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Matt Bowen
At various points during the fantasy football season, injuries, bye weeks and breaking news can cause you to need reinforcements for your fantasy lineup. Every Friday throughout the 2025 NFL season, Matt Bowen will offer up some late-week pickup options to help fill those holes, with an emphasis on deeper leagues.
Because of that, this column will focus mostly on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues, with occasional exceptions.
Wide receiver injuries in Tampa and Arizona could open some doors for potential streaming options at the position in Week 7. We’ll start there. Plus, there are multiple available tight ends coming off double-digit fantasy games last week, and we’ll look for both volume and scoring upside with a group of running backs. Meanwhile, the matchups have really limited the quarterback upside this week, but there is one you can take a flier on. Lastly, there is a defense available in more than 80% of ESPN leagues that could produce numbers for your lineup.
Wide receivers
Sterling Shepard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18.1% rostered; at Lions)
Even if Mike Evans (hamstring) returns for the Monday night matchup in Detroit, Shepard can still play a key role with both Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) and Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula) doubtful for the game. Shepard has seen at least four targets in five of six games played this season, with double-digit points in two. He can get loose after the catch. With Baker Mayfield playing at an MVP level, in a game that could be high-scoring, Shepard fits as a deeper-league pickup.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots (20.0% rostered; at Titans)
Boutte posted a career-high 26.3 points in the Week 6 win over the Saints, catching all five of his targets for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Now, managers shouldn’t expect Boutte to produce another 20-plus-point day, as he is averaging just 3.0 receptions per game this season. However, Boutte’s big numbers last Sunday should earn him some more looks, and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is playing top-5 football at the position. That creates upside for Boutte in deeper leagues.
Zay Jones, Arizona Cardinals (0.2% rostered; vs. Packers)
The Cardinals are working through multiple injuries, as Jones (knee), Michael Wilson (foot) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (concussion) were all on the report this week. So, let’s be patient here. However, if Jones is a go for Sunday’s game versus Green Bay, he could be a potential streaming option, especially for Harrison managers. In Week 6 against the Colts, after Harrison left the game in the second quarter, Jones caught five of eight targets for 79 yards (12.9 points). The veteran can still get open and he could operate as the No. 2 target — behind tight end Trey McBride — in Week 7.
Tight ends
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders (13.7% rostered; at Chiefs)
With Brock Bowers (knee) doubtful again this week, managers can stream Mayer as a replacement. Mayer got the start in Week 6 against the Titans, catching five of seven targets for 50 yards, including a touchdown on a red zone throw (16.0 points). Mayer also had an explosive-play reception on a boot concept, and he should continue to see targets this Sunday versus the Chiefs. It’s a tough matchup here, but the Chiefs will play a lot of two-deep zone, which leads to underneath targets to the tight end, plus game flow could force the Raiders to throw with volume.
Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers (1.4% rostered; vs. Colts)
Gadsden produced his best numbers of the season (with Will Dissly active, even) in the Week 6 win over Miami, catching seven of eight targets for 68 yards. A lot of underneath throws here, which cater to Gadsden’s catch-and-run ability at 6-foot-5, 236 pounds. The rookie has some upside in deeper formats this Sunday against the Colts, especially off the Chargers’ boot concepts, which give him space to get vertical after the catch.
Running backs
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (28.5 % rostered; vs. Patriots)
Spears saw a bump in volume in last Sunday’s loss to the Raiders (his second game back from an ankle injury), as he rushed five times for 31 yards while catching four passes for 19 yards (9.0 points). Spears will continue to operate as the No. 2 behind Tony Pollard, and he gets a tough matchup against the Patriots. But with eight to 10 touches, plus the pass-catching ability, Spears can be played in deeper leagues.
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (23.3% rostered; at Bears)
Miller is a matchup/volume play for deeper-league managers Sunday in Chicago. The Saints’ No. 2 running back has seen at least nine touches in each of his past four games, and he gets a Bears defense that is allowing an average of 5.7 yards per carry this season. I get that it’s not an exciting move to drop Miller into your lineup considering the limited upside, but if you need some volume at the position, Miller can at least give you that.
Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals (16.5% rostered; at Packers)
Knight split carries with Michael Carter in the Cardinals’ Week 6 loss to the Colts, carrying the ball 11 times for 34 yards. Not great. However, Knight had a rushing touchdown for the second straight game, and he has seen at least one goal-to-go carry in both. You’re taking a chance here on Knight in Sunday’s matchup with Green Bay — and betting on continued usage near the goal line.
Quarterback
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (42.7% rostered; at Broncos)
I really don’t like the matchup for Dart this week against a Broncos defense allowing only 11.6 PPG to opposing quarterbacks (second lowest). But the other available options at the position are rough, too, with Sam Darnold (26.2% rostered) at Houston and Trevor Lawrence (35.6% rostered) versus the Rams in London. So, why Dart? It’s the rushing numbers. Even if Dart produces low totals as a passer, the rookie is averaging 10 carries and 55.7 yards rushing per game over his three pro starts, plus he has run for a score in two of them. Dart will be forced to move versus a defense that can heat up the pocket. You can take a flier here on Dart.
D/ST
Carolina Panthers (17.3% rostered; at Jets)
The Panthers’ defense hasn’t produced high-level numbers this season (4.7 PPG), but this move is strictly based on the matchup versus a Jets offense that is still lacking an identity. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) is down this week, quarterback Justin Fields isn’t seeing it fast enough from the pocket, and the Carolina defense does rank in the top 10 versus the run (94.5 yards per game). Let’s go with Carolina versus the NFL’s lone winless team.