Fantasy Football Week 7 waiver wire pickups: Top 10 RB’s

1. player. 60. McKinnon is the only #1 back widely available after taking over this week for a struggling Matt Asiata.  McKinnon led the Vikings in both rushing and receiving last week in their loss to the Lions.  Minnesota failed to find the end zone, but McKinnon is ready to step up and be the feature back meaning he should get the red zone touches going forward.  He had 17 touches compared to just three for Asiata and will be the starter alongside fellow rookie Teddy Bridgewater going forward. This week is a tough matchup against a very good Bills run defense, but look for McKinnon to take off after this week as he faces the Bucs and Redskins before the Vikings week 10 bye week.. 5.1% owned. Week 7 @ Bills. Jerick McKinnon

45. Our top week 6 pickup didn’t disappoint running for 100 yards while pulling in three catches for another 16 yards. The best news for his owners is that he was definitely the top running back and dominated touches in place of the injured Montee Ball.  Ball may be sidelined longer than originally thought and will definitely miss the next two weeks making Hillman startable in almost all formats for those games.  This week is a tough matchup against the 49ers, but in the Broncos productive offense Hillman is still a low-end RB2.  He doesn’t have the long-term upside of McKinnon due to Ball’s eventual return which is why the veteran slips behind the rookie in this week’s rankings, but he’s still a nice plug-and-play option in the short term. . 5.3% owned. Week 7 vs 49ers. Ronnie Hillman. 2. player

53. Crowell is clearly the #2 back in Cleveland behind Ben Tate after Cleveland chose to make Terrance West a healthy inactive in week 6.  Crowell delivered in his change-of-pace role against the Steelers taking his 11 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown.  Crowell has value in his current role, but he carries even more upside since he’s backing up the injury-prone Ben Tate.  The schedule ahead is extremely favorable for Crowell and the Browns as they take on the Jags, Raiders, and Bucs in their next three games.  Crowell is a legitimate flex consideration even if nothing about his situation changes, but he could be even more valuable if he takes over as the Browns primary back at some point this season.. 10.7% owned. Week 7 @ Jaguars. Isaiah Crowell. 3. player

4. player. 44. Smith continues to make the most of his limited touches and break long touchdowns out of the Falcons backfield.  His role keeps him from being a reliable play despite him being the 10th-highest scoring running back in ESPN standard scoring.  He should be owned since his value will skyrocket if the Falcons decide to give him the touches his big-play potential merits.  If you can stash him to see what happens since the potential to be a solid RB2 is definitely there.. 5.1% owned. Week 7 @ Ravens. Antone Smith

47. Bolden makes this list not a result of his own play but because of an injury to Stevan Ridley.  With Ridley out for the year, Bolden will need to step up and take on more of the early-down running back role to complement Shane Vereen.  On Sunday, Bolden managed just 10 yards on six carries, but that action did come against a tough Buffalo run defense.  Going forward, he should fare better but will need to earn his way to more carries.  Bolden is worth grabbing to see how the new timeshare shakes out in the New England backfield. 1.8% owned. Week 7 vs Jets. Brandon Bolden. 5. player

Storm Johnson. 6. player. 52. Another running back getting a bigger share of the work in his backfield, Johnson got the start last week in place of an injured and ineffective Toby Gerhart.  On his 10 carries, he ran for his first NFL touchdown and totaled 21 yards. This week, he’s in a favorable matchup against the Browns who have the 30th-ranked run defense in the NFL.  Due to his matchup, Johnson makes a better one-week pickup-and-play option Smith and Bolden although his long-term upside is lower due to his team’s struggling offense and tendency to play from behind and go pass-heavy.. 1.1% owned. Week 7 vs Browns

7. player. 51. In his first action of the NFL season, last year’s standout at Auburn looked promising totaling 40 yards on five carries.  He looked much sharper than both Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham and could definitely see an increasing role as the season goes on.  Remember last year it was Stacy who emerged in his rookie year at about this time and finished the year strong, and right now it looks like Mason may be on a similar trajectory.  Grab and stash the rookie if possible, but definitely monitor his workload in the coming weeks to see if he gets a bigger share of the workload going forward. 2.1% owned. Week 7 vs Seahawks. Tre Mason

0.4% owned. Week 7 vs Giants. Joseph Randle. 8. player. 123. Randle was much higher on this list before his shoplifting insanity.  The Cowboys need to limit DeMarco Murray’s workload or risk losing him to injury, and Randle had looked like the best option to share some of the work before he jeopardized his career for a two-pack of underwear and some cologne.  It’s unclear what discipline he’ll face at this point, but keep an eye on the situation since Randle actually makes a good fantasy stash if he’s Murray’s backup and change of pace back behind an effective Dallas offensive line.

0.0% owned. Week 7 vs Jets. James White. 9. player. 47. If Brandon Bolden struggles, rookie James White could figure in to the Patriots backfield.  He’s been a healthy scratch every week but week four, but his role will increase with Ridley out.  How involved he’ll be, only Bill Belichick knows for sure at this point.

Cunningham picked up the Rams lone rushing touchdown on Monday Night, but now he’ll have to battle both Zac Stacy and Tre Mason for carries.  He’s a desperation play at this point, but he will get some touches every week which means there is some potential for production.. 1.8 % owned. Week 7 vs Seahawks. Benjamin Cunningham. 10. player. 51