Welcome back to my dynasty-specific waiver advice column. If last week was spicy by dynasty standards, this week is honestly a bit of a downer. However, with byes and injuries accumulating, some teams may need spot starts in relief of their fallen stars.
Some notable injuries at the wide receiver position are creating opportunities for spot starting options, including Puka Nacua’s ankle injury, Marvin Harrison Jr’s concussion, and Emeka Egbuka’s hamstring injury. I’ll walk you through how to react to these and other developing situations across the NFL.
Probably Gone, but Double Check
Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams
With stud wide receiver Puka Nacua going down with an ankle injury, the Rams are all but certain to be down a pass catcher in Week 7. While many might be trying to figure out which wide receiver will step up to help Davante Adams pick up the slack, the answer might actually be a tight end.
Tyler Higbee put up a 4-40-1 line in Week 6 and could very well be a major part of Sean McVay’s game plan next week. He’s been in this offense for a long time and has run hot in a couple of different instances in his career.
Higbee should really only be interesting to teams in need of a spot start in week 7, as the Rams’ bye comes up right after.
Waiver Adds
Tez Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Granted Tez Johnson only made a single catch in Week 6, but what a catch it was. Johnson reeled in a bomb deep down the field for a touchdown, fully extending his arms to just barely bring the ball in.
Johnson doubled his previous career high snap rate, seeing it increase from 36% to 72% after Emeka Egbuka’s hamstring injury. Considering Chris Godwin is already slated to miss Week 7, Johnson should continue to see plenty of the field.
While Johnson isn’t startable quite yet, and his playing time is murky once Chris Godwin comes back, dynasty managers should always be in the habit of making speculative adds for players in line for a big increase in playing time. By churning the bottom of the roster and buying variance whenever it appears, you can make a bunch of dice rolls in the hope somebody sticks.
All owner types with room at the end of their roster should add Johnson. It’s always advisable to add young players in line for increases in playing time.
Zay Jones, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Zay Jones wasted no time stepping up as Jacoby Brissett’s favorite target once Marvin Harrison Jr. left in the second quarter with a likely concussion. He paced the Cardinals' receiver room in snap share with a solid 79%, and he made good on that playing time with a 5-79-0 line on 8 targets.
For now, my best guess is that Harrison will miss Week 7’s matchup against the Packers, meaning Zay Jones is likely in line to be the Cardinals’ top target earner after tight end Trey McBride. Jones should only be interesting to owners in need of a spot starter.
Van Jefferson, WR, Tennessee Titans
We know who Van Jefferson is at this point, but he did pace the Titans’ pass-catching unit with 4 receptions for 75 yards. His snap share surged to 74%, easily a season-high, so he might be in line for more games as a mediocre but slightly startable option.
With Calvin Ridley suffering a hamstring injury, this amount of playing time could be a new normal for Jefferson. However, so far this passing offense has not supported a single fantasy-relevant receiver, so we need to adjust our expectations.
Jefferson could be something of a long-term depth option, particularly if Calvin Ridley is out for a long time or if he is traded. Only playoff-contending teams should be even remotely interested.
Deep League Adds
Jordan Whittington, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Whittington had one or two decent spot starts last year during Puka Nacua’s early-season injury troubles, but overall didn’t do the most with them. Still, he is the ostensible starter at WR2 for the Rams, and could be worth an add just in case he shows progress from last year.
Konata Mumpfield, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Mumpfield is a personal film favorite of mine from the 2025 draft class. While he’s not likely to get major playing time, he could present more upside than Whittington if McVay just so happens to like him more than we realize.
My long-term hope for Mumpfield is that next season he establishes himself as the WR2 on the Rams if Davante Adams doesn’t stick around. Honestly, no owner should prioritize adding Mumpfield except in the deepest leagues, but he’s more interesting as a taxi option than he was a week ago.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR, New York Giants
With Malik Nabers out for the season and Darius Slayton also dealing with an injury, Lil’Jordan Humphrey earned an eye-opening 8 targets for a resurgent Giants offense. While a 4-55 line won’t win leagues, in very deep leagues he could be worth a look.