Week 7 marks the fantasy football season’s midway point. The clock is ticking for you to ascend the standings if you’re stuck in the cellar. If things are going well, you still need to maintain your dominance the rest of the way. Those who lean on the likes of Christian McCaffery, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chris Godwin, and Nick Chubb could be in for some tough sledding in Week 7, with the Browns, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Steelers all taking the week off.

Even though we’re approaching midseason, the waiver wire can still potentially give your team a boost no matter how your team has fared up until now. Our featured experts have the lowdown on which players have the best chances of giving your roster either a short-term or long-term jolt.

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Featured Experts:
Matt Schauf – Draft Sharks
Dan Harris – FantasyPros
Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros
Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros
Pat Fitzmaurice – The Football Girl

View Each Expert’s Waiver Rankings
Matt Schauf
Dan Harris
Mike Tagliere
Bobby Sylvester
Pat Fitzmaurice

Q1. How much are you willing to spend (FAAB %) on your favorite waiver wire target (or two) and why do you like him?

Jamison Crowder (WR – NYJ) | Sam Darnold (QB – NYJ)
“Where Crowder’s available, I’d be willing to spend at least half my remaining budget. He has seen 35.6% of Darnold’s targets in their two games together and I believe he’ll remain a strong bet for reception volume. If I’ve been streaming at quarterback, I’d shoot for Darnold this week as well and believe I could probably get him for less than 10% of my FAAB. His big return game might make that tougher, but a looming matchup with the Patriots should scare off other streamers. Beyond a Week 8 matchup with Jacksonville, Darnold and the Jets get a tremendous run of upside spots.”
– Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks)

“This isn’t the best waiver-wire week, but Jamison Crowder is far and away my top choice and I’d be willing to spend about 15-20% of my remaining FAAB budget on him in half- or full-PPR leagues. In two games with Sam Darnold under center, Crowder has 26 targets, 20 receptions, and 197 total yards. The slot receiver in Adam Gase’s offensive system is a role that has been successful in the past, and there’s little reason to expect that trend to end now, particularly with Crowder’s start. The Jets have a very easy schedule remaining in terms of opposing pass defenses and Crowder should continue to thrive.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

Latavius Murray (RB – NO) 
“If Murray is available on your waiver wire, you want to pick him up for a few reasons. One of them is Alvin Kamara’s ankle injury, which may be more serious than they’re letting on after watching him struggle against the Jaguars. The other reason is that Drew Brees is slated to return after their bye in Week 9, which means this will turn back into a high-powered, high-scoring offense, which is the reason many were drafting Murray as a flex-option to begin with. You should be willing to spend 20 percent to acquire him.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“Chase Edmonds, Alexander Mattison, and Tony Pollard are excellent handcuffs, but the best handcuff available this week is Latavius Murray, who is one Alvin Kamara injury away from being a weekly RB1. With Drew Brees coming back any week and upcoming matchups against Arizona, Atlanta, and Tampa, Murray might even be start-worthy in the Mark Ingram role behind Kamara. I’d spend five or six percent of my FAAB to acquire him as my top priority unless you need more immediate help at wide receiver, tight end, or quarterback.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Dante Pettis (WR – SF)
“Pettis seems to be back in Kyle Shanahan’s good graces after serving his sentence in the doghouse for reasons unknown. He’s the most talented wide receiver on the 49ers’ roster and his schedule is appealing. The 49ers have their bye week out of the way and have a strong matchup against Washington this week, plus two games against Arizona over the next five weeks. It seems like the right time to make a move for Pettis, and I think 12% to 15% of your FAAB budget would be enough to win him in most leagues.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Q2. For owners renting a D/ST in Week 7, what readily available option (under 50%) should they target and why?

“The Lions should be cheaply available this week. They hit Week 6 as Football Outsiders’ No. 12 defense in overall DVOA and have generated at least two takeaways in three straight games heading into the Monday night matchup with Green Bay. In Week 7, they’ll host a Vikings offense that has turned the ball over seven times in three road games already this year and scored 16 points or fewer in two of those (they played the Giants in the other). Bonus: You can probably use the Lions again when the Giants visit them in Week 8 (and maybe even two more times after that).”
– Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks)

“The Lions D/ST stands out as perhaps the only widely-available option that is streamable next week against Minnesota. The Vikings are about middle of the road in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing D/STs, largely because of their sub-par offensive line. Through their first four games, the Lions have eight turnovers and nine sacks despite playing against the Chiefs, Chargers, and Eagles. At home, they should be able to put up a more than serviceable performance against the Vikings next week.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

“In case you haven’t watched them yet, the Packers’ pass rush is legitimate. They’ve pressured the opposing quarterback an average of 45.9 percent of the time, which ranks as the most in the league. Because of that, they’ve generated seven interceptions and four fumbles through five games. The Raiders may have looked solid against the Bears in London, but they’re a team that’s allowed Derek Carr to be sacked at least three times in two games, and they’ve turned the ball over at least once in each of their last four games. As a big home favorite, the Packers’ defense should be a solid streamer.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“The D/ST streaming options are outrageously bad this week outside of the strong Lions defense. I’ll give you another team though in case you miss out on Detroit. The New York Giants have plenty of upside this week at home against the Cardinals. New York now has at least three sacks in five consecutive games, and while they haven’t prevented teams from scoring points, no one really has except for the Bucs or Patriots. Arizona has a weak offensive line, so don’t be surprised if Kyler Murray goes down a handful of times and perhaps turns it over once or twice.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“Targeting Joe Flacco is a sound strategy for those who stream defenses and the Chiefs draw the Broncos this week. The Chiefs are usually a better fantasy defense than real-life defense, and perhaps they’ll be in an ornery mood after consecutive losses. The Chiefs are lightly owned because they haven’t been getting many sacks or turnovers, but they have the ninth-best opponent passer rating in the league and should be able to come up with some points against a bottom-tier quarterback like Flacco.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Thank you to the experts for naming their top waiver targets. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.

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