Week 7 Waiver Wire: Reviewing Top Pickups and Drops Likely Available

Just as the true hierarchy of NFL teams is starting to reveal itself after six weeks of play, fantasy football owners are also starting to figure out where they stand in their respective leagues. 

Unlike the actual NFL, where rosters are essentially locked in at this point and are now trying to survive wars of attrition, fantasy football allows for constant retooling and reinvention through the waiver wire. 

Every week, a smattering of players around the league flash potential, offering glimmers of hope to those stuck in the fantasy football dungeons. In other cases, players sent to the waiver wire due to injuries or poor performances begin to show signs of getting back on the field or turning their seasons around.

Here's a look at the top pickups and drops from Yahoo Sports and ESPN fantasy football leagues heading into Week 7.

To account for the larger fantasy leagues, only players owned in less than 50 percent of leagues are included in the added players category. As for drops, players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues are still included if they are showing a steep decline in ownership. Players placed on injured reserve are not included on the drops list.

Top Yahoo Pickups
Top ESPN Pickups
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Adds
Kenny Britt, WR, Los Angeles Rams	12	18,969
Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins	32	14,341
Hunter Henry, TE, San Diego Chargers	35	11,417
Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	22	8,243
Ty Montgomery, WR, Green Bay Packers	1	5,523
Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas Cowboys	45	4,715
Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings	15	3,520
C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Houston Texans	1	3,024
Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs	28	2,589
Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets	37	2,463
Player	% Owned	% Change Last 7 Days
Jeremy Kerley, WR, San Francisco 49ers	47.1	+39.1
Cameron Meredith, WR, Chicago Bears	32.2	+30.7
Jesse James, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers	49.7	+29.1
Justin Forsett, RB, Detroit Lions	37.6	+14.7
Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs	37.1	+13.7
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers	22.5	+12.8
Vernon Davis, TE, Washington Redskins	11.7	+11.1
James White, RB, New England Patriots	49.3	+10.8
Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills	24.6	+10.8
Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders	29.6	+10.2

Top Yahoo Drops
Top ESPN Drops
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Drops
Jesse James, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers	49	7,465
Sammie Coates, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers	77	7,356
Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles	69	6,508
Jeremy Kerley, WR, San Francisco 49ers	37	5,996
Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Carolina Panthers	30	5,871
Justin Forsett, RB, Detroit Lions	32	4,180
Kenneth Dixon, RB, Baltimore Ravens	20	3,968
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts	55	3,806
DeAndre Washington, RB, Oakland Raiders	44	3,525
Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders	32	3,513
Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots	37	3,457
Player	% Owned	% Change Last 7 Days
Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	23.6	-18.6
Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens	34.2	-12.3
Jacob Tamme, TE, Atlanta Falcons	32.8	-11.1
Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers	12.2	-10.9
DeAndre Washington, RB, Oakland Raiders	46.9	-10.8
Orleans Darkwa, RB, New York Giants	17.2	-10.3
Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants	39	-10.2
Fozzy Whittaker, RB, Carolina Panthers	32.6	-9.2
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins	21.0	-7.5

Kenny Britt, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Fantasy owners looking to shore up their wide receiver corps are likely taking a long look at the Los Angeles Rams' Kenny Britt, who had a monster game in Week 6 with seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

The eight-year veteran has never been much of a fantasy target, ending most seasons with around 700 yards and a small handful of touchdowns. However, with 492 yards and two scores through six games, plus team leads in receptions (30) and catches of 20-plus yards (nine), Britt is on pace for his most productive year since his sophomore season with the Tennessee Titans in 2010.

Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans believes he's worth a look in larger leagues:

ESPN's Mike Clay noted that he's producing more than Tavon Austin despite seeing fewer targets: 

Indeed, Britt has 40 targets to Austin's 50 through six games, per ESPN.com, and with steady improvement in his production this season, he could start to see more passes come his way.

Of course, the quality of those passes should give fantasy owners in smaller leagues pause when it comes to Britt. Case Keenum shredded a terrible Detroit Lions pass defense on Sunday but has been his usual mediocre self for much of this season.

Britt has a fairly tough matchup against the New York Giants in Week 7, but he could feast on the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets in the following weeks. The Panthers and Jets rank fifth- and second-worst in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, per Yahoo Sports.

Britt has seen a fairly consistent number of targets this season and is in his athletic prime. In the deeper leagues, he's a must-add and worth a start against the Panthers and Jets. As for the smaller leagues, it's your faith in Keenum to produce against the league's leakier secondaries that should determine whether you go for Britt.

   

Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

If you already had Jay Ajayi on your roster for Week 6, go ahead and pat yourself on the back. If you had the foresight to start him, go ahead and buy yourself something nice. You earned it.

Ajayi broke through in a massive way in the Miami Dolphins' surprise Week 6 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers, rushing 25 times for 204 yards and two touchdowns. In four games leading up to Sunday's big day, Ajayi had managed just 117 yards on 31 carries, although his lead-back status began with 42 yards and a touchdown picked up against the Titans in Week 5. 

Still, it's fairly safe to say nobody saw a day like this coming. Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake have received a smattering of touches alongside Ajayi, but they haven't done much beyond mucking up the backfield picture in Miami. Oft-injured Arian Foster was available for the game, but he managed just three yards on three carries as the coaches stuck with Ajayi.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Foster was supposed to be the lead back coming into this season, but injuries and poor performances have derailed those plans, paving the way for Ajayi's takeover. 

At the very least, the Dolphins have to see if Ajayi can conjure up a fitting encore for the past two weeks. The Dolphins are at home against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7, who have a solid defense and rank 18th in the league in fantasy points allowed to running backs, per Yahoo Sports.

It's not an ideal matchup, but Miami needs stability and production from the running back spot to take the pressure off a struggling Ryan Tannehill. If you can snag him, Ajayi is destined to get plenty of touches against the Bills before the Fins go on a bye in Week 8.

If Ajayi performs well and the rest of backfield fails to give the coaching staff a reason to take him off the field, you can start to think of him as an every-week RB2 or flex play. 

Hunter Henry, TE, San Diego Chargers

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

It's a bit surprising that at the notoriously fickle tight end position, Hunter Henry remains available in the majority of fantasy football leagues. This likely has to do with the San Diego Chargers' poor record, a fate-sealing fumble by Henry in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts and the lurking specter of Antonio Gates, but this week might be the last call for the Bolts rookie.

Just check out his production the last four weeks:

Date	Opponent	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD
Sept. 25	Indianapolis Colts	5	5	72	14.4	0
Oct. 2	New Orleans Saints	4	7	61	15.3	1
Oct. 9	Oakland Raiders	3	4	74	24.7	1
Oct. 13	Denver Broncos	6	8	83	13.8	1

The Denver Broncos boast the best defense in the league, but Henry got open time and time again. Here's a look at his highlights, via the NFL:

Considering the Chargers are thin at wide receiver and running back, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt would be wise to keep Henry on the field as much as possible. Philip Rivers needs someone to throw to, and Henry's proven to be one of the team's more reliable targets this year. 

Pro Football Focus' Mike Renner gave another reason to trust Henry: 

While Gates, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, has played the past two games after missing Weeks 3 and 4, this shouldn't scare fantasy owners off Henry.

Gates admitted he's still "not 100 percent," per the San Diego Union-Tribune's Tom Krasovic. The Chargers have already suffered far more than their fair share of major injuries this season, so don't expect them to force the issue with their 36-year-old tight end.

The Chargers have also been no strangers to shootouts this year, and they head out to play the pass-happy Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. The Falcons have made life easy on tight ends this year, which bodes well for Henry's continued production. Catch him while you still can.

   

Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

While Cole Beasley might fly under the radar of most fantasy football owners, NFL defensive backs are slowly figuring out it might actually take radar to keep track of the shifty wide receiver out on the gridiron.

Beasley notched six receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns in the Dallas Cowboys' 30-16 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 6. His route running was excellent and made life easy on rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, especially on his second touchdown reception, via the NFL:

Beasley's lighting-quick move nearly shook LaDarius Gunter out of his uniform there, providing one of the better highlights of Week 6 and getting fantasy owners to take notice.

Beasley has now scored in consecutive games, and fantasy owners willing to exercise a little bit of patience have a good chance of snagging him with the Cowboys on a bye in Week 7.

With Prescott looking like the real deal and Beasley producing with and without Dez Bryant on the field and drawing attention from opposing defenses, this budding partnership looks set to continue this season. Beasley has proven that he has something of a stable fantasy foundation this season, recording at least three receptions and 50 receiving yards in every game this year.

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

While this isn't enough to make him a WR1 or WR2, it makes him a safe spot-filler in points-per-reception leagues for when your team's best guys are on a bye week. The touchdowns aren't likely to keep coming in bunches, as Beasley's career high is five, set last season.

However, the 27-year-old has improved each year he's been in the league and is proving to be a necessary target for Prescott as he develops in his rookie season.