Week 7 of the NFL season is upon us and bye weeks are beginning to come into play in the fantasy football realm.
The Bengals, Cowboys, Jets, Panthers, Texans, and Titans all have a bye this week, so be sure to be active on the waiver wire if you are a manager who rosters players on any of these teams.
Yahoo Fantasy Sports knows exactly what is going on in the minds of fantasy football players as they determine how much FAAB to bid on a player. With that in mind, don't forget to place bids on these players below, who are available in over 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues, if your team is being impacted by bye weeks and/or injuries.
Fantasy Football QB waiver wire pickups, Week 6
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (39 percent rostered):
Despite being the overall QB12 through the first six weeks of the season, Sam Howell is still available in over 60 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. Howell was featured in this column as a waiver wire pickup for Week 2 and has since seen his rostership increase by 17 percent. Howell continues to play well and at this rate, he won't be a qualified player for this list for much longer.
Howell has been an extremely consistent and reliable fantasy option, scoring 17 points or more in five of his six games this season. Now, he gets a Giants defense in Week 7 that ranks 28th in opponent points per game (27.8) and 27th in opponent yards per game (364.5). Additionally, Howell has had at least four rushing attempts in each of his past three games, totaling 62 yards and adding a two-point conversion.
With quarterbacks such as Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and CJ Stroud all having byes in Week 7 and Trevor Lawrence in jeopardy of missing the Jaguars Thursday Night Football clash with the Saints, Howell makes for a great fill-in option.
Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (9 percent rostered):
It hasn't always been pretty for Desmond Ridder and the Falcons, but they're 3-3 and he seems to be getting more comfortable in the pocket. Not only has Ridder seemed more comfortable in the pocket, head coach Arthur Smith has seemed comfortable with trusting Ridder to throw the ball early and often. Ridder has averaged 42 pass attempts per game over the last two weeks, a significant increase from the 29.75 attempts he averaged through the first four weeks of the season.
Ridder has been able to capitalize on the additional opportunity, exceeding 300 passing yards in each of the past two games. In that span, Ridder has averaged over 22 fantasy points per game. For reference, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the overall QB3 in fantasy through six weeks and he averages slightly more than 21 fantasy points per game.
While Ridder may not be the most consistent quarterback from both a real-life and fantasy football perspective, he has showcased that there is a ceiling to be reached in this Falcons offense filled with talented playmakers such as Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and another player who will be mentioned later on this list.
You could do a lot worse than Ridder as a fill-in quarterback option.
Fantasy Football RB waiver wire pickups, Week 6
Elijah Mitchell/Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers (28 and 7 percent rostered):
As of this writing, the status of 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey is still unknown ahead of a Week 7 matchup with the Vikings on Monday Night Football after he suffered an oblique injury that forced him to sit out during the end of the 49ers' loss to the Browns in Week 6.
With the 49ers not playing until Monday night, it gives McCaffrey and the 49ers additional time to make decisions. With that said, it is better to be proactive than reactive in situations like this, and with most waiver wires being processed on Wednesday mornings, it is in fantasy managers' best interests to operate as if McCaffrey won't suit up.
Of the two 49ers running backs who would be asked to step up in place of McCaffrey, Mitchell should be the priority. Mitchell had over 1,000 scrimmage yards during his rookie season in 2021 when he was allowed to lead the 49ers backfield. We have seen that he is capable of handling a large workload and even though Mason out-snapped and outplayed Mitchell following McCaffrey's departure from the game versus the Browns, it was Mitchell's first game back from a knee injury.
Mason played well once McCaffrey was forced to exit the game, turning five carries into 27 yards and a touchdown. While Mason doesn't have the sample size that Mitchell does, he's proven to be someone 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan trusts and speaks very highly of any time his name is mentioned.
If/when McCaffrey is ruled out, both players should see enough touches in a game where the 49ers are favored to win by a touchdown against the Vikings. It is important to note that ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that McCaffrey's injury isn't considered to be long-term.
Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions (2 percent rostered):
The Lions' running back room is down bad right now. Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs has missed each of the last two weeks with a hamstring injury and they just lost bell-cow running back David Montgomery to a rib injury.
However, it has been reported that Gibbs is nearing a return as soon as Week 7. Naturally, it only makes sense that the running back who the Lions spent the No. 12 overall pick on in this year's NFL Draft will step in to fill the void of their workhorse running back, right? Wrong. The Lions have been reluctant to give Gibbs a full workload, paving the way for Craig Reynolds to be a fantasy-relevant running back.
Reynolds had a season-high 12 touches in Week 6 due to Montgomery's departure and figures to be heavily involved in the Lions' plans to run the ball moving forward even though didn't necessarily do much with the additional opportunity. We have seen that operating as the Lions' No. 1 running back has translated to fantasy value under head coach Dan Campbell. Jamaal Williams led the league in touchdowns last season (17) as the Lions' lead back and already amassed over 400 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in less than five games.
The Lions offense has been amongst the best in the NFL through six weeks, ranking third in yards per game (383.7) and fourth in points per game (28.0). With that said Reynolds should see ample scoring opportunities behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines in one of the NFL's most productive offenses.
It has already been reported that Montgomery is expected to miss "some time" due to the injury. Even if Gibbs can return in Week 7, it is hard to envision the coaching staff putting more on his plate as he is returning from injury when they weren't even willing to do so when he was fully healthy.
Fantasy Football WR waiver wire pickups, Week 6
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks (48 percent rostered):
Slowly but surely, the Jaxon Smith-Njigba hype train is beginning to pick up steam. Per Fantasy Data, we are continuing to see JSN's average depth of target (aDOT) increase on a per-week basis. In Week 6, JSN logged a season-high 52 snaps and in turn, had his best receiving output of the season (four receptions for 48 yards). While the season may not have started out how fantasy managers expected for Smith-Njigba, things are trending in the right direction.
Alex Johnson of Yards Per Fantasy pointed out that JSN ran as many routes as both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf in the Seahawks' Week 6 loss. Smith-Njigba's early-season usage (or lack thereof) can partially be attributed to the injuries the Seahawks have had on the offensive line. The Seahawks have been missing both of their starting tackles (Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas) as well as guard Damien Lewis. The offensive line struggles have forced the Seahawks to play more 12-personnel in the early portion of the season, relying on tight ends to provide additional blocking.
It is not a coincidence that Smith-Njigba saw his highest snap count and route participation in the same game Cross returned to action. JSN still isn't a viable fantasy starter at the moment, but he is someone who needs to be stashed on fantasy benches in every league.
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders (35 percent rostered):
In a receiving room including Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel has emerged as the most consistent option of the bunch. Samuel has had a nose for the end zone, scoring a touchdown in each of the Commanders' last three games. During that stretch, Samuel is averaging 16.96 PPR fantasy points per game.
Samuel has earned at least seven targets in two of the last three games and recorded no less than 42 yards in all three games. He and quarterback Sam Howell seem to be establishing a nice connection. Additionally, Samuel has received a rushing attempt in four of the six games he's played this season, implying that offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is finding creative ways to get his dynamic playmaking wide receiver the ball with space to operate.
Up next for Samuel and the Commanders is an inviting matchup against a helpless Giants defense. As previously mentioned in Howell's section of this writing, the Giants defense has struggled to contain opponents all season. Samuel will have a great opportunity to extend his touchdown streak in Week 7 and has shown enough to be rostered in more than 35 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.
Fantasy Football TE waiver wire pickups, Week 6
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders (5 percent rostered):
The tight end position has become a fantasy football wasteland. Outside of Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, and Sam LaPorta, steady tight end production has been tough to come by. The bar for being a fantasy-relevant tight end is very low – Kyle Pitts is Yahoo's overall TE12 through six weeks in PPR formats and averages less than nine points per game. With that said, any time a potential tight end option emerges, they're at the very least worthy of consideration.
In comes Michael Mayer, who followed up his career-high 39-yard performance in Week 5 by setting a new career-high in yards (75), receptions (5), and targets (6) in Week 6. In Week 6, Mayer logged a career-high 81 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps and has seen his snap count increase over each of the past five weeks.
The Raiders spent a second-round pick on Mayer, suggesting they have big plans for him to be a part of their plans moving forward. In Week 7, he gets to face a Bears defense that ranks 25th in opponent yards per game (356.8). Pick up Mayer this week even if you don't plan on starting him because you may not have the option to next week.
Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons (20 percent rostered):
Jonnu Smith has seen his rostership jump from one percent to 20 percent since he was last mentioned in this column as a waiver wire pickup for Week 5. While it is good to see people are beginning to take notice of how productive Smith has been, he should be rostered in more than 20 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues given the current landscape of the tight end position.
Through six weeks, Smith is tied for sixth amongst tight ends in receiving yards (282). Smith has had a consistent role in the Falcons offense even with the presumed starting tight end (Kyle Pitts) beginning to heat up. Smith has seen at least five targets in every game after Week 1 when he strangely had zero. He continues to outpace fellow teammate and tight end Pitts, who the Falcons selected with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Smith has a connection to head coach Arthur Smith dating back to their days in Tennessee together when they were both members of the Titans. His familiarity with the scheme is something that [Arthur] Smith values and factors into his game plan. For anyone in need of tight end help, the overall TE8 through six weeks can be had in 80 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.