Fantasy Football: Week 6 Waiver Wire
Another week of football in the books, another week of waiver pickups! Hear the full Week 6 Waiver Wire breakdown on the podcast. You can also jump straight to the Waiver Wire segment on YouTube. A number of the waiver pickups are a result of Week 5 Injuries. Ownership percentages are taken from Yahoo.
Wide Receivers
CAR Devin Funchess (64% owned)
Week 5: 7/53/1 on 8 targets
Weeks 6-8: Phi, @Chi, @TB
Funchess was only owned in 25% of leagues last week and has since skyrocketed to 64% ownership. Expect that number to continue to rise as Cam Newton is on fire and Funchess has been the benefactor. Funchess should be owned in 100% of leagues as he leads all Carolina wide receivers in targets, receptions, touchdowns, and four yards shy of leading Kelvin Benjamin in yards. If he isn’t already owned in your league, this may be your last chance to get him. Update: You need to monitor Funchess’ status this week as he did not practice on Tuesday.
HOU Will Fuller (74% owned)
Week 5: 2/57/2 on 3 targets
Weeks 6-8: Cle, Bye, @Sea
In his only two games this season, Will Fuller has scored a pair of touchdowns in each. He showed how much of a deep threat he can be on Sunday night catching a 48-yard bomb from Deshaun Watson for a touchdown. That type of big-play ability will hopefully lead to more targets for Fuller. Too often, people will look strictly at the fantasy points generated by a player and target them on waivers first. Keep this in mind, on a night where Deshaun Watson had 261 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, he targets Will Fuller only 3 times. Fuller can demand more target share moving forward but his production is bound to regress at his current target rate.
NE Danny Amendola (63% owned)
Week 5: 7/53/1 on 8 targets
Week 6-8: @NYJ, Atl, LAC
Speaking of target volume, Danny Amendola is a target machine when healthy and on the field. He was a perfect 8 for 8 Week 5 and would have had more receptions if it weren’t for penalties. With how well Chris Hogan has been playing and the expected return of Rob Gronkowski Week 6, I’d be a little hesitant to go after him on waivers. Amendola will provide you a safe floor each week, especially in PPR formats, however.
ARI John Brown (37% owned)
Week 5: 2/26/1 on 7 targets
Weeks 6-8: TB, @LAR, Bye
As mentioned in last week’s article, there are concerns regarding John Brown’s overall health. Carson Palmer isn’t shy about targeting Brown as he has 14 targets in the past two weeks. John has only been able to haul in 5 of those 14 targets, however. He did salvage his fantasy day with a touchdown but he hasn’t done enough to show he is more than the third option for Palmer at the moment.
BAL Mike Wallace (33% owned)
Week 5: 3/133/0 on 3 targets
Weeks 6-8: Chi, @Min, Mia
Owned in 1/3 of leagues, Mike Wallace exploded for 133 receiving yards last week. He did so on just 3 receptions so this is likely an outlier game for Wallace. With Joe Flacco throwing to him, it will be hard to trust Wallace as a viable starter on your roster. He was targeted 10 times in Week 4 but only for 55 yards. If you do pick him up, just know he will be a wildcard on a weekly basis.
CLE Ricardo Louis (1% owned)
Week 5: 5/71/0 on 8 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Hou, Ten, Min
Ricardo Louis is the leading receiver in targets, receptions, and touchdowns for the Browns and yet, it only owned in 1% of leagues. I can see why his ownership is so low, however. Louis is on the Browns, we don’t know who is throwing to him at any given moment and his numbers are not appealing to roster him on your team. He has just 15 receptions and 204 yards on the season and has yet to score a touchdown through 5 weeks. He’s got some tough matchups coming up as well. I wouldn’t expect his ownership to increase by much this week or anytime soon. If there is any silver lining for Ricardo Louis, he is the only Browns receiver to play in all 5 games of the season.
Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
NYG Roger Lewis (1% owned)
Week 5: 1/29/1 on 2 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Den, Sea, Bye
Roger Lewis because, why not? Sterling Shepard is day to day, and Brandon Marshall and OBJ are out for the season. Lewis did have a touchdown last week but only 2 targets. With the Denver Broncos Week 6, Seattle Seahawks Week 7 and a bye week, I’d say it’s safe to stay away from all NYG receivers for now and possibly the rest of the season.
Running Backs
GB Aaron Jones (57% owned)
Week 5: 19/125/1 — 1/9/0 on 1 target
Weeks 6-8: @Min, NO, Bye
Aaron Jones stepped in for the injured Ty Montgomery and had the type of game the Green Bay Packers will like to see out of the running back position. In less than 2 games, Jones has 22 more rushing yards on 14 fewer attempts than Montgomery. Although this makes him an appealing option, Montgomery will still demand the bulk of the workload when he returns. If you have room to stash him, he is a great option if Montgomery were to miss more time or were to see an increase in carries as the season moves along.
MIN Jerick McKinnon (30% owned)
Week 5: 16/95/1 — 6/51/0 receiving
Weeks 6-8: GB, Bal, @Cle
McKinnon dominated the RB touches in the 2nd half of Week 5. Jason doesn’t necessarily buy into that being the case going forward, while Mike has McKinnon as his top RB pickup this week. A big chunk of his Week 5 rushing production came on a 58-yard rushing TD, which you clearly can’t expect each week. However, he did have 6 catches for 51 receiving yards on 6 targets. Running backs with 20+ touches a game aren’t easy to come by!
ARI Adrian Peterson (37% owned)
Weeks 6-8: TB, @LAR, Bye
The Saints finally realized that Peterson wasn’t a good fit. He now goes to the Cardinals, who have had little to no success running the ball this season without David Johnson. Can he get it done with a bad offensive line? Mike is a believer that Peterson could be fantasy relevant if the Cardinals are willing to feed Adrian Peterson consistently. He needs the touches to get going and wear a defense down.
WAS Rob Kelley (51% owned)
Week 5 Bye | Week 4: 7/23/0 — no targets (left early due to ankle injury)
Weeks 6-8: SF, @Phi, Dal
It’s a bit surprising to see Rob Kelley on this list. He’s only owned in about half of leagues. After a lot of analysts deemed Samaje Perine as the guy to steal the starting running back job for the Washington Redskins, Rob Kelley continues to be the lead back. Before going down with a rib injury in Week 2, Kelley was averaging 6.5 yards for 78 yards on 12 carries. The bye week could not have come at a better time for Rob Kelley as he left last week’s game with an ankle injury. Given the scarcity at the RB position, Rob Kelley would be a good addition to your team and would likely start most weeks for you depending on your running back situation.
WAS Samaje Perine (14% owned)
See Rob Kelley above.
NYJ Elijah McGuire (17% owned)
Week 5: 11/20/0 — 2/10/0 on 3 targets
Weeks 6-8: NE, @Mia, Atl
Both Elijah McGuire and Bilal Powell had amazing games in Week 4. They followed that up with duds. Powell left the game with a calf injury. McGuire went on to carry the ball 11 times for just 20 yards and no touchdowns. It will be hard to trust McGuire as the 3rd option in this backfield once Forte and Powell are back.
NYG Wayne Gallman (39% owned)
Week 5: 11/57/0 — 5/25/0 on 5 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Den, Sea, Bye
Wayne Gallman looks to be a decent enough back to get the bulk of carries in this offense. The trouble with picking Gallman up on waivers is that you will likely not use him for at least the next 3 weeks given the matchups and bye week. Defenses know the situation at wide receiver and will game plan for any run game the Giants are looking to conjure up. It is worth noting that Gallman did show some promise in the passing game last week. Shane Vereen (owned in 14% of leagues) may be worth a flyer as Eli Manning will have to get creative with his targets.
ARI Andre Ellington (56% owned)
Week 5: 1/-2/0 — 9/65/0 on 10 targets
Weeks 6-8: TB, @LAR, Bye
Let’s be honest, Andre Ellington is a wide receiver. He is somewhat of a breath of fresh air especially in PPR formats as you can plug him into your running back position and he will rack up the receptions as he has on 40 targets this season. If you are in a PPR league and Ellington is available, pick him up now. Carson Palmer loves throwing to him.
IND Marlon Mack (9% owned)
Week 5: 9/91/1 — 1/2/0 on 1 target
Weeks 6-8: @Ten, Jax, @Cin
If we have learned anything from this season, it’s that we can’t overreact to one great performance and expect it to continue into the following weeks. With that said, you can’t deny how great Marlon Mack looked in the Colts win this past Sunday. Frank Gore still out-touched Mack 14-9, however. Colts coach, Chuck Pagano has made it public that Mack has earned a bigger role in the offense moving forward. Marlon Mack is a great pickup this week and could prove to be an even better asset once this offense is back to full strength.
SF Matt Breida (7% owned)
Week 5: 10/49/0 — 3/22/0 on 5 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Was, Dal, @Phi
There’s no doubt, Matt Breida looked like the better back on Sunday. 49ers coach, Kyle Shanahan said that the increase in Breida’s workload over Carlos Hyde had nothing to do with an injured Hyde, instead, he was playing the hot hand. Expect Hyde to get the start next week but if he struggles again, we could see a change of the guard at the position with Breida as the lead back.
Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
NO Alvin Kamara (67% owned)
Week 5 Bye | Week 4: 5/25/0 — 10/71/1 on 10 targets
Weeks 6-8: Det, @GB, Chi
Ownership continues to rise for Alvin Kamara. Now that the Saints have traded Adrian Peterson to the Cardinals this will open up a ton of opportunities for Kamara. This move provides balance to this backfield and increases Kamara’s value and production. Kamara is the most targeted Saints back in the passing game and has a pair of touchdowns on the season. He had his most productive game of the season last week as he was target 10 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. He added 5 carries for 25 yards. Chances are, Kamara is owned in your league. If he is available, he is worth a good chunk of your FAAB as I see his role expanding moving forward.
Tight Ends
HOU Ryan Griffin (6% owned)
Week 5: 2/22/0 on 4 targets
Weeks 6-8: Cle, Bye, @Sea
In a sea of terrible tight ends, Ryan Griffin doesn’t provide you with an answer in your TE spot on your roster. He does, however, present a possible solution as your Week 6 tight end as he will see work vs the Browns, one of the worst defenses against the TE this season. Just three weeks ago, Griffin had 5 receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown against a bad defense in the New England Patriots. As Deshaun Watson continues to improve, so will the target quality and volume for Ryan Griffin.
TB Cameron Brate (80% owned)
Week 5: 5/68/1 on 9 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Ari, @Buf, Car
Currently the fourth best fantasy option at the position, Cameron Brate is a must-own in all leagues. The fact that he is still unowned in 20% of leagues is crazy. Production drops off after Brate so he may be your only chance at rostering a consistent producer at the position. If you don’t have Gronk, Ertz, or Kelce, you’ll want Brate in your lineup on a weekly basis. He has scored a touchdown in each of his last 3 games and his targets have increased every week.
NYJ Austin Seferian-Jenkins (28% owned)
Week 5: 6/29/1 on 8 targets
Weeks 6-8: LAC, KC, @Buf
ASJ has himself 18 targets in his first 3 games with the Jets. He is the number one option in this offense as he had twice as many targets than the most targeted WR on the team in Week 5. The benefit of being on the Jets for ASJ is that he will not have a shortage of targets as the Jets will be in a negative game script most weeks. Available in over 70% of leagues, ASJ is a top 10 option moving forward.
SF George Kittle (1% owned)
Week 5: 7/83/1 on 9 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Was, Dal, @Phi
There is no competition for Kittle in this offense. Before last week, Kittle’s best game was a 35-yard, no touchdown game. Only owned in 1% of leagues, Kittle is worth keeping an eye on as Hoyer may lean on him more after his performance in Week 5.
NO Coby Fleener (47% owned)
Week 5 Bye | Week 4: 2/21/0 on 4 targets
Weeks 6-8: Det, @GB, Chi
Coby Fleener was thought to be in the top 10 TEs before the season began. He is currently outside of the top 15. If he isn’t getting the target volume in an offense that throws a ton, he is not a great option for your fantasy team. After a decent week in Week 1, Fleener has not had a game with more than 4 targets. Believe it or not, there are better options at the position than Fleener at the moment.
NYG Evan Engram (69% owned)
Week 5: 0/0/0 on 4 targets
Weeks 6-8: @Den, Sea, Bye
Evan Engram will be closer to 100% ownership after the entire Giants WR corp vanished. Engram will likely be a top target next to Sterling Shepard (if and when he is healthy) for the rest of the season. Engram will get the volume that is necessary to produce but does have some tough matchups coming up in the next couple of weeks before the bye.
CAR Ed Dickson (6% owned)
Week 5: 5/175/0 on 5 targets
Weeks 6-8: Phi, @Chi, @TB
Ed Dickson has now strung together two consecutive weeks of production as the number one TE on the Panthers with Greg Olsen out. Dickson has been a big part of Cam Newton’s bounce-back performances in the past couple of weeks and should still see some healthy target volume moving forward. Dickson is only 6% owned but will likely be the number one waiver add at the position this week. If you are like most and are looking for consistency at tight end, Dickson could be your answer.
Editor’s Note: Check out the Week 6 QB Streamers