5 breakout fantasy football stars to pick up for Week 7

A pair of running backs and wide receivers highlight the top fantasy football pickups to make off the waiver wire ahead of Week 7.

The beauty of fantasy football is that anyone can find a gem off the waiver wire in a given week. One of the top pickups off the wire last week, Indianapolis Colts running back Deon Jackson, started in place of the injured Jonathan Taylor and delivered an excellent performance that should help plenty of teams that started him earn a victory this week.

The stretch run in the fantasy season isn’t far away so finding a way to get wins now is important if you have designs on making the playoffs. Let’s take a look at five key pickups who can help you win in Week 7 with all rostered percentages provided in reference to Yahoo leagues.

5. Top Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 7 – Miami Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki

A popular target in fantasy drafts prior to the season, Gesicki was reasonably dropped after it became clear that the Miami passing attack would function almost exclusively through Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. A string of injuries at quarterback forced the Dolphins to turn to Teddy Bridgewater in Week 6 and his presence helped showcase how valuable Gesicki can be for Miami.

Gesicki was targeted seven times this week and caught six of them for 69 yards with two touchdowns, easily his best output of the season. The Dolphins hadn’t called Gesicki’s number more than four times in a game over the first five weeks of the season and he only had amassed nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, production that is far too low for his talent level.

Tua Tagovailoa should be back next week and his presence should raise the floor of all Dolphins contributors, including Gesicki, whose ability to be a red-zone presence and reliable third-down target is valuable to the game plan. Gesicki is currently rostered in just 24 percent of Yahoo leagues but that figure should rise after his breakout week.