Here are my top recommended waiver wire and streaming targets ahead of the coming week. Waiver Wire targets are designed to be multi-week roster-worthy options while streaming options are designed to be one-week lineup options based on matchup, injuries, and/or situation. To be eligible as a waiver wire target, streaming option, or stash, the player must be available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues.
See If They're Available:
There are always a few players that don't technically make the cut here as a waiver wire option as they're available in under 60% of leagues, but these players should be on a roster. If they're not on a roster yet, they should be a higher priority than those listed as waiver wire targets below.
Jakobi Meyers (WR - Las Vegas Raiders)
He may have fallen through the cracks this past week due to him missing Week 7, so make sure you do your due diligence and check that he's not on your waiver wire (he's only owned in 55% of leagues.
Now without Davante Adams, it will be Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers as the definitive 1-2 in the Raiders' receiving corps. It's not sustainable for Bowers to register 14 targets per game like he did in Week 7 and players like Tre Tucker and DJ Turner were each drawing 7+ targets, a good chunk of which would've likely gone to Meyers if active.
Meyers may end up simply PPR'ing his way to being a WR2 down the stretch this season. Make sure he's not sitting on waivers.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB - New York Giants)
He likely isn't (and shouldn't) be available in any competitive fantasy leagues, but it's worth a look given Devin Singletary returned in Week 7.
Even with Singletary returning, Tracy was set to get "plenty of playing time" this week. Well, he did get 72% of the snaps while Daniel Jones was still in at QB (67% overall), but it only translated into 6 carries and 3 catches (3 targets) to Singletary's 5 carries and 1 catch (1 target).
The volume on the stat sheet doesn't scream positivity but the underlying numbers (72% snap share, 40% of carries, 76% route participation with Daniel Jones) suggest it's fairly likely we have seen a shift in the lead back for the Giants, even with Singletary back.
He's available in 43% of leagues on Yahoo. Make sure your league isn't one of them.
Alexander Mattison (RB - Las Vegas Raiders)
Any question about the Raiders' backfield was clearly answered this past week with Zamir White returning to action, but Alexander Mattison serving as the definitive workhorse back with 23 of 26 RB carries, 26 of 30 RB touches, and 69% of the snaps in Week 7.
He's likely not available, but make sure to double-check as he is (surprisingly) owned in just 54% of leagues as starting RBs don't grow on trees for fantasy.
Top Waiver Wire Targets of the Week:
These are your players to target on waivers this week - these aren't typically supposed to be a one-week solution but rather a longer-term answer for your team.
Jalen Tolbert (WR - Dallas Cowboys)
Tolbert seems to have become an afterthought after the entire Cowboys' offense couldn't get anything going in the blowout loss to Detroit before their bye week, dropping to just a 20% rostered percentage on Yahoo.
He still is the definitive WR2 in Dallas, who had amassed 5+ targets in four of the five games and 13+ points in three of the five games prior to the Cowboys' bye.
Dallas will be forced to throw the ball quite a bit over the next month with their next five games being at SF, at ATL, vs PHI, vs HOU, and at WAS - a good portion of which the team will be without Brandin Cooks for.
Tolbert should remain a viable FLEX/WR3 option for the foreseeable future until Cooks returns.
Hunter Henry (TE - New England Patriots)
Tight Ends with 12+ points in each of the last two weeks:
Brock Bowers
George Kittle
Hunter Henry
The common theme amongst the last two weeks? Drake Maye has been the starting QB. With the rookie looking for his security blanket, Henry has tallied 11 catches (4th) on 14 targets (4th) for 133 yards (5th) and a TD (3rd).
With the TE position being a wildly inconsistent one outside the likes of George Kittle and Brock Bowers, I'm willing to roll the dice on back-to-back big performances in the rookie QB's first two starts, hoping you are catching 'lightning in a bottle' with a potential high-volume TE.
Keon Coleman (WR - Buffalo Bills)
Coleman has been decent all season, hitting 8+ points in 5 of the 7 games this season, and ultimately ended up having his best performance of the season in Amari Cooper's Bills debut, posting a team-high (and his personal season-high) 7 targets and 125 yards.
It's TBD what the Bills' WR target distribution will look like once Cooper is fully integrated into the offense, but for now, it appears that Coleman isn't the odd one out and has retained his spot as the Bills' WR2.
It'll be difficult to trust him on a weekly basis with the number of mouths to feed in the Bills' offense, but he should still serve as a solid WR3/4 and matchup-based FLEX option.
Jauan Jennings (WR - San Francisco 49ers)
Jennings was forced into the 49ers' WR2 role for a good chunk of the first four weeks of the season with Brandon Aiyuk not fully being prepared for the start of the season and Deebo Samuel exiting in Week 2 and missing Week 3. In those first four weeks, Jennings was the WR6 for fantasy and had tallied 11+ points in three of four games.
Unfortunately, the injury bug in San Francisco now hit Brandon Aiyuk, who is feared to have suffered a torn ACL in Week 7, which would be season-ending. This is another opportunity for Jennings to become a weekly lineup option for fantasy once he returns from his hip injury that kept him out this past week.
We likely won't see the same workload or success that he saw to open the season since 1st round rookie WR, Ricky Pearsall, will now be on the field, but Jennings already has the trust of QB Brock Purdy and has shown to be a viable fantasy option when thrust into an expanded role.
Dontayvion Wicks (WR - Green Bay Packers)
The carousel of WR roles continues in Green Bay - one week it's Christian Watson as the WR2, the next it's Romeo Doubs, the next it's Dontayvion Wicks.
This week saw Dontayvion Wicks heavily involved once again, ranking 2nd on the Packers with 6 targets - a threshold he's now hit in three of his last four games with the one odd game out being the Week 6 matchup he exited with a shoulder injury.
Like all the Packers' WRs, he's very hot and cold (11+ points in 3 games, 4 or fewer points in 4 games), but he needs to be on a fantasy roster with his volume of targets, the Packers' offensive strength, and the potential should any individual Packers' WR go down to injury.
Ray Davis (RB - Buffalo Bills)
It looks like Ray Davis has become the definitive RB2 in the Bills' rushing attack, drawing 22% of the snaps and 32% of the backfield touches to James Cook's 54% snap share and 63% touch share, but that's not necessarily a negative thing.
Davis looked very good with over 8 YPC this week, including a goal-line TD. He has a role within the Joe Brady offense even after James Cook's return, plus he has already established he is the clear handcuff and would have a significant workload should Cook face another absence (23 touches last week).
He's not a startable option (at least not yet), but he does appear to be a decent RB3 option as a standalone back on top of top-15 potential as a handcuff.
Cedric Tillman (WR - Cleveland Browns)
It was the first game of the post-Amari Cooper era in Cleveland, and it ended up being the Cedric Tillman show, leading the Browns WRs with 12 targets, 8 catches, and 81 yards.
And while it's never good to see a player go down to an injury, the (anticipated) season-ending Achilles tear for QB Deshaun Watson does open up a transition to a gun-slinger in Jameis Winston which should, in theory, elevate an offense that had entered Week 7 with just 172.7 passing yards per game (4th-lowest).
Tillman is far from a sure thing, but the opportunity has presented itself for Tillman to become a PPR-friendly option purely due to the Browns' likely pass-friendly game scripts with a lack of receiving threats.
Kimani Vidal (RB - Los Angeles Chargers)
As of when this is being written, the Chargers haven't had their Week 7 kickoff on MNF, so that will ultimately tell where Vidal ends up in terms of waiver wire priority.
He's coming off his first career game in Week 6, where he immediately stepped in as the RB2 in LA behind J.K. Dobbins after having been a healthy scratch the first month of the season. He wasn't anything spectacular on the ground (4 for 11, 2.8 YPC) against a stout Broncos defense, but he showed some electricity with 2 catches for 40 yards and a TD.
At the moment, he's purely an insurance option for J.K. Dobbins (which could change on MNF), but considering Dobbins' injury history and current workload of 93 touches in 5 games (18.6 per week), there is a chance we could see Vidal get his shot as the starter at some point this season as a handcuff.
Ricky Pearsall (WR - San Francisco 49ers)
Same situation as Jauan Jennings (see above) with Brandon Aiyuk exiting Week 7 with an anticipated torn ACL, thus thrusting Ricky Pearsall into a solidified starting role in the 49ers offense.
While it's still TBD what exactly that will mean and how involved he will be, especially in the short-term due to him just returning to the field, Pearsall could end up a FLEX option in the coming weeks.
In his first game since being shot in the preseason, Pearsall grabbed 3 catches on 5 targets for 21 yards.
Bo Nix (QB - Denver Broncos)
He hasn't lit up the stat sheet in the passing game, tallying just 1,246 passing yards (178 per game) and 5 TDs to 5 INTs thus far in his rookie season, but Nix has surprisingly established a reasonable floor via the ground.
He's eclipsed 25+ rushing yards in 5 of 7 games and hit 6+ fantasy points via the ground in 5 of 7 games, giving him a surprisingly stable floor despite playing within a less-than-ideal offense and struggling in the passing game.
There's a healthy chance he begins to turn it around in the passing game as he gets further into his rookie season, especially with the Broncos drawing a very favorable schedule down the stretch that begins with a potential startable matchup against Carolina in Week 8.
Top Streaming Options of the Week:
These aren't the same as waiver wire targets. Yes, you are still getting these players off waivers, but these are purely the best options for this week and this week only. Players can be a streaming option and a waiver wire target, which means they're a solid option to play this upcoming week and potentially beyond.
Quarterbacks:
Bo Nix (vs CAR)
Matthew Stafford (vs MIN)
Jameis Winston (vs BAL)
Runningbacks:
Ray Davis (at SEA)
Kimani Vidal (vs NO)
D'Ernest Johnson (vs GB) - if Travis Etienne is inactive
Wide Receivers:
Jalen Tolbert (at SF)
Jauan Jennings (vs DAL) - if active, Ricky Pearsall if inactive
Cedric Tillman (vs BAL)
Tight Ends:
Hunter Henry (vs NYJ)
Zach Ertz (vs CHI)
Jonnu Smith (vs ARI)
Defense/Special Teams:
Detroit Lions (vs TEN)
Los Angeles Chargers (vs NO)
New York Giants (at PIT)
Top Stashes Ahead of Next Week:
These aren't players that you should be playing this week, but rather ones that have greater potential to be a solid option and likely end up being a waiver wire target sometime down the line. You won't see immediate value but these are the guys that possibly could go under the radar and see a notable role shortly.
Kendre Miller (RB - New Orleans Saints)
Granted, it was a blowout and the Saints effectively gave Alvin Kamara the 4th quarter off, but Kendre Miller still showed quite a bit of promise in his first action of the 2024 season and did so against a stout Broncos defense, averaging 6.0 YPC.
With Alvin Kamara unlikely to be a Saint in 2025 (with the Saints able to save $18.9M with a pre-June 1 cut or $25M with a post-June 1 cut), there's the chance that Alvin Kamara is traded mid-season to an RB-needy team (i.e. Dallas) or Kendre Miller is featured more as the season progresses to 'see what they have' in him.
Troy Franklin (WR - Denver Broncos)
The rookie is finally becoming involved in the offense, having posted back-to-back 10+ point fantasy games and registering a season-high 5 catches for 50 yards in Week 7.
Franklin already has a rapport with QB Bo Nix (as the two were teammates at Oregon), so the connection should remain, especially with a relative lack of weapons in Denver.
To make things even more appealing, Sean Payton directly spoke about the young players in Denver, saying "We have to see these guys... we are going to see Franklin. We are not waiting to redshirt these guys" ahead of Week 7. There is the additional possibility that WR Courtland Sutton (who received 0 targets after that quote) may be a trade candidate this season, further opening the opportunity for the young WRs.
Jaylen Wright (RB - Miami Dolphins)
Elijah Moore (WR - Cleveland Browns)
Trey Benson (RB - Arizona Cardinals)