As the year goes on, waiver wire pickups are starting to get slim, but there will always be a few guys who pop up week-to-week. The Week Seven Waiver Wire Pickups is no exception. Browns WR Josh Gordon is starting to make his case as one of the top options in non-ppr leagues. Even though he has a mere 5 catches in the last two games, those 5 have produced 181 yards and 3 scores. Not bad for a supplemental draft pick. I'm coining the phrase Flash Gordon right now. You know it will catch on eventually. And I can just envision Queen playing in the background every time the kid scores.
Lets take a look at the rest of this week's Week Seven Waiver Wire Pickups.
QUARTERBACKS
John Skelton - Cardinals (ESPN Owned - 1.9%)
Kevin Kolb went down hard deep in the fourth quarter against the Bills and may have suffered a severe rib injury. Some believe it could be a fracture. If so, expect Skelton to get the nod in Week Seven against the Vikings and possibly a couple more weeks. Skelton looked like crap, going 2-of-10 passing for 45 yards and a pick in relief yesterday, but that's to be expected for someone who wasn't practicing with the first stringers at all this year. Skelton averaged 239 yards in 8 games last year, so he does have a grasp of the offense. We won't know the severity of Kolb's injury until either Monday or Tuesday.
Christian Ponder - Vikings (ESPN Owned - 36.6%)
It's really not surprising to see Ponder owned in so few fantasy leagues. He's not exactly the pillar of consistency. But in the right matchup, he can be fantasy gold. Over the past 2 weeks, Ponder has averaged 305 passing yards with 4 total touchdowns and 4 total interceptions. He isn't panning out to be the borderline QB1 I was hoping he'd be, but he is still one of the top QB2s in fantasy. Yesterday's game against the Redskins shows he is startable when the matchup is right.
Brandon Weeden - Vikings (ESPN Owned - 6.0%)
Following Weeden's 2 touchdown/1 interception day against the Bengals, he has now topped 230 or more in all five games outside of Week One. He appears more comfortable in the pocket and has started a new relationship with Josh Gordon on the field. While he is never going to be a QB1 this year, even in a favorable matchup, he is worth owning if you are desperate during bye weeks. The Browns figure to be throwing a lot to play catch up this year.
Russell Wilson - Seahawks (ESPN Owned - 12.3%)
Pete Carroll knew he'd have to let Wilson loose this week if the team wanted any chance of staying close to the Patriots. It worked. Wilson's 293 passing yards and 3 touchdowns were a career best, but this will likely be the best we see out of him this year. He's still having problems in the pocket and needs to rely on his legs to make plays on the move. He's a very weak QB2 going into Week Seven's matchup against the 49ers.
Sam Bradford - Rams (ESPN Owned - 44.9%)
Bradford has been on-and-off the fantasy radar all year, but he pops back up again after putting up 315 passing yards against the Dolphins. However, yesterday was Bradford's third game this year without a touchdown, so his value isn't moving up much. He's another shaky QB2 going up against the Packers.
RUNNING BACKS
Felix Jones - Cowboys (ESPN Owned - 51.3%)
Before Sunday, Jones was one of the weakest handcuffs in the league behind DeMarco Murray. But combine a 93 yard/1 touchdown performance against the Ravens, with the possibility that Murray could miss time with an unknown foot injury, and Jones finds himself back on the fantasy radar again. Jones had problems of his own, suffering from cramps, but it was no big deal. If Murray's injury winds up being severe, Jones' value could skyrocket to the No. 1 waiver-wire option this week. The Cowboys face the Panthers in Week Seven.
William Powell - Cardinals (ESPN Owned - 3.1%)
La'Rod Stephens-Howling got the start against the Bills, but it was Powell who did most of the work, rushing 13 times for 70 yards. It took awhile for the running game to get going. But once it did, Powell looked good for a guy who went into the season as a 4th stringer. The matchup against the Vikings isn't easy, but Powell deserves to be picked up after his performance Sunday.
Monterio Hardesty - Browns (ESPN Owned - 0.4%)
Trent Richardson took a helmet to the ribs against the Bengals and wound up missing most of the second half. That paved the way for Hardesty to run for 56 yards off of 14 carries and a touchdown. Richardson believes his injury isn't serious, but players are usually optimistic before official testing is done. We'll know more early this week, but Richardson owners may want to give Hardesty a look as insurance.
Alex Green - Packers (ESPN Owned - 28.4%)
In what was supposed to be a timeshare with James Starks, Green ran 22 times compared to Starks' 5. Despite the heavy workload, Green only managed a meager 65 yards. Much of his day was getting stopped at the line of scrimmage or getting 1-2 yards out of a play. Still, it appears that Green will be the guy to own in this backfield. The Packers could look outside for help, but it always seems they would rather lean on Aaron Rodgers instead of looking elsewhere, which was the case last night after Rodgers passed for 6 touchdowns.
Daryl Richardson - Rams (ESPN Owned - 4.1%)
Not sure what Jeff Fisher has up his sleeve regarding the Rams' backfield. Steven Jackson was healthy against the Dolphins, putting up 80 total yards. But Richardson got a heavy workload with 11 carries for 76 yards. That came out of nowhere. I don't know if Fisher plans on going with a timeshare, but it looked like it yesterday. Still, I wouldn't go out of my way to nab Richardson unless I was a Jackson owner. Richardson hasn't had a big game like this since Week Two. The Rams may have wanted to test the Dolphins run defense.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Josh Gordon (ESPN Owned - 2.4%)
There really isn't much more I can add about Gordon that I didn't say above. Gordon got the start against the Bengals and appears to have a connection with Weeden. He should be the No. 1 receiver on the waiver-wire this week, but temper expectations. He's still very raw and could come back down to Earth against better secondaries. He's an excellent bench stash, however, in the right matchups. With only 5 catches in 2 weeks, he loses value in PPR leagues.
Chris Givens - Rams (ESPN Owned - 0.5%)
I was desperate for receiver help, so I picked up Givens at the last minute and plugged him in as my WR3. Damn am I glad I did. Starting with Danny Amendola out, Givens caught 3 passes for 85 yards against the Dolphins. He was targeted 7 times and has caught a pass of at least 50 yards in three-straight games. He is still raw, but I am sure you can dump a bum to make some room.
Brandon Gibson - Rams (ESPN Owned - 24.8%)
While Givens is the non-PPR player to own, Gibson could start proving PPR worth. Acting as the team's new No. 1 receiver, Gibson was targeted 9 times, catching 7 passes for 91 yards. Gibson should earn the trust of Sam Bradford going forward if he can keep this pace, making him a low-end WR3.
Randall Cobb - Packers (ESPN Owned - 35.9)
As Greg Jennings continues to sit, Cobb continues to reap the benefits. Over the last 3 weeks, Cobb has now averaged 6 catches, 83 yards and a score. The Packers' passing game figures to keep on churning out yards with the backfield still on shaky ground. That's good news for Cobb, who will continue to be a WR3.
TIGHT ENDS
Brandon Myers (ESPN Owned - 1.6%)
Myers isn't exactly a household name, but he is still a guy to look at. Especially if your league allows a tight end to be flexed. He has caught 4 or more passes in all but 1 game this year, with 55 receiving yards or more in the same span. He is a decent TE2 going forward if the guy you have behind your TE1 is a bum. And lets face it, there are a lot of those guys laying around.