Week 7 RB Waiver Pickups & Adds: Justin Jackson In Great Spot For Next Few Weeks

Week 6 brought us more injuries to the running back position. Miles Sanders and Raheem Mostert both were unable to finish the game. We will keep an eye out on reports over the next few days but Sanders is unlikely to suit up on Thursday against the Giants. Joe Mixon was hobbling but did finish the game and Mark Ingram left and while he did return he didn’t see the field much in the second half. There are a few names out there that are higher owned but around the 30-40% mark available. A bit too high to make it into the article, but James White, D’Andre Swift, Chase Edmunds, and JK Dobbins all should be scooped up. There are some big backs on bye this week as Jonathan Taylor, Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Myles Gaskin, and then the Ravens running backs.

Week 7 RB Waiver Wire Pickups

Justin Jackson – Los Angeles Chargers

In Week 5 we saw Justin Jackson out-snap Joshua Kelley 42-25. Kelley had only 12 touches, while Jackson had 20. He was the far better producer with 71 yards on the ground and 23 yards through the air. With these types of touches, Jackson can be a viable RB2 or FLEX option over his next stretch of games. Los Angeles opens up with some very strong matchups, especially against the run. They will get Jacksonville, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, and the New York Jets over the next five games. The Raiders, Jaguars, Jets, and Dolphins are all in the bottom ten in allowing fantasy points to opposing running backs. With Austin Ekeler still projected to be out the next few weeks, you couldn’t ask for a better stretch of games. Jackson has the best set of matchups and if this workload can continue he is the one I will spend the most FAAB money on moving forward.

Damien Harris – New England Patriots

We needed to wait a week to see how Damien Harris would follow up his 100 yard game against the Chiefs with. And it was an odd one for the Patriots overall. He had seven touches and failed to do much with them. The game script was not in his favor as Brandon McManus led the Broncos offense. While Harris fell back down to earth in touches, he remains a name I want to see more of and hang onto a bit. The Patriots have a few games coming up that could go either way, facing the Bills, 49ers, and Ravens. However, they also do face some easier run defenses like the Jets, Texans, and Cardinals. Harris should be dropped or forgotten about this week so you have a chance to throw a few bucks of FAAB money in to grab him and not take much risk. Unless injuries occur within the Monday games, this will be a dry week for running backs off the waiver wire.

Boston Scott – Philadelphia Eagles

Miles Sanders was unable to finish the game on Sunday and he will undergo an MRI today to see the extent of the damage. He is already doubtful for the game against the Giants, which is a turnaround game on Thursday. There might be a chance for him to rebound in time for Week 8, which would make Boston Scott just a one-and-done pickup. The Eagles might also take it to after the bye week. Boston Scott had 11 touches in the game Sanders missed earlier this season and has otherwise been nonexistent since he returned. He should see around 12-15 touches this week against the Giants. That is not bad against a defense allowing 20 PPR points per game to opposing running backs. The state of the Eagles offensive line still gives me hesitation on spending too much on Scott, especially if Sanders is only set to miss a week or two. Sanders has been able to break out 1-2 big plays a game to mask what otherwise has been a frustrating offense to play in.

Jamaal Williams – Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers hit a wall and that wall was the Tampa Bay defense. After a bye, they struggled but will have some very favorable defensive matchups over the next few weeks with Houston, Minnesota, San Francisco, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis. Williams has been used a bit more as an option in the passing game and while Aaron Jones is still the top dog, Williams has enough of a role in a really good offense to be worth a look each week. In more shallow leagues you are going to have better options but for those in deeper leagues or have deeper benches, Williams is a name to keep an eye on. With Williams still being a secondary option on this team, I would put in a small FAAB bid and not go too crazy. He also makes for one of the better handcuffs as him and AJ Dillion would get a major bump.

Zack Moss – Buffalo Bills

I will double back around to see how Zack Moss does against the Chiefs, but that game still needs to be played. He was removed from the injury list and this is a time where we can go and use him as a bench stash. Moss got a lot of hype in camp which pushed the hype down on Devin Singeltary. He had 12 touches in Week 1 and eight in Week 2 before leaving with the injury. Since then he has missed three games but is due back. Moss even in a split workload with Singletary has some fantasy value. Given how thin the position is and now adding in injuries and bye weeks, we need to be ready with options, even if they are not getting 20 touches a game. Moss I don’t mind spending some FAAB money on just due to the offense being above average and the lack of options. If he does well against the Chiefs, then that FAAB money is going to go up a bit. We have seen the Chiefs run defense still look a bit lost, which was the case last season.