Next week’s waiver wire: Cam Akers, Brandon Powell and more players to add now — before the Week 7 rush

I’m using a data-backed, formulaic approach to discover next week’s waiver wire headliners…today. Going position by position, I mine my favorite obscure fantasy football statistics in regard to volume, depth, and efficiency. Then I mash them all together, hopefully identifying some cheap fantasy gems to grab now before the squares do next week.

Quarterback

Available QBs With +36 Dropbacks Per Game (Last Four Weeks)

Available QBs With +3.5 Deep Attempts Per Game (Last Four Weeks)

Ryan Tannehill, TEN — 4.8 Deep Attempts Per Game
Derek Carr, NO — 4.5 Deep Attempts Per Game
Jordan Love, GB — 4.3 Deep Attempts Per Game
Sam Howell, WAS — 4.0 Deep Attempts Per Game
Joshua Dobbs, ARI — 3.8 Deep Attempts Per Game
Matthew Stafford, LAR — 3.5 Deep Attempts Per Game

Available QBs With +0.10 Expected Points Added Per Attempt (Last Four Weeks)

C.J. Stroud, HOU — 0.31 EPA/Attempt
Ryan Tannehill, TEN — 0.29 EPA/Attempt
Baker Mayfield, TB — 0.23 EPA/Attempt
Gardner Minshew, IND — 0.16 EPA/Attempt
Joshua Dobbs, ARI — 0.15 EPA/Attempt
Matthew Stafford, LAR — 0.11 EPA/Attempt
Sam Howell, WAS — 0.10 EPA/Attempt

Streaming quarterbacks can be a dangerous game and you should always be looking for long-term solutions like C.J. Stroud and Matthew Stafford. Beyond that, it’s all about the matchup and monitoring injuries in opposing secondaries. Good luck, fellow travelers!

Let’s rank the next couple weeks for streamers:

Week 6 QB Streams Ranked

Baker Mayfield — TB vs DET
Ryan Tannehill — TEN vs BAL
Gardner Minshew — IND at JAX
Desmond Ridder — ATL vs WAS
Sam Howell — WAS at ATL
Mac Jones — NE at LV

Week 7 QB Streams Ranked

Jimmy Garoppolo — LV at CHI
Joshua Dobbs — ARI at SEA
Desmond Ridder — ATL at TB

Running Back

Available RBs With +9.0 Touches Per Game (Last Four Weeks)

Available RBs With +0.35 Fantasy Points Per Snap (Last Four Weeks)

Jordan Mason, SF — 0.69 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Salvon Ahmed, MIA — 0.55 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Rico Dowdle, DAL — 0.53 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Pierre Strong, CLE — 0.49 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Latavius Murray, BUF — 0.46 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Ty Chandler, MIN — 0.42 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Jaylen Warren, PIT — 0.40 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Kendre Miller, NO — 0.38 Fantasy Points Per Snap
Tyjae Spears, TEN — 0.35 Fantasy Points Per Snap

Available RBs With +50% Touch Per Snap Rate (Last Four Weeks)

First things first. Make sure the most popular waiver wire adds like Emari Demercado, Chuba Hubbard, and Jaylen Warren are unavailable before rolling any further into the deep. The current fog of fantasy war is about as thick as pea soup. If you happen to be desperate for RB fantasy points right now, you’ll need your luckiest charm because the situation’s supremely challenging. If you weren’t fortunate enough to grab Roschon Johnson weeks ago (when I told you!) on our first recommendation, don’t lose hope. I know things seem bleak but night is darkest before the dawn.

In more standard/shallow leagues your top running back stash has to be Titans RB Tyjae Spears. Tennessee’s third-round rookie from Tulane already has a secure grasp on the pass-catching role. He’s third on the team in total receptions, commanding +13% of the team’s target share, and he’s dominating work in long down-and-distance, hurry-up, and two-minute sets. Don’t look now, but considering the Titans’ team dynamic, he’s also making a bid for a legitimate chunk of the starting job. Tennessee’s defense continues to act as a pass funnel, so if and when they ever fall behind, you can kiss King Henry’s snaps goodbye. Through only five games into the 2023 season, Spears has outsnapped Henry three times and even outscored him twice. The Titans severely lack explosives on offense and Spears could be that provider going forward.

To the deeper leaguers scoffing at the idea of Spears being available, Dallas’ Rico Dowdle is a great target. The Cowboys’ game scripts have been incredibly wonky but I believe he’s locked up the backup role and sits on the doorstep of a premiere role in a good offense (but we’ve mentioned him before).

I know I highlighted him last week and although he didn’t take a real step forward in utilization (5-15-0; 2-3-0), I’m sticking with Cam Akers one more time. The Vikings are 1-4 and in need of a change behind one of the worst running games in the NFL (32nd in rush%, total rushes, and zero +20-yard rushes). Minnesota just lost the engine of their offense in Justin Jefferson and has shown us hints that Akers can and will overtake the pass work (42.4% touch/snap, 30.8% target/route). Alexander Mattison’s -0.10 EPA/Rush is well below average, ripe for replacement.

Wide Receiver

Available WRs With +30 Routes Run Per Game, (Last Four Weeks)

Available WRs With +26% Target Per Route Run (min 7 Targets; Last Four Weeks)

Available WRs With +0.30 Fantasy Points Per Route (min 4 Targets; Last Four Weeks)

Khalil Shakir, BUF — 0.46 Fantasy Points Per Route
KaVontae Turpin, DAL — 0.45 Fantasy Points Per Route
Ronnie Bell, SF — 0.40 Fantasy Points Per Route
Rashee Rice, KC — 0.40 Fantasy Points Per Route
Jake Bobo, SEA — 0.31 Fantasy Points Per Route
Brandon Johnson, DEN — 0.30 Fantasy Points Per Route

UPDATE: Given rumors surrounding a Jerry Jeudy trade, make sure Broncos rookie WR Marvin Mims Jr. has a home.

Fantasy football waiver wire articles across the nation are touting Kansas City’s Rashee Rice as *the* must-roster wide receiver going forward, so we must be doing something right. Chalk another one up for the good guys.

Most everyone’s clamoring to fill the target void in Minnesota’s WR room by adding K.J. Osborn or making trades for Jordan Addison, and justifiably so. That said, I haven’t heard a single talking head or pundit anywhere mention my dark horse pick for a fantasy breakout, Brandon Powell. Don’t close your browser tabs, give me a chance to explain.

For starters, after Justin Jefferson left last week’s game with an injury, Powell’s sixteen routes (89% route participation) were right behind Osborn and Addison’s twenty. Working both out wide and from the slot, he then proceeded to lead the team in targets (5), target/route (31.3%), receptions (3), receiving yards (42), yards/route (2.63), and air yards (70). If Rashee Rice is rostered (say that three times fast), I’m exiting stage left as the masses run right and rolling with Brandon Powell.

Tight End

Available TEs With +70.0% Route Participation (Last Four Weeks)

Available TEs Earning +5.0 Targets Per Game (Last Four Weeks)

Available TEs With +35.0 Air Yards Per Game (Last Four Weeks)

Dalton Schultz, HOU — 47.0 Air Yards Per Game
Jonnu Smith, ATL — 45.5 Air Yards Per Game
Logan Thomas, WAS — 40.7 Air Yards Per Game
Tyler Conklin, NYJ — 40.0 Air Yards Per Game
Mike Gesicki, NE — 38.5 Air Yards Per Game

UPDATE: Neither Tank Dell nor Robert Woods practiced for Houston, prioritize Texans’ Dalton Schultz.

I’ve spent the last few weeks fence-sitting on tight end speculation but I actually have a strong signal this time. Cade Otton plays every single down for the Buccaneers and only one other Tampa TE has a catch this season. Though the last two games lacked production, Otton took advantage of his last good matchup versus Chicago by catching all six targets. Tampa Bay is coming off the bye to face Detroit, who has allowed the most receptions and receiving yards to the TE position.

(Top photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)