Week 7 Waiver Wire: Ronnie Hillman, Andre Holmes Highlight Pickups to Know

After some breakout performances by relative unknowns in Week 6, fantasy football owners in need of a boost should be able to find some help in the upcoming waiver wire.

No matter what the rules of your league are, it is important to go after the right players in free agency.

Those who acquired Branden Oliver this past week had to be happy with his 124 total yards and a touchdown in Week 6. On the other hand, Andre Williams was already a bit of a disappointment with just 58 yards on 16 carries.

This week features some quality options at each position, but also some fool's gold you might want to avoid. Here is a breakdown of the top targets you need to go after heading into Week 7. 

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals (Owned in 6.4 Percent of Leagues)

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Joe Flacco was the quarterback with the big day on Sunday, throwing for five touchdowns and over 300 yards against a terrible Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.

However, this was just his second time topping 15 fantasy points in five tries.

He still could be a quality pickup in fantasy football with a favorable upcoming matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, but you cannot trust him to be an every-week starter. He has simply been too inconsistent in the past to trust him at this point.

On the other hand, Carson Palmer has shown the ability to put up big numbers. The only problem to this point has been a lack of health, as a shoulder injury had kept him out since Week 1.

While the veteran was able to return to action in Week 6 to the tune of 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, he did it with very little time in practice.

“I just need reps, I just need work,” Palmer said after the game. “I need to throw a bunch to get my arm stronger.”

When he gets more practice, he has the potential to become one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy football. He is red-hot lately, as Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times noted:

With great weapons around him, Palmer could become a QB1 for the rest of the year.

Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos (Owned in 5.1 Percent of Leagues)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Montee Ball had struggled mightily in his attempt to replace Knowshon Moreno, but a groin injury has now given others an opportunity to be the primary back on the Denver Broncos.

Ronnie Hillman took advantage with the first 100-yard performance of his career.

Hillman certainly enjoyed the chance to be a starter, as he explained after the game:

"

It was exciting. You just know that you’ve got to produce right away. You’re not counting on somebody in front of you to start it off, and then you come in. So it was kind of nice to just get out there and just play -- not have to worry about anything.

"

It made sense to be cautious about grabbing Hillman last week with so much uncertainty in the backfield. The Broncos had a number of options at running back with Juwan Thompson and C.J. Anderson also capable of taking away carries.

However, Hillman dominated the touches against the New York Jets, getting 24 carries and three receptions on five targets. Thompson was limited to nine touches and Anderson had zero.

Hillman seems to have the starting job to himself as long as he remains productive. If this continues, Ball might not even have a job to come back to when he is finally healthy.

Andre Holmes, WR, Oakland Raiders (Owned in 0.4 Percent of Leagues)

Yes, I know it is tough to trust Raiders players at any position this season. However, Derek Carr and the offense put on a fantastic effort against a good San Diego Chargers secondary, and Andre Holmes was the biggest beneficiary.

Holmes finished with 121 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. While a lot of this was helped by one 77-yard catch in the first quarter, he was still targeted a game-high eight times.

This now makes two games in a row where he was the most targeted player on the Raiders after getting 12 looks in Week 4. He finished that game with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Matt Williamson of ESPN.com is really high on the third-year receiver's potential:

Holmes has the size you want at the position at 6'4" with plenty of speed, but he is just starting to realize what he can do. As Carr improves and learns to trust his talented target, Holmes could be a top player for the rest of the year.

Brandon LaFell, WR, New England Patriots (Owned in 2.9 Percent of Leagues)

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Similarly to Holmes, Brandon LaFell put up big numbers with only a few receptions, totaling 97 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.

However, the receiver took advantage of the small opportunities and made some big plays, which Ben Volin of The Boston Globe enjoyed:

Tom Brady—who looked helpless two weeks ago—is once again playing like one of the league's top quarterbacks and hoping to find receivers to target.

While Julian Edelman remains his safety net in short-yardage plays, LaFell is the only other Patriots receiver to finish with more than one catch in Week 6. Danny Amendola was not even targeted Sunday.

At 6'3", LaFell brings size that the rest of the receiving corps lacks. This gives him a much better chance to make plays down the field or in the end zone, making him a quality option for Brady throughout the year.

Although there will still be inconsistency, he is slowly developing chemistry with his quarterback and will only get better as the season progresses. Fantasy owners should pick him up now and see what he can do going forward.

Jace Amaro, TE, New York Jets (Owned in 1.3 Percent of Leagues)

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

While you cannot always trust one game, especially when it comes to a rookie tight end, Jace Amaro broke out in a big way against the Denver Broncos.

The second-round pick was targeted early and often in Week 6, which Rich Cimini of ESPN.com noted was a big part of the game plan:

Amaro finished with 10 catches on 12 targets for 68 yards and a touchdown. He did have a big drop but also showed the ability to be a quality pass-catcher for a team that desperately needs someone to step up.

While the rookie is still not a very good blocker, which will limit his snap count in the immediate future, he knows how to run routes and get himself open. He also displayed great hands throughout his career at Texas Tech and should be trusted in bigger situations as the season progresses.

Struggling quarterbacks often utilize tight ends as a safety net to get easy completions, and Geno Smith seems like he has found a new best friend in Amaro.

If you have room on your roster, grab the tight end before you miss out on what could be a very good player at a premium position.

Player	Pos.	Team	Percent Owned*
Joe Flacco	QB	Baltimore Ravens	36.4
Mike Glennon	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0.5
Jerick McKinnon	RB	Minnesota Vikings	5.1
Antone Smith	RB	Atlanta Falcons	5.1
Storm Johnson	RB	Jacksonville Jaguars	1.1
Mohamed Sanu	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	38.8
Malcolm Floyd	WR	San Diego Chargers	4.2
Jarvis Landry	WR	Miami Dolphins	0.4
Jordan Reed	TE	Washington Redskins	50.5
Scott Chandler	TE	Buffalo Bills	0.8
Cleveland Browns	D/ST	-	4.8
Brandon McManus	K	Denver Broncos	3.8

All players are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues. 

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