Week 7 Waiver Wire: Early Pickups and Breakout Fantasy Football Candidates

Week 6 might not be completely over, but the bulk of it is in the books. What has transpired so far has been fairly telling as well, at least as it pertains to fantasy football.

We learned that Tom Brady's impressive Week 5 return was no fluke. The New England Patriots dominated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, and Brady again tossed three touchdowns and topped the 300-yard mark.

We also learned that the Carolina Panthers defense really isn't what it was a year ago. The New Orleans Saints produced 523 yards of offense and 41 points.

Moving forward, though, fantasy enthusiasts are looking for insight that might be as obvious as Brady's greatness. This is especially true with eight teams on bye over the next two week. Fantasy owners are searching for potential sleepers, sneaky bye-week fill-ins and smart pickups.

We're here to help identify some of these based on what we've seen so far in Week 6. We will be looking at players who are available in at least 60 percent of NFL.com fantasy leagues. We will be basing our choices on factors like Week 6 performances, past performances upcoming matchups and injuries where applicable.

Position	Player	Week 7 Opponent	Perent Owned
QB	Brian Hoyer, CHI	@ GB	5.0
QB	Case Keenum, LA	NYG	0.3
RB	James White, NE	@ PIT	12.8
RB	DeAndre Washington, OAK	@ JAX	12.4
WR	Brandon LaFell, CIN	CLE	4.0
WR	Kenny Britt, LA	NYG	2.9
TE	Charles Clay, BUF	@ MIA	3.9
TE	Larry Donnell, NYG	@ LA	0.8

Brian Hoyer, QB, Chicago Bears

Both the Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys are on bye in Week 7, which means owners of Dak Prescott and Cam Newton will be in need of replacements. Even if you don't own Prescott or Newton, you might be looking for a Week 7 add.

Chicago Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer might be a better fantasy quarterback than some of the starters in your league, and there's a good chance he's available. There's also a good chance he stays entrenched as Chicago's starter for the rest of the season, as Fox Sport's Michael Lombardi predicted earlier this week:

The Bears might only be 1-3 with Hoyer as the starter, but he has been statistically impressive. He has passed for more than 300 yards in each of his starts and has thrown six touchdowns with no interceptions and just one lost fumble.

Hoyer will next face the Green Bay Packers, who came into Sunday allowing an average of 275 passing yards per game.

Case Keenum, QB, Los Angeles Rams

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If you are only looking for a one-week replacement at quarterback, take a look at Los Angeles Rams signal-caller Case Keenum.

The Houston product seems to finally be finding his way in the offense. He isn't a top-tier option, but he has passed for more than 250 yards in each of the last three weeks with five touchdowns and three interceptions over that span.

On Sunday, Keenum racked up 321 yards passing with three touchdowns and an interception.

Week 7 brings Keenum a matchup with the New York Giants, who are currently rated just 20th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. Don't expect a monster game from Keenum—especially with it coming in London—but if you're in a deeper league and in a pinch, he might just be your guy.

Keep in mind, though, that the Rams will be on bye in Week 8.

Kenny Britt, WR, Los Angeles Rams

One Rams player you should be a bit more interested in adding for the long haul is wide receiver Kenny Britt.

Britt has benefited greatly from Keenum's recent rise in production. He is coming off a huge 136-yard, two-touchdown game against the Detroit Lions, but Britt has been a starting-caliber option for weeks now—especially in PPR formats.

Britt has caught at least four passes in every single game this season, and he has topped the 50-yard mark in all but one contest. He is also on pace to produce more than 1,000 yards for the season.

Expect Britt's role in the Rams offense to continue to be large and possibly even growing, especially with the veteran pass-catcher looking to be a leader.

"I have responsibilities and try to be a leader,” Britt said, per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times “The guys are doing everything correct. Everyone is coming in on off days, looking at film, taking care of their bodies. You can tell there’s determination on this team to get to the playoffs.”

Los Angeles may have a difficult time reaching the playoffs this season, but Britt is a fantasy producer who can help you reach yours.

James White, RB, New England Patriots

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If you are playing in a PPR league, it should be worth picking up Patriots running back James White. His value has skyrocketed since the return of Brady, and he should be worth starting going forward.

White isn't the most consistent of runners—he has just 45 yards rushing over the past two weeks—but he is an exceptional pass-catcher out of the backfield. Since Brady's return, white has hauled in 12 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

As Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com explains, White's role seems to be o the upswing:

Expect White to continue being a piece of the Patriots passing attack and a fantasy producer. His next matchup comes against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are currently rated just 23rd in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.