2021 Fantasy Football: Using Predictive Adds To Identify Top Waiver Adds In Week 7

Find out the Expected Waiver Interest (EWI) of each player, as well as how much of your FAAB budget it would take to get “your guy” in the average league. You will now have unique insights into which players fantasy owners are giving up on and which players fantasy owners are fighting for in the current week.

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Looking At Predictive Adds:

Unsurprisingly, the top pickup of the week seems to be the Arizona Cardinals D/ST. With J.J. Watt finally coming into his own, the Cardinals get a juicy matchup against the struggling Houston Texans. Arizona had produced double-digit fantasy points in three of six outings this season and are coming off a game in which they forced three turnovers and sacked Baker Mayfield five times. Davis Mills and the Texans have struggled to put points on the board so the Cardinals could have a massive day on the defensive side of the ball. No wonder so many fantasy owners are picking this D/ST up as we gear up for Week 7. 

After being dropped in many leagues last week since the Falcons had a bye, Matt Ryan is being added by tons of fantasy owners as we approach Week 7. The Falcons have a fairly easy matchup against a Miami Dolphins defense that is trending in the wrong direction. Although Matty Ice is a fairly boring quarterback to own due to his lack of rushing upside and mobility, he should fare well in Week 7, especially if Calvin Ridley returns. Considering how many solid quarterbacks are on bye this week (Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Kirk Cousins, and Big Ben), it makes all the sense in the world to scoop Ryan off the waiver wire.

[projection="Matt Ryan"]

The Dolphins aren’t the only team with a poor secondary. Atlanta has one of the worst defensive units in the league, which is why Tua Tagovailoa is another quarterback who is being added a lot this week. We discussed all the quarterbacks who are out this week, so it only makes sense to add a signal caller who eclipsed 300 yards and tossed two touchdowns in his first game back from injury. He’s not being added quite as much as Ryan, but he is the clear-cut second-best waiver wire pickup at the quarterback position.

As I mentioned in my running back waiver wire article this week, D’Ernest Johnson and Demetrick Felton are players that fantasy owners are flocking towards. This is merely due to the injuries that the Browns have suffered in the backfield. Kareem Hunt was dinged up in Week 6 and is out for the foreseeable future and Nick Chubb was sidelined last week and is highly questionable for Thursday Night Football. Felton will likely be heavily used in the passing game, especially if Jarvis Landry isn’t able to return from his injury. Meanwhile, Johnson should handle the bulk of the carries in the backfield. The Broncos have a formidable defense, however, Cleveland doesn’t have many offensive weapons so both of these players should see large roles in Week 7.

DeeJay Dallas is being added far more often that I would have anticipated. Yes, Chris Carson is out for a few weeks, which opens up a ton of work in Seattle’s backfield, but Alex Collins has clearly established himself as the guy who gets the rock on early downs. That said, Dallas seems to have carved out a role on third downs. In Seattle’s Sunday night loss to Pittsburgh, Dallas recorded 50 total yards on nine touches, including five receptions. He’s a potential flex play in PPR formats.

A lot of fantasy owners have decided to take a chance on the talented rookie running back in Cincinnati. Chris Evans had the best outing of his short career in Week 6, producing 67 total yards on seven touches and a touchdown. Yes, Joe Mixon is the clear starter, but Cincinnati likes to utilize Evans in the passing game. He’s a potential flex option in deeper PPR leagues.

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Despite not catching a single pass in the Ravens’ blowout victory over the Chargers, Devonta Freeman is actually being added by a good number of fantasy owners heading into Week 7. The veteran back scored his first touchdown of the season and managed to rush for 53 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries. The Ravens are more committed to the run than any other team, however, I cannot recommend adding Freeman. Latavius Murray is the starter and Le’Veon Bell is still mixed into the game plan. I don’t foresee Freeman ever getting more than 10 touches, and he probably only has one or two touchdowns left in him. Don’t make the same mistake that other owners are making. Leave Freeman where he belongs on the waiver wire.

Looking for a tight end? I know... everybody is looking for a tight end since there are so few solid options in 2021. Despite the lack of options, the top tight end that fantasy owners are adding in Week 7 is Mo Alie-Cox. Nobody expected it but he’s actually become a formidable option in the Colts’ passing game. Although he only caught one of three targets in Week 6, he did find the end zone on his lone reception. Plus in Week 4, Alie-Cox managed to produce three receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Alie-Cox isn’t a volume tight end, but he has massive touchdown upside. He’s worthy of a speculative add if you are desperate at the position.  

And that’s a wrap. Head back next week to see which players fantasy owners are flocking towards on the waiver wire ahead of Week 8!