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Week 7 fantasy pickups: Orleans Darkwa, Jared Goff among top adds

Each week throughout the NFL season, we identify six players to target on waiver wires, plus a lightly owned D/ST. All are available in a majority of Yahoo leagues and approved for immediate use. Add as needed.

Orleans Darkwa, RB, New York Giants, 8% owned

Darkwa out-carried Wayne Gallman 21 to nine on Sunday night in New York’s shocking road win, and he out-rushed the rookie by 90 yards. There is, at this point, little question about the backfield hierarchy for this team. Darkwa’s career-high 117-yard performance settled the matter. He’s a smart, hard-charging powerful runner who won’t necessarily deliver style points on every touch, but he tends to gain every inch that’s blocked. Consider him the clear committee head, with Gallman in a supporting role.

New York is about to face Seattle’s defense coming off its bye, which is less than ideal. But it’s worth noting that the Seahawks have actually allowed 4.9 YPC and 127.2 YPG over their first five games.

Schedule, next three weeks: vs. Sea, bye, vs. LAR

FAAB bid: $19 of $100 budget

Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars, 33%

Lee was a target magnet in Week 6, seeing 10 chances from Blake Bortles and hauling in five for 83 yards. If you play in a deep-ish league in which every team’s No. 1 receiver needs to be owned, then someone should roster Lee. He’s drawn seven or more targets in three of his past five games, firmly establishing PPR relevance. He’s about to face a generous Indianapolis defense coming off a short week; entering Sunday’s action, the Colts had allowed the eleventh most fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Schedule, next three weeks: at Ind, bye, vs. Cin

FAAB bid: $8

Bennie Fowler, WR, Denver Broncos, 1%

Emmanuel Sanders checked out with an ugly ankle injury on Sunday night, and he could be facing a multi-game absence. Fowler may never again match his opening week production, when he snagged two TD receptions against the Chargers, but he’s guaranteed an uptick in opportunities if Sanders is sidelined. He caught three of his eight targets on Sunday (for only 21 yards) and one of his receptions was thisclose to breaking the plane. Fowler has good size (6-foot-1, 212), leaping ability and well-established rapport with his quarterback. He has a shot at WR2/3 value in his Week 7 rematch with the Bolts.

Schedule, next three weeks: at LAC, at KC, at Phi

FAAB bid: $7

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers, 8%

Kittle has seen 17 targets over the past two weeks, catching 11 for 129 yards and one score. He was the Niners’ second busiest receiving threat on Sunday, trailing only Pierre Garcon in total targets. San Francisco has installed rookie C.J. Beathard as the team’s rest-of-season starting quarterback, which should suit Kittle just fine. These two were teammates at Iowa from 2013-16; it’s the rare case in which a rookie passer/receiver combo has terrific, multi-year chemistry.

If you’re one of the zillion-or-so fantasy owners struggling to find a bankable tight end, give Kittle a long look.

Schedule, next three weeks: vs. Dal, at Phi, vs. Ari

FAAB bid: $8

Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams, 38%

The quarterback position obviously sustained a massive hit in Week 6, when Aaron Rodgers suffered a fractured collarbone. There’s simply no replacing a player of Rodgers’ ability, except via trade — and of course no more than three or four players can approach his weekly production. So, if you just lost No. 12, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself streaming our game’s highest scoring position for the rest of the year.

Goff is nowhere near Rodgers’ level, but he’s improved in all meaningful areas in his second pro season. He wasn’t a fantasy monster in Week 6 (124-1-0), but he managed to direct his team to a win against Jacksonville’s shutdown secondary. He faces a much friendlier matchup next weekend against Arizona, a team that just allowed a 3-touchdown performance by Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Cards have yielded the sixth most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks so far this season, with 13 passing scores included. Don’t be surprised if Goff delivers his third multi-TD effort of the year.

Schedule, next three weeks: vs. Ari, bye, at NYG

FAAB bid: $11

Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars 12%

Look, no fantasy expert wants a Bortles recommendation on their permanent record. I reserve the right to later edit this paragraph from this pickups post. Bortles is simply a desperation heave in a tricky bye-week (no Stafford, no Watson) and with Rodgers sidelined. Jacksonville is facing Indy in Week 7, and the Colts D has allowed the second most fantasy points to opposing passers. The matchups don’t get much better.

Can Bortles still screw it up? We all know the answer to that one. But he can also produce a sketchy performance in reality that still manages to help his fantasy owners. It’s reasonable to hope for a 245-2-2 fantasy line from Blake, facing Indianapolis. Asking for anything more is pure greed.

Schedule, next three weeks: at Ind, bye, vs. Cin

FAAB bid: $8

Buffalo Bills, D/ST, 24%

Buffalo is at home in Week 7, coming off a bye, and this D has allowed the fewest points in the league through six weeks (14.8 ppg). The Bills have generated 10 takeaways and 12 sacks in five games. This week, Buffalo will face either an injured Jameis Winston (sprained AC joint) or a healthy Ryan Fitzpatrick. Either way, fantasy managers can expect multiple turnovers.

Schedule, next three weeks: vs. TB, vs. Oak, at NYJ

FAAB bid: $3

Additional adds to consider: RB Matt Forte, RB Chris Ivory, RB Dion Lewis, WR John Brown, WR Nelson Agholor, QB Andy Dalton, QB Trevor Siemian, QB C.J. Beathard

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