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

There's no denying the importance of working the waiver wire in fantasy football. Even if you feel confident in both your lineup and bench, there are always opportunities to add a future fantasy stud to the bunch.

Staying ahead of the curve is critical toward succeeding in that regard, and the best way to do that is to get on it immediately following a Sunday slate of games. With memories fresh from Week 6 and many in your league yet to assess the waiver situation, you can strike gold before others in your league.

While not all of these players will be available in your leagues, enough unheralded prospects are included to at least offer a handful of weapons worth adding. Let's take players with 50 percent or lower ownership numbers in ESPN.com fantasy leagues and figure out which are most worth adding.

Pos.	Player (Team)	Week 7 Opp.	% Owned*
QB	Josh McCown (Browns)	at St. Louis	14.4
QB	Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings)	at Detroit	26.8
RB	Javorius Allen (Ravens)	at Arizona	17.2
RB	Dexter McCluster (Titans)	Atlanta	3.9
WR	Roddy White (Falcons)	at Tennessee	42.0
WR	Marquess Wilson (Bears)	Bye	11.0
WR	Stefon Diggs (Vikings)	at Detroit	2.3
TE	Benjamin Watson (Saints)	at Indianapolis	4.0
TE	Dwayne Allen (Colts)	New Orleans	26.5

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Josh McCown, QB, Cleveland Browns

David Richard/Associated Press

Don't look now, but a consistent quarterbacking option in fantasy has emerged in Cleveland for what feels like the first time in a decade. 

Josh McCown is looking to be just that if his recent breakout is any indication. He surpassed 340 yards passing in three consecutive games, throwing for a pair of scores in each and setting a Browns franchise record with 457 yards passing in a win over Baltimore last week.

That performance set another Browns record, as the NFL noted:

Of course, many realistic fantasy owners had to see more from McCown in order to justify picking him up off waivers. That opportunity came Sunday with a visit from the stingy Denver Broncos defense.

Well, he seemed to pass that test pretty well. While not putting up the typical yardage numbers, McCown connected with Gary Barnidge for two touchdowns and got the Browns back into the game late. If that's any indication, McCown's strong fantasy outings are here to stay.

Dexter McCluster, RB, Tennessee Titans

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If you're monitoring the Tennessee Titans backfield for potential fantasy options, Dexter McCluster is looking like the next guy up for fantasy relevance.

The shifty, playmaking back had struggled to find his niche in Nashville up until a Week 6 outing against Miami that seemed to be a coming-out party for McCluster. He scored the Titans' only offensive touchdown of the day, constantly getting touches and picking up small spurts of yardage. 

While Bishop Sankey's role continues to dwindle and Antonio Andrews gets the short-yardage carries, the Titans appear intent on getting the ball to McCluster in space. If he gets double-digit touches like he did in Week 6, the speedster will continue to put up serviceable numbers.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

While Charles Johnson is hampered by injury and Mike Wallace struggles to stand out as the No. 1 option, Teddy Bridgewater is desperate to find playmakers in the Vikings offense. Stefon Diggs' breakout is coming at the perfect time.

Diggs immediately proved himself worthy of targets in his NFL debut last week against Denver, catching six of the 10 balls thrown his way and turning them into 87 yards. He proved that wasn't a fluke in the Vikings' game Sunday, leading the team in yardage and joining a Vikings legend in a certain stat, as the team noted on Twitter:

What's even more impressive is that those two 80-plus-yard games came in his first two games in the league. With defenses keying on Adrian Peterson and the run game, Bridgewater will have opportunities to hit Diggs deep down the field.

Benjamin Watson, TE, New Orleans Saints

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Jimmy Graham who?

It may have taken the New Orleans Saints some time to truly find their replacement for the former playmaking tight end, but Benjamin Watson proved he's capable with a jaw-dropping career performance on Thursday Night Football. He keyed the Saints' home win over Atlanta, catching 10 balls for 127 yards and a touchdown.

In doing so, he reached a plateau that Graham himself only touched twice in his Saints career, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Of course, one big game doesn't always equate to more. So what tells us a worthwhile fantasy output will continue for Watson?

First off, he was getting the targets before the Week 6 breakout. He caught 15 passes throughout his first five games for nearly 140 yards, not bad numbers considering how the Saints offense was struggling.

When Drew Brees gets going early and the Saints offense can get rolling with Mark Ingram, Watson suddenly turns into a constant chain-mover and a mismatch in the red zone. Against an Indianapolis Colts defense that struggles through the air in Week 7, Watson could post another big day.

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