It’s never fun to throw away an established name for a Benjamin Watson, but, well, welcome to the fantasy football Week 7 waiver wire.

Survival is a basic instinct that translates well to the realm of fake football for most. Those owners able to throw aside connections to players they drafted after working so hard to perfect a draft class are the ones digging up the waiver gems and winning leagues.

For those willing to set aside such connections for the greater good, below rests a who’s-who guide of the Week 7 waiver wire, including players with surprise playing time, performances and roles.

Week 7 Waiver-Wire Pickup Targets

Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans (6.2 Percent Owned)

It’s a relatively weak waiver wire for signal-callers this time out after Josh McCown led the way for two weeks.

Now it’s time to click “Add” on Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer. He just tossed a trio of scores this past weekend on the way to 23 points and a spot as the position’s fifth-highest scorer before Monday.

This isn’t an isolated incident, either. Hoyer has 17 or more points in three consecutive games despite the fact that he hasn’t even been the starter for three consecutive games.

Now he is. Hoyer‘s a game manager, sure, but his stats inflate like a balloon playing on an offense with DeAndre Hopkins and Arian Foster. Owners in a pinch have no excuse to look anywhere else.

James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers (22.3 Percent Owned)

It’s time to say goodbye to Eddie Lacy.

This is what the intro was talking about. Lacy was at worst a second-round pick after reliable production last season. Something’s changed in Green Bay, though, because Lacy took just four carries against a miserable San Diego Chargers defense in Week 6 while backup James Starks carried it 10 times for 112 yards and one score.

“We’re a one-two punch team,” coach Mike McCarthy said, per Michael Cohen of the Journal Sentinel. “It’s really no different than the way we operate. We went with James first just because he’s been playing extremely well, and Eddie has been a little banged up.”

Translation: Get Starks right away. He collected 23 fantasy points in a solid matchup this past weekend. It’s pretty clear the coaching staff will ride the hot hand, not the one with the bigger name, and right now, that would be Starks.

While he’s headed into a bye week, it’s a good idea to stash Starks. The way the first six weeks have gone, he might wind up as the season-long starter.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings (3.0 Percent Owned)

Now would be the time to pay attention to Minnesota Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs.

The fifth-round rookie is on the verge of a breakout despite the presence of Mike Wallace and Kyle Rudolph around him. Adrian Peterson in the backfield hasn’t hampered Diggs‘ production over the last two weeks, either.

Diggs has at least six catches and eight fantasy points over his last two games, with his seven grabs for 129 yards going for 12 points this past weekend. He’s fully worked his way into playing time and a better rapport with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, so there’s no reason to believe the consistent production won’t continue.

Some may ask for a bigger sample size before pulling the trigger, but Diggs‘ next two opponents rank among the 12 teams allowing the most points to wideouts on average.

Sometimes investing in the samples is a great move.

Benjamin Watson, TE, New Orleans Saints (4.0 Percent Owned)

Fantasy owners decried the loss of Jimmy Graham for the New Orleans Saints without realizing the team would find a capable replacement.

Veteran Benjamin Watson has never raised any eyebrows as a fantasy contributor, but the journeyman has stepped up in a big way for the struggling Saints offense. He wound up second in scoring at the position in Week 6 before Monday behind only Carolina’s Greg Olsen.

There, Watson caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a score, good for 18 points. It made for his second consecutive touchdown and trip to at least nine points.

In fact, the production was bigger than any outburst Graham has had in Seattle, and Watson has scored just as many touchdowns. As a reliable veteran who has now emerged as an every-down option for Drew Brees, owners will want to jump on board in a hurry.

Reliable production is rare at tight end, but Watson might just provide it as he plays the Graham role in the pass-happy New Orleans offense.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats, as of October 18. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.

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Opinion

Fantasy

It is never too early to look ahead to the next week in daily fantasy football, especially if the previous week didn’t exactly go according to plan.

Did your perfect lineup fail to live up to expectations? Forget them all and pick a new perfect lineup this week. Although injury information and other factors could force some changes in the coming days, here is an early look at the best and worst options for Week 7.

Quarterback

There are some players in daily fantasy where no price is too great, and Tom Brady is approaching that level. He is $900 more than any other quarterback in Week 7 (thanks in part to Aaron Rodgers being on bye), but he has simply been too consistent to avoid.

After topping 25 fantasy points for the sixth game in a row, feel free to keep Brady in your lineup even with a tough matchup and at his most expensive level of the season.

That type of consistency has also helped Carson Palmer become a great weekly choice at a cheaper price. He didn’t have his best game in Week 6 from an efficiency standpoint, but the veteran quarterback threw a season-high 421 passing yards in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a better matchup in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, he should once again top 20 points easily.

Russell Wilson hasn’t been as good as these players in 2015, but his value has fallen almost every week to the point that he is underrated in fantasy. He will face the worst San Francisco 49ers defense he has ever seen on Thursday, however, and he can utilize his dual-threat ability to post big fantasy numbers.

Finally, Blake Bortles shouldn’t necessarily be in the same category as the quarterbacks mentioned here, but he is in fantasy. Chris Wesseling of NFL.com broke down the type of year the Jacksonville Jaguars starter has had:

The last one is a joke, but the first two numbers are true. Still, the high interception totals don’t quite matter as much when he is firing tons of touchdowns. The actual play on the field still needs work, but he has been a top fantasy producer in recent weeks.

On the other hand, the same cannot be said about Matt Ryan as of late. Although throwing the ball up to Julio Jones is usually a great strategy, the quarterback is only averaging 14.4 fantasy points over the past three games. Against a Tennessee Titans defense that leads the NFL with 184 passing yards allowed per game, this might be a time to avoid the Atlanta Falcons star.

Beyond that there aren’t really many overpriced options, but Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr are facing tough matchups in Week 7 and have simply been too inconsistent to trust in daily fantasy.

Running Back

Like Brady, it is hard to bet against Devonta Freeman at this point based on how well he has played. The running back has come out of nowhere to average 39.4 fantasy points over the last four games on DraftKings.

Everyone in your contest might have him, but you might not want to be left behind with the way he has played.

That said, there is plenty of value to be had in Week 7 at running back. LeSean McCoy finally looked healthy in Week 6 and finished with 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. Todd Gurley is coming off a bye after totaling 140 rushing yards in back-to-back games and now faces the struggling Cleveland Browns run defense.

As for Lamar Miller, it’s clear the talent was there the whole time, but he just never got the ball. Nerdy Football’s Mike Freeman seemingly spoke for everyone watching at home with his thoughts:

The Miami Dolphins coaching change made a big difference for the running back, and he is a good bet to succeed going forward.

Depending on the health of Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones, Chris Thompson could be a good sleeper pick for the price. He had 11 touches against the New York Jets in Week 6, but he could do a lot more with that against a weaker Tampa Bay Buccaneers front. He also gets plenty of catches to help his score in a points-per-reception contest.

With so much value across the board, this might be a week to avoid top-priced Le’Veon Bell. Teams are starting to stack the line against him, and it led to just 88 rushing yards on 24 carries in Week 6. He is still one of the best in the league, but the value is just not there.

The same could be said about Dion Lewis, who has jumped in price from one of the best picks every week to borderline overpriced at $6,500. He is coming off his worst game of the season (just 6.9 fantasy points) and faces a tough Jets defensive line. Wait until the price comes down to jump back on the bandwagon.

Charcandrick West and Ameer Abdullah both had chances to shine as the lead dogs in their respective backfield and couldn’t do much. Even at cheap prices they just don’t offer enough to justify a fantasy start.

Wide Receiver

Until further notice, it seems DeAndre Hopkins is the best fantasy receiver in the league. After his 10-catch, 148-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 6, it’s clear it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball. He will get tons of targets and bring down most of them for a big game every week.

Calvin Johnson also reminded people how good he can be with his big day Sunday (166 yards and a touchdown). Even when the numbers aren’t there, the Detroit Lions try to get him the ball, which is a good sign for more fantasy points going forward.

One often overlooked player at the position is Allen Robinson, who has five touchdowns this year but is still at a middling price. Sports Illustrated was still impressed by the effort this week:

As long as he is healthy, he is a good bet to succeed.

There are also cheaper options available with the always dangerous Vincent Jackson in a great matchup against the banged-up Redskins secondary. You could also get great value with Stefon Diggs, who has become Teddy Bridgewater’s new favorite target, per ESPN’s Ben Goessling:

The rookie has played well in his last two games and is prepared to keep it up over the course of the season.

Meanwhile, there are a few top receivers you might want to avoid this week. This includes Antonio Brown, who has just 11 catches for 111 yards over the past three games combined. That used to be a normal game for him. Unless Ben Roethlisberger suits up, Brown has to stay out of your lineup.

Julian Edelman doesn’t quite have the value he once did and is now coming into a tough matchup against the Jets with a finger injury also holding him back. He has been heavily owned each week, but this might be a time to look in another direction.

Amari Cooper is still a great receiver, but for the second game in a row he faces a tough opponent. After being slowed by the Broncos, he now faces a Chargers secondary that can keep him from busting loose. Better days will be ahead, but not this week.

Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

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Fantasy

Daily Fantasy

Football Daily Fantasy

Few things can ruin your entire week quite like facing your friends and coworkers on Monday morning trying to explain yourself after your fantasy team’s laughable performance the previous week. No matter how much you claim, “it’s fine, I only need 340 yards and three touchdowns from Rueben Randle tonight,” you’re crying on the inside.

The NFL—particularly fantasy football—is as cruel as it gets. With these weekly rankings, projections and waiver-wire tips, maybe you won’t need that miracle on Monday Night Football to salvage your matchup! With three of the four teams on bye being undefeated (Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos), we could all use a little help. There’s a good chance everyone is missing a strong asset or two.

An overarching theme for Week 6 was that it seemed to be a relatively healthy one. Studs such as LeSean McCoy, Alshon Jeffery and Marshawn Lynch made triumphant returns. Big names like Marcus Mariota got a little dinged up, though he should be fine.

All in all, it was a pretty clean week. Now you won’t have to frantically check the waiver wire for guys like Charcandrick West, who I may or may not have dropped entirely too much money on in an auction league.

Oh well, it’s the holiday season. Here is your Week 7 NFL schedule.

Quarterbacks

Boom: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

Captain Garbage Time did it again on Sunday, hurling three touchdowns to go along with three picks to cap off his 331-yard day. Bortles also tossed in 37 yards on the ground for good measure. Jacksonville lost badly to the pathetic Houston Texans 31-20, a score made sexier by Bortles‘ late-game heaves.

In this fantasy world we live in, owners crave two things: yards and touchdowns. You know what they don’t care about? Incompletions and picks.

Bortles had actually been fairly protective of the ball up until the three-pick game, but you can’t overlook the 13 touchdowns through six games, including seven in his past two contests. Bortles right now is a glorified Jay Cutler. He will make some bad mistakes, but at the end of the day, he’ll probably help you out in terms of fantasy points. Add in the fact that Jacksonville is sure to be trailing early and often, and Bortles makes for a solid quarterback play.

If you employ Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning or Andy Dalton, give him a go. A decent matchup with Buffalo next week should do him just fine.

Bust: Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Flacco is a borderline QB1 as it is, but this week I’d stay away.

He put up numbers fighting from behind on Sunday in a 25-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, amassing 343 yards, two touchdowns and a couple picks. He will now take his 1-5 to the nest. A Monday night matchup with the ferocious Cardinals defense looms, and it would be surprising if we didn’t see at least one or two more of these.

Running Backs

Boom: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints

The Saints’ running back is coming off a two-touchdown effort against the Falcons, who have given up a ton of points to fantasy backs thus far. While Ingram has been chugging right along, he hasn’t yet put together a huge game.

That could be just around the corner.

The Saints are in Indy next weekend to face a Colts squad that hasn’t been able to stop a nosebleed. Ingram’s 23 touches in Week 6 were very encouraging given the presence of Khiry Robinson and C.J. Spiller in the backfield with him. Drew Brees‘ insistence on involving him in the passing game eliminates the power of those handcuffs.

Get ready for a big game from Ingram this weekend.

Bust: Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs

I’ll admit it. I drank the Kool-Aid.

To be fair, the Chiefs offense as a whole was stunned without Jamaal Charles, but things should get easier as they adapt. West wasn’t too effective—nine carries, 33 yards, one fumble, one 15-yard chop-block penalty—but he did out-touch Knile Davis 10 to six.

After a subpar performance, we should all take a “wait and see” approach. Let West do some damage before putting faith in him. A Week 7 matchup with Pittsburgh is not likely to be the one that gets the West Knile Virus on track.

Wide Receivers

Boom: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

All aboard the Nuk train. Hopkins was unstoppable once again on Sunday, ripping off 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. The switch to Brian Hoyer at quarterback paid dividends, as he was on the same page with Nuk all day long.

If you’re lucky enough to have rostered Hopkins in standard or dynasty leagues this year, he is obviously never leaving your lineup. For DFS sharks, pay as much as you need to for Hopkins while he is this hot. This outstanding lineup optimizer tool from DraftCrunch.com nailed big games from him, Foster, Matt Forte and Colin Kaepernick on Sunday, and you can bet Nuk will be one of the most widely added receivers once again in Week 7 against Miami.

Hopkins has seen at least 11 targets in every game due to the wasteland of receivers around him, which tells you all you need to know about where this train is headed. Lock and load.

Bust: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

We saw vintage Megatron on Sunday, as the poor Bears endured six catches for 166 yards and a score from him. He finally showed the explosive skill set that we had all grown accustomed to over the years.

The catch is that Matthew Stafford is not throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns again anytime soon. That was a fluke. Sunday was Johnson’s first game over 85 yards all season, despite his 100-reception pace.

Don’t expect a similar outing against the Vikings in Week 7. Detroit employed a similar tactic in a Week 2 loss to Minnesota in trying to funnel the ball to Johnson, and it resulted in just 16 points. Megatron did post a good 10-83-1 stat line, but audibles are on the way. Stafford will spread it around more unless Johnson can get hot and rip off some big openings down the field.

Tight Ends

Boom: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns

Are you kidding me with that projection?

Barnidge scored twice Sunday against the league’s best defense, and has now found the end zone five times in four weeks. Denver gave up three passing touchdowns through the first five games before Barnidge pulled down a pair of scores. He is fantasy football’s second-highest-scoring tight end at this point in the season behind only Gronkowski.

The 30-year-old late-bloomer has to be taken very seriously now. His chemistry with Josh McCown is clear as day, and the feisty Browns feature a bland running game that will give Barnidge his weekly heavy dose of targets.

If he’s still available in your league, pick him up right now. Also, find new friends who know anything about fantasy football.

Bust: Jordan Cameron

Ah, Cleveland’s pre-Barnidge breakout tight end.

Cameron scored his garbage-time touchdown in Week 6 against Tennessee, his first as a Dolphin. The Titans were unable to stop anyone, and Cameron was able to exorcise a demon because of it.

Miami got its running game on track in this game and was also finally able to dial up a pass rush. They looked exactly like many expected them to heading into the year, and there’s little reason to think it won’t be a similar result when they face Houston in Week 7.

I’m not buying Cameron as a reliable option. He has hauled in just eight of 25 targets over the past three games, so don’t be shocked if Ryan Tannehill starts looking in another direction.

Defenses

Yeah, I’d say that top projection is looking pretty good. The Rams may inevitably give up a few dozen touchdowns to Barnidge, but their ability to harass quarterbacks is top-notch. Sacks and turnovers are coming, and Rams’ defense owners have a good shot at a touchdown just like the Broncos got on Sunday.

Another great pick would be the Redskins. They have a sneaky good group and a tasty matchup with Jameis Winston’s Bucs.

You can’t go wrong with a lot of those top projections. There could be a bevy of blowouts next weekend, and one of those games could be Miami vs. Houston. The re-energized Fins defense will look to get after Hoyer and force some turnovers just as they did against Marcus Mariota in Week 6. Cameron Wake notched four first-half sacks, and the unit forced four turnovers as well.

Waiver-Wire Advice

Has James Starks Supplanted Eddie Lacy?

There weren’t a lot of huge performances from the league’s lesser-known talents in Week 6, but Starks’ two-touchdown day was noteworthy. Lacy has been a workhorse the past two years, but Starks got the start against San Diego and made the most of it. He ran all over the place for 112 yards on just 10 carries, notching both a rushing and a receiving touchdown.

Lacy? He got four carries for three yards and continues to look like a plodder. There are now some growing concerns that Lacy isn’t fully healthy, a notion that has been kicked around all season.

Starks has done enough to warrant a pickup. If you have an opening on your roster, Starks is worth holding onto while he enjoys his timeshare with Lacy.

Is Ben Watson for Real?

Watson dominated on Thursday night against Atlanta, going off for a career game of 10 catches and 127 yards and a touchdown.

Watson has now scored two weeks in a row, but that huge output came out of nowhere. He got a whopping 12 targets after receiving just 21 over the first five games. Sean Payton and his staff obviously saw a matchup they liked and squeezed everything out of it.

Because of that, I wouldn’t be too high on Watson. Should he churn out another 50 or 60 yards with a score against Indy in Week 7, I’ll give him a look.

What About the Quarterbacks?

Again, Week 6 was pretty rough on the waiver wire. Starks and Watson stuck out as the only two worthy pickup candidates, so we’ll take a look at the quarterbacks still out there.

In my Yahoo league, the top five scorers in Week 6 were Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, Colin Kaepernick, E.J. Manuel and Jay Cutler. Obviously, Kaepernick stands out as the most compelling name in that group. Is he worth a pickup?

I’d say so. He looked to be on the verge of an implosion a few weeks ago, but he has posted back-to-back 20-point outings. I’d still steer clear of him, only because his schedule is insane. The 49ers’ next five games include two meetings with Seattle, one with the Rams, and the other two with Arizona and Atlanta. No, thank you.

Fitzpatrick is mediocre if you need an injury or bye-week fill-in. Cutler is the other one to look at now that he has his main target back in Alshon Jeffery. Don’t forget Cutler did post career highs with 28 touchdowns and a 66 percent completion percentage last year, and he’s posted a couple of good games here recently. You could do much worse.

All stats courtesy of Yahoo and ESPN. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @Hussington to talk fantasy!

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Fantasy Football

Rankings/List

It’s never too early to begin looking at another round of daily fantasy football, especially since the Week 7 slate is growing larger in the horizon.

A few NFL players raised their proverbial stock on Sunday, but three others weren’t so lucky. An unfavorable upcoming matchup, underperformance and an injury hurt the latter.

While no news is gospel at this point of the week, it’s important to stay abreast of the latest headlines. Use this information as your early guide to assembling a DraftKings lineup for Week 7.

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NFL

Fantasy Football

Rankings/List

Daily Fantasy

Football Daily Fantasy