your Week 7 waiver wire pickup, plus D/STs you can stream with confidence and droppable roster cloggers. 

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups + Streaming D/STs & Droppable Players

These Week 7 waiver wire pickups aren’t hot takes or an attempt to be bolder than the crowd. They are here to help you win your week, build depth on your rosters or stay on the course to the fantasy football playoffs. 

Here. We. Go. 

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups | QBs

Drake Maye (NE) | 4.9%

Rookie Drake Maye impressed in his NFL debut last week. Maye is currently sitting as the overall QB9 for Week 6 with 21.5 fantasy points. I wouldn’t expect Maye to repeat this performance every week, especially behind a suspect New England offensive line.

That said, the Patriots’ next three matchups – at Jacksonville, the Jets at home and then on the road to Tennessee – could be good spot-start opportunities for Maye if you are QB-needy. 

Justin Herbert (LAC) | 38.7%

Chargers QB Justin Herbert mainly was left for dead in a run-heavy Jim Harbaugh this season. However, Herbert showed signs of life in Week 6 against an excellent Denver defense, eclipsing 200 yards passing for the first time in 2024. 

While Herbert will still not be a top-12 quarterback option in fantasy football this season, he is trending toward being viable in 2QB and Superflex formats.

Daniel Jones (NYG) | 24.6%

It isn’t sexy, but Giants QB Daniel Jones has been better than expected in 2024. Despite being on a Giants team that isn’t very good, Jones is currently the overall QB17 in fantasy football through six weeks.

With the emergence of rookie WR Malik Nabers and fellow pass catchers Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson, Jones has an assortment of reliable targets he can feed. In addition, the Giants are throwing the ball at a nearly 60 percent rate this season. Throw in Jones’ rushing upside, and it’s a no-brainer to get him rostered in 2QB and Superflex formats or a bye-week streamer in 1QB formats. 

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups | RBs

Tyrone Tracy (NYG) | 44.9%

Giants RB Tyrone Tracy has shown us who he is two weeks in a row. We should believe him. Over that two-game span, he is the overall PPR RB3 in fantasy football. 

Tracy has benefited from an injury to veteran RB Devin Singletary, who missed the previous two games. However, Tracy, unlike Singletary, has a 100-yard rushing outing and has earned 15 or more carries in both contests. This is a rare opportunity to get a potential league winner midway through the fantasy football season. 

Isaac Guerendo (SF) | 2.5%

The RB carousel keeps on turning in San Francisco. With fellow ball carrier Jordan Mason out (AC Joint), rookie Isaac Guerendo stepped in admirably. The freshman RB carried the ball 10 times for 99 yards.

While Guerendo was aided by a monster 76-yard run late in the game, we all know how the Shanahan system works regarding RBs. Gurendo is a one-cut-and-go type of runner, which is what the 49ers scheme for on offense. Guerendo will be a viable flex play in fantasy football if Mason is sidelined.

Kimani Vidal (LAC) | 6.7%

Why yes, I AM excited rookie RB Kimani Vidal finally got a chance to shine, and did he ever. While his four carries for 11 yards aren’t anything to write home about, he caught a beautiful 38-yard wheel route pass for a TD in the first quarter on Sunday.

Sure, it was one play in a 60-minute game. However, the Chargers offense has struggled to do much in the passing game, and Vidal showed he is reliable, even if it was just two catches. Vidal has as good of a chance as anyone on this roster to bust out behind veteran J.K. Dobbins, and his upside, if he breaks out, is undeniable, especially in PPR formats.

Sean Tucker (TB) | 1.0%

With veteran RB Rachaad White (foot) sidelined this past Sunday, the Tamba Bay rushing attack went crazy. Rookie Bucky Irving, as expected, put in a solid performance, with 86 rushing yards and a TD. However, no one saw fellow Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker coming,

In his second season out of Syracuse, Tucker logged an astounding 136 rushing yards on 14 carries and a rushing TD. But that wasn’t all. Tucker also hauled in all three targets for 56 yards and another TD. This could be a flash in the pan. However, with the team’s displeasure with White’s play, Tucker is worth a could-catch-lightning-in-a-bottle roster addition.

Tyler Allgeier (ATL) | 36.5%

Bijan Robinson be damned, Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier continues to hang on to fantasy football relevancy. This past week against Carolina, Allgeier finished as the PPR RB10, while Robinson slotted in as the PPR RB3. 

Without a TD, Allgeier isn’t going to draw enough volume to be a top option in any scoring format. However, If Bijan gets hurt, Allgeier has an RB1 upside almost every week in the Atlanta offense. Allgeier isn’t someone you can rely on weekly as a boom play, but in a pinch, he’ll do as a flex option in most formats. 

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups | WRs

JuJu Smith-Schuster (KC) | 24.9%

This might be the easiest waiver wire decision of Week 7. After losing WR Rashee Rice in Week 4 to a brutal knee injury, former and current Chiefs WR Juju Smith-Schuster stepped right in. 

Through the first four weeks of this season, Schuster-Smith had drawn only four total targets from QB Patrick Mahomes. However, in the absence of Rice, he grabbed seven of his eight targets for 130 yards in a big win over New Orleans. This is just the beginning for Smith-Schuster, now the clear WR1 in a high-powered offense in Kansas City. This one may require you to empty your FAAB pockets, but it’s well worth it. 

Xavier Legette (CAR) | 24%

After a breakout in Week 4 against Cincinnati, rookie WR Xavier Legette went quiet. However, the vaunted Chicago Bears secondary stifled the young receiver, which wasn’t surprising. He rebounded this past week against Atlanta, locking in three catches and a TD.

Legette is talented, and his fantasy value exists because Andy Dalton is behind center in Carolina. He isn’t someone you’re rostering to start every week, but he provides much-needed depth. Also, there will be weeks you can fire him up as a Flex start. This week against the Commanders is a good matchup for Legette, and Weeks 9 and 10 against the Giants and Saints are potential boom weeks for the rookie wideout. 

Demario Douglas (NE) | 14.1%

There isn’t much to like about the Patriots offense, but second-year WR Demario Douglas is now providing some pop for fantasy lineups. This past Sunday, with rookie QB Drake Maye making his first NFL start, Douglas led the team in targets, catches and yards in a loss to the Texans.

There hasn’t been a clear-cut leading receiver for the Patriots this season, but Douglas could emerge as just that. He leads the team in every major receiving category and has found favor with Maye, who will be the Patriots QB the rest of the way, barring injury. Douglas is a good discount addition on the Week 7 waiver wire that could put up WR1 numbers nearly every week. 

Allen Lazard (NYJ) | 39.4%

There is no question that second-year stud Garrett Wilson leads the WR corp in New York. But that pesky Allen Lazard just won’t go away. Despite Wilson drawing 23 targets this past Sunday from QB Aaron Rodgers, Lazrad still ate, hauling in four catches for 34 yards and a TD. 

As long as it’s the Rodgers show in New York, Lazrad, his former teammate in Green Bay, will be fantasy-relevant. He has 33 targets and four TDs through 5 games and is the overall PPR WR27. There’s no reason to think he won’t still draw high-value targets from the future Hall-of-Fame signal caller for the rest of this season. You can reliably plug Lazard into your Flex and forget about it most weeks.  

Devaughn Vele (DEN) | 0%

The Denver Broncos offense is fun these days. Bo Nix hasn’t been pretty, but when he needs to, he’s been slinging it, and now he has one of his favorite targets back in the lineup in rookie WR Devaughn Vele.

Vele had a coming-out party in Week 1, catching all eight of his targets for 34 yards before getting dinged up and then being a healthy scratch. 

However, he was back in Week 6, and Nix again successfully targeted the rookie multiple times. Vele hauled in four of his six targets for 78 yards. While we have yet to determine if Vele will continue to see volume in the Broncos offense, his two games have been quite successful. No one else is looking at Vele on the waiver wire right now, and he’s worth a speculative addition to see if he can gain momentum with Nix and company.

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups | TEs

Cade Otton (TB) | 30%

Yeah, the TE landscape sucks this season. You know who hasn’t sucked, though? Cade Otton in Tampa Bay. 

Of course, elite veteran WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are the top targets in Tampa Bay. The pair accounts for 50.6% of QB Baker Mayfield’s 178 targets this season. However, despite an RB room with receiving acumen, Otton is third on the team with 29 targets. The third-year bookend has seen consistent volume, with six or more targets in three of six games. 

Otton is a viable weekly TE streamer with TE1 tier upside every week, though he may need to find the endzone for that to become a reality.

Zach Ertz (WAS) | 39.3%

Veteran TE Zach Ertz wasn’t supposed to be fantasy-relevant this season. Heading into his 12th NFL season, with a rookie QB (Jayden Daniels) at the helm and a rookie TE (Ben Sinnott) in waiting, most assumed Etz had reached the afterthought portion of his career.

However, Ertz has managed to find himself back in the fantasy football conversation. Through six games in Washington, Ertz has finished as a top 10 PPR TE three times. The lows have been low – Ettz managed only 5.8 points in Week 1 and 3 in Week 5. However, Daniels trusts the veteran TE and has been looking to him and WR Terry McLaurin for high-value targets. While it seems to defy reason, Ertz is a solid option as a weekly streamer, especially this week against Carolina.

Noah Fant (SEA) | 16.6%

Veteran TE Noah Fant is quietly having a solid season in Seattle. While the fantasy numbers haven’t been there every week, Fant has been more involved in the Seahawks offseason than his previous two with the team.

Despite somewhat inconsistent production over the first six games, Fant is currently the overall PPR TE14. He is fourth on the team in targets (24) and receiving yards (198). Those stats might not elicit excitement, but beggars can’t be choosers now. Yes, Fant presents risks as a streaming TE most weeks. His floor is low, but he has a few big catches, and he could land as a top-10 player at the position any given week. 

Taysom Hill (NO) | 28%

Saints QB Derek Carr will be on the sideline for a few games with an oblique injury suffered back in Week 5. Rookie QB Spencer Rattler stepped up in the absence of Carr this past week against Tampa Bay, getting throttled 51-27 in New Orleans. 

While all signs point to Rattler getting the nod again, TE Taysom Hill is primed to suit up post-rib injury this week and should have an expanded role with the rookie behind center. Hill, the polarizing QB/RB/FB/TE hybrid, should provide a safety valve for Rattler and the Saints, hopefully preventing a similar fate in Week 7 against Denver. 

This is more of an “I’ve seen it before” call than anything else. Somehow, Hill will find a way to be a top-tier TE this week as long as Rattler is in the lineup. 

Week 7 Waiver Wire Streaming D/STs

New Orleans Saints (vs DEN)

While Denver has been better lately, they’re still not good. They’ve committed 11 turnovers through six games, and QB Bo Nix has been sacked nine times this season, with five coming in the last two weeks. As a team, they are averaging 18.7 points per game, the ninth-worst average in the league. 

New Orleans also has offensive issues, but their defense has been solid all season. Denver will have difficulty moving the ball on Thursday night, let alone scoring. New Orleans is an easy-to-roster streaming D/ST with a high upside for Week 7.

Indianapolis Colts (vs MIA)

All signs in Miami point to QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) being out for an extended period. The combination of QBs Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson in his absence has been abysmal at best. WR Tyreek Hill has become a fantasy football ghost, as has teammate Jaylen Waddle. 

The Colts defense isn’t outstanding, but it’s doubtful Miami can get much going on offense. The Dolphins are averaging a league-worst 12 points per game plus a turnover per game this season. While not a D/ST option for every week, Indianapolis will do just fine as a streamer in Week 7.

New England (at JAC)

This is a simple D/ST streaming call for Week 7. New England has a serviceable defense. They rank 21st in points allowed (23.8) and have generated seven turnovers through six games.

Jacksonville, on the other hand, isn’t very good. They are scoring the 11th fewest points per game (18.8) and have turned the ball over seven times this season. Don’t overthink it.

Cincinnati Bengals (at CLE)

When a QB has a historically bad season, you target them in fantasy football. It’s a pretty solid, simple strategy for winning. As luck would have it, Cincinnati draws QB Deshaun Watson and the division rival Cleveland Browns this week. 

Watson boasts the lowest recorded QBR in NFL history through five games (21.5), has been sacked 31 times (13.5 percent of dropbacks), and his net 4.1 yards per attempt put him in the worst 1 percent of QBs in NFL HISTORY.  The Bengals’ defense isn’t a top-notch unit, but the Browns can make every team look like an all-star team, and Cincinnati is next up.

Week 7 Droppables

Rachaad White (RB – TB)

Tampa Bay has found its combo of effective RBs, and veteran Rachaad White does not appear to be one of them. Rookie Bucky Irving was already eating into his workload, and now Sean Tucker is here to take away even more. White (foot) is unlikely to return to much volume once healthy. He’s a roster-clogger, and you can confidently make someone else’s problem.

Zack Moss (RB – CIN)

If you didn’t believe the Cincinnati backfield was shifting in RB Chase Brown’s favor, you cannot deny it any longer. While fellow RB Zack Moss was active this past Sunday, he might as well have been at home.

Moss couldn’t muster much on the ground against the Giants, turning six carries into 13 yards while losing a fumble against the New York Giants. Furthermore, Moss hasn’t found the endzone since Week 4, and even then has only scored three times. Moss’ time as a relevant fantasy football asset, at least in 2024, has come to a close, and you can safely drop him from your rosters. 

Ja’Lynn Polk (WR – NE)

Many fantasy managers had high hopes for rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk heading into the 2024 season. Those hopes have faded quickly.

Polk has only managed to haul in 10 of his 23 targets this season, amassing 23 receiving yards and one TD. Last week, he caught one pass for four yards. There is more of the same ahead for the rookie from the University of Washington. While there may be brighter pastures ahead for Polk, they aren’t in 2024. Drop him now and save yourself further headaches. 

Cam Akers (RB – HOU)

Much of Cam Akers‘ fantasy value was predicated on his complementary role to Joe Mixon. Akers saw a nice bump for a few weeks with Mixon injured but ultimately lost that lead role to fellow RB Dare Ogunbowale.

Last week, with Mixon back, Akers was a ghost, playing just two snaps and logging one carry for -1 yards. Holding Akers would be a bet on Mixon missing time down the line, and even that isn’t a good bet. Ogunbowale out-snapped Akers significantly last week against the Patriots, a sign that Akers is on the outs in Houston and should also be off your fantasy football rosters. 

Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the lead senior analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy.