If you're consistently a step ahead of the competition in your fantasy football league, it can help you win a title, and this weekly piece will aim to help you stay ahead of the pack.

The goal here is to help you identify players who could be hot waiver adds down the road as well as to point out week-ahead pickups who could prove useful.

Here are some players to consider adding now and stashing on your bench for the future.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Stash Candidates for Week 7

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers

With the Los Angeles Chargers placing Gus Edwards on injured reserve, rookie Kimani Vidal was active for the first time this season in Week 6. Vidal certainly made the most out of his opportunities by turning his 6 touches into 51 scrimmage yards and a touchdown while operating as the clear backup to J.K. Dobbins.

In his debut for the Chargers, Vidal logged a 24.0% snap rate and 21.1% route rate, per NextGenStats. What is going to keep Vidal on the field is the fact he can contribute in the passing game as he hauled in both of his targets for 40 yards and a score during Sunday's win over the Denver Broncos.

Until Edwards returns to the field, Vidal appears to have the backup role secured in a run-heavy offense for the Chargers. If Dobbins were to see a dip in his production or suffer an injury, Vidal would become a valuable waiver-wire addition, so it's better to stash him on your bench now if you have the space.

Audric Estime, RB, Broncos

Coming into the 2024 campaign, Javonte Williams was propped up as the starting back for the Broncos while Jaleel McLaughlin was expected to be a dynamic backup in the backfield. However, through the first six weeks of action, Denver's rushing attack hasn't been very effective (they have the 20th-ranked schedule-adjusted rushing offense), which could lead to more of rookie Audric Estime.

In Week 6 versus the Chargers, Williams registered just 36 scrimmage yards on 9 touches with -0.46 rushing yards over expected per attempt and a woeful 16.7% rushing success rate while he also lost a fumble. On the season, both Williams and McLaughlin are producing -0.36 rushing yards over expected per attempt or worse, and neither of them have shown any consistency.

Estime missed four games following an injury he suffered in Week 1, but he was active in Week 6 despite earning only two snaps. Head coach Sean Payton iterated that he wants to see more of Estime moving forward, so we could see a shift in Denver's backfield sooner rather than later.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens

Considering that the Baltimore Ravens are a run-centric offense, Rashod Bateman is tough to trust each week in fantasy. That being said, Bateman is worth playing in certain matchups, making him worth stashing as he's only rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues.

Bateman is on the field plenty for the Ravens with the second-highest snap rate (70.2%), route rate (79.9%), target share (15.3%), and air yards share (26.0%) on the team. Additionally, Bateman leads Baltimore's skill players with a 13.9-yard average depth of target, and he's earning 2.3 downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game.

It's clear that Zay Flowers is the go-to option for Lamar Jackson in the aerial attack, but Bateman has recorded 4-plus receptions and 50-plus yards in back-to-back weeks after he tallied 4 catches for 71 yards in Week 6 versus the Washington Commanders. Besides the chance of earning more targets moving forward due to his ability to create separation, Bateman is also a stash candidate because he'd become a must-have player if Flowers or any of Baltimore's tight ends missed time.

Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos

Josh Reynolds was placed on injured reserve for the Broncos, which led to more opportunities for the young receivers on the roster in Week 6. Through the first five weeks of the season, rookie Troy Franklin had just a 22.6% snap rate, 24.3% route rate, 10.2% target share, and 19.4% air yards share in Denver's offense.

However, in Week 6, Franklin posted season-high marks in snap rate (66.0%) and route rate (61.0%) while he caught 2 of his 3 targets for 31 yards and his first career touchdown. Franklin was a fourth-round pick by the Broncos, and he's building a solid rapport with Bo Nix -- who he played with at Oregon -- again.

Aside from Courtland Sutton, Denver's offense is lacking receiving weapons for Nix, and Franklin has a chance to become the No. 2 option amid Reynolds' absence. As noted above with Estime, Payton wants to see more playing time for the young players on the Broncos, giving Franklin an even better shot at carving out a decent-sized role down the stretch.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.