Another week of surprises on the gridiron leading to a bunch of interesting pickup options for Week 6 action. A receiver in Dallas took advantage of injury. At running back we had a veteran finally get the rock an excel, while a couple of younger folks are trying to prove to their coaching staffs that they deserve to be a bigger part of the game plan each week. Under center we lost one of the most dynamic options in football to a hamstring injury so the question now becomes how long with the youngster in Philly have controls of that high octane offense? That's only a smattering of the players I'll break down in my weekly free agent piece for Rotoinfo.com.

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BYE: Atlanta, Miami

FAAB THOUGHTS (Assuming a $100 Budget)

QUARTERBACK

Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins
He hasn't been great,but his average of 19.9 points a game is better than the marks of guys like Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton and Colin Kapernick. Ryan's still a QB2, there's not going to be a statistical breakout this year, but he's thrown at least 34 passes each game this season and he's starting to flash his athleticism more and more. Maybe folks will overlook him this week because MIA is a on a bye.
FAAB BID: $5-10

Nick Foles, Eagles
The big add at the position this week, Foles will run the ship for the Eagles until Michael Vick (hamstring) returns. Make no mistake, no matter what nonsense you hear out of Philadelphia, Vick will be the starter when he's healthy. That's what happens when you lead a team to 1,300 net passing yards and 900 rushing yards through five games to become the first team in league history to accomplish that. Foles looked sharp in Week 5 tossing the pigskin for 197 yards and two scores but realize that was against the 0-5 Giants. Foles has a big arm but it remains to be seen how this offense would move, long-term, if Vick were out as they would clearly have to change the game calling to suit the offense more to Foles talents which, again, are not the same as Vick's no matter what nonsense you hear from Philly.
FAAB BID: $10-15

RUNNING BACK

Donald Brown, Colts
Trent Richardson is supposed to be a RB1. He's not performing like it. In three games with the Colts he's averaging 3.0 YPC. Terrible. Still, with Ahmad Bradshaw (neck) out an potentially going to miss the rest of the season, this is Richardson's backfield. TRich has scored twice in those three games with the Colts, and the last two weeks he's averaged 19 carries a game. It's not his fault that he's faced MIA, BAL, SF and SEA – some stout defenses. Any runner would struggle with that lineup of opponents. Brown will get some work, but the key word is “some.” The last two weeks he's totaled nine carries and four catches. Don't believe talk that he'll receive an increased workload. He's merely a handcuff for Richardson.
FAAB BID: $5

Andre Ellington,Cardinals
I wrote about him in my Week 5 column. Hopefully you added him last week cause his role continues to grow (30 snaps, four receptions for 52 yards and 31 additional yards on the ground).
FAAB BID: $15-20

Marcel Reece, Raiders
The Raiders are saying that they don't believe the hamstring injury suffered by Rashad Jennings is anything major, but he didn't play at all in the second half against the Chargers. DMC is likely out for Week 6 which means we could see a lot of Reese and Jeremy Stewart if Jennings can't go. Last season when DMC was down Reece stepped up big time and was a top-10 RB in a PPR setup with an average of 16.4 points per game from Weeks 10-13. He's a solid runner and he's obviously got the ability to be a big time asset in running routes and hauling in passes. With Jennings/DMC not likely to miss much more time though, temper the spending on Reese.
FAAB BID: $10-15

Brandon Jacobs/Da'Rel Scott, Giants
The Giants re-signed Scott because it seems rather unlikely that David Wilson will be able to go Thursday (thanks again NFL for those dumb Thursday night games. Wilson, by the by, has a neck issue that has left him with some tingling which is why he's off for more testing Tuesday. I have no inside information but that sounds like something that could keep him out for a few weeks, no?). Scott was released because he isn't a very good back. Jacobs? I'm not even going to break down his outlook as it's painfully obvious where he is at. Don't waste your time here. The only reason to add Scott or Jacobs is if you own Jacquizz Rodgers and Lamar Miller. In the file it away department... Andre Brown (broken leg) is also targeting a Week 10 return.
FAAB BID for Scott: $5
FAAB BID for Jacobs: $1-3

Zac Stacy, Rams
The Rams don't really know what's going on in their backfield, and they've run the ball for an average of 66.4 yards per game this season, the 4th worst mark in football. Maybe that will change with Stacy. Here is what HC Jeff Fisher had to say after Week 5. "He'll probably start the game off...Would've liked to see him get more carries.” Stacy missed some action in Week 5 cause of a rib issue, but the team says he will be fine for Week 6. He carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards and looked solid while doing it. Still, it was against Jacksonville, an as I noted it's not like the Rams have run the ball effectively this season. There are also three other guys – Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead and Benny Cunningham – in the mix, so it would be wise not to go all in with Stacy, though he is the best option at RB this week.
FAAB BID: $20-25.

Pierre Thomas, Saints
I've said this for three years now – the most complete running back the Saints have is Thomas. With Mark Ingram continuing to battle a foot injury, Thomas is starting to see more work in the Saints non-traditional offense. After 29 carries and 19 catches through four games he was unleashed on the Bears carrying the rock 19 times while catching all nine of his targets on his way to two scores. Still, he's averaging 2.9 YPC this season, Ingram will be back at some point, and Darren Sproles likely won't have another game as bad as Week 5 the rest of the season. Thomas is a great addition, but don't think workloads like Week 5 are going to be the norm.
FAAB BID: $15-20.

WIDE RECEIVER

Keenan Allen/Vincent Brown, Chargers
Philip Rivers continues to put up yards and that makes these two worthy of a look. Allen is a talented rookie from CAL. He's a bit limited, he's not really fast enough to stretch the field, but the young fellas got talent. With Malcolm Floyd (neck) done for the year, Allen has seen 15 targets leading to 11 receptions and 195 yards the past two weeks (plus a score). The last two weeks Brown has seen nine targets each time leading to 15 receptions, and that will play in any PPR league. He's merely averaging 9.0 yards per catch this season, has only one score and just one game with more than 45 yards receiving, so he's really only worth a look as a depth add in PPR setups.
FAAB BID for Allen:$15-20
FAAB BID for Brown:$10-15

Justin Blackmon, Jaguars
I don't know how he's on waivers, but based on questions I've been getting it sounds like he is (stop playing in those 10 team leagues folks). Blackmon will be a weekly play in leagues that start three wideouts, and he has the talent and role that could make him a weekly starter in two wideout leagues as well, especially with Chad Henne under center. If you need WR help Blackmon is someone you need to get.
FAAB BID: $30-35

Jeremy Kerley, Jets
He's gone for 65 yards each of the past two games, but he's not a high volume or high end talent in the Jets offense. He can get you 10-13 points a week in PPR setups, but he's barely averaged 50 yards receiving over his last 20 games and he's only scored four times in 34 games. Still, with Santonio Holmes on the shelf... someone has to catch the ball for the Jets.
FAAB BID: $10

Austin Pettis, Rams
He only has one game with more than five catches and he hasn't recorded 80 yards in a game this season. Still, the dude has scored four times the past three weeks and he's caught at least five balls in each game. He's not likely to see a significant catch or yardage boost making his fantasy value pretty much touchdown dependent, but at this point it's patently obvious that in the red zone Sam Bradford looks for #18. Only suited suited for leagues that start three wide receivers.
FAAB BID: $10-15

Terrance Williams, Cowboys
When your QB throws for 500 yards you have success. Obviously that won't happen each week. There's also the fact that the rather raw rookie didn't have to battle with Miles Austin for snaps since the vet was down with a hamstring injury. It's certainly fair to point out that Austin's issue seems chronic at this point meaning Williams could see the field a whole lot the rest of the way, but to keep things real read the following. (1) Rookie wideouts are rarely consistent from week-to-week. (2) Austin will have a significant role when healthy. (3) Williams only saw four targets in Week 5 and his touchdown was aided by some poor defensive play. In deep leagues that start three wideouts Williams is still worth an add.
FAAB BID: $10-15

TIGHT END

Garrett Graham, Texans
The Texans will be without the services of Owen Daniels for the next 4-6 weeks after it was revealed that he has a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula. Given that Matt Schaub loves to throw to his tight ends, especially at the goaline, you would likely be in a pretty good spot if you scooped up Graham off waivers. Don't go nuts though as his value is pretty much end zone dependent as Garrett's yet to be targeted more than six times in a game and has only gone over 30 yards once this season. Still he has scored three times and will likely continue to see work down in the red zone with Daniels out of the mix.
FAAB BID: $10-15
 

Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Thursday at 7 PM EDT & Friday's at 9 PM EDT. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answers everyone's questions.