Joe Serpico shares his top fantasy football waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 7.
Jordan Mason, RB, San Fransisco 49ers: Christian McCaffrey exited Sunday’s game against the Browns with an oblique injury and it was Mason, not Elijah Mitchell, who got most of the reps. Mitchell has been banged up for a couple weeks, so it could have been that the Niners were going with the healthier option this week. Mitchell is the bigger priority in my eyes, but Mason is worth a flier in case he is the one who takes over for an injured CMC.
Craig Reynolds, RB, Detroit Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs was inactive this week and David Montgomery suffered another injury, thrusting Reynolds into a prominent role against the Buccaneers. If you haven’t seen the terrific block he had that sprung Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown, check it out. With six teams on a bye and not much competition for reps with Gibbs and Montgomery injured, Reynolds is a FLEX player this week.
Josh Reynolds, WR, Detroit Lions: Don’t forget about the Lions’ other Reynolds, who has been previously featured in this piece. He’s still the No. 2 receiver for Detroit, as Jameson Williams only ran nine routes on Sunday. The Lions’ offense is one of the best in the league, and much like his teammate, Reynolds is worthy of FLEX consideration with so many teams on a bye.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: This is more of an acknowledgment of who is the best receiver on the Chiefs than a waiver-wire suggestion. Rice is coming off a career-high 72 receiving yards, but Patrick Mahomes is spreading the ball to all his pass-catchers. Mahomes has had completions to 10 or more players in just about every game this season. Even with six teams on a bye this week, it’s hard to trust anyone other than Travis Kelce in Kansas City’s passing game.
Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders: Another lousy week for the position, but if you’re truly desperate at tight end, Mayer has seen his usage increase in recent weeks. He had a season-high six targets against the Patriots on Sunday, one more than he had the rest of the season combined. Mayer was a highly-touted prospect entering the draft and finally has a role in the offense. With that said, I’m only adding him in extreme desperation.