Week 7 Waiver Wire

Let's take a look at who's out there for the upcoming week.  It's a waiver class deep at WR...

QB:

Matthew Stafford - Stafford was likely dropped in a lot of leagues after being drafted as a QB2 and then getting injured in week 1.  The time to grab him is now.  He has an excellent chance at being productive in the 2nd half of the season as his weapons are getting healthy, and the bye week is coming at the perfect time.  He is on bye this week, so keep that in mind.  Stafford is easily the best QB option out there, and he could become startable down the stretch.  At worst, he'll provide excellent depth.

Matt Cassel - He threw for 3 TDs against a horrid Texans secondary last week, so he'll likely be a hot waiver ad this week.  With Jacksonville, Buffalo, and Oakland up next, the schedule appears easy, but these are games that KC can easily control via their rushing attack.  Cassel will throw some TDs, but he's not going to be asked to air it out in any of these contests.  Don't let one week against a horrid secondary fool you...Cassel is not a very good QB.

RB:

Danny Woodhead - Meet the new Kevin Faulk.  New England is notorious for various backfield arrangements that are usually hands-off in fantasy, but Woodhead is emerging as someone who might be able to contribute.  He's a perfect fit into this offense with his variety of skills, and since Moss has left, Brady needs weapons that can attack the defense in various ways.  Woodhead isn't going to get 15-20 carries a game, but he makes plays with his touches and will be used all over the field.  He's not a bad bye-week emergency guy.

Chris Ivory - The savvy owners already grabbed him, but his week 6 explosion will make sure he's owned in many more leagues tomorrow.  He's a must-grab for Pierre Thomas owners, and he's a solid speculative pick for others.  If you don't own Thomas, don't grab Ivory for the sole purpose of using him this week.  There's a chance Thomas could return, so you can't put all your eggs in Ivory's basket.  At any rate, he's earned a role on this offense.

Derrick Ward - All Arian Foster owners should grab Ward as a handcuff.  Ward looks more like he did with the Giants than with the Bucs in his limited carries so far this year, and he'd probably be a valuable RB2 should Foster suffer an injury.

Deji Karim - Karim has seemingly overtaken Rashad Jennings to be MJD's backup.  However, it takes a special talent like MJD to fight through his miserable surrounding situation for fantasy value.  If MJD went down, there'd probably be a carry split and little-to-no fantasy value.  If I owned MJD, I probably wouldn't bother.

WR:

Danario Alexander - Alexander is a hot topic this week after his week 6 breakout.  Alexander was a standout WR at Missouri, and he was considered a better talent than Jeremy Maclin.  He's 6'5, 215 pounds, and has 4.45 speed.  The problem has always been injuries, namely to his knee.  So, Alexander profiles as your ultimate risk/reward pickup.  Bradford's amazing rookie season has allowed STL to provide fantasy value to it's passing game, and with Clayton's injury, the race to be his go-to target is wide open.  Alexander has both the talent and the situation to provide fantasy value, but he's also risky as both a rookie WR and an injury problem.  For the price of a waiver pickup, he's well worth the speculation.

Deion Branch - Branch immediately stepped in as one of Brady's go-to targets in his first game back.  There's really no reason to think Branch won't be the most productive of the Patriots WRs the rest of the way out given the other WRs, and his biggest competition for targets will be Aaron Hernandez.  If Branch can stay healthy, which is a big if, he could be a WR3 the rest of the way.  He's worth a waiver add.

Robert Meachem - Meachem could be headed towards a similar 2010 season as he had in 2009.  He struggled in the first half with inconsistency prior to emerging in the 2nd half as a force with over 400 yards and 6 TDs.  He's had a rough start to this season, and you can partially blame that on coming back from an offseason injury, but there's no denying his talent.  The only thing that holds Meachem back is his mental approach and thus his consistency.  Meachem is also well worth the add, and you can start him immediately.  He's already playing more snaps than Devery Henderson, and if he keeps playing well, he'll pass Moore, too.

Mike Williams - Seattle Mike Williams had his best game as a pro last week with 10 catches and over 100 yards.  It's hard to figure what you'll get with him each week, but he's solid depth at worst case.  I'd like to see some more consistency before I go starting him, though.

Patrick Crayton / Jason Avant - Due to injuries to both Malcolm Floyd and DeSean Jackson, both of these guys will start in week 7 for good passing attacks.  I'd prefer Crayton as Gates is probably out as well, so Rivers will need to throw to someone.  Avant will provide a possession receiving threat for Kolb and doesn't have the same upside, but he's a decent bye week/injury replacement for one week.

TE:

Owen Daniels - Daniels won't fix your week 7 issues, but he's easily the best long-term addition here.  He looks healthy again, and he's starting to pick up where he left off last year.  He's a good bet for top 10 TE value in the 2nd half of the season.

Ben Watson - Injuries to Massaquoi and Cribbs made Watson the go-to receiver for Colt McCoy last week, and he used him quite often to the tune of a great 6/88, 1 TD performance.  Given all the bye weeks and injuries to TEs, Watson is a good option this week.

Fred Davis - Cooley owners should add Davis without question this week assuming they don't have another good TE on their roster.  If Cooley sits out, Davis is easily a top 10 option this week.  There's minimal difference in talent between the two, and Davis is arguably a better receiver when you consider after-the-catch ability into the equation.  Cooley owners should consider using your waiver priority on him, but non-Cooley owners might want to hold off.