Week 7 Waiver Wire: Breakout Fantasy Football Pickups from Sunday's Box Scores
Drake Maye's debut as the New England Patriots starting quarterback went better than expected.
The No. 3 overall pick did not look overwhelmed in a tough matchup against the Houston Texans.
Maye gave the Patriots offense a foundation to build on in the coming weeks, and he also delivered hope that he can be a viable bye-week replacement in fantasy football.
Maye's top target from Sunday, Demario Douglas, now carries some fantasy value as well because of his connection with the rookie signal-caller.
A few other off-the-radar players took advantage of their respective Week 6 matchups and could now be viewed as options for Week 7 and beyond.
Drake Maye
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Drake Maye finished his starting debut with 243 passing yards and three touchdowns.
That's a respectable stat line against a tough Houston defense with one of the better pass rushes in the NFL.
Maye had two interceptions and the Patriots still lost by 20 points, but there was enough in his performance to like from a team and fantasy perspective.
He got a handful of targets involved, led by Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry, and he even ran for 38 yards on five carries.
Maye could serve as a nice bye-week replacement for Dak Prescott and Caleb Williams in Week 7.
The Patriots have an easier matchup on paper in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. If he puts up even half the numbers Williams did in Week 6, he could rank in the top half of fantasy points for quarterbacks.
Demario Douglas
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Demario Douglas needs to be mentioned in the same regard as Maye going into Week 7.
Douglas led the Patriots in targets, receptions and receiving yards against the Texans.
He had six catches on nine targets for 92 yards and a touchdown, a stat line that any fantasy player would take from one of their wide receivers in any week.
The Week 7 matchup with Jacksonville appears to be ideal for the Patriots passing game to develop even more chemistry.
Now is probably the best time to buy stock in Douglas and Maye because another impressive performance will put them on the radar of more fantasy football players.
Isaac Guerendo
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Isaac Guerendo will be the No. 1 running back on the waiver wire going into Week 7.
The rookie out of Louisville shined in place of the injured Jordan Mason on Thursday night.
The 10-carry, 99-yard performance showed that Guerendo is capable of filling in if Mason has to miss any time with his shoulder injury.
Mason is listed as day-to-day right now. He tried to return in the second half of Thursday's game, but after one play, he checked out.
Guerendo is a strong insurance policy to have for Mason in case the current 49ers starter misses the Week 7 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The matchup itself is not ideal, but the Shanahans have proved over the decades that any running back can thrive in their offensive system.
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Zach Ertz
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Zach Ertz pushed his way back on to the fantasy football radar with four catches for 68 yards against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Ertz caught four of the five passes thrown in his direction by Jayden Daniels. He's had at least three receptions in five of his six games this season.
The growing connection between Daniels and Ertz as well as the Week 7 matchup against the Carolina Panthers makes Ertz an intriguing waiver-wire pickup.
Kyle Pitts produced 70 yards on three catches against Carolina on Sunday and Cole Kmet had 57 yards on three receptions in Week 5 versus the Panthers.
The touchdown potential is not there with Ertz because of the dynamic Washington rushing game and Terry McLaurin, but if you need someone to pick up catches and yards, he is the perfect fit at tight end.
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