Week 7 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Sleepers Available in Majority of Fantasy Leagues

With Week 7 serving as the busiest bye week of the 2018 NFL season to date, waiver-wire mastery has never been more important to fantasy football owners.

Not to mention, the Week 6 list of injury casualties only created more roster openings. The wide receiver position in particular took some big hits with Amari Cooper (concussion), Cooper Kupp (knee), Quincy Enunwa (ankle) and Calvin Ridley (ankle) all being forced off the field.

But the real-life mantra when dealing with medical maladies rings just as true in the fantasy realm—it's next-man-up time for those hoping to stay above water.

Some helpful advice follows, though, in the form of sleepers worth your attention.

Week 7 Waiver-Wire Targets

Baker Mayfield, QB, CLE

Mitchell Trubisky, QB, CHI

Joe Flacco, QB, BAL

Marlon Mack, RB, IND

Peyton Barber, RB, TB

Ito Smith, RB, ATL

Frank Gore, RB, MIA

Marquise Goodwin, WR, SF

Christian Kirk, WR, ARI

Chris Godwin, WR, TB

Willie Snead, WR, BAL

Danny Amendola, WR, MIA

C.J. Uzomah, TE, CIN

Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, ARI

Nick O'Leary, TE, MIA

Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns (42 Percent Owned)

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The 2018 No. 1 overall pick hasn't made the smoothest transition to becoming the Browns starting quarterback, struggling with accuracy (52.3 percent) and giveaways (five interceptions to four touchdowns) since landing the gig in Week 4. He also suffered an ankle injury Sunday, although it's not expected to cost him any time.

So, why does he get our recommendation here? Because the matchup is far too inviting to ignore.

Tampa Bay's defense is a mess. The Buccaneers rank 31st in yards allowed per game (439.8) and dead last in points per game (34.6). They axed defensive coordinator Mike Smith on Monday after surrendering 330-plus passing yards for the fifth straight game.

No defense allows more points to opposing quarterbacks, and it doesn't take an elite arm to beat them. Mitchell Trubisky went for 354 yards and six scores against them in Week 4. Nick Foles dropped 334 passing yards on them in Week 2.

As a bonus, Mayfield's upcoming slate potentially gives him a decent shelf life on your roster. After Tampa, he'll get Pittsburgh (second-most fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks), Kansas City (fifth-most) and Atlanta (fourth-most) in consecutive weeks.

Ito Smith, RB, Atlanta Falcons (11 Percent Owned)

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If Smith isn't on your radar already, it's time to get familiar with the 2018 fourth-round pick out of Southern Miss. He's scored a touchdown in three straight weeks, just received a career-high 11 carries and should become a fixture in the Falcons' two-headed rushing attack with Devonta Freeman headed to injured reserve.

"I think we can be way better, man," Smith told reporters. "I want us to get 200 yards rushing. We've got to get that ground game going."

Smith's touchdown streak alone suggests he's up to the task, but he's more than a scoring specialist. As Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans noted, Smith has been as elusive as anyone this season:

Tevin Coleman has been Atlanta's busiest back this season and might remain that way with an extra 0.5 yards per attempt on Smith (3.7 to 3.2). But the snap split was pretty close in Week 6 (57 percent for Coleman, 46 percent for Smith), and the first-year rusher has proved he can deliver value on limited volume.

Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco 49ers (45 Percent Owned)

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

If not for an injury-riddled start to the season, Goodwin would be long gone from the waiver wire. He's a No. 1 receiver with literal Olympic-level athleticism.

Finally healthy for Week 6, Goodwin wasted little time showing how he can put his talents to great use. He entered halftime with three catches for 114 yards and two scores.

Goodwin won't always have the volume of a first option—he only topped five catches three times last season—but San Francisco will almost surely look his way at least a few times to make defenses respect his deep threat.

"That [his return] changes it, it's a big difference," running back Matt Breida said. "That stretches the defense back and makes them not put eight guys in the box the whole time."

And as Sunday's outing showed, Goodwin doesn't need a ton of touches to produce a monster fantasy outing. He had the second-most fantasy points at the position in Week 6, despite finishing with just four catches on five targets.

Statistics used courtesy of ESPN.com and NFL.com. Fantasy scoring info via Yahoo Sports.