Week 7 Waiver Wire: Early Pickups and Breakout Fantasy Football Candidates
Going into Week 7, fantasy managers should prioritize a quarterback-wide receiver tandem that established some chemistry Sunday.
This veteran signal-caller welcomed back, arguably, his best pass-catcher who missed the first five weeks of the season on injured reserve. While the pair had a solid showing against a mediocre pass defense, they're likely on the upswing for an offense that needed a spark.
As the New York Giants continue to lose key players because of injuries, one of their wide receivers returned to action and produced a solid fantasy stat line. He's also a priority pickup for Week 7 and the remainder of the season.
Let's take a look at eight potential breakout players who are rostered in fewer than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Top Breakout Candidates and Pickups for Week 7
Carson Wentz, QB, Indianapolis Colts (35 percent rostered)
Kenyan Drake, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (53 percent rostered)
J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington Football Team (42 percent rostered)
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots (11 percent rostered)
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants (51 percent rostered)
Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears (45 percent rostered)
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts (39 percent rostered)
Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, Washington Football Team (29 percent rostered)
Carson Wentz, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Carson Wentz has hit his stride over the last three games, throwing for 853 yards and six touchdowns without an interception in that stretch.
Coming off his best season performance with 402 passing yards and two touchdowns in Week 5, the 28-year-old looked sharp on a short turnaround, connecting with wideout Parris Campbell and tight end Mo Alie-Cox for scores.
Even more encouraging, the quarterback displayed his deep-ball accuracy with 50-plus-yard completions to Campbell and T.Y. Hilton, who made his season debut.
With the wideout back in action, Wentz may put up some gaudy numbers. They established a rapport during the offseason, which went on hold when the 10th-year receiver went on injured reserve following neck surgery.
Though Hilton is in his age-31 term, he'll provide a significant boost to the Indianapolis Colts' wide receiver corps. Wentz's fantasy outlook gets a bump for the remainder of the season. Of course, he just needs to stay healthy.
Kenyan Drake, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
This past offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million deal, but he became an afterthought in the offense until Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.
Between Weeks 4 and 5, the 27-year-old logged three carries and saw one target for a total of 13 yards. In Sunday's contest, he racked up 73 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.
Under offensive coordinator Greg Olson, Drake has fantasy relevancy as an RB2 or high-end flex option in points-per-reception leagues. Managers who dropped him in recent weeks may miss out on his rejuvenation through the remainder of the campaign.
In Week 7, the Raiders will face the Philadelphia Eagles, who allow the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs. Despite his role as a backup behind Josh Jacobs, Drake could have a big game if he continues to see a steady mix of carries and targets.
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants
The New York Giants have a banged-up wide receiver unit. Kenny Golladay (knee) and Darius Slayton (hamstring) didn't suit up for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams. Rookie first-rounder Kadarius Toney went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury and didn't return to the game.
Overall, Big Blue struggled mightily against the Rams, scoring just 11 points, but Sterling Shepard had an active afternoon. After a two-game absence because of a hamstring issue, he hauled in 10 of his 14 targets for 76 yards.
Regardless of when Golladay, Slayton and Toney come back from their injuries, Shepard should maintain a steady role in the passing attack. In the three games that he's started in and finished this season, the sixth-year veteran has at least nine targets.
In Week 7, the Giants offense will have a chance to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers, who allowed three passing touchdowns in their overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. Expect Shepard to have another heavy workload as one of the few healthy wide receivers on his team.
Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, Washington Football Team
As tight end Logan Thomas recovers from a hamstring injury on injured reserve, Ricky Seals-Jones has taken a sizeable role in the aerial attack. Over the last two outings, he's hauled in nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, the 26-year-old recorded a season-high 58 yards and his second touchdown of the season.
With wide receiver Terry McLaurin as the only consistent threat in the passing game, Seals-Jones should continue to see a consistent flow of targets while he starts in place of Thomas.
On Sunday, Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet caught four passes for a season-high 49 yards against the Green Bay Packers, who are next on Washington's schedule. Seals-Jones has a decent matchup, which deserves attention from managers who need production out of the tight end spot.
Fantasy points allowed statistics via FantasyPros.
Maurice Moton is an NFL and Fantasy Football columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.