Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Advice

Another week of fantasy football is in the books and for the most part we exit Week 5 without any serious injuries though owners of Eddie Lacy (ankle) and Jeremy Hill (chest) will be monitoring the practice reports this week to see if either will be ready for Week 6. In Week 6 of the NFL season we find the Vikings and Buccaneers on their bye week which will leave some fantasy owners looking to replace some key players on their roster so let’s take a look at the top players to add off the waiver wire this week.

-FAAB bids based off of $100 budget

Quarterback

Brian Hoyer, CHI- Brian Hoyer is not THIS GOOD but the results are just too hard to ignore as he has now gone three straight games with 300 + yards and two touchdowns.  He has yet to throw an interception and is completing 71 percent of his passes while averaging over 40 pass attempts per game.  Even more impressive is the cast of characters that Hoyer is working with as he has turned fantasy stars into players like Eddie Royal, Zach Miller and most recently Cameron Meredith.  Hoyer is owned in less than 20 percent of standard leagues which is likely do to the skepticism regarding his play but in Week 6 he finds himself with yet another favorable matchup against a Jaguars defense that is allowing the 7th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

FAAB Bid $10-$15

Alex Smith, KC-  Smith is coming off a strong performance against the Steelers back in Week 4 where he threw for 287 yards with two touchdowns.  In Week 6 Smith will be fresh off the bye and will get to face a Raiders defense that is allowing the third most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. The Chiefs offense is led by their running game and the expectation is that Jamal Charles will be playing a bigger role in the offense this week but that should also help the passing attack as defenses prepare for Charles who is also one of the league’s best receiving backs.  Smith is available in nearly 75 percent of standard leagues and is worth a look if you need a quarterback in Week 6.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Marcus Mariota, Ten- After a few very disappointing weeks Mariota came out and tore apart a bad Dolphins team for 163 yards and three scores through the air while adding seven carries for 60 yards and a score on the ground.  The four total touchdowns scored in Week 5 matched Mariota’s total output through the first four weeks alone.  In Week 6 the Titans will have a home game against the Browns who are currently allowing the fifth most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season and have allowed three touchdown passes in each of the last three games.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Running Back

James Starks, GB- With Eddie Lacy suffering an ankle injury on Sunday night Starks saw extended play and took 12 carries for 33 yards while adding three catches on six targets for 19 yards against the Giants.  Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that the injury to Eddie Lacy’s ankle is not considered serious however his status for Week 6 is uncertain which gives Starks fantasy value for at least one week.  In Week 6 the Packers face off against a Cowboys defense that is allowing a ridiculous 4.6 yards per carry which ranks towards the bottom of the NFL.  Starks is a must add in Week 6 and Lacy owners will want to spend up in case Lacy’s recovery is slow.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Bobby Rainey, NYG- With Shane Vereen injured the Giants turned to Bobby Rainey to take over as the team’s third down back and in that time he has now caught 13 passes on 15 targets out of the backfield as the Giants have been forced to play from behind.  In PPR leagues that level of volume is good enough to be a flex play and with his receiving ability Rainey has also seen nine carries over the past two games which he is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and at time has out produced Orleans Darkwa out of the backfield.  Rashad Jennings is expected to return soon and he will dominate the early down work but Rainey definitely has a role in this team’s offense and is worth adding.

FAAB Bid-$0-$5

Matt Asiata, Min- The Vikings may be on a bye in Week 6 but that could make it easier to snag Asiata off the waiver wire given that he won’t have any projections showing up for fantasy owners who pick up players solely off of weekly projected points.  In Week 5 Asiata carried the ball 14 times for 55 yards and a touchdown while adding three catches for 46 yards.  Jerrick McKinnon started the game strong but struggled late and with Asiata being more effective and the Vikings well ahead he began to see a bigger workload.  Asiata’s touchdown came on a goal line plunge early in the first half much to the dismay of McKinnon owners everywhere so at the very least there is touchdown upside with Asiata every week and if Minnesota is planning on using a committee between the two that upside is certainly worth owning in fantasy.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Wide Receiver

Sammie Coates, Pit- Coates should be the top added player off the wire this week as over the last two weeks it has been him and not Antonio Brown that has lead the Steelers in targets with 19 and yards with 218 while Brown has caught 13 passes to Coates’ 12 catches during this span. Brown is still the No.1 receiver in the Steelers offense and should be considered as such but it’s safe to say that Big Ben loves throwing deep to Sammie Coates and that level of production just cannot be ignored.  Coates was a popular add heading into Week 5 but his ownership levels still sit around 40 percent in standard leagues and in Week 6 he draws another favorable matchup against a Dolphins defense that just allowed Marcus Mariota to throw three touchdown passes last week and is allowing the fourth most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Cameron Meredith, Chi- Meredith is going to be a very popular player to add off of the waiver wire in Week 6 after he turned in nine catches for 130 yards and a score in Week 5 against the Colts.  Meredith was a popular sleeper in the DFS world with the assumption that Eddie Royal was hurt but Royal ended up playing and it had zero impact on Meredith as Hoyer targeted him a team high 12 times.  In Week 6 the Bears will face off against a Jaguars defense that is allowing the 9th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and with the exception of Week 3 opposing receivers have scored at least two touchdowns in every other game.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Jeremy Kerley, SF – Kerley is the 49er leading receiver and already has three games this season where he has seen at least nine targets and overall he has caught 26 of 46 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns.  All of this production has come with the inept Blaine Gabbert at quarterback but word out of San Fran is that Colin Kaepernick could find himself under center in Week 6 which should improve the overall offense under Chip Kelly as Kaepernick’s skill set is much more geared towards the offense Kelly would like to run.  Kerley is owned in under 10 percent of standard leagues and is definitely worth a speculative add given his recent production which he has caught 14 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns over the last two weeks.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Tight End

Hunter Henry, SD- By now the cat is out of the bag with Hunter Henry as he has turned in three straight productive weeks where he has caught 12-of-16 targets for 207 yards and two touchdowns.  The return of Antonio Gates did little to hinder his production as he found the end zone for the second straight week and saw just one less target than Gates.  The Chargers offense is pass heavy and it appears that there will be room for both Henry and Gates to be fantasy relevant this season.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Dwayne Allen, Ind – Allen has been a huge disappointment this season but in Week 5 he turned in his best effort of the season as he caught 6-of-6 targets for 50 yards and a touchdown.  Allen has started to again overtake Jack Doyle in the Colts offense and should have been the team’s leading tight end all along.  Allen is owned in just under 50 percent of standard leagues as owners cut bait due to his slow start but now could be your last chance to add him given how shallow the position is.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Charles Clay, BUF- Clay’s offensive involvement continued in Week 5 as he caught all five targets for 73 yards which followed up his Week 4 output where he caught 5-of-7 targets for 47 yards.  The Bills new offensive coordinator stated that he would like to see Clay more involved in the team’s passing attack and with Sammy Watkins now on IR it seems as though Clay is being targeted more often and it should make him a low end TE1 in most fantasy formats.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5