Week 7 Fantasy Football: Top 10 Waiver-Wire Pickups in 12-Team Leagues

The following countdown touts the top 10 waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 7 for 12-team leagues.

Obviously, free-agent quarterbacks like Brandon Weeden, Russell Wilson, Matt Hasselbeck and Ryan Tannehill are the likeliest candidates for most points from Sunday to Sunday.

But I would also place an equal or higher priority on landing possible dynamos at receiver, running back and tight end...ahead of a quarterback who may only draw two or three fantasy starts from this point forward.

For a full listing of Week 7's top 30 free agents, click here.

10: RB Daryl Richardson, St. Louis Rams

2012 Stats: 305 Total Yards (246 Rushing)

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. Steven Jackson may still be atop the Rams' depth chart, but let's be frank here: for whatever reason (age, enamor with rookies), team officials are seemingly phasing Jackson out of the game plan, especially between the 20s. The sight of him alternating midfield touches with Daryl Richardson was quite surreal.

2. Just six weeks into his rookie campaign, Richardson already has two outings of 99 total yards or more. In those games, he averaged 15 touches.

3. Don't let the seventh-round draft status fool you: Richardson is an explosive back with tangible upside.

9: TE Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

2012 Stats: 22 Catches, 293 Yards, 1 TD

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. Greg Olsen has already collected seven-plus targets three times, including a 14-target explosion in Week 3 (seven catches, 98 yards).

2. For Weeks 3 and 4, Olsen combined for 13 catches, 21 targets, 187 yards and one touchdown.

3. I watched a sizable chunk of Seahawks-Panthers (Week 5). And throughout the broadcast, the Fox announcing team of Chris Myers and Tim Ryan roundly praised Olsen for getting open downfield against Seattle (even though he wasn't targeted much).

4. Fantasy GMs no longer have to worry about the Panthers' bye week...a factoid that will undoubtedly thrill Cam Newton owners, too.

8: QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

2012 Stats: 1,108 Yards Passing, 8 TDs

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. Russell Wilson had a superb outing against the Patriots, throwing for 293 yards and three touchdowns in the Seahawks' comeback victory. He also registered more TDs than Tom Brady.

2. This won't help fantasy owners right away, since Seattle hits the road for Weeks 7 and 8, but Wilson has respectable per-game averages of 212 total yards and two touchdowns at home.

3. Wilson has compiled 30-plus touches (pass attempts and runs) in each of the last three games.

7: WR Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans

2012 Stats: 33 Catches, 285 Yards, 2 TDs

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. The lightning-fast Wright has been a solid contributor the first six weeks, but he might only be scratching the surface of his immense fantasy potential.

2. From Weeks 2-6, Wright collected between eight and 11 targets in all five games.

3. In his six total outings, Wright has already racked up seven catches, 80 yards and/or one touchdown four times.

4. Given the wild production swings of Nate Washington and Kenny Britt, Wright could emerge as Tennessee's primary target by season's end.

6: QB Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns

2012 Stats: 1,519 Total Yards, 7 TDs

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. Through six games, Brandon Weeden has either passed for 300 yards or two touchdowns four times.

2. In Cleveland's five losses, Weeden has averaged 40.5 passes per game.

3. Weeden is flanked by two blue-chip rookie prospects in running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Josh Gordon. Both playmakers take big steps forward seemingly every week.

5: WR Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns

2012 Stats: 12 Catches, 274 Yards, 3 TDs

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. Josh Gordon has been incredibly efficient the last two weeks, tallying 181 yards and three TDs off just five catches.

2. Here's one more plus from that period: Gordon collected 12 combined targets, his most accessible two-game stint of the young season.

3. Gordon has the requisite size, strength, hands and explosion to be a No. 1 receiver for the Browns, sooner than later.

In fact, he may already be on the path to greatness with Cleveland.

4: RB William Powell, Arizona Cardinals

2012 Stats: 113 Total Yards (79 Rushing)

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. The Cardinals need somebody—anybody—to step up at running back, now that Ryan Williams (done for the year) and Beanie Wells have been shelved with injuries.

2. Powell ran well in his first bit of sustained NFL action last week against the Bills (78 total yards). But we'll have a better idea of his fantasy talents—a thicker scouting book, if you will—after his Sunday encounter with the gritty Vikings.

3. Fantasy owners already know the drill: You can never have enough quality running backs in standard-scoring leagues. And Powell is a promising lottery ticket.

3: QB Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2012 Stats: 1,118 Yards Passing, 8 TDs

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. Josh Freeman recently notched 300 total yards in back-to-back games (Weeks 5 and 6) for the first time in his four-year career.

2. Freeman has averaged 30.25 passes in his last four games.

3. The Buccaneers' Big Three playmakers (Doug Martin, Mike Williams, Vincent Jackson) are all off to fantastic starts.

4. Freeman has the capacity for 270 yards and two touchdowns every time he takes the field, regardless of opponent.

2: RB Alex Green, Green Bay Packers

2012 Stats: 186 Total Yards (105 Rushing), 1 TD

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. With Cedric Benson out with a Lisfranc foot injury, opportunity knocks for Alex Green to assume a starring role with the Packers.

2. In the last two weeks, Green has accrued 136 total yards.

3. Against Houston, the Green Bay coaches entrusted Green with 23 touches (for 73 total yards).

4. The second-year back has the requisite physical tools to be a feature back in the NFL. 

5. The Packers aren't flush with better rushing options on the bench.

1: RB Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys

2012 Stats: 186 Total Yards (105 Rushing), 1 TD

Reasons To Support This Selection

1. With DeMarco Murray (foot) out with an apparent week-to-week injury, the pressure shifts to Felix Jones to fill the short-term void in the Cowboys' backfield.

2. Luckily for fantasy owners, that's a role Jones has already played to some acclaim. For Week 6, Jones tallied 105 total yards (92 rushing) and one touchdown against the Ravens.

3. Last year, after Murray had become an overnight sensation but then suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14, Jones racked up 77 or more yards in three of the final four games—including two outings of 130-plus yards.

4. For the foreseeable future, Jones should garner RB2 or flex consideration in all 12-team leagues.