Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 7: Kimani Vidal breaks out; Bam Knight surprises

With a Monday night double-header left to go, Week 6 of the fantasy season is almost in the books. Any player listed here is available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. It’s safe to assume any stat I list in this article has a “pending Monday’s game” asterisk until Tuesday morning.

▶ Quarterback

Jaxson Dart, Giants

Dart has yet to throw for more than 202 passing yards in three starts, but he’s running like a madman.

He is averaging 56 yards on 10 carries per game as a runner and has two rushing touchdowns. He has six red zone carries this year. That is the sixth-most for a quarterback this year despite starting just three games. Dart also has at least one passing touchdown in all three starts and is coming off a career day in adjusted yards per attempt (8.6). Dart will still take his lumps as a passer, but the rushing will paper over any bad days through the air, and those could become increasingly rare if he looks like he did against Philly going forward.

Sam Darnold, Seahawks

Darnold has been on a tear since Week 1, throwing multiple touchdowns in four of his past five games. He has at least 295 passing yards in three of those games and is lighting up the spreadsheets.

He is the top quarterback in the league in EPA per play, CPOE, and AY/A. Darnold is third in the league in passing yards (1,541) and fifth in passing touchdowns (11). Darnold is playing out of his mind and the sample keeps growing. He should be rostered and started in all formats.

Bryce Young, Panthers

Young has faced the No. 31 and No. 32 pass defenses by EPA per play over the past two weeks. He has five passing touchdowns in those games with just two interceptions and four sacks. Young isn’t exactly setting the league on fire in these matchups, but he’s getting the job done. He gets one final top-tier matchup in Week 7 versus the Jets as New York ranks 30th in pass defense.

▶ Running Back

Kimani Vidal, Chargers

The Chargers gave Vidal the start over Hassan Haskins in Week 6 and he ran away with the job to the tune of 18 carries for 124 yards and three receptions for 14 yards plus a touchdown. Vidal logged a 67 percent snap share and accounted for 72 percent of the Chargers’ carries. He also logged a route rate just over 50 percent. Vidal excelled in a workhorse role, giving Jim Harbaugh no reason to change things heading into Week 7. Omarion Hampton is reportedly expected to miss more than just four weeks on IR, meaning Vidal could hold an RB1 role for over a month.

Bam Knight, Cardinals

Arizona threw us a curveball on Sunday by starting Knight over Michael Carter. Knight ran 11 times for 34 yards and a score, however, he only ran 28 percent of the routes compared to 43 percent for Carter, who also saw eight carries. Knight is the marginal leader of this committee, but he is at least a starting running back on a competent team. He will be an RB3 at best for Week 7 against the Packers.

Tyjae Spears, Titans

The Titans appear to be quiet quitting on Tony Pollard. His snap share has fallen in four straight weeks, down to 43 percent in Week 6. Spears, in turn, got up to a 60 percent snap share on a 64 percent route rate. He turned that role into four catches for 19 yards and five carries for 31 yards. Pollard still saw twice as many carries, but Spears can at least be thought of as a Justice Hill-type bet on a Titans team that will be playing from behind nearly every week.

Kareem Hunt, Chiefs

There are worse touchdown-or-bust bets to make off the waiver wire. Hunt has 71 percent of the Chiefs’ carries inside the 5-yard line this year and 65 percent of their short down and distance snaps. The Chiefs are heavy favorites at home over the Raiders this week, meaning plenty of scoring and positive game script for the backfield.

▶ Wide Receiver

Sterling Shepard, Bucs

Chris Godwin missed Week 6 with a fibula injury. Mike Evans remained out with a hamstring issue. To make things much worse, Emeka Egbuka left with a hamstring injury that could sideline him through the team’s Week 9 bye. Evans could be back for Week 7 and Godwin’s status is up in the air at best. This is how the routes and opportunities broke down in Week 6:

There’s no clear answer if all three of the team’s starting wideouts are out for Week 7, but Shepard should be considered the top add. He is a safe bet for routes and has at least four catches in half of his games this year.

Kayshon Boutte, Patriots

Boutte disappeared after going for 100 yards in Week 1 and scoring in Week 2. His route rate waned over the next three weeks and he was held under 8.0 PPR points in all three contests. The Pats made it a point to get him back in the mix on Sunday with his highest route rate (74 percent) since Week 2 and his highest target share (21 percent) of the year. He made good on his opportunities with two touchdowns and 26.3 PPR points. He gets a Tennessee defense in Week 7 that is giving up the sixth-highest explosive passing rate this year.

Kendrick Bourne, 49ers

Even with Jauan Jennings back in Week 6, Bourne logged an 85 percent route rate and a 24 percent target share. He turned his nine targets into five catches and exactly 142 yards for the second week in a row. Bourne now has 20 targets over the past two weeks. Per usual, the injury situation is a mess in San Francisco. Jennings has five broken ribs and Ricky Pearsall “has a chance” to play through his PCL injury in Week 7. George Kittle remains on injured reserve but is eligible to return. If Pearsall and Kittle are out next week, Bourne will have to be treated as a WR2.

Tre Tucker, Raiders

Tucker is 17th among all wideouts in receiving yards and is developing somewhat of a floor. He has at least 50 receiving yards in 4-of-6 games this year. Tucker is the highest-scoring receiver in the league who is available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. Geno Smith isn’t passing the ball well, but he’s passing often, sitting at 12th in total attempts. Tucker runs nearly every route on a team that has no choice but to chuck it. He is a viable FLEX play as bye weeks continue to roll in.

▶ Tight End

Harold Fannin, Browns

David Njoku left Week 6 with a knee injury in the fourth quarter and did not return. Fannin, in turn, set a season-high in route rate (78 percent). He turned that into 10 targets, seven catches, and 81 yards, all three of which were season highs. Fannin leads the Browns in catches and yards this year. He was already a TE2 with Njoku in the lineup. He will project for TE1 numbers if Njoku misses time.

Oronde Gadsden, Chargers

Gadsden has emerged as a true receiving threat for the Chargers, culminated in a seven-catch, 68-yard showing in Week 6. His route rate has increased in every game this year, dating back to his Week 3 debut. It hit 77 percent in Week 6 and he earned a 22 percent target share. Gadsden was a de facto wide receiver in college and is playing primarily out of the slot right now, but he is still seeing enough wide and inline reps to earn a healthy route rate. He is looking more and more like a high-end TE2 every week.

Michael Mayer, Raiders

Mayer stepped into the full Brock Bowers role in Week 6, running 80 percent of the routes with a 32 percent target share and 29 percent of the air yards. He cashed in for a 5/50/1 receiving line on seven targets. Bowers looks unlikely to play in Week 7 with the Raiders trying to rest him through their Week 8 bye. That puts Mayer in line for a top 15 ranking versus the Chiefs next week.

Jake Tonges, 49ers

Tonges has 13 catches for 99 yards and a score over the past two weeks. He has an 82 percent route rate and a 21 percent target share during that stretch. Like Bourne, Tonges is tough to bet on for Week 7 because we don’t know the status of multiple San Francisco pass-catchers. If Kittle remains out, Tonges will flirt with a TE1 ranking.