Raise your hand if you had Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings beating the San Francisco 49ers in primetime on Monday night. If you did, let’s be friends! The Vikings took care of business in a must win game. With Justin Jefferson sidelined, Cousins still managed to throw for 378 yards (the most against the 49ers so far this season) and 2 touchdowns (1 interception). The rookie Jordan Addison had a career night and was the recipient of both touchdowns while hauling in 123 yards. Coming into Monday night, many thought the Vikings were on a path to tank after a rocky start and injury to their star wide receiver. That doesn’t seem to be the case and a favorable upcoming schedule featuring games against the Broncos, Falcons and Bears could have this team racking up some wins. For all the Kirk Cousins haters, I HOPE YOU LIKE THAT!
Waiver Wire Targets:
Joshua Palmer (Rostered in 57.9% of ESPN leagues)
I don’t usually include players who are rostered in over 50% of leagues on this list. However, Palmer is the exception to that rule this week. He has seen 7+ targets in his last four games and no less than 5 in all but one game. He is also one Keenan Allen injury away from being the starting wide receiver. Against the Chiefs, he caught 5 of his 7 targets for 133 yards. That was good for 19.3 fantasy points. If this guy is available, he deserves to be on your roster.
Rashee Rice (Rostered in 48.6% of ESPN leagues)
Rice saw an 18.2% increase in leagues he was rostered in from last week to now. For those fantasy managers that have believed in him, he has now turned out 3 consecutive double digit fantasy outings. Against the Chargers, Rice caught 5 of 6 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown. A favorable matchup against the Broncos makes Rice a flex play going into week 8.
Josh Downs (Rostered in 34.5% of ESPN leagues)
In Sunday’s loss to the Browns, Downs caught 5 of 6 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. Minshew seems to really like this guy and is looking his way. For the year so far, Downs has seen 5+ targets in all but one game. Downs is a must add and is a borderline WR1.
Kareem Hunt (Rostered in 46.3% of ESPN leagues) and Pierre Strong (Rostered in 0.4% of ESPN leagues)
In Sunday’s win over the Colts, Jerome Ford left early with what is now being reported as a “low grade, high ankle sprain” that should knock him out of lineups for 1-2 games. This offense is built on the run, and should continue to do so while Deshaun Watson deals with his shoulder injury. Kareem Hunt is most likely to be the main benefactor in Ford’s absence as he punched in 31 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Colts. If you are in need of a running back, Hunt is worth rostering for the next 2 weeks. Strong will take on the main backup duties and could be an interesting stash should anything happen to Hunt.
Darrell Henderson (Rostered in 12.2% of ESPN leagues)
What a wild ride for Darrell Henderson. Henderson was signed to the practice squad last Tuesday and was then elevated to the active roster for Sunday’s loss against the Steelers. To many people’s surprise, he then ended up taking the majority of the rushing share while also taking every snap within the 10-yard line. The Rams have one of the most confusing backfields in the NFL right now. To make things more complicated, Henderson was relegated back to the practice squad on Monday. Zach Evans truthers are in shambles right now as he didn’t even take a snap while ceding all the remaining workload not taken up by Henderson to Royce Freeman. Miles Gaskin is also floating around somewhere. Keep an eye on Henderson this week but he seems posed to be the preferred back in LA.
D’Onta Foreman (Rostered in 48.7% of ESPN leagues)
They say hindsight is 20/20 and that feels very accurate at this moment. I excluded Foreman from my waiver wire target list last week over concerns that the Bears haven’t been able to sustain a productive rusher. Clearly I was wrong. Foreman rushed for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns while chipping in 31 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. While he won’t be doing this every week, and Roschon Johnson is set to return, it’s hard not to pick up the guy who just went for 33 fantasy points.
Dalton Kincaid (Rostered in 31.3% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
News broke on Monday that Dawson Knox will be undergoing surgery on his wrist. With no current timetable for his return, Kincaid stands to be the teams number one tight end. Rookie tight ends barely ever pan out for fantasy managers early on and take a while to develop. However, the Bills run an explosive offense and Kincaid saw 8 targets in the most recent loss to the Patriots. He caught all 8 targets and turned those into 75 yards. I like TEs that get a lot of targets and the Bills spent a first round pick to get this guy. I am inclined to add him in leagues where I need a tight end.
Michael Mayer (Rostered in 9.5% of ESPN leagues)
After bursting onto the scene in week 6 with 12.5 fantasy points, Meyer turned in a quiet outing in week 7. A lot of that probably had to do with Brian Hoyer slinging the rock and not Garoppolo. I think Mayer is an easy addition after his most recent performance against the Bears since fantasy managers will be scared off. More of a stash and play if really needed kind of deal.
Derek Carr (Rostered in 18.5% of ESPN leagues)
Carr has not had the start to the season many would have hoped. It’s been a bit rocky and he has been dealing with a few injuries.The Saints have one of the more friendly schedules in terms of strength of schedule. I think Carr will be able to take advantage of this once healthy and the more comfortable he gets within his new system. He also has quality playmakers around him in the form Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara. Carr is a nice addition in superflex leagues and as a nice backup bench option.
Kyler Murray (Rostered in 22.6% of ESPN leagues)
I will start by saying this is a pure stash pick. It is still to be determined if Murray will play at all this season as the Cardinals sit at 1-6 and may not have much to play for the rest of the year. The Cardinals opened Murray’s 21-day practice window and he is able to be added to the active roster at any point during that time. Should Murray play this season, he would be a borderline QB1. If you are in desperate need of a QB and have an open roster spot, stash him for now.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring.
Want to tell me who I left off or needs to be added? Follow me on twitter at @The_FFGenius and let me know!