Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season is still wrapping up, but savvy fantasy football managers know it’s never too early to start looking ahead to Week 7. The best managers always have an eye on the upcoming schedule, and the early slate on Sundays is time for adding players to your watch list, watching players already on your list, and calculating FAAB bids and waiver priority preferences.
That’s what this space is for. We’re getting an early read on potential waiver claims ahead of the rush. Most leagues run their first waivers on Tuesday or Wednesday, but some run as early as Sunday night. So, it’s important for us to make sure we’re prepared. Most of the players below played on Thursday or Sunday’s early slate or went off during the first half of the late afternoon slate. These players are rostered in less than 50% of leagues.
- More Waiver Wire Pickups
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Early Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
Kimani Vidal (RB – LAC) | 27% Rostered
With both Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton sidelined, the Chargers had plenty of snaps and touches up for grabs in their backfield. The top two candidates coming into Week 6’s matchup against the Dolphins were Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal. And while Haskins rotated into this game, it was Vidal who exploded and appears to be the new RB1—or at least RB1A—in Los Angeles for the time being. In a Week 6 win over the Dolphins, Vidal rushed 18 times for 124 yards (6.9 ypc) and caught three of his four targets for 14 yards and a touchdown. Haskins carried six times for 14 yards and caught his only target for nine yards. Vidal was added in deeper leagues last week, but he was still available in more than 75% of leagues coming into this week. After this performance, that number should jump to 80% or higher.
Zonovan “Bam” Knight (RB – ARI) | 1% Rostered
The Cardinals are down James Conner and Trey Benson. Last week, Michael Carter received 18 carries and five targets, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown and catching all five targets for 22 yards. But on Sunday morning, Adam Schefter dropped a report that Carter would be ceding work to Zonovan Knight, who was expected to see an increased role on offense. And that turned out to be true, as Knight carried 11 times for 34 yards and a touchdown and caught one of his two targets for 20 yards. Carter still saw nine carries (34 yards) and caught two of his five targets for 30 yards, so this definitely isn’t a workhorse situation for Knight. But Knight appears to be RB1A in Arizona for now, which means he needs to be rostered in way more than 1% of leagues.
???? #Cardinals RB Bam Knight is going to step into a "more prominent role…ahead of Michael Carter" against the Colts today, per @AdamSchefter https://t.co/rwqqfVdGrS
— FantasyPros (@FantasyProsNFL) October 12, 2025
Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG) | 35% Rostered
Jaxson Dart had a coming-out party of sorts against the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Not only did the Giants actually beat the Eagles—a rare occurence over the last several years—but Dart and RB Cam Skattebo stole the show. For his part, Dart completed 17 of his 25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown while rushing 13 times for 58 yards and another score. The passing efficiency was impressive because not only was he going up against a solid Eagles’s defense with veteran DC Vic Fangio, but he was going so without WRs Malik Nabers (out for the season) and WR Darius Slayton. To put that in context, Lil Jordan Humphrey led the Giants in targets with eight. The Giants offense is likely to be inconsistent for the rest of the season, but Dart’s rushing ability raises his floor.
Jalen Coker (WR – CAR) | 12% Rostered
Jalen Coker didn’t play this week, but he had his practice window activated and practiced all week before being ruled out over the weekend. His return is imminent, and he likely plays in Week 7 against the Jets. Coker is worth adding and stashing, but he shouldn’t be started immediately in most leagues, unless it’s deeper than 12 teams. Coker is likely to see a top-three WR role in the offense with some manufactured touches mixed in because of his explosiveness, but it’s best to wait a week to see how he is utilized before starting him, if you can avoid it.
Kayshon Boutte (WR – NE) | 8% Rostered
Kayshon Boutte is emerging as a top target for young QB Drake Maye. In this Week 6 win over the Saints, he caught all five of his targets for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Those five targets were his most since Week 1, when he saw eight, and the 93 yards were likewise his most since Week 1. The Patriots have a favorable matchup in Week 7 against the Titans and face the Browns and their pass funnel defense in Week 8, so Boutte could be set up to go on a run here.
The #Patriots don’t win today without Kayshon Boutte.
What a homecoming for the 23-year-old! pic.twitter.com/ysFw0UZ6So
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) October 12, 2025
Kendrick Bourne (WR – SF) | 36% Rostered
I know Ricky Pearsall was out. Yes, George Kittle is still out. I know Brandon Aiyuk has been out all season. And yes, I know Mac Jones has been at QB instead of Brock Purdy. BUT…is Kendrick Bourne a thing? He exploded last week for 10 catches on 11 targets for 142 yards. As of this writing, he’s logged four catches for 130 yards on seven targets with a long of 56 yards. Jauan Jennings is active but has yet to be targeted a few minutes into the third quarter. The 49ers may get healthy, and Bourne becomes more of an afterthought. But it’s perhaps equally as likely that he is a Top 3 weapon in this offense for the rest of the season. Then again, given how Kyle Shanahan runs his practices, it’s possible they’re never healthy. Maybe that benefits Bourne, or maybe he’s the next victim. Who knows! Shanahan’s practices are like a game of hot potato. Maybe Bourne is the next playmaker to go out. Or maybe he’s the last man standing. It’s worth rostering him to find out.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
