We will have you covered throughout the fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential fantasy football waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top fantasy football waiver wire wide receivers to target for the week below. And check out all of our fantasy football waiver wire pickups and advice for Week 7.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Wide Receivers
Wide Receivers
Written by Derek Brown
Kendrick Bourne (WR – SF): 32% Rostered
- Next Opponents: ATL, @HOU, @NYG
- True Value: $4
- Desperate Need: $6
- Budget-Minded: $2
Analysis: With Jauan Jennings obviously not 100% while he is still dealing with a few injuries, Kendrick Bourne has operated as the 49ers’ clear No. 1 WR over the last two games. This week, George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall could return, which would knock Bourne down the target pecking order. But until Kittle and Pearsall step back on the field, Bourne is the guy in the 49ers’ passing offense. In Week 5, Bourne was amazing, with a 22.4% target share, 142 receiving yards (3.74 yards per route run) and a 25% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. Against the Buccaneers in Week 6, Bourne smashed again with a 23% target share, five receptions and 142 receiving yards. He’s a strong Flex play until the 49ers get back to full strength (or at least close to it).
Elic Ayomanor (WR – TEN): 22% Rostered
- Next Opponents: NE, @IND, LAC
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: With Calvin Ridley dealing with a hamstring issue, ElicAyomanor should assume the No. 1 WR role for Tennessee until Ridley returns. Ayomanor has two top-36 weekly finishes this season (WR24, WR27). He hasn’t displayed a high weekly ceiling with Cam Ward‘s play and inside the context of the broken Tennessee offense. Ayomanor hasn’t had more than 56 receiving yards in any game this season, and he’s surpassed 50 receiving yards only once. Against the Raiders in Week 6, Ayomanor had a 13.1% target share with 27 receiving yards, but he could easily stack two nice games in the next two weeks with a bump in usage and good matchups incoming. The Patriots and Colts have respectively allowed the fifth-most and seventh-most PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers, per Fantasy Points Data.
Jalen Coker (WR – CAR): 11% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @NYJ, BUF, @GB
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: Jalen Coker practiced in full all week before Week 6, but the Panthers held him out. I expect Coker to be back for Week 7 and hopefully to hit the ground running. Last year, he burst onto the scene as an undrafted free agent. He earned a starting spot as the season moved along and racked up four games with at least 60 receiving yards in the process. In the six games in which Coker played at least 68% of the snaps and Bryce Young was the starting quarterback, Coker had an 18.3% target share, 55.7 receiving yards per game, 1.89 yards per route run and a 23.8% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. He averaged 11.4 PPR points per game with three top-36 weekly fantasy finishes (WR17, WR12, WR28). Coker offers immediate Flex value this week against a Jets’ secondary that has allowed the ninth-most PPR points per target to slot receivers.
Josh Downs (WR – IND): 48% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @LAC, TEN, @PIT
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: In Week 5, Josh Downs had a season-high 71.9% route share, 21.9% target share, 54 receiving yards and a 29.2% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. Downs finished with six grabs and 54 receiving yards. Against the Cardinals in Week 6, Downs played 50.8% of the snaps with a 60.6% route share, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). He had a 23.3% target share, finishing with six grabs, 42 receiving yards and a touchdown. I’d love to tell you that the hot streak will continue, but Downs likely remains a middling Flex play moving forward after he had a nice matchup against Arizona. Out of his next three matchups, only Pittsburgh is an advantageous one (sixth-most PPR points per target allowed to slot receivers).
Kayshon Boutte (WR – NE): 7% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @TEN, CLE, ATL
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: The last time I was over the moon for Kayshon Boutte’s outlook in fantasy, he finished with only one grab (for a touchdown) and 16 receiving yards against the Dolphins. In Weeks 2-5, Boutte never had more than two receptions or 28 receiving yards in any game. Now, Week 6 enters the chat, where Boutte had a 19.2% target share with 93 receiving yards and two scores. His usage is extremely volatile week-to-week, but if you need a dart throw high-ceiling Flex, Boutte is your guy. He has nice matchups for the next two weeks. Tennessee and Cleveland have respectively allowed the 12th-most and fourth-most PPR points per target to perimeter wide receivers, per Fantasy Points Data.
Christian Kirk (WR – HOU): 24% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @SEA, SF, DEN
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Since his Week 3 return, Christian Kirk hasn’t had any monster games, seeing a 15.5% target share, a 19.8% air-yard share and a 17.6% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. During that span, he has averaged 36.3 receiving yards per game with 1.58 yards per route run. This week is the time to Flex him, though. Seattle has allowed the seventh-most PPR points per target to slot receivers (Kirk: 72.5% slot rate). Kirk is a worthwhile pickup if you are desperate for a Flex play this week.
Troy Franklin (WR – DEN): 24% Rostered
- Next Opponents: NYG, DAL, @HOU
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Troy Franklin has two top-36 weekly wide receiver finishes (WR7, WR36). Entering Week 6, Franklin had a 17.6% target share, 1.62 yards per route run, 46.2 receiving yards per game, a 73.7% route share and an 18.5% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. Franklin had a down game against the Jets with a 13.3% target share, three receptions and 19 scoreless receiving yards, but he is due for a bounce-back with two fruitful matchups incoming. The Giants and Cowboys, respectively, have allowed the 10th-most and the most fantasy points per game to perimeter wide receivers.
Wide Receiver Stash Candidates
Darius Slayton is worth an IR stash if he’s on the waiver wire in your league. Jaxson Dart looks like the real deal, and the Giants continue to open up the passing attack with Dart getting more comfortable. Once Slayton is healthy, he could develop into a solid weekly Flex play during the most pivotal weeks of the fantasy season. In Weeks 10-17, Slayton has five plus-matchups against the Bears, Lions, Patriots, Commanders and Raiders. He could easily be a WR3 for each of those matchups. Stash him now.
We see this every year. After the bye week hits, rookies get a bump in usage. Luther Burden could easily see this happen, as the Bears are coming off their bye. Burden has been solid when on the field this season. Despite a 20.3% route share, Burden has produced 3.19 yards per route run and 0.76 fantasy points per route run, per Fantasy Points Data. In an expanded role, he could be an immediate WR3 weekly and vault over DJ Moore in the Bears’ target pecking order. Burden is a sneaky upside stash.
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