Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry

Week 7 Waiver Wire: Kimani Vidal, Harold Fannin Jr., Sam Darnold Headline Top Adds

Original Air Date: October 14, 2025

Overview

This episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour is all about navigating a tough Week 7 waiver wire, with hosts Matthew Berry, Connor Rogers, and Jay Croucher breaking down the best pickups, strategy for managing bye weeks, and analyzing the impact of recent injuries across the fantasy landscape. The discussion covers RBs (with Kimani Vidal’s emergence), WR and TE fill-ins amid the injury chaos, deep league stashes, and priority finds at quarterback—including surprising value from Sam Darnold.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap of Monday Night and Fantasy League Woes

• The hosts joke about Berry’s ongoing struggles in their show league, setting a light, self-deprecating tone.
• Quote: “Karma. Karma's a bitch. Fantasy football happy hour with Matthew Berry.” – Matthew Berry (03:37)

2. Running Back Waiver Priorities

Kimani Vidal: Top RB Add

• Situation: Emerged for Chargers after Amarian Hampton landing on IR, not Haskins.

• Performance: 18 carries, productive in passing game, scored a TD (23 fantasy points, 04:00).

• Justin Herbert’s praise: “He’s done such a great job of listening and understanding what we’re asking of him... took the most of that opportunity.” (04:21)

• FAAB Advice: Spend 25–35% if you need a RB, but Berry cautions: “... even that might not get him. He’s used in the passing game, but schedule toughens up and Hampton should return by Week 13.” (05:38–07:42)

• Cautioned as a short-term Band-Aid, not a season-saver. Compared to Woody Marks situation earlier in the year.

Tajae Spears (Tennessee)

• Now outsnapping Tony Pollard; 59% snaps, 12% target share last week (10:09).
• Context: Titans have coaching shakeup, team is volatile, but “third-down/passing downs back on a bad team often in negative game script... potential flex in deep leagues.” – Berry (12:18)
• Availability: 76% (09:22)

Bam Knight (Arizona)

• 88% available. Split work with Michael Carter, scored a TD, but in a bad offense and timeshare (13:28–14:48).
• Role: “If you need to invest in a Cardinals RB this week, he's the guy. But they have a bye coming up and may get Trey Benson back after.” – Berry (15:24)
• “Not a great deal of upside, but a reasonable backup plan if you’re desperate.” – Connor Rogers (16:15)

Deep League RB Mentions

• Tyler Allgeier, Kenneth Gainwell, Kendre Miller, Sean Tucker, Bashal Tootin, Burchard Smith mentioned as volume-dependent flyers (16:31–17:39).

3. Wide Receiver Waiver Priorities

Kendrick Bourne (SF)

• Availability: 65%
• Role: Elevated due to Niners injuries; “Has had over a 23% target share each of last two weeks. Volume gets him there.” – Berry (20:28)
• “Even with Kittle and Pearsall returning, Bourne looks like the top option this week.” – Jay Croucher (21:09; 21:33)

Josh Downs (IND)

• Availability: 51%
• “Target share creeping up—six for 42 and a TD last week. Good Chargers matchup, more of a deep league/bye week flex than a league-winner.” – Berry (23:02–24:56)
• “More floor than ceiling here, but he's settled in as a key option behind Pittman and Warren.” – Jay (24:26)

Buccaneers WRs (Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, Cameron Johnson)

• Ranked in this order for adds by Berry (25:47): “Sterling Shepard, then Tez Johnson, then Cameron Johnson.”
• Sterling Shepard: “Veteran, more chemistry with Baker Mayfield, had three games with 15%+ target share, safe floor.” (25:47–26:36)
• Tez Johnson: High route participation, more of a home-run play.
• Analysis: Excellent matchups upcoming (Lions/Saints); Lions secondary especially depleted.
• “Somebody's got to catch these passes—good week to flex Shepard or Johnson in deep PPR.” – Connor (27:20)

Deep League WRs

• Trey Tucker, Christian Kirk, Elijiah IOManor, Kayshon Boutte, Luther Burden II. “Burden with season-high targets/route share, Kirk’s slot matchup with the Seahawks is a bonus if healthy.” – Berry (28:20)

4. Tight Ends: Harold Fannin Jr. and Streaming Options

Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE)

• Uptick due to David Njoku’s injury: “Ten targets, seven catches, 81 yards in Week 6... If Njoku’s out or gets traded, Fannin’s workload looks strong.” – Berry (30:00)
• Usage Stats: 78% route participation, 90 utilization score (top 5 last week), Dolphins allow 5th most TE yards.

Other TE Mentions

• Cade Otton (TB): “Highest snap rate among TEs, now seeing a target bump with WR injuries—has history with Baker Mayfield.” – Berry (31:37)
• Michael Mayer (LV): If Brock Bowers stays out, Mayer is viable, especially with a good matchup vs. the Chiefs (32:31).
• Deep League: Mason Taylor (NYJ), Arande Gadsden (LAC), Dalton Schultz, Chig Okonkwo, Tyler Higbee.
• “Chig Okonkwo’s burst is real—change in Titans coaching could finally mean more looks.” – Jay (34:49)

5. Quarterbacks: Streaming & Bye Fill-Ins

Sam Darnold (SEA) — Top QB Stream

• Availability: 62%
• Hot Streak: Back-to-back top-10 finishes, 2+ TDs in 4/5 games, third in NFL passing yards per game (40:05).
• Coach’s Praise: “Sam’s poise, his confidence right now, the preparation… he’s doing that.” – Coach (39:23)
• “Darnold is more viable than people thought... Seattle may need to get aggressive vs. Houston.” – Berry (40:23)

Jackson Dart (DEN) — Dual-Threat Waiver Add

• 68% available
• “We are going to learn a lot about Dart—three straight weeks of 50+ rushing yards; Broncos defense best in the league limiting this type of QB.” – Jay (36:15)
• “If you have Allen/Hurts, stash Dart—he’s a borderline weekly starter.” – Berry (38:27)

Other QB Considerations

• Bo Nix slightly preferred over Dart this week due to floor (38:31).
• JJ McCarthy could be back, but not a recommended start vs. the Eagles. (43:20–43:22)
• Joe Flacco (CIN) is mentioned as a desperation play.

6. Defensive/Special Team Streams for Week 7

• Seahawks vs. Texans: “Seahawks just put up a 50% pressure rate last week.”
• Browns vs. Dolphins: Miami offense struggling.
• Bears vs. Saints: Saints’ Spencer Rattler better than expected, but Bears’ D-line in form (43:49).

7. Notable Injury Updates Affecting Waivers

• WRs: Puka Nukua, Emeka Abuka, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Joshua Palmer all status questions.
• TEs: Mark Andrews, Dalton Kincaid, George Kittle, David Njoku injuries could push streaming options to the forefront.

8. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Berry’s FAAB advice on Vidal: “I would probably spend… 25 to 35% of my fab with the idea that might not get him.” (05:38)
• On Kendrick Bourne: “Two games over 140 receiving yards… I think Kendrick Bourne is the number one pass catcher on the Niners this week.” – Jay (21:09)
• On Darnold’s Value: “Darnold is more viable than people probably thought at the beginning of the year.” – Berry (40:23)
• Connor on the state of the waiver wire: “Such a trash waiver week. It’s not the best.” (09:45)
• Berry Self-Deprecation: “I wish I was doing this show with Julio than you two a-holes…” (02:47)

Timestamps: Most Important Segments

• Opening & League Banter: 01:08–01:53
• RB Waivers (Vidal, Spears, Knight): 03:59–16:26
• Deep RB Stashes: 16:26–17:39
• WR Waivers (Bourne, Downs, Bucs’ options): 17:39–28:20
• TE Waivers (Fannin Jr., Cade Otton, Mayer, deep options): 29:42–35:11
• QB Waivers/Streams (Darnold, Dart, Nix, McCarthy): 35:38–43:22
• DEF Streaming Options: 43:49–44:21

Tone & Style

The episode remains jokey, fast-paced, and packed with small banter and fantasy “inside baseball.” Berry and crew routinely riff on each other and the sad state of the Week 7 waiver wire, grounded by practical advice for fantasy managers in tough roster spots.

Takeaways

• It’s a thin week for waivers, but Vidal is a top priority if you need a running back and can justify 25–35% of FAAB.
• WR is tricky with all the injuries: Bourne is a priority short-term add, Downs and Shepard are volume-based flexes.
• If you need a tight end, Harold Fannin Jr. (if Njoku sits) or Cade Otton are your best shots.
• At QB, Sam Darnold and Jackson Dart are the week’s top fill-ins due to surprising floor/ceiling combos.
• Context is king—be aggressive on waivers only if your record and roster require it. Many recommendations are short-term band-aids rather than season-saving solutions.

Ideal for: Fantasy managers facing injury/bye week crunches who need actionable, realistic advice and want to keep their team afloat during one of the rougher waiver periods of the season.