Week 7 Fantasy Football FAAB: Is It Time to Start Spending Money?

The FAAB formula changes every week. While regular waivers is a new experience each Tuesday, the way you spend your FAAB money affects what you can do in the future. The closer you get to the end of the season, the less time you have to spend that money, making it more reasonable to grab a guy you wouldn't have considered in Week 1.

Even as we are one-third of the way through the season, it's still not time to be frivolous, though, as more injuries will build up, and there could be a guy you need to splurge on soon. Add guys who can help your roster, but don't yet start emptying your bank account for fringe fantasy players.

Let's look at reasonable FAAB bids for two of the top players on the waiver wire at each offensive fantasy position heading into Week 7 of the NFL season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Quarterback

J.J. McCarthy, New York Giants

McCarthy is not yet the starting quarterback for the Giants; there's no guarantee he ever will be. He came into the game in relief when Jameis Winston struggled on Sunday and threw for 243 yards on 11.6 per attempt, all in the fourth quarter, bringing New York back to a 34-27 loss after New Orleans went ahead 34-10 with 11:31 to play.

Timing might play a part here, as the Giants face Houston this week before their bye. With McCarthy only in New York for a few weeks at this point, they may choose to let Winston play one more game (in a tougher matchup) before installing McCarthy during the bye week. That makes it worth at least taking note of McCarthy in fantasy leagues.

While he hasn't played much and was a recent first-round pick, McCarthy hasn't looked good in most of his time on the field. There's a reason he fell to the QB3 spot in Minnesota this year before being traded. It's tough to expect him to jump in and be a high-level player in a new situation, so McCarthy is more of a lottery ticket in a deep league.

Recommended Bid: $0-1

Geno Smith, New York Jets

Let's double up on New York QBs with Smith, a veteran player who has brought stability under center for a team that has struggled to find it over the past few decades. He has been average or better from an efficiency standpoint in more than half his games this season and has just one interception to go with seven touchdowns.

Smith doesn't run the ball often, so we're counting on passing stats to rack up fantasy points. Given his modest production, that makes him a guy who should only be in your lineup when the matchup is right. Week 7 is one of those matchups.

If you're missing a star on bye this week, like Josh Allen or Jayden Daniels, then Smith is a great option to fill in against the Miami Dolphins. He follows that up with an average-or-better matchup against the Raiders, and there will be more juicy matchups down the road, including the Dolphins again, Cardinals, and Bills twice.

There will also be tougher games, so Smith is nothing more than a rotational player or a guy to pick up and drop as the matchups dictate. Grab him with confidence this week, but don't count on Smith to be the savior of your fantasy team.

Recommended Bid: $1-3

Running Back

Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

Miller dominated the carries on Sunday, toting the rock 20 times versus seven attempts for Alvin Kamara and six for CJ Donaldson. Miller also had two receptions, the same number as Kamara, though the latter had 35 yards and a touchdown and will always be the passing-game back.

Travis Etienne is on IR but eligible to come back after one more game, though that's not a certainty right now. When Etienne returns, it likely makes Miller a non-factor in fantasy football, so grabbing him means that you're hoping for a short-term fix, even if he still gets a few more weeks.

Miller will also be splitting touches with Kamara, who might get more work when the Saints don't build a 24-point lead (which they almost blew), so there's a low floor here despite the big week of touches. It's fine to grab Miller, as running back is a tough position at which to find usable players, but don't expect anything more than a flex-level RB with a shelf life.

Recommended Bid: $1-3

Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants

How do you solve a problem like the current Giants backfield? Cam Skattebo seemed to be entrenched as the workhorse and a weekly fantasy starter, but after fumbling four times in the first five games (including losing one in overtime in Week 5 when New York was in field goal range), the team essentially benched Skattebo in Week 6, as he played just six snaps and didn't touch the football.

He was replaced with a committee: Tracy, Devin Singletary, and Najee Harris all received between 4-6 carries, while Singletary caught a pass for 19 yards and Tracy two passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. Tracy also scored on the ground, making him the big winner on a highly inefficient day on the ground for New York.

I have to imagine Skattebo will be back in the lead role next week, but coach John Harbaugh said that Skattebo wasn't benched, and it was just a matter of the game plan once the Giants got down by multiple scores and had to throw the ball. I don't buy it; after such a poor day from the running game, the coach has to see that Skattebo is by far their best option and put him back into a lead role, and that will leave Tracy with a low floor.

Still, we must take notice after he scored two touchdowns, so it's not a bad idea to throw a couple bucks at Tracy with the hope that he can secure more work, especially at such a tough position at which to find new blood. Don't overpay, and don't expect too much, but it's fine to grab Tracy at a low price.

Recommended Bid: $2-3

Wide Receiver

Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh's wide receiver group is in flux. DK Metcalf is still there to lead the way, but Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson were both put on IR over the past few weeks, pushing the rookie Bernard up to the WR2 spot.

He took advantage in Week 6, catching 11 passes for 87 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in overtime. It's Bernard's second straight good game after six receptions and 80 yards last week, and the second-round pick is in line to continue getting a big target share without many other pass-catching options around him.

Bernard has a string of good matchups coming up against the Saints, Browns, and Bengals (with their bye between the Cleveland and Cincinnati games), so we could see more of the same over the next month. While there are tougher matchups coming after that, Bernard will be in WR3/4/flex consideration moving forward and is worthy of a spot on your roster.

Recommended Bid: $3-5

Omar Cooper Jr., New York Jets

Another rookie who had a breakout game in Week 6, Cooper caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Patriots, showing the potential that made him a first-round pick in April. Cooper had been out since suffering an injury in Week 1, but with Adonai Mitchell also out of the lineup (since Week 3), Cooper took advantage to put up big numbers behind Garrett Wilson.

The question is whether Cooper will be squeezed once Mitchell returns. The two essentially haven't played together, so we don't know what it will look like, but after Sunday, Cooper surely has earned himself plenty of time on the field. And, I mean, he was a first-round pick for a reason.

Cooper will be nothing more than New York's WR2 behind Wilson, but that can still bring fantasy value in the right matchups, like the aforementioned games against the Dolphins and Raiders the next two weeks. Grab Cooper if you need wide receiver depth with the hope that he will build on a great performance.

Recommended Bid: $3-5

Tight End

Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

Mayer keeps producing with Brock Bowers on the field, gaining 80-plus yards or scoring a touchdown in three of his past four games. It's encouraging for the former second-round pick and brings hope of sustained fantasy success, but Mayer will always be behind his star teammate in the pecking order, bringing a lower floor than we'd like (Week 5's one catch for two yards is the perfect example).

While I like Mayer, the upcoming schedule is brutal: the Rams, Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos come over the next five weeks. There will be better matchups after Thanksgiving, but I expect a lot of quiet games for Vegas' TE2 for a while, leaving him as a guy to keep on the free agent market.

Recommended Bid: $0-1

Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons

Pitts is owned in around 70% of leagues, making him less available than most of the guys that we talk about here. He is coming off a game with 60 yards and two touchdowns, though, so a player who is a career-long enigma will continue to bring intrigue for fantasy owners.

His rough start came with Michael Penix out of the lineup, and Pitts had at least 40 yards in each of the three games with his starting QB while scoring three touchdowns. I don't expect him to be a weekly top-10 fantasy TE, but Pitts will be worthy of consideration when the matchup is right. At a tough position at which to find consistent points, he could also be worth a spot on your roster. Just keep your expectations in check.

Recommended Bid: $2-3