Week 7 Waiver Wire: Jackie Battle and 3 Must-Add Running Backs

This week, the fantasy football waiver wire is all about running backs, which is good news if you're weak at the position or you start one of the five leading backs who are on a bye in Week 7.

Here are three who can get you out of a jam this week and who may be able to help your team longer than that.

Jackie Battle, Kansas City Chiefs (at Oakland Raiders)

Battle was easily my choice for best waiver-wire addition in both Weeks 5 and 6, but he's owned in just 38 percent of Yahoo! leagues, primarily because his team was on a bye last week.

He's become the Chiefs No. 1 back, with 19 of his 39 carries and 119 of his 156 yards coming in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts. He should get yet another 20-25 touches in this week's contest against the Oakland Raiders, pushing him toward yet another 100-yard outing.

Not only can Battle fill in for any of your backs who are on a bye this week, he's a useful every-week starter if you're hurting at the position overall.

DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys (vs. St. Louis Rams)

With starting Cowboys running back Felix Jones out for up to four weeks with an ankle injury, it's Murray and not Tashard Choice that's getting the nod to fill in for him. While Choice will also get some touches during that time, Murray will get at least 15 carries per game.

That is good news for Jones' owners, or for fantasy GMs looking for a bye-week replacement at any time in the next month. Murray doesn't just come with the benefit of being the guaranteed No. 1 back for the Cowboys, but in the next two weeks, he also faces weak run defenses, with the Rams in Week 7 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8.

His statistics thus far are unimpressive—24 rushes for 71 yards and four receptions for 23 yards—but that's only because his role had been so limited up to this point. Now that he's going to be the Cowboys' primary rusher, his numbers should go way up.

Montario Hardesty, Cleveland Browns (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Browns starting running back Peyton Hillis is questionable going into Week 7 after injuring his hamstring against the Oakland Raiders last week.

While very little information has been released by the Browns thus far, it's fair to say that Hillis will be either extremely limited this week against the Seahawks or potentially out of the game.

Since both scenarios are probable, that makes his backup, Montario Hardesty, a useful add and start in Week 7. Hardesty took over for the in-and-out Hillis in Week 6, rushing 11 times for 35 yards and catching two passes for 18.

On the season, he has 40 carries for 143 yards and 10 receptions for 86, and with quarterback Colt McCoy still getting comfortable with longer passes, Hardesty is a great start in PPR leagues this week.

Hardesty doesn't have significant long-term value—once Hillis is healthy, he will serve only to spell the starter. But, for this week, he's worth a pickup if you have a one-week need at running back.