Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Targets

With Bye-Weeks now in full swing and the level of injuries starting to pile up, this week’s waiver will be very important for your squad to make it through. Some positions have been picked clean while others still hold a decent level of skill, meaning the competition to secure these players will be difficult once the wire opens. NFL trade rumors continue to swirl leaving some exciting possibilities for other players to get on the radar. Regardless on if you need to fill a position, or are looking for added depth; we have a list of players that should help in the short and long term. Let’s get to it…  

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BYE WEEK: Detroit, New Orleans   

Quarterbacks:

Jameis Winston (TB) (21%)

With Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford on the bye, many will be running to the wire to fill their quarterback needs and it should all begin with Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay themselves just enjoyed their week off and look to showcase against the Falcons who’ve become one of the league’s worst teams. Atlanta’s defense has been devastated with injury this year and hasn’t been able to stop the bleeding leaving Matt Ryan and company trying to match score-for-score. We’ve never been great supporters of Winston in the past, but coming of an extra week of preparation, you could do a lot worse than Jameis to cover you Bye-Week quarterback.

Mitchell Trubisky (CHI) (24%)

The Chicago Bears went into their bye on a high note seeing Trubisky throw a career high six touchdown passes while dismantling the Buccaneers. It’s still unclear if that was an isolated event, or if this type of execution will become the standard for this Bears offense. Obviously six touchdowns a game is the ceiling for Trubisky and that’s not what we expect, but perhaps solid consistent numbers to the tune of 250-300 pass yards and anywhere from 2-3 touchdowns a game could be on the menu. Having an upcoming contest against the Miami Dolphins this week has intriguing possibilities. The Fins can’t seem to get out of their own way creating opportunity for Mitchell to perform well again.    

Baker Mayfield (CLE) (37%)

Baker Mayfield has done good things thus far taking over as the starting quarterback for the Browns a few weeks ago. The upcoming slate of games for the Browns is so encouraging you may want to submit a claim for Baker and hold him on your bench with a glut of bye weeks approaching. From weeks six to ten, Cleveland will face opposing defenses (with exception of one) all currently ranked in the bottom five in terms of fantasy points allowed. Baker is finding his stride and should continue to grow as the Browns open up the offense generating more production. We fully expect multiple touchdown performances from Baker on more than one occasion in the next five weeks.

On the Radar:

Sam Darnold (NYJ) (7%)

Marcus Mariota (TEN) (33%)

Joe Flacco (BAL) (25%)

Running Backs:

Wendell Smallwood (PHI) (10%)

The Philadelphia Eagles running back situation is beginning to become one of the worst in the league. Losing starter Jay Ajayi to a torn ACL ultimately ending his season, Wendell Smallwood now becomes the lead dog for week six. Rumors have suggested the Eagles are actively calling around to find an answer to their problems and could find a solution before the trade deadline in a couple weeks. With Darren Sproles and Corey Clement both looking to miss this week’s contest, Smallwood will see the majority of the workload making him a viable fantasy option if you require a starting running back. His tenure might be short lived, but having a quick turnaround on Thursday Night Football, Smallwood will see a lot of work.      

Mike Davis (SEA) (20%)

The Seattle Seahawks continue to impress with their effort each and every week. Russell Wilson has once again placed this team on his back and is willing plays to happen. The other revelation that has assisted Wilson with his performance has been the play of Chris Carson and Mike Davis. Creating a running back by committee with Davis has kept the opposition off balance placing Davis on the radar to be selected off the waiver. We would like to see a couple more weeks of solid workloads and production to endorse starting Davis, but at this point, he is a must add bench stash.   

Ronald Jones II (TB) (27%)

It’s no secret that rookie Ronald Jones hasn’t seen the field much this season, but coming off the bye, Jones seems to have the coach’s interest in integrating him into this offense. Jones ran ahead of his teammate Peyton Barber early this week in practice meaning he could start this contest against the Atlanta Falcons. This could be a very good opportunity for Jones to make his presence felt against an Atlanta defense that hasn’t been able to stop much of anything these last few weeks. If you require a fill-in back this week, Jones has some potential.  

On the Radar:

Kapri Bibbs (WAS) (0%)

Ty Montgomery (GB) (18%)

Mark Walton (CIN) (5%)

Chris Ivory (BUF) (12%)

Wide Receivers:

Mohamed Sanu (ATL) (33%)

If you didn’t take the advice we provided last week on Sanu, you should be kicking yourself if your receivers under performed with Mohamed on the wire. Matt Ryan and the Falcons continue to put up good numbers as they spread the ball around to their many play makers on this offense. Playing on the road is never friendly for Matt Ryan, but returning home against divisional foe (Tampa Bay); we could again see another high scoring contest. Tampa Bay has giving up the 2^nd most to fantasy receivers and Sanu has consistently put up nearly 15 points a week for the last three weeks. It’s a no brainer to add Sanu if you need an upgrade at wide receiver.  

Christian Kirk (ARZ) (9%)

Yet another receiver we advised to snag off the waiver last week showed his ability once again scoring his first NFL touchdown. At this point Kirk would be a bench stash match up player but has fantastic upside now that Josh Rosen has taken over as the starting quarterback. Larry Fitzgerald is beginning to show his age as he struggles to get open against the top defenders in the league. The target share is moving in the direction of Kirk and Williams leaving them viable fantasy options moving forward. You would be wise to secure his services before he becomes a household name.  

Keke Coutee (HOU) (PPR) (34%)

Deshaun Watson made it clear that his trust in rookie Keke Coutee went beyond just one week. The missing aspect in this Texans pass game has always been the threat of a capable slot receiver and Keke is seemingly fitting the bill. If you chose to wait another week before securing his services, you will be in tough to get him as most should be placing claims to the talented receiver. Seeing a whopping 22 targets in the last two weeks, there is nothing to suggest that Coutee won’t continue down that path. His value in PPR formats will be off the charts if he can deliver again this week. With a 34% ownership rate, you could get lucky enough to snag Keke off the wire.   

Tre’Quan Smith (NO) (2%)

Throughout the offseason we at ADF have been singing the praises of the Saints rookie Tre’Quan Smith but have been patently waiting for coach Payton to remove the shackles. Last night on a historic Monday Night Football contest which saw Drew Brees break the all-time passing yards mark, Smith found his way to hauling in 3 receptions for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns on 3 targets. While his stat line looks impressive from fantasy production, his target share was underwhelming to say the least. Moving forward, Smith should be considered as a full time bench stash as a wait and see player. The talent is there which isn’t the question, but rather the usage in this offense as the Saints enter the bye. Absolutely in deeper leagues Smith is a must add, but could be a steal if you select him early to house on your bench if you have the room.

On the Radar:

Chris Godwin (39%)

Taylor Gabriel (CHI) (19%)

David Moore (SEA) (0%)

Robby Anderson (NYJ) (35%)

Antonio Callaway (CLE) (27%)

Tight-Ends:

Cameron Brate (TB) (33%)

The tight-end position has been a complete disaster this season with terrible performances lining most fantasy teams. If you require an upgrade entering week six, the Bucs Cameron Brate should most definitely be on your mind. Going up against the Falcons, who can’t seem to stop a cold right now on defense, and with OJ Howard still recovering from his knee injury, Brate holds great potential to be a high earner this week. Like most fantasy owners looking for more points generated from the tight-end position, Cameron should be a top waiver priority this week.  

CJ Uzomah (CIN) (25%)

Last week we suggested Tyler Kroft would be the next man up to replace the injured Tyler Eifert, but he himself suffered an injury that forced him out of the contest leaving Uzomah the main benefactor. Moving ahead this week, C.J will be planted as the starting tight-end for the Bengals as they travel to Pittsburgh to face off against the Steelers who give up the most points to players at the position. While productivity could be high, we caution his target share while only seeing two from Sunday. It’s very possible the Bengals proved a few more opportunities to get Uzomah more involved, but at this point it could a another dart throw to a position which has underwhelmed this season.  

Niles Paul (JAX) (0%)

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team that no one can trust on offense at this point, but losing their starting tight-end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to injury last week, Niles Paul becomes the next man up. Blake Bortles continues to prove he is perhaps the most inconsistent quarterback in the league but Niles Paul saw a whopping 9 targets once he entered the contest. Paul has always been an athletic player with good ability but a long injury history has always been the issue. It’s unclear how the offense will perform moving forward, but Niles Paul has definite appeal now as the Jaguars starting tight-end.   

On the Radar:

Hayden Hurst (BAL) (7%)

Ryan Griffin (HOU) (1%)

Mike Gesicki (MIA) (4%)

Dallas Goedert (PHI) (13%)

Best Week 6 Defensive Streams:

Seattle Seahawks (22%) – Playing Oakland  

Dallas Cowboys (16%) – Playing Jacksonville

New York Jets (22%) – Playing Indianapolis

Green Bay Packers (53%) – Playing San Francisco