Scott Engel is in his 11th season as the official Fantasy Football writer and analyst for Seahawks.com. He is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. Scott is a four-time FSWA award winner and a 10-time nominee, including being a finalist for the 2020 FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year Award, which he won previously. Scott was the No. 1 most accurate fantasy football draft ranker at tight end and No. 6 at running back on fantasypros.com in 2021. You can find more of his fantasy football analysis at The Game Day this season.

A very challenging week is ahead for fantasy football players, as the Bills, Eagles, Rams and Vikings are all on byes. The best way to approach the situation when top players such as Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Jalen Hurts, Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are unavailable is to embrace Pete Carroll's "Next Man Up" philosophy. Savvy fantasy players have built up good roster depth for the bye week situations, or they will make aggressive moves on the Week 7 fantasy football waiver wire to have quality lineup replacement options ready. We get you set up for another winning week with our in-depth roster guide. Players are listed in order of preference as trade targets, starting choices and waiver pickups. Analysis leans to Point Per Reception league formats.

Running Backs

-Hold onto Kenneth Walker III. Don't trade Walker unless he is part of a significant deal in which you are getting a major return that includes a top player at another position to fill a need. Last week's 110 yards from scrimmage marked the beginning of what should be a breakout stretch for the Seahawks' starting RB. Walker is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, which ranks in the top 10 in the NFL. He has good vision and balance, shows off nifty cutback and juke moves, and Walker has apparent big-play promise. He is a must-start fantasy player already. We have been spotlighting Walker for his tremendous potential since the preseason, and if you drafted him then, you should enjoy the fantasy rewards now. The Chargers present a very good matchup for Walker in Week 7, as they allow the third-most Fantasy Points Per Game to RBs.

-Trade for Travis Etienne. He has totaled 222 yards from scrimmage and appears to be emerging as a significant dual threat. Etienne is an exciting two-way performer and his star will continue to rise as the season progresses. This week, Etienne takes on the Giants, who allow the third-most rushing yards to RBs.

-Trade for Miles Sanders. Many fantasy players will be open to trading a RB who is on a bye week, and that can be a mistake if the long term outlook is not taken into consideration over a one-week need. Take advantage of fantasy players in your league who want to hastily move guys who are not active this week. Sanders rushed for his fourth TD of the season in Week 6. He is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and is running with increased authority while hitting holes quickly this season. Sanders is the clear lead RB for the NFL's third-ranked offense, and he is looking like a solid fantasy RB2.

-Start Raheem Mostert. The Steelers rank 23rd in rushing yards allowed to RBs. Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return this week, and the Dolphins should be able to open things up more on offense. Mostert can benefit from working in a balanced attack and he has the ability to take off for a big gainer at any time.

-Start Tony Pollard in Week 7. The Lions allow the second-most FFPG to RBs, and they are tied for the most rushing TDs allowed to the position (eight). Pollard averages 5.3 yards per carry and he can score from anywhere on the field. He is a fine streamer as a RB2 or flex play this week.

-Start Jeff Wilson Jr. The 49ers must count on their running game to help them control the clock and hang with the Chiefs. Kansas City ranks 28th in the NFL in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to RBs. Wilson rushed for TDs in consecutive games in Weeks 4 and 5.

-Start Brian Robinson. The rookie rushed for his first NFL TD in Week 6. He will play in his third pro game this week and Robinson may start to produce better fantasy totals as the season progresses. Washington faces Green Bay's 27th-ranked rushing defense, so Robinson is drawing a matchup that can help him post respectable fantasy totals.

-Add Latavius Murray. Now in his 10th season, Murray is a top pickup at a position where there is just not much available on the waiver wire this week. He was the leading ball carrier for Denver in Week 6, rushing for 66 yards on 15 attempts. You should add Murray for decent fantasy RB depth in case he continues to get a lot of work in the Denver backfield. He may at least share some carries going forward.

-Add Caleb Huntley. He is part of a time share in the Atlanta backfield right now, yet Huntley is a physical runner who has displayed some determination as a ball carrier. Huntley rushed for 59 yards on 16 attempts in Week 6 with a long run of 16 yards. He rushed for his first NFL TD in Week 4. Huntley made the Atlanta roster as an undrafted free agent and he can be considered for fill-in flex usage.

Wide Receivers

-Trade for DK Metcalf. He scored 17-plus fantasy points in three consecutive games from Weeks 3 through 5 and more quality fantasy outings are ahead. Metcalf naturally draws heavy attention from opposing defensive coordinators and defensive backs, but he has been targeted 37 times in the past four games and such a heavy amount of opportunities will often be converted into winning fantasy production. 

-Trade for Gabe Davis. He is on a bye week, and some who roster him may try to "sell high" on Davis because they believe a big-play WR may deal with some bouts of statistical inconsistency. Davis is averaging a monstrous 27.4 yards per catch, and while that number will normalize more over a full season, he has several more big weeks ahead as a major downfield threat in the NFL's best passing offense. 

-Start Rondale Moore. Marquise Brown is out with a foot injury and DeAndre Hopkins will be making his season debut this week after missing the first six games of the season. Moore was targeted 10 times last week and should be very busy in a matchup with the Saints. New Orleans has allowed the most FFPG to WRs over the past four weeks. 

-Start Brandon Aiyuk. For the first time in his career, Aiyuk caught two TD passes in a game in Week 6. He also had season highs in receptions (eight), targets (11) and receiving yards (83). Look for Aiyuk to build on the positive momentum against Kansas City, which ranks 28th in FFPG allowed to WRs. The Chiefs will also be heavily focused on containing Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. 

-Start Alec Pierce. We mentioned Pierce as a rookie to watch in the preseason, and he has started to make his presence known more in the last two weeks. He caught eight passes for 81 yards in Week 5 and notched the winning TD reception on a 32-yarder in a 34-27 victory over Jacksonville in Week 6. Pierce can make tough catches and he is also a downfield threat. The Titans have allowed the second-most FFPG to WRs. 

-Start Romeo Doubs. He can be a big key to getting the Green Bay passing game back on point against Washington. Doubs had a season-high nine targets in Week 6, and he has drawn eight-plus targets in three of his past four games. The Commanders rank 27th in FFPG allowed to WRs. The rookie should start to produce more for fantasy purposes as the season progresses. 

-Add Wan'Dale Robinson. The Giants rookie showed promise on a limited snap count in his return from a knee injury in Week 6. He caught three passes on four targets for 37 yards and a TD in a win over Baltimore. Now that Robinson is healthy again, the dynamic wideout could quickly become the No. 1 WR for New York over its next few games. 

-Add Chase Claypool. He had his best game of the season last week, catching seven passes on seven targets for 96 yards and a TD. Claypool looked like he was starting to develop a good rapport with Kenny Pickett and may prove to be worthy of starting consideration again when the rookie is piloting the offense.  

-Add Michael Gallup if he is cut in your league. The return of Dak Prescott should boost the fantasy appeal of Gallup again. He will function as a productive WR2 for the Cowboys in the weeks ahead with the Dallas offense under its usual guidance from Prescott. 

-Add Tyquan Thornton. The speedy rookie had two TDs from scrimmage in Week 6. He may emerge as a top complement to Jakobi Meyers in New England. Thornton adds some playmaking upside to the Patriots' passing game and he could become a significant contributor to the offense in the weeks ahead.

Quarterbacks And Tight Ends

-Start Matt Ryan if you need a streaming option in Week 7. He is coming off his best game in a Colts uniform, passing for 389 yards and three TDs against the Jaguars. The Titans are tied for the second-most passing TDs allowed to QBs with 12, and have surrendered that many in five games. Ryan should at least post respectable fantasy totals even if the Titans win the time of possession battle with their running game. 

-Start Marcus Mariota if you need another streaming alternative. He scored a season-high 24.1 points on NFL.com last week and he has rushed for 111 yards and a TD in his last two games. Mariota will always be capable of delivering adequate fantasy totals because of his rushing potential. If the matchup with the Bengals turns into a shootout, Mariota can post a quality passing/rushing stat line. 

-Add Jimmy Garoppolo and start him if a plug-in QB option is needed. He has two TD passes in each of his last two games, and Kansas City has allowed the third-most FFPG to QBs. Garoppolo will have to be good for two TD passes or more to keep the 49ers in the game against the Chiefs. 

-Add and start Robert Tonyan if you are searching for TE help. He caught 10 of 12 targets for 90 yards in Week 6. Tonyan has the established trust of Aaron Rodgers and might have signaled that he will be a more regular target for him going forward. 

-Add Daniel Bellinger. In his first NFL season, Bellinger has made notable contributions to the Giants offense. He caught his second TD pass of the season in Week 6, and also scored on a TD run in Week 5. Bellinger is showing that he may be deserving of increased targets for the rest of the season. 

-Add Greg Dulcich. The rookie caught a 39-yard TD pass in his NFL debut on Monday night. Dulcich impressed during the preseason and he can emerge as a option worthy of fantasy starting consideration in the weeks ahead. 

For more fantasy football analysis from Scott Engel, visit The Game Day for his weekly sleepers and additional waiver recommendations.