Free Agent Pickups for Week 7

Welcome back to another edition of Tanner’s Top Free Agents! It’s hard to believe that we’re about to hit the halfway mark of the fantasy regular season, but here we are. With injuries beginning to pile up around the league, waivers are important now more than ever. Your claims – or lack thereof – could end up costing you a key matchup down the road.

As usual, let’s kick things off with a quick recap!

Recap

Bucky Irving had the best showing of his young fantasy career on Sunday against the Saints, carrying the rock 14 times for 81 yards (5.8 per carry) and adding 24 yards through the air. He also added a score on the ground en route to an impressive 18.5-point showing in PPR formats. Earlier this season, I pegged the speedy rookie out of Oregon as a player to stash in case Rachaad White were to miss time:

Irving, a rookie out of Oregon, has been a much-needed breath of fresh air for Tampa Bay’s run game here in the early going, and I could see the Bucs looking to him a lot more… There’s a lot of uncertainty with the Bucs’ running back situation right now, but investing in him now could pay dividends down the road.

Hopefully you grabbed him while you could! If not, he’s still available in roughly a third of fantasy leagues, so it’s worth a look. Irving looks to have carved out a legitimate role for himself in an explosive Tampa Bay offense.

Aside from him, who else should you be looking to add this week?

Isaac Guerend0 – RB, SF (0.9% rostered)

The season from hell continues for San Francisco running backs, as rising star Jordan Mason was forced to leave last Thursday’s contest in Seattle after suffering a shoulder injury. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that Mason is believed to have sprained his AC joint, and he’s reportedly considered day-to-day. And, while all of these injuries are obviously terrible for both the 49ers and their players, they represent a real opportunity for fantasy managers.

Enter Isaac Guerendo. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Louisville was rushed into action and played incredibly well, logging 99 rushing yards on just ten carries. While he didn’t get any receiving work or score any touchdowns, resulting in 9.9 fantasy points on the night, there’s reason to believe that his workload in those departments will increase should Mason miss time. I was impressed at how hard Guerendo ran against the Seahawks, often lowering his helmet and fighting for every possible yard in his first opportunity to shine in the NFL. It certainly seems as if this San Francisco offense is made for plug-and-play at the running back position.

While it’s not guaranteed that Jason Mason will miss Week 7, I bet the Niners will elect to play it safe given the uncertainty they have at that position. If that’s the case, Guerendo immediately vaults into the fantasy RB2 conversation, making him a worthwhile wavier claim.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. – RB, NYG (45.1% rostered)

In the two games that Devin Singletary has been out, Tracy has gotten over 40 touches. Over 40.

As a fantasy manager, I really value volume, and this is exactly what I love to see from running backs. Tracy showed flashes of explosion on Sunday Night Football against Cincinnati, and it’s reasonable to believe that his workload will continue to tick upwards as long as he’s the top guy in the backfield; the Giants don’t exactly have a lot going for them in the passing game.

It wasn’t the most effective night on the ground for Tracy, but he was still able to put up great numbers for fantasy. He got 17 carries but only turned them into 50 yards, averaging just 2.9 a pop. Yet, he was able to punch it into the end zone and was active in the receiving game, adding an additional 57 yards through the air on six receptions out of the backfield. His usage in the passing game is encouraging for managers, as catches provide an instant boost to fantasy production. All of that culminated in a 22.7-point showing for the young Tracy, and should Singletary miss more time, he should be in your starting lineup here in Week 7. Yet, due to New York’s struggles on offense, he’s limited to the high-tier FLEX/low-tier RB2 conversation.

Bub Means – WR, NO (0.0% rostered)

Injuries are the story of the week, and the New Orleans Saints are no exception.

Their big loss at the hands of the division rival Buccaneers saw Chris Olave sustain a concussion early on and deep threat Rashid Shaheed suffer a knee injury in the fourth quarter. Both of these guys are likely to miss time, especially considering that they have a quick turnaround to face the Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Olave obviously remains in concussion protocol, while Shaheed was listed as DNP on Monday’s injury report.

This situation represents a massive opportunity for Bub Means, who was targeted eight times on Sunday, reeling in five of those passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. He’s a bit of a wild card, as Spencer Rattler will be the Saints’ starting quarterback against Denver, but he did put up a solid 15.5 fantasy points in Week 6. If your roster has been killed by injuries or you’re just desperate for help, he’s not the worst FLEX play. Stash him if you can.

And that’s all I’ve got for Week 7. As always, good luck!

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