Thursday night football got off to an electric start before the game even started with some beef between Jerry Juedy of the Denver Broncos and future hall of famer Steve Smith. Juedy apparently snubbed Smith’s apology regarding some comments he made about his play which got Smith fired up. Juedy certainly neglected to prove Smith wrong by posting a stat line of 3 receptions for 14 yards (Yikes) in a loss to the Chiefs. As a lifelong Panthers fan, nothing brings back the nostalgia like Steve Smith verbally torching someone on national television.
Week 6 also brought along some injuries to key players. McCaffrey (Oblique/Ribs), Jimmy Garrapolo (Back), David Montgomery (Ribs), Deebo Samuel (Shoulder), Justin Fields (Thumb) and Dalton Kincaid (Concussion) to name a few. Heading into week 7, there are 6 teams on a bye week (Panthers, Texans, Titans, Jets, Cowboys and Bengals). If your season hasn’t started the way you would have liked, now is the time to make up some ground. Here are my waiver wire targets heading into week 7.
Waiver WIre Targets:
Rashee Rice (Rostered in 30.4% of ESPN leagues)
On a Thursday night win over the Broncos, Rice caught all 4 targets that came his way for 72 yards. That put him third on the team in receptions behind only Kelce (9) and Pacheco (6) and was the most productive wide receiver on the night. Game script didn’t require much passing as the Chiefs held a comfortable lead until a late garbage time touchdown. I think the rookie is worth rostering and could pay dividends later on in the season as he matures. Would put him in flex territory for now.
Curtis Samuel (Rostered in 28.6% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
Samuel has scored 14+ points in his last 3 games and is WR 24 on the year so far. Many thought (Including myself) that Jahan Dotson would have a big uptick with Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. Instead it looks to be Samuel. I think he is largely going unnoticed because of the team he plays for. He is a must add this week plain and simple.
Jameson Williams (Rostered in 34.2% of ESPN leagues)
Williams made my week 5 waiver wire targets list after he was reinstated a few games early by the NFL. If you didn’t stash him then, this week is likely your chance to grab him. Fantasy managers may be blinded by his 13.3 fantasy points this weekend and he may not be available for another week. There are a few things to consider before adding him. He only saw 3 targets but turned that into 2 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. He also only saw 22.8% of the Lions offensive snaps. I say all that to mean that I still would recommend you add him to your roster but that it may still be a bit before he gets worked into the offense more.
Marvin Mims (Rostered in 12.6% of ESPN leagues)
Man, find you someone who hates Marvin Mims the way Sean Payton does. This guy is electric when given the opportunity as he averages 24.6 yards-per-catch. That is a crazy stat for someone who has been pretty absent from the Broncos game plan. With trade rumors surrounding Jeudy, Mims would stand to benefit the most if the Broncos decide to ship him out. Mims is most certainly a stash and insurance policy at best.
Elijah Mitchell (Rostered in 26.4% of ESPN leagues) and Jordan Mason (Rostered in 1.4% of ESPN leagues)
In Sunday’s loss to the Browns, Christian McCaffrey went down with an oblique/rib injury. It is still TBD if he will miss any time but if he does Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason will be taking over the backfield duties. In McCaffrey’s absence, Mason saw the most work playing 15 snaps to Mitchell’s 2. This is a tough one to decipher because it could go either way. Mitchell has good rapport with Shannahan while Mason is the bigger back and could see more goal line work. Keep an eye out for an injury update on McCaffrey before pulling the trigger.
Craig Reynolds (Rostered in 6.5% of ESPN leagues)
David Montgomery went down in Sunday’s win with a rib injury. He is expected to miss “a little bit” of time according to head coach Dan Campbell. With Jahmyr Gibbs coming off a hamstring injury, Craig Reynolds could be the main back going into week 7. Keep an eye on Gibbs to make his return this week but Reynolds may be worth picking up if you need a fill in. Especially with a bunch of teams on bye weeks.
Devin Singletary (Rostered in 27.2% of ESPN leagues)
The former Buffalo Bill was on the field for 54% of the Texans offensive snaps compared to Dameon Pierce’s 33%. This is the first time that Singletary has out snapped Pierce so far this year which could signal a changing of the guard. Pierce has struggled under new head coach Demeco Ryan. Last year Pierce averaged 4.3 yards per carry but has dropped to 2.9 yards in 2023. If you are hurting for a running back or have an open roster spot, it is worth keeping an eye on Singletary as he may be trending towards taking the lead back role.
Jonnu Smith (Rostered in 14.8% of ESPN leagues)
This is probably a tough pill to swallow for all the Kyle Pitts truthers. Smith has now had a double digit fantasy performance 3 weeks in a row. He has caught 25 of 32 targets for 282 yards and a touchdown so far this year. Smith seems to be thriving in this offense alongside Pitts and checks in as TE2.
Sam Howell (Rostered in 19.1% of ESPN leagues)
Going to keep hammering this one. For two weeks now I have put Howell on this list because of the schedule he faces and the weapons that he is surrounded with. Howell currently sits as QB 12 on the year and is worth rostering in deeper single QB leagues and most certainly in two QB leagues. In a win over the Falcons, Howell threw for 3 touchdowns. Limited yardage kept his fantasy points to a respectable 18.3. An easy matchup with the Giants lies ahead. I like Howell moving forward and have already added him where I can.