The Week 7 waiver wire has no clear top option that fantasy football managers should drop the proverbial hammer on. The options are mostly bye week and injury fill-ins that won’t move the needle but won’t get you zero. Here are a couple of potential RB targets on the wire this week.
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Top RB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 7
More Waiver Wire Targets: WRs | TEs | QBs
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers (4% Rostered)
Christian McCaffrey suffered an oblique injury in the second half. Replacing him was not Elijah Mitchell, who was just returning from a two-week absence himself. Instead, it was Jordan Mason.
I have no idea whether it will be Mason or Mitchell as the lead back next week if McCaffrey can’t go. This is purely a speculative addition that could end up being useless, but Mason will be picked up in your league. If you need a potential one-to-two-week starter, you have to take the shot.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-35%, depending on need
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (48% Rostered)
Tyjae Spears didn’t do much to inspire confidence, but he remains the clear handcuff to Derrick Henry. We saw Spears’ potential on his 48-yard reception late in the fourth quarter. There is immense upside here if Henry were to get hurt.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-10%
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens (42% Rostered)
There’s nothing exciting about Justice Hill. He’s in a timeshare with Gus Edwards and isn’t going to touch the ball more than 10-12 times a game. However, with bye weeks and injuries, Hill’s 8-10 carries and 2-3 catches a game aren’t the worst. There’s also the off chance he scores.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-10%
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns (35% Rostered)
Few things were more surprising than the Cleveland Browns’ performance against the best team in football. Kareem Hunt touched the ball 15 times for 71 total yards and ran in a nice touchdown.
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I don’t think this is repeatable, nor do I think Hunt is a threat to Jerome Ford’s lead-back status. But at the very least, Hunt is the handcuff. That’s worth something.
FAAB Recommendation: 4-8%
Devin Singletary, Houston Texans (13% Rostered)
For several weeks now, I’ve had Dameon Pierce as a sell-high option. On Sunday, we saw why. The Texans rotated their running backs more than usual. Devin Singletary carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards. He looked significantly more explosive than Pierce.
I’m not saying Singletary is taking Pierce’s job — he’s not — but this could be much more of a timeshare going forward.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-5%
Which RBs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Devin Singletary or Kenneth Gainwell?
These are two running backs in similar situations on their respective teams … sort of. Kenneth Gainwell is a pure backup to D’Andre Swift. There is no scenario where Gainwell will be startable in fantasy unless Swift gets hurt.
That also seemed like the case with Devin Singletary. That is, until he outsnapped Dameon Pierce last week.
Pierce handled one more carry, but Singletary played 13 more snaps and ran 11 more routes. That’s a pretty significant shift in usage.
Most beneficial to Singletary’s cause is he looked like the better running back. Pierce is now averaging 2.9 YPC on the season. Singletary isn’t lighting the world on fire at 3.9 YPC, but that’s still a full yard better than Pierce.
There is no chance Gainwell flat-out takes Swift’s job. But there is a chance Singletary takes Pierce’s job. For that reason, give me Singletary between these two.
Should You Roster Tyjae Spears or Jamaal Williams?
Fantasy managers who roster Kendre Miller want to believe that he is the RB2 behind Alvin Kamara. And he is … for now. They just want to believe the rookie has permanently overtaken the wily veteran. Unfortunately, Jamaal Williams is just one of those guys who never goes away.
I firmly believe that when Williams returns from IR, he will go right back into that RB2 role behind Kamara. The question is whether that is more valuable than Spears’ role behind Henry.
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Spears outsnapped Henry again last week. While Henry is still clearly dominating carries, Spears has shown explosiveness and has a monopoly on the passing-down role. With the Titans often finding themselves in negative game script, Spears is seeing more work than he would if the Titans were leading.
I would consider Spears startable during bye weeks as a desperation RB3. That’s about what Williams would be when he returns if he retakes the RB2 role. Given that Spears has more receiving upside, plus the contingent upside of a Henry injury, I would rather have the rookie over the veteran.