Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups: Sleepers Available in Majority of Fantasy Leagues
We won't try sugarcoating this: The waiver wire looks pretty rough for Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season.
This is one of the two biggest bye weeks of the year, as six different teams are off the schedule. Plus, injury issues continue to mount, thinning out what was already a shallow player pool.
Of course, between the byes and injuries, it's very possible you'll find yourself in need of a streamer or two, so the waiver-wire spotlight show must go on. We're finding a sleeper streamer—available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—at each of the three marquee positions.
Quarterback: Joshua Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals (15 Percent Rostered)
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If you need to stream a signal-caller this week, check to see if Sam Howell is available (59 percent rostered). If he isn't, then you're probably best off hoping for a bounce-back performance from Joshua Dobbs.
He has been in a rut the past two weeks, but at least he had some hot moments ahead of this cold streak.
He was QB5 back in Week 2, per FantasyPros, when he threw for 228 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 41 yards and a score. In Week 4, he was the eighth-highest scorer at the position, finishing 28-of-41 for 265 yards and two touchdowns while handling 12 carries for 48 yards.
His numbers have sagged considerably since, but he does have better than 40 rushing yards in four of his last five outings, so at least that gives him a little fantasy security. He also draws a decent matchup Sunday against a Seattle Seahawks defense allowing the 12th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, per Yahoo.
Running Back: Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions (18 Percent Rostered)
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Detroit could be without featured running back David Montgomery for the next few weeks (rib), which creates gobs of opportunities for the rest of this running back room.
Despite having already missed a game, Montgomery still ranks 10th in rushing attempts (94) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns (six). Tack on 10 targets to his stat sheet, and you're talking about a ton of volume that just opened up in this offense.
That quantity is the key here, since it's unclear how the Lions plan to split chances between Craig Reynolds and rookie first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs. It feels like they'll take a committee approach, though, especially with Gibbs having sat out the last two games with a strained hamstring.
As long as Reynolds is even moderately featured in this offense, he'll have a chance to crack 50 scrimmage yards and hopefully find the end zone. That isn't the most electric stat line you'll ever see, but given the nature of this week's waiver wire, it's about as good as you can hope to do with a streamer.
Wide Receiver: Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders (50 Percent Rostered)
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Commanders quarterback Sam Howell likes to spread it around, which has hurt fantasy managers banking on a big year from Terry McLaurin or a breakout effort from Jahan Dotson. It could also torpedo this pick, as it did a week ago with tight end Logan Thomas, who followed a monster Week 4 (nine receptions for 77 yards and a score) with a dud in Week 5 (one catch, one target, two yards).
Still, Curtis Samuel enters this contest on a heater, so maybe he can convince Howell to keep sending passes his way.
In Weeks 1 through 3, Samuel was an afterthought in this offense (10 receptions on 12 targets for 123 yards and no touchdowns) and a non-factor in fantasy (WR61 in standard leagues). However, his involvement (19 targets) and output (17 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns—plus a rushing touchdown) have increased since, as has his fantasy standing (WR9 in Weeks 4 through 6).
If his scoring dries up, he'd lose a lot of his appeal, and there is definitely risk of that happening. However, it's hard not to notice what he's done of late, especially when there are so few intriguing options available this week.
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