As we close in on mid-season, it's probably become apparent if your team is a "have" or a "have not." As always, I'll do my best to mention as many quality free agent acquisitions as possible this week (without repeating old analysis) for those teams hurting due to injuries. Let's see what comes to the surface this week...

For the third game in a row, Atlanta Falcons QB Desmond Ridder produced more than 20 fantasy points. Does this now make him a solid fantasy player? Let's take another look. Ridder completed 19 of 25 passes for 250 yards with no scores or picks in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Buccaneers. That said, he added 38 rushing yards and a touchdown while fumbling three times, losing all three of them. Now, Ridder got off to a hot start, completing all four of his passes for 46 yards on the opening drive before capping it with a two-yard rushing touchdown. However, that success didn't last, as Ridder failed to lead another touchdown drive and lost three fumbles in the red zone, including two at the 1-yard line. After the Bucs tied the score at 13 with 45 seconds remaining, Ridder connected with TE Kyle Pitts for a 39-yard gain to set up PK Younghoe Koo's game-winning 51-yard field goal. What does all this mean? Well, rushing scores from Ridder can not be counted upon every week. Yes, he has three scores, but RB Bijan Robinson missed nearly all the gam due to a headache. Bottom Line: Ridder is producing better than he did in the first four game, but you must be careful to only consider him a streaming option when the matchup is a good one. The next three game @TEN, vs. MIN, and @ARZ have potential, but then the schedule turns much tougher after the team's BYE in week #11.

A quick note... Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray could return in week #9, but will most likely return in week #10 as the team will play it safe in his return from a torn ACL. Murray was designated to return from IR last week, but will clearly need some time to get back to game speed and football shape before the Cardinals activate him. Fantasy owners should expect QB Joshua Dobbs to continue to start until Murray is activated. That said, picking up Murray now and stashing him for possible use later is highly advised!

Believe it or not, New England Patriots QB Mac Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two scores in Sunday's 29-25 win over the Bills. This was Jones' best game since week #1. Jones limited his mistakes and kept the offense on schedule as New England didn't trail over the first 58 minutes of the contest. After Buffalo took their first lead with about two minutes remaining, Jones led an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating with a game-winning one-yard touchdown pass to TE Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining. That was Jones' second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter, as he also found WR Kendrick Bourne from four yards out halfway through the quarter. Jones snapped a three-game touchdown drought to boost his TD:INT ratio to 7:7 through seven games. All that said, this doesn't mean Jones is all of a sudden, a good fantasy starter. The Patriots still have a lot of issues, and the schedule is up and down in terms of good/bad matchups. I'd still be wary of even considering starting Jones until he produces another quality start either this week or next!

The Indianapolis Colts are in trouble without QB Anthony Richardson (shoulder - IR), right? Maybe not. Why? Minshewmania is back! QB Gardner Minshew completed 15 of 23 passes for 305 yards, two scores and one pick in Sunday's 39-38 loss to the Browns. He also added 29 rushing yards and TWO additional scores. Though the score may indicate this was a shootout, the Colts were focused on the ground game, as they had 40 rushing attempts compared to Minshew's 23 passes. That said, Minshew made an impact in both areas of the game, as he threw a pair of long touchdown passes that went for 59 and 75 yards to WR Josh Downs and WR Michael Pittman, respectively. Minshew also showed surprising effectiveness with his legs, rushing for scores of 17 and 4 yards. Now, I wouldn't expect 30+ point games from Minshew every week moving forward, but it's clear that he can "pop" every now and a gain, and that is why he's an interesting streaming option nearly every week of the season!

With QB Daniel Jones (neck) still out due to a neck injury, New York Giants QB Tyrod Taylor completed 18 of 29 passes for 279 yards and two scores, while adding 25 rushing yards in Sunday's 14-7 win over the Commanders. Both touchdowns came in the second quarter, as Taylor hit WR Darren Waller for a 15-yard TD (his first TD as a Giant) to open the scoring before RB Saquon Barkley took a little flip 32 yards to the end zone. Taylor has looked poised in his two starts, and he did snap the team's four-game losing streak Sunday, but the Giants have still produced only 23 total points in those two contests. In addition, it's clear that when Jones is healthy, he will start. Also, the Giants face the Jets this week and their very staunch defense, so even if Taylor starts, he doesn't deserve any streaming consideration for obvious reasons!

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (knee) completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards with one score and no picks, adding 59 rushing yards in the Jaguars' 31-24 win over the Saints last Thursday night. Lawrence's status was in question right up until pregame warmups, but he was able to not only play, but also compile a season-high rushing yardage figure. Lawrence hit WR Christian Kirk with a go-ahead 44-yard touchdown pass with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Lawrence also remained interception-free for the third time in four games. Why am I rehashing this performance when I dissed it last Friday in my Final Thoughts? Good question. I'll tell you why... Lawrence may have only produced 20 fantasy points, but in week #7, that score ranked him QB11 for the week! In fact, over the past three weeks, Lawrence has been QB9, QB12, and QB11, so that makes him a low-end QB1! In other words, even though he may not be winning you many games, he likely isn't losing them for you either. Let's call that the glass half full perspective!

Let's take a look at some of the other more notable QB performances from last week... New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr threw for one score last Thursday against the Jaguars. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield threw for one score on Sunday against the Falcons. Chicago Bears QB Tyson Bagent threw for one score on Sunday against the Raiders. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ran for a score on Sunday against the Rams. Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw for a score on Sunday against the Steelers. Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love threw for two scores on Sunday against the Broncos. Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson threw for one score on Sunday against the Packers. San Francisco QB Brock Purdy threw for one score on Monday night against the Vikings.

Atlanta Falcons rookie RB Bijan Robinson (headache) barely played on Sunday. What happened? Well, Robinson was dealing with a bad headache, which in turn greatly limited his playing time against the Buccaneers. Apparently, he started feeling weird Saturday night, but no reports were released about any problems until after the game began. With Robinson sitting most of the game, RB Tyler Allgeier became the primary running back for the game, taking a lot of the early-down work and most of the short-yardage work. Meanwhile, RB Cordarrelle Patterson was used as the primary change of pace back for the game. Robinson didn't play his first offensive snap until 2:18 was left in the first quarter. He was mostly used in passing situations, particularly near the end of each half of play. Robinson only played one snap from the start of the third quarter until the last minute of the game. If the Robinson owner in your league is frustrated by this development, jump on it and look to BUY LOW. Why? Well, Robinson and the Falcons expect to be fine moving forward. Of course, the team will monitor him throughout the week, but feel this was a "one off."

Chicago Bears RB D'Onta Foreman finally got his time to shine in their offense and took full advantage! With both RB Khalil Herbert (ankle - IR) and rookie RB Roschon Johnson (concussion) out due to injuries, Foreman got the start and saw the key carries and touches to be a big fantasy force for owners who picked him up and started him. Despite the fact that RB Darrynton Evans saw just as many snaps, Foreman scored THREE times and looked dominant doing it! Foreman average more than five yards per carry and produced his second-ever game with three catches. Herbert will miss at least another two games. Meanwhile, Johnson seems more likely to be eased into action, while Foreman remains a starter. Regardless, there is a good chance that Foreman starts this week, and that means he can make hay for his fantasy owners against a very beatable Chargers run defense!

Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery (rib) missed Sunday's game due to a rib injury, giving rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs another start. Gibbs played 60% of the offensive snaps in his first start in week #3 when Montgomery was out with a thigh injury, but he played a higher percentage of their offensive snaps in Sunday's game. This was likely because RB Craig Reynolds (hamstring/toe) was also on the injury report due to injury, which kept him limited in practice all week. Now, Gibbs didn't see nearly as many carries as the starter normally receive, but that was because of the game script. The Lions' first three drives were all three-and-outs, and by the time their 4th drive had arrived, they were already losing 28-0. For the game, Gibbs scored a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown and finished with 68 rushing yards on 11 carries adding another 58 receiving yards on a whopping 9 catches! The Lions host the slumping Las Vegas Raiders this week on Monday Night Football. Monty seems likely to miss more time, making Gibbs a solid fantasy RB2 with RB1 upside for this game, so at this time, he's just a plug and play starter for fantasy!

The Miami Dolphins played it safe with RB Jeff Wilson Jr., as he was eased into action on Sunday night. Wilson missed the first six games of the season with ribs and finger injuries. Wilson finished last season as the Dolphins' most-used running back, so there was a possibility that he could handle a significant role immediately, but it didn't happen. Instead, he was mostly limited to playing in the two-minute drill to end the first half. Wilson never saw a carry, but did catch one pass for 4 yards. In this game, RB Salvon Ahmed remained the primary backup to starting RB Raheem Mostert on early downs. Wilson will have two more games to work his way up the depth chart before RB De'Von Achane (knee) returns from injured reserve, so that makes his fantasy value very limited. In other words, holding onto him for the next two weeks is an OK idea, but once Achane returns, as long and he and Mostert are healthy, Wilson will find himself riding the pine for most of the games moving forward.

The Minnesota Vikings reversed course on Monday night. In the previous week's game, RB Alexander Mattison saw a workhorse role, receiving 25 opportunities to only two for RB Cam Akers, but there was a big change on Monday night. Although Akers averaged 8.0 yards per carry in week #5, he was relegated to only nine snaps in week #6 while Mattison played 45. On Monday night, Mattison started the game, playing 12 of the first 13 offensive snaps. However, Akers received more playing time in the rest of the game than Mattison and ended the contract with more carries (10-8). Mattison averaged more yards per carry, but a lot of Akers' carries came in clear rushing situations in which the 49ers were clearly focusing on stopping the run. Akers caught two passes for 30 yards in the game, the third-best total of his career. Overall, the Vikings didn't run much, even though they were playing with a lead. Akers has generally played a little better than Mattison since joining the Vikings, so there is a chance Akers could eventually start over Mattison. In other words, Mattison owners should be concerned with this development, so looking to package Mattison in a trade with other players might not be such a bad idea in re-drafter leagues.

Last week, Los Angeles Rams rookie RB Zach Evans was a hot pickup, as most assumed he would start or play a big role in the team's game with the top two backs injured. We were wrong when it was reported Sunday morning that veterans RB Darrell Henderson and RB Royce Freeman would share the duties, while Evans would be the #3 RB. With both RB Kyren Williams (ankle) and RB Ronnie Rivers (knee) on injured reserve, the Rams signed Freeman from their own practice squad, RB Myles Gaskin from the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, and Henderson to their practice squad and elevated him for game day. For the game, Henderson started and generally rotated by drive with Freeman. Typically, Henderson also saw action on one or two plays during Freeman's drives, which left Henderson with more playing time. Henderson ran 18 times for 61 yards and a score, while Freeman ran 12 times for 66 yards, but did not score. While Freeman ended the game with more rushing yards, Henderson is the clear player to target off your waiver wire. He should lead the team in carries for the next three games until Williams returns to action. It's clear that the Rams don't trust Evans in this situation, so if you picked him up last week, you can safely drop him.

Let's take a look at some of the other more notable RB performances from last week... New Orleans Saints RB Jamaal Williams saw 5 carries in his return to action last week. Buffalo Bills RB Latavius Murray saw 6 touches on Sunday against the Patriots. New England Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott scored on 11 carries on Sunday against the Bills. Baltimore Ravens RB Justice Hill saw 5 touches with one catch on Sunday against the Lions. Washington Commanders RB Antonio Gibson saw 4 touches against the Giants on Sunday. Washington Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw 7 carries against the Giants on Sunday. Las Vegas Raiders RB Zamir White saw 5 touches with 3 catches against the Bears on Sunday. Los Angeles Chargers RB Josh Kelley scored on 7 carries on Sunday against the Chiefs. Arizona Cardinals RB Emari Demercado saw a whopping 17 touches on Sunday against the Seahawks. Philadelphia Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell scored on 8 runs against the Dolphins on Sunday night.

What is going on with Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley? Good question. This past week, Ridley was held to one catch despite playing the same amount of snaps and running passing routes with no difference when compared to earlier games. In this instance, the lack of targets may have been part of the Jaguars' game plan, with QB Trevor Lawrence entering the game with a knee injury. Ridley had by far the highest average depth of target among Jaguars active players coming into the game, at 13.3. The closest other wideout on the team was WR Jamal Agnew, at 9.7. In other words, Ridley is not running short routes. They take time for him to get into the route, and Lawrence (especially in this game) was not taking the time needed to target Ridley adequately. Ridley led the team in targets on passes with a time to throw of 2.1 seconds or longer, but both TE Evan Engram and TE Christian Kirk had more targets on sub-2.0-second passes coming into the week. Engram had 27, Kirk 18 and Ridley 13. In this game specifically, the Jaguars were playing with a lead, while the Saints dominated time of possession, so the Jaguars didn't pass much. Ridley saw just one target over the first 55 minutes. Once the game was tied late in the fourth quarter, Ridley received a handoff on one play and was quickly targeted on the following two plays. As a result, fantasy owners could take this game as an outlier, making Ridley a BUY LOW candidate, but the Jaguars simply aren't scoring many TDs via the pass, especially to the wideouts, including Ridley (only 2 scores all season). And in that case, I'd probably target someone else who is coming off a poor game, but one who has seen a higher number of targets in most games this season. That simply hasn't been the case with Ridley since week #1. After getting 11 targets in week #1, Ridley has received 8, 7, 2, 8, 8, and 4 in the past six weeks. Rams WR Puka Nacua leads all receivers with 82 targets through week #7, while Ridley has just 48 (WR26).

I've recently discussed Indianapolis Colts rookie WR Josh Downs and his success, but he took things to a new level on Sunday. That said, Downs' usage has remained consistent all season. He played nearly every snap in 11 personnel and no snaps in two receiver sets on Sunday against the Browns. However, he has continued to produce with QB Gardner Minshew as his quarterback. The Colts are one of five teams to use 11 personnel on at least 75% of their offensive snaps, so it's easier to trust him than most slot receivers in the NFL because of that usage. Sunday was his third-straight game producing at least 13 PPR points, as he generated a career-high 125 receiving yards and a scored in the second-straight game. He has just two games with three or fewer catches, and in both, rookie QB Anthony Richardson played over 95% of offensive snaps. Bottom Line: Downs shouldn't be on your league waiver wire, but if he is, grab him now! Heck, in most match-ups, Downs deserves serious consideration for a fantasy start anytime he plays!

For the first time since week #1 when he injured his hamstring, Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson returned to action on Sunday against the Rams. He caught five passes for 79 yards, and played as the clear second option behind WR George Pickens. He was somewhat limited in his return, but mostly in run situations. He played all 31 snaps in 11 personnel, but only eight of a possible 21 snaps in 12 personnel. WR Allen Robinson played most of the other snaps in 12 personnel. The Steelers passed on seven of eight plays with Johnson on the field and three of 12 plays with Robinson on the field. Bottom Line: Johnson is back and should be a full 100% for this week's game against the Jaguars. In other words, fantasy owners can safely start him moving forward. The bigger question is what can we expect from him in this offense? It will be tough for Johnson to overtake Pickens completely as the lead guy, but expect that to happen here and there during the rest of the season. Overall, you should view him as a mid-to-lower-end WR3, but one with WR2 upside in any one game.

New York Giants rookie WR Jalin Hyatt is starting to make some plays. On Sunday, Hyatt caught two passes for 75 yards, one for 42 and another for 33 yards. He had two catches of 25+ air yards before his week, and he added another two this week. Hyatt joins just seven other players as the only wide receivers with four or more such plays. Earlier in the season, he spent a lot of time rotating with WR Isaiah Hodgins for an outside receiving position. However, Hyatt more than doubled Hodgins in offensive snaps for a second straight week. The unfortunate part here is the fact that when QB Daniel Jones (neck) returns, he's been terrible in connecting with any WRs for long plays. There are indications that QB Tyrod Taylor will get at lest one more start, so if that happens, Hyatt has more value than he normally would, but with no BYEs this week, you likely won't be looking to start him.

On Sunday, Seattle Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs/hip) was inactive for the first time in 2023. As a result, rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba's role increased, but it was rookie WR Jake Bobo, who ended up leading the Seahawks in offensive snaps. He played 100% of snaps in 11 personnel in place of Metcalf, and he also played the majority of 12 personnel snaps. Bobo also played 8 of a possible 11 snaps in 13 personnel, which is why he received more snaps than WR Tyler Lockett, though he ran just one more route than Lockett on the day. As for JSN, he not only played 100% of 11 personnel snaps, but he also took the field for 10 of 18 snaps in 12 personnel. He didn't play any of the 80 possible snaps out of 12 personnel over the first six weeks of the season. In terms of production, JSN finished the game with a solid 4-63-1 stat line on 7 targets, while Bobo produced a 4-61-1 stat line on just 5 targets. Lockett finished with just a 4-38 stat line and no score. Bottom Line: If Metcalf misses another game, both Bobo and JSN have solid WR3 fantasy value with WR2 upside!

San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder) missed Monday night's game with a hairline shoulder fracture. WR Ray-Ray McCloud was expected to replace Samuel throughout the game, but that changed, as WR Jauan Jennings was the primary player in two-receiver sets, while McCloud played just a few snaps from that set. Jennings caught five passes for 56 yards in the game, while McCloud was held without a target until the last minute of the game. The 49ers have a BYE next week, so the team plans to sit Samuel this week again to give him more time to recover. As such, Jennings has limited fantasy value for this week's game against the Bengals, so if you are hurting for a quick fix in a larger league, Jennings deserves a bit of consideration.

New Philadelphia Eagles WR Julio Jones made his Eagles debut on Sunday night against the Dolphins. The Eagles' primary slot receiver, WR Quez Watkins (hamstring), is currently on injured reserve. His replacement, WR Olamide Zaccheaus, generated only a 5% target rate over the season's first six weeks, the lowest among wide receivers who had run at least 100 passing routes. In this game, Jones was expected to play between 15 and 25 snaps heading into the game, and ended the game right in that range, with all of his snaps coming in 11 personnel. While Zaccheaus was primarily the slot receiver when he played in 11 personnel, Jones lined up wide more often than not, with WR DeVonta Smith taking more snaps from the slot. Jones caught one pass for 3 yards in his limited time on just one target. Bottom Line: I said Jones would be a non-factor for fantasy, and that is how he started his Eagles career. That said, don't be surprised if he makes a big play or two now and again, since these are the Eagles and they have a potent passing game. Unfortunately for Jones, most of those big plays will go to WR A.J. Brown or Smith.

The following wideouts caught at least two passes or scored this past weekend and deserve fantasy consideration: Jacksonville Jaguars WR Jamal Agnew (4-36), New Orleans Saints WR Rashid Shaheed (4-28), New England Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne (6-63-1), New England Patriots WR Demario Douglas (4-54), Baltimore Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. (5-49), Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney (4-32), Cleveland Browns WR Elijah Moore (4-59), Indianapolis Colts WR Alec Pierce (3-53), Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (3-84-1), Green Bay Packers WR Romeo Doubs (2-30-1), and Minnesota Vikings WR Brandon Powell (4-64).

Buffalo Bills rookie TE Dalton Kincaid finally had a breakout game on Sunday against he New England Patriots. The first-round draft pick led the team in catches (8) and receiving yards (75). Kincaid had previously missed last week's game due to a concussion. That said, his overall playing time was very similar to previous games. He played in two tight end sets and shared playing time with veteran TE Dawson Knox in 11 personnel. That said, the Bills were more likely to pass with Kincaid on the field. The big difference was the larger target share Kincaid drew in this game. The Patriots concentrated on stopping WR Stefon Diggs, which left Kincaid open quite a few times. Best of all, Kincaid caught all 8 targets in the game, and Knox (wrist) is now set for wrist surgery, which could lead him to the IR. That would make Kincaid's playing time likely go sky high. Bottom Line: Once seen as a auto-drop, Kincaid now has a chance to be a league winner if he produces like he has when called upon and he starts to see those golden red zone targets that have mostly eluded him. Pick him up if he's on the waiver wire, as he's pretty much an auto-start during these key BYE weeks for players not stacked at the TE position.

A quick note... The Arizona Cardinals have placed TE Zach Ertz (quad) on injured reserve. He is OUT 4+ games. Ertz suffered a quad strain on Sunday. The plan is for him to return later in the year. This means TE Trey McBride will be the unquestioned lead tight end for the Cardinals for at least the next four games, so if you need help at tight end and the usual suspects (listed below) are not available, pick him up and consider him for a start. McBride was already taking snaps and routes away from Ertz, so that will only increase with his absence!

Last week, I discussed the fantasy potential of Las Vegas Raiders rookie TE Michael Mayer. He caught five passes for 75 yards in an increased role in week #6, but ended Sunday's game with only two short catches (4 targets) for 13 yards. That said, there is a big positive that came out of the game against the Bears. He's consistently played in 12, 21 and 22 personnel all season, but he actually replaced TE Austin Hooper as the primary tight end in 11 personnel in week #6 and only missed four of the first 50 plays before the Raiders put in backups to end Sunday's game. TE Austin Hooper played three snaps out of 11 personnel, while the Raiders also ran a play out of 20 personnel. Bottom Line: Mayer is now nearly an every-down player, which could make him a solid impact player for fantasy over the next 2+ months. In other words, if you picked him up last week, do NOT drop him! Simply bench him if you like, because I'm telling you that you will regret it if you cut him. He will have more impact games in the near future!

A quick note... Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Cade Otton made a nice impact in Sunday game against the Atlanta Falcons, catching 5 of 6 targets for 43 yards. This is the second time this season he's topped 40 receiving yards. He's consistently playing more than 90% of the team's offensive snaps, but he's generated less than 20 receiving yards in his other four games. That said, he is a decent streaming option in any given week the Bucs play, so desperate fantasy owners could do a lot worse than to consider him for a BYE week start, accordingly.

Just prior to Sunday's game, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) on injured reserve. As a result, the team entered Sunday with a TEBC, with TE Darnell Washington, TE Connor Heyward, and TE Rodney Williams all set to play. As the game progressed, Heyward played 25 of a possible 31 snaps in 11 personnel, while Washington played six snaps in 11 personnel, but they were all run plays. As for Williams, he took some snaps from Hayward and Washington in 12 personnel and allowed Pittsburgh to run six plays out of 13 personnel. The results were favorable for Heyward, whom caught 2 of 3 targets for 23 yards against the Rams. What is significant about these stats? Heyward's role in the passing game was big enough that he could become fantasy-relevant if his target share grows over the coming games. In other words, he' an interesting grab and stash player for the next three games, and could gown into a streaming option under the right circumstances.

The following tight ends caught at least two passes this past weekend or scored and deserve fantasy consideration: New Orleans Saints TE Foster Moreau (3-33), New England Patriots TE Pharaoh Brown (2-51), Atlanta Falcons TE Jonnu Smith (3-27), Washington Commanders TE Logan Thomas (4-51), Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku (5-54), and Los Angeles Chargers TE Gerald Everett (3-26-1).

The following is the 7^th in-season free agent player rankings list for the 2023 NFL season. If you're looking for a free agent off your leagues' waiver wire to fill a need (maybe depth), these are the players to consider...

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