Fantasy Football Running Back and Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups Week 7: Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Kareem Hunt, Rashee Rice and More
We finished our sixth football Sunday, and now it's time to hit the waiver wire. With Week 6 over, we are really starting to see things take shape around the league. Here, we are going to focus on the best running backs and wide receivers that may be available in your league.
Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
Running Backs
Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers
49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey went down with an oblique injury on Sunday and was not able to return. This opens up an opportunity for another back to take over one of the most valuable fantasy backfields in the league. Mitchell may be a bit overlooked this week being that once CMC was sidelined, he didn't see the bulk of the touches and he didn't perform well when he got his chances. However, he was returning from injury and was running as the clear RB2 to CMC all season prior to suffering an injury of his own. There is plenty of reason to believe that he will serve as the RB1 should McCaffrey miss time.
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers
That brings us to Mason who did serve as the top back once CMC suffered his oblique injury. He looked good averaging 5.4 yards per carry and finding the end zone on his five carries. We would prioritize Mitchell a bit higher, but no one should be shocked if Mason ends up being the more productive back. The 49ers' backfield has been unpredictable under Kyle Shanahan, and Mitchell has been consistently injured during his tenure. Mason could ride the momentum from Week 6 and take over this backfield until CMC returns.
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Hunt looked surprisingly good this past week against a tough 49ers defense. He was in a near split with Jerome Ford handling 15 touches to Ford's 19. Hunt also saw more targets and scored a TD in Week 6. His final tally was 71 yards and a TD with three receptions while Ford totaled 91 yards and two receptions. We saw Hunt have a better fantasy day and could continue to see more and more work if he keeps excelling in the passing attack and red zone.
Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions
With Jahmyr Gibbs already sidelined, David Montgomery went down with a rib injury on Sunday and it didn't look good. Despite a bad game in Week 6, Montgomery had been great all year picking up where Jamaal Williams left off. It is reasonable to believe that the value comes from the system and offensive line more than the backs themselves. We've watched Williams and Montgomery play for years and they are just guys. Plugging in another guy should still produce an abundance of fantasy value and TD upside. Reynolds also didn't do much in Week 6, carrying the ball 10 times for just 15 yards compared to Montgomery's six carries for 14 yards, but we will chalk that up to the matchup more than anything. He did manage to add 28 yards on two receptions. With that said, if you do pick up Reynolds you will have to monitor the status of Montgomery and Gibbs. Gibbs playing doesn't necessarily make Reynolds unstartable, but Montgomery playing would.
Wide Receivers
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
We've been telling you to grab Rice since July. So if you haven't listened yet you probably never will. This is clearly the best wide receiver in the Chiefs' offense and the rookie is only going to continue to get better. Last Thursday, he once again saw him be the best wideout on the team catching all four of his targets for 72 yards. The rest of the wide receivers combined for three catches for 31 yards. There is no longer any excuse for him to be on waivers in your league.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
All week we pushed Downs now that Gardner Minshew has taken over as the starter in Indy, and now it sounds like he may starting for the rest of the season. Downs wasn't amazing this week, however, he did find the end zone and saw eight targets. His five receptions were fine, but his 21 yards were disappointing. Nevertheless, we saw enough once again this week to love his value moving forward, especially in PPR formats.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
We got another glimpse this week of what Williams is capable of when he hauled in a 45-yard TD catch. He finished with two receptions for 53 yards and a TD. Currently, he is a boom-or-bust option with a ton of upside on the boom side. His career has gotten off to a slow start due to entering the league off a major knee injury and then a suspension for gambling in year two. Nonetheless, as he acclimates himself to the NFL his talent will quickly become apparent. This is one of the most talented wideouts to enter the league over the past few years and he will continue to shine. If he becomes a bigger part of the offense and starts to see more targets, he could become a league winner.
