Week 7 Waiver Claims

Quarterback #1: Jimmy GQ

There’s nothing “sexy” about Jimmy GQ’s game, but the fact of the matter is the San Francisco offense just scores points. They hit a bit of a lull early in the year with the team ravaged by injuries, but let’s look at the bigger picture here – San Fran was a top-10 offense in both yards-per game (8^th) & points per-game (3^rd) last year, where Jimmy threw for 3,978 yards & 27 TD’s with a rookie Deebo Samuel as his best WR for most of the year. With Deebo, Aiyuk, and Kittle all back healthy, expect Jimmy’s passing production to soar even higher this year, especially with matchups against Washington, Dallas, and Arizona to close out the fantasy season. Get him on your team now & reap the rewards later.

Quarterback #2: Derek Carr

Carr has 2+ passing TD passes & no less than 261 passing yards in 4/5 games this year & he seems to be only heating up, with 300+ & 5 total passing TD’s over his last 2 games. Henry Ruggs’ presence is opening up this entire offense & it seems like the Raiders are becoming more & more dangerous as a unit with each passing day. If Carr’s your QB3, feel free to trade your QB2.

Quarterback #3: Tua

The fact the Miami Dolphins were willing to put Tua out on the field says a lot. If they weren’t comfortable with where he was physically, they would have just sent Fitzpatty out there with 2:27 left and had him hand off the ball a few times to close out a blowout. But, not only did they send Tua out, they called two passing plays, in a 24-0 game – a clear indication that they wanted to get a real look at Tua. He completed both attempts. So while Fitz has been quite magical lately, the truth is, we can’t unsee what we just saw from Tua, even if it was something as small as two completions. All it is going to take is one stumble from the ol’ greybeard before Miami is going to have to consider giving Tua his chance to take the gig & run with it. Stash him NOW.

Running Back #1: JaMycal Hasty

A lot of people are going to be rushing out to pick up Boston Scott with Miles Sanders due to miss multiple weeks & potentially the rest of the season (?) … and maybe prioritizing JaMycal over Scott is a bit hasty, but someone’s gotta stick their neck out there for the sake of us all, so it might as well be me. I’m willing to prioritize Hasty due to his *potential* league-winning combination of athleticism (39” vertical/4.03 shuttle), being in a potent run-first system, and having a starter in front of him who for better or worse, can’t seem to stay healthy. I trust the talent more than I trust Scott’s & if we know anything about the Shanahan system, it’s that if a talented back makes a claim for more playing time, they’re very likely to get it. With Raheem Mostert looking like he’s going to end up on the IR & miss at least 3 games, Hasty is going to have a chance at staking his claim.

Running Back #2: Boston Scott

Don’t take my pitch for Hasty > Scott as an outright dismissal of Scott – I want Scott too! The only concern is that Scott’s best stretch (the last 4 games of last season) came with a vastly superior offensive line situation & also happened while Sanders was active, which is odd. While Scott might see a major jump in his role with Sanders out, it didn’t seem to work out that way Week 1, when Scott saw only 11 touches with Sanders missing the game. This offense is in a better place than they were Week 1, but there’s also the non-zero chance the team brings back Jordan Howard via trade, if they can acquire him for cheap from a Miami team that has seemingly already written him off. Scott’s got utility as a pass-catching back who’s due for a rushing uptick, just keep your expectations in check here.

Running Back #3: Lamical Perine

I have half a mind of putting Perine above Boston Scott too, but I can’t bring myself to put any sort of excessive love on a Jet – not while I’m still in recovery from the burns Chris Herndon singed me with to start the year… call it the Adam Gase effect if you may. Still, there is upside in a RB who is already leading the Jets RB’s in snaps (37) & routes (15), on a team that is going to be consistently playing from behind. If the team at any point decides to turn the reigns over to Perine, give him a true 3-down role, and find out exactly what they’ve got in him, he’s going to be extremely relevant no matter how poorly the Jets are playing.

Wide Receiver #1: Jalen Reagor

I still believe Jalen Reagor is the mostly widely available WR who has a chance at being a true difference-maker for your fantasy team. This rookie WR class has silenced all the doubters & it’s not too late for Reagor to get in on the fun. Carson Wentz has really stepped up the past two weeks & with Zach Ertz due to miss the next 3 to 4 weeks, there’s a chance for both Dallas Goedert & Jalen Reagor to both step back into immediate fantasy relevance, even if they’re behind emerging playmaker Travis Fulgham in the pecking order. From now until the end of the season, the Eagles face (NYG, DAL, BYE, NYG, CLE, SEA, GB. NOR, AZ, DAL).

Wide Receiver #2: Tim Patrick

Tim Patrick has more fantasy points than Jarvis Landry on the season & he’s played in one less game (5 to Landry’s 6). He has 4+ targets in every single game this season, double-digit fantasy points in his last 3, and 100+ yard games in each of his last 2. The numbers don’t lie. He’s not just rosterable, he’s usable.

Wide Receiver #3: Cole Beasley

I’ve neglected Cole Beasley in this column due to .5PPR being our standard scoring format here, but what he’s done in full PPR needs to be mentioned. Beasley’s now gone 5 straight games with double-digit PPR points & the one game where he didn’t, he scored 9.8… With byes coming up & injuries starting to take their toll, you could do a hell of a lot worse than inserting a reliable option like Cole Beasley into your lineup.

Tight End #1: Trey Burton

Do you remember how excited we were about Trey Burton 2 years ago? That was with the Bears, who had Mitchell Trubisky at QB… Now, with a QB who is notoriously TE-friendly, in an offense that is, well, frankly, not the Bears… what the hell are we waiting for before fully buying in? The Colts clearly want to use him & the talent has never really been in question. I have no problem paying up for what could be one of the last few, if not the last difference-making TE to emerge from the waiver-wire this year.

Tight End #2: Logan Thomas

It’s become painfully obvious that Logan Thomas is unlikely to elevate beyond streamer-status, but with a matchup against the Cowboys on tap, it’s time to take a dip!

Tight End #3: Irv Smith Jr.