Injuries Created A Truly Insane Week 7 Waiver Wire

Dillon is now a reasonably high-end handcuff after Chuba Hubbard played 93% of snaps. Dillon was out with an ankle injury but returns as the clear backup with significant upside if Hubbard misses time. Omar Cooper Jr. does not expect Jonathan Brooks to contribute much to fantasy this season, making Dillon the primary reserve.

With Terry McLaurin out for the year, Antonio Williams is the Commanders wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. would most like to add. Williams has posted 18 receptions for 205 yards and one touchdown thus far and led all Commanders receivers in snap share without McLaurin. Cooper projects Williams as the highest-ranked Commanders wide receiver going forward, noting snap and route shares aligned with expectations after the 49ers game. Cooper recommends him as an A-tier waiver wire target for Week 7.

Ekeler played only seven snaps in the Commanders game and actually played less than Jeremy McNichols. Omar Cooper Jr. does not think Ekeler is going to have a big role going forward, especially with McNichols emerging in the short-yardage and goal-line role. Cooper suggests Ekeler may need another week to get up to speed, with potential for increased usage in Week 8, but is not prioritizing an add this week.

Omar Cooper Jr. was surprised by Bam Knight's 11-point performance; Knight played significantly better in-game than Tyler Allgeier, resulting in increased touches. Knight played 42% of long down and distance snaps and 44% of overall snaps. The Cardinals coaching staff appears ideologically committed to a committee backfield regardless of personnel. For deep-league starters during bye weeks and injuries, Knight can theoretically deliver 11 fantasy points and represents a viable floor.

If Christian Kirk does not play in Week 7, Brandin Cooks will have no realistic way to have less than an 80% route share. Any wide receiver playing that much with Brock Purdy is worthy of fantasy attention and represents a strong Week 7 starter opportunity.

Brian Thomas Jr. did not play any snaps in the second half. Omar Cooper Jr. projects he will probably get traded, which would open opportunity for Travis Hunter.

Steele likely broke his arm last week and will probably be placed on injured reserve. His injury further depletes the Eagles' offensive depth and contributes to the team's decision to down tools.

Chig Okonkwo reached 76% of snaps and posted his best receiving game of the season. Omar Cooper Jr. places him in the A tier of pass catchers alongside Antonio Williams but prefers Tyler Higbee and Pat Freiermuth, particularly given the need to hold Okonkwo through the Commanders bye week. Cooper recommends him as an A-tier waiver wire target for Week 7 and expects more insight on usage plans post-bye.

Christian Kirk is expected to be the primary beneficiary of Mike Evans' absence in week eight. Kirk missed week six with a calf injury but will return to face Atlanta. After Evans left the game in week six, no 49ers receiver recorded a target (Brandon Cooks' two targets were deemed throwaways by PFF). Omar Cooper Jr. projects Kirk as the top projected wide receiver for San Francisco in week seven, replacing the role typically filled by Richie James or Kendrick Bourne when star players are out. Kirk is positioned as a sneaky add that most league mates are unaware of. Omar Cooper Jr. values Kirk at 10-15% FAB but expects to acquire him for 1-2 waiver dollars, suggesting significant undervaluation. Omar Cooper Jr. recommends adding Christian Kirk as a waiver wire priority for teams with losing records that need to emphasize immediate production over stashing upside.

Hubbard played 93% of snaps, establishing himself as the clear lead back for the Panthers. With Jonathan Brooks unlikely to contribute and AJ Dillon serving as the backup, Hubbard has consolidated the backfield role and is the primary fantasy option.

Omar Cooper Jr. recommends dropping Parkinson despite his big game last week. Parkinson is at only 53% route share and plays the least valuable position in the Rams offense as an inline blocking tight end. Cooper Jr. prefers Chig Okonkwo and Higbee over Parkinson, and would even drop Parkinson to acquire Terrance Ferguson if needed.

Courtland Sutton is on Omar Cooper Jr.'s drop list with a 90% route share but only 3 PPR points last week, indicating poor production despite high involvement.

Washington did not see the anticipated uptick in route share, running only 55% of routes despite scoring a touchdown. Omar Cooper Jr. places him in C tier because the Steelers have minimal reserve wide receiver depth, but Washington remains behind Pat Freiermuth in the pecking order, limiting his ceiling.

Omar Cooper Jr. recommends dropping Adams due to a ruptured hamstring, which he views as a season-ending injury for a 34-year-old wide receiver. He does not expect Adams to return even for the fantasy playoffs given his age, the hamstring injury, and the Rams' season trajectory. If you have an IR slot, Adams can be stashed, but otherwise should be dropped.

Demario Douglas was a big beneficiary of Romeo Doubs' injury, posting 19 PPR points on 74% route share and 28% target share. His role did not diminish with A.J. Brown returning, as Epton Chisholm's role went to zero. Omar Cooper Jr. considers him a potentially better add than Antonio Williams with Doubs on IR. Concern: unclear Patriots base personnel without Doubs, as Eli Rerdan's 50% route share suggests possible 12 personnel shift where Douglas comes off field. For teams at 2-4 or worse, Omar Cooper Jr. recommends prioritizing Douglas as a waiver add for immediate production rather than stashing upside plays.

Omar Cooper Jr. notes that the Giants are deploying four running backs and does not expect Devin Singletary to be made a healthy scratch again, which will further dilute backfield touches and expected points. This depth-chart situation makes none of the Giants' running backs truly startable.

Dontayvion Wicks is on Omar Cooper Jr.'s drop list and should be sent back to waivers.

Omar Cooper Jr. characterizes Emmanuel Wilson's performance as worse than expected. The Seahawks backfield is so depleted they are even using Velus Jones as a running back, indicating severe depth issues and limited fantasy upside.

Omar Cooper Jr. rates JJ McCarthy as a superflex add but expresses concern about his floor being very low. He prefers Tanner McKee despite McKee's limitations, suggesting McCarthy's upside is constrained by poor offensive line and talent concerns.

Omar Cooper Jr. highlights Jadarian Price as a priority stash despite being dropped in many leagues without IR slots. Price is eligible to return in Week 9 and the coaching staff has confirmed he will play when eligible. Cooper Jr. projects Price to rank higher than Cam Akers in Week 9 and considers him his top add in the B tier, making him a priority acquisition for teams with roster flexibility.

Hurts is out for the year, which has cascading effects on the Eagles offense. This injury is the primary driver of the Eagles' decision to down tools and affects the fantasy viability of all Eagles skill players. Omar Cooper Jr. dropped Hurts in his $1,200 dynasty league where Hurts was his second quarterback, forcing a waiver wire pivot to Tanner McKee.

Jeremiah Love's injury status is a key pivot point for the Cardinals backfield. Love is the primary back for the Cardinals. If he misses time, both Bam Knight and Tyler Allgeier will operate in the same committee roles they played against the Rams (42% and 44% snaps respectively), with neither back consolidating lead-back volume.

With Terry McLaurin out for the year and Jacory Croskey-Merritt on IR, Jeremy McNichols emerged with significant opportunity; he only played until the third quarter but got all the short down and distance and goal line snaps. He had a 31-yard rushing touchdown called back by an offensive facemask penalty. Omar Cooper Jr. suggests McNichols could be acquired for one FAB dollar and may follow a similar path to Chris Rodriguez Jr., who came out of nowhere to be efficient on the ground for the Commanders last year.

Omar Cooper Jr. does not expect Jonathan Brooks to contribute much to fantasy football this season. With Chuba Hubbard playing 93% of snaps and AJ Dillon serving as the backup, Brooks is not a factor in the Panthers backfield.

Jordan Watkins ran 91% route share but posted only 4% target share. Omar Cooper Jr. suggests only desperate 16-team league managers should consider starting him, even with Mike Evans sidelined by Achilles tendinitis.

Omar Cooper Jr. strongly recommends adding Josh Jacobs if he is available on waivers, especially if he was dropped for any reason. Jacobs is returning to replace Marshawn Lloyd in the backfield.

Keondre Lambert-Smith played the most snaps and saw the greatest amount of targets for the Chargers in Week 7. Omar Cooper Jr. views him as a B-tier prospect worth spending a waiver wire dollar on despite the Chargers' overall weakness at wide receiver. Cooper Jr. liked him as a rookie coming out of Auburn and thought he looked good, though he had a bad fumble. If Trey Harris plays the upcoming week, KLS may be left on waivers.

Kendre Miller is the primary early-down back for the Saints; he had more than twice the amount of snaps as Alvin Kamara last week and got the short down and distance work, though C.J. Donaldson is an issue. Omar Cooper Jr. considers him the highest running back you could add this week if desperate for RB2 points. Omar Cooper Jr. recommends Kendre Miller as an A-tier running back fill-in option for Week 7.

With DJ Moore out and the Bills heading into their bye week, Keon Coleman posted 94% route share and 21% target share. Omar Cooper Jr. highlights that Coleman is being heavily featured in the red zone and has played so well that there will be no debate with Joshua Palmer. Coleman should maintain an 80-90% route share when DJ Moore returns. He is playing the best football of his career attached to Josh Allen, who is playing either the best or second-best football in the passing game.

Kyle Williams may see a role increase in the Romeo Doubs deep threat style role following Doubs' injury. Omar Cooper Jr. suggests Williams could be a better fit than Epton Chisholm for this role.

Lad McConkey suffered a concussion and should be dropped. Omar Cooper Jr. describes him as a snake-bitten injured player having an absolute worst possible season.

Malachi Fields reached a 91% route share and 19% target share, but Omar Cooper Jr. assesses him negatively: 'The issue with Malachi Fields is he is just not very good.' Limited opportunity because Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely are earning commanding share of the passing game.

Lloyd should be dropped now that Josh Jacobs is returning. Lloyd scored only 1 PPR point last week and is no longer the lead back.

Omar Cooper Jr. references the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade as context for Jaylen Nowell's increased role and targets with the Texans.

Omar Cooper Jr. posted 22 PPR points with 85% route share and 24% target share in his first week off IR. Despite the Jets' history of slow-playing returning receivers, Cooper Jr. was deployed heavily. Omar Cooper Jr. projects him as a top 30-ish fantasy wide receiver most weeks, suitable for a second flex spot in two-RB, two-WR, one-TE, two-flex leagues, though this may be his best PPR game of the year. He is ranked as the top waiver wire wide receiver for the week. Omar Cooper Jr. values him at approximately 15-20% FAB, significantly less than Jeremy Bernard who warrants all remaining budget, and emphasizes comfort deploying Cooper Jr. in a second flex spot most weeks despite not expecting league-winner production.

With Michael Pittman Jr. out, Freiermuth is close to a top-12 tight end. He posted 73% route share in the game, with Brandon Smith (the third wide receiver) failing to earn a single target, leaving opportunity for Freiermuth. Omar Cooper Jr. recommends him as an A-tier tight end streaming option for Week 7. Freiermuth remains the clear top tight end in the Steelers pecking order ahead of Darnell Washington, with his role secure and primary target share at the position maintained.

White is a top-24 running back for the rest of the season but is not an early-down runner. He posted 3.9 yards per carry on Monday night and 2.6 yards per carry in the overtime game against the Giants; he is not explosive or efficient enough for early-down work, though he is a great pass-catching back. If the Commanders' running game improves, it will likely go to McNichols rather than White.

Omar Cooper Jr. does not expect Barkley to play much, if at all, going forward. With Jalen Hurts out for the year and the Eagles downing tools across the board, Barkley's return timeline is uncertain and his fantasy relevance is severely diminished.

Tank Dell is eligible to come off IR but Omar Cooper Jr. will not be adding him in any leagues, citing bearish preseason reporting about his injury durability and practice availability. Omar Cooper Jr. projects Tank Dell to run only 10-15 routes per game and expects him to assume a reserve role behind Jaylen Nowell, similar to a Jared Wayne role, rather than being a league winner. Tank Dell's return could impact Jaylen Nowell's snap share going forward.

Tanner McKee scored 12 PPR points and 215 passing yards in his start. Omar Cooper Jr. spent 35% of his $1,200 dynasty league waiver budget on McKee, rating him over JJ McCarthy for superflex despite poor offensive line, citing talented receiving corps (Wix, Lemon, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert) and potential for improvement.

With Davante Adams out 6-10 weeks (likely for the season), Terrance Ferguson becomes the primary receiving tight end for the Rams alongside Tyler Higbee. Ferguson is eligible to return in week eight. Omar Cooper Jr. projects him as a top-10 tight end and flex starter upon return, citing his week-two performance where he was second on the team in targets and out-targeted Adams. The receiving tight end role (Ferguson/Higbee) is now one of the most valuable tight end roles in fantasy football. Ferguson is described as an absolute smash play for the Rams; the other Rams wide receivers are not good, and the team plays more 12 and 13 personnel than any other team, leading to increased reliance on tight ends, particularly Ferguson and Gerald Higbee. Omar Cooper Jr. emphasizes the critical importance of acquiring Ferguson now despite not being eligible until week eight, stating he will make a huge difference down the stretch and should be a priority add.

Travis Etienne played long-down-and-distance snaps but not a significant volume of them, severely limiting his fantasy upside.

Travis Hunter scored 15.9 PPR points despite only 16% route share and 10% target share, comparable to Luther Burden's production despite limited snap share. Omar Cooper Jr. views him as a priority pickup for good teams (5-1 or 6-0 records) because Brian Thomas Jr. is likely to be traded, opening opportunity. Hunter is too good as a receiver to play defense only. His routes could trend up in favorable matchups (Bears, Texans, Cowboys) or if injuries occur to Parker Washington, Jacoby Myers, or if Josh Cameron/Nate Burketure usage decreases. However, this stash is only viable for teams with winning records (3-3 or better); teams at 2-4 need to prioritize immediate production.

Trey Harris missed Week 7 with a hamstring injury; his status for the upcoming week is uncertain and will determine whether Keondre Lambert-Smith remains a viable waiver target.

Trey Tucker posted an 83% route share and 18% target share against the Bills. Omar Cooper Jr. notes that when the Raiders face a beatable defense like Buffalo's, Tucker has a decent chance at a long touchdown. However, his floor is very low due to his high average depth of target and third-team target priority behind the running back and featured receivers Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers. The Raiders throw frequently to running backs and feature Mayer at tight end and Bowers at receiver, making high-target games extremely unlikely.

Trevor Etienne played long down and distances but saw minimal snaps; Chuba Hubbard dominated with 93% snap share, severely limiting Etienne's fantasy upside.

Tutu Atwell will be active for the Rams this upcoming week instead of being a healthy scratch, creating potential for a deep touchdown catch with Puka Nacua sidelined. However, Omar Cooper Jr. is not prioritizing him as a waiver add, expecting production to flow to tight ends instead given the Rams' heavy reliance on 12 and 13 personnel packages.

Omar Cooper Jr. notes Tyler Allgeier played worse than Bam Knight in-game, resulting in decreased touches. If Jeremiah Love misses time, Omar Cooper Jr. plans to move Allgeier way down in weekly rankings because the Cardinals coaching staff is ideologically committed to a committee backfield regardless of the second running back. Allgeier played 44% of snaps against the Rams with Bam Knight taking 42%, indicating the committee approach is structural rather than personnel-dependent.

Tyler Higbee is a one-week streaming option projected as a clear top-12 tight end for the upcoming week. He posted 83% route share and 30% target share but did not produce results against the Cardinals, indicating matchup-dependent value. With Puka Nacua sidelined, the Rams will increase reliance on tight ends, particularly Higbee and Ferguson, as no team plays more 12 and 13 personnel than Los Angeles.

Tyron Tracy is expected to be a very popular waiver wire add this week, but Omar Cooper Jr. is skeptical of his value. Tracy scored a touchdown last week but only played 38% of snaps with 73% of long down and distance snaps, suggesting the snap punishment was likely a one-week anomaly. The Giants are deploying four running backs, which will dilute expected points across the backfield, making none of them truly startable.

Omar Cooper Jr. notes that the Seahawks backfield is so depleted that they are using Velus Jones as a running back, indicating severe depth issues.

Omar Cooper Jr. notes that Zach Charbonnet is eligible to return in Week 9, but provides no specific projection or recommendation regarding his fantasy value.