Week 7 Fantasy Football Mailbag: Is Germie Bernard or Omar Cooper Jr. Better for the Rest of the Season?

Rookie wideouts have been the craze on the fantasy football waiver wire in recent weeks, with Germie Bernard and Omar Cooper Jr. emerging as enticing options for WR-needy teams. Bernard and Cooper are both viable additions, but if you’re stuck between them, it’s worth discussing their rest-of-season outlooks.

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In this week’s installment of our fantasy football mailbag, which questions are eating away at managers?

Note: Feel free to reach out to me on Twitterso I can answer your fantasy football questions in future articles.

All stats used in this article are from PFFor Sumer Sports unless stated otherwise. Fantasy rankings and fantasy point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.

Should Managers Target Germie Bernard or Omar Cooper Jr. as the Better Option for the Rest of the Season?

Bernard appeared in my Week 6 FAAB report as my favorite player to target on the waiver wire. The first-year WR on the Pittsburgh Steelers responded by finishing Week 6 as the WR3 in fantasy points (25.7) with 11 receptions, 87 yards, and a touchdown.

With Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson both on injured reserve for the Steelers, Bernard is primed to become a go-to target for Aaron Rodgers the rest of the season. DK Metcalf has also been extremely inefficient in 2026, making it a non-zero chance that Bernard is already the No. 1 WR in Pittsburgh.

As for Cooper, the first-round pick by the New York Jets produced a season-high 22.3 fantasy points to conclude Week 6 as the WR6. Even with Garrett Wilson operating as the Jets’ featured wideout, Cooper led the team in targets (7), receptions (6), and receiving yards (103) on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Although it’s an extremely small sample, Cooper has the seventh-most yards after the catch per reception (7.3) and most yards per route run (4.59) among WRs with five-plus targets.

Between Bernard and Cooper, Bernard would be my preferred choice for the rest of the season. Cooper has to compete for targets with Wilson, and it remains to be seen what his role looks like once Adonai Mitchell returns and if rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq gets more involved.

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Are any of the Giants Running Backs Worth Rostering?

Ahead of the New York Giants’ matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, reports surfaced that Cam Skattebo could see an altered role amid his fumbling woes this season. Skattebo failed to record a snap in the loss to the Saints, while Najee Harris, Tyrone Tracy, and Devin Singletary handled the backfield workload.

However, the Giants have since released Harris, and head coach John Harbaugh indicated that he wouldn’t rule out Skattebo being back in the mix moving forward. With all of that in mind, are any of the New York RBs worth rostering?

If I were to guess how the backfield shakes out now, it would be Skattebo getting the short-yardage role and Tracy earning the passing and third-down snaps. Even with that being the case, managers shouldn’t be clamoring to add any of the RBs on the Giants.

Regardless of who has carried the ball, the Giants are 26th in rushing EPA (-0.19) and rushing success rate (34.6%) in 2026.

Which Players Should Managers Target for the Recent Wide Receiver Injuries?

Instead of writing a novel about each notable WR who was recently injured and talking about which players to target in their absence, I’ll highlight each one and create a bulleted list of which players to prioritize on their respective teams (in order).

Davante Adams (Leaves behind a 20.2% target share, valuable red-zone role)

• Tyler Higbee
• Terrance Ferguson
• Konata Mumpfield
• Colby Parkinson

Terry McLaurin (Leaves behind a 13.2-yard aDOT, valuable downfield role)

• Antonio Williams
• Treylon Burks
• Chig Okonkwo
• Dyami Brown

Mike Evans (Leaves behind a 23.5% target share and clear No. 1 WR role on the 49ers)

• Christian Kirk
• Brandin Cooks
• Jordan Watkins
• Jacob Cowing

Hopefully everyone’s fantasy football squads enjoy plenty of success in Week 7!

This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Week 7 Fantasy Football Mailbag: Is Germie Bernard or Omar Cooper Jr. Better for the Rest of the Season?.

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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 5:36 AM.