With bye weeks and injuries setting up weekly obstacles for fantasy owners, picking up productive players to fill out your roster is crucial to navigating the heart of the regular season. In Week 6, identifying those widely available players who can boost your lineup isn’t so obvious, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there. Here are a few players I feel can help you overcome your roster woes and piece together a victory.
* Players marked with an asterisk below can also be found in the priority waiver wire adds article referenced at the end.
Running Back
Chase Edmonds (RB, Arizona Cardinals)
Edmonds’ utility and production this week is very dependent on the status of David Johnson (back) on Sunday. If Johnson is unable to go (a realistic possibility according to head coach Kliff Kingsbury), the Cardinals’ 2018 fourth-round pick Edmonds could be in for a nice fantasy day against the Falcons’ reeling defense. Edmonds has flashed in a limited role this season with 19 carries for 127 yards (6.7ypc) and six receptions for 43 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown scamper last week. Arizona’s shaky offensive line won’t do him any favors on the ground, but Edmonds will have a safe floor if Johnson is out due to the Cardinals’ propensity for short passes. He’s a must-add for Johnson owners and crafty stash for teams looking to fill their RB or FLEX spots.
Jonathan Hilliman* (RB, New York Giants)
I’ve never claimed that streaming players from the waiver wire to fill gaps in your roster would always be pretty or easy. Honestly, I had never heard of Hilliman until this week, yet here I am suggesting that it may be a good idea to put him into your lineup. Volume is king in the land of streamers and that’s exactly what I am relying on from Hilliman on Thursday. Despite the difficult matchup against the Patriots defense, I see him getting 15+ touches with a balanced mix of rushing and receiving work. He’s not someone I’m interested in holding onto beyond this week, but you could do much worse if you need a bye week or injury replacement.
Wide Receiver
Mohamed Sanu* (WR, Atlanta Falcons)
If you’ve played fantasy football in any of the past five or six seasons, there’s a decent chance that you’ve picked up and streamed Mohamed Sanu at some point. He’s not someone you get pumped up about putting into your lineup and you probably end up dropping him a week or two later, but he’s proven himself capable of producing WR2/ FLEX-level performances on a good day. Neither defense in this game appears to be able to stop anyone and Sanu is coming off his third-straight game of double-digit PPR points. With an 81% catch rate (eighth in the NFL) and the ability to play all over the field in a Swiss Army knife role, Sanu is worth a play in your FLEX slot against the Cardinals secondary without Patrick Peterson.
Jamison Crowder/ Robby Anderson (WR, New York Jets)
The Jets offense as a whole has taken a downturn since Week 1 without Sam Darnold at the helm but should be back to full strength against the Cowboys in Week 6 (more to come on that). Head coach Adam Gase’s offenses have always peppered the slot WR position with targets and Crowder has already shown his ability to fill that role effectively with Darnold in the lineup (14 catches for 99 yards on 17 targets in Week 1). Even if Darnold takes some time to get warmed up in his first week back, Crowder should benefit as his safety blanket on short and intermediate routes. Crowder is a solid FLEX this week with WR2 upside in PPR formats while teammate Robby Anderson is more of a boom-or-bust option as the Jets’ downfield threat. Anderson’s floor isn’t as safe but all it takes is one big play to potentially win you the week.
Tight End
Chris Herndon (TE, New York Jets)
Sam Darnold isn’t the only Jets regular returning to the field this week as fellow 2018 draftee Chris Herndon is expected to make his season debut after serving a four-game suspension. Whether you’re looking for a potential season-long answer to your struggles at tight end or just a one-week replacement, Herndon is worth an add on the heels of a promising rookie season that saw him record 39 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns. He gets a nice matchup in his Week 6 return against the Cowboys (23rd vs TEs) and showed good rapport with Darnold in the red zone last season (seven receptions on nine targets, 78% catch rate). I see Herndon as a fringe-TE1 rest of season in a Jets offense that should take a step forward with a full complement of weapons.
Looking Back
Accountability is everything so here’s a quick look back at last week’s recommendations
Jaylen Samuels (RB, Pittsburgh Steelers): Samuels disappointed fantasy owners in Week 5 with three carries for two yards, three catches for 11 yards, and one pass completion for four yards with one interception. Samuels won’t have the opportunity to get back on track in the immediate future after having a knee scope that will keep him out for at least a month. Unless you are in a deep league or have an IR slot, it’s safe to drop Samuels for now and keep him on your watch list as he recovers.
Nyheim Hines (RB, Indianapolis Colts): Marlon Mack (quad) was able to heal up enough to amass 32 touches against the Chiefs, sapping much of the workload that Hines might have otherwise received in his absence. Hines didn’t do anything in limited rushing work with two carries for minus-one yard but turned in four catches for 46 yards. Game script did not turn out as expected in the Colts’ stunning road victory as heavy underdogs.
Geronimo Allison (WR, Green Bay Packers): Allison collected the second-most targets for the Packers but wasn’t able to get anything going with just two catches on six targets for 28 yards. He’s a safe drop for now but keep him on waiver wire speed dial if Adams or MVS are out of the lineup.
Auden Tate (WR, Cincinnati Bengals): It wasn’t a huge fantasy for Tate by any means, but he did haul in a touchdown along with three catches for 28 yards. A.J. Green and John Ross III will be out of the Bengals lineup for the foreseeable future so continue using Tate as a FLEX due to his volume of targets.
Gerald Everett (TE, Los Angeles Rams): Everett far exceeded expectations with seven catches on 11 targets for a career-best 136 yards. He also should have had a touchdown on a tremendous effort that was not reviewed by the Rams. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Rams passing attack but you can’t ignore Everett’s involvement the past two weeks, especially at a tight end position that’s thin on high-end talent.
Tyler Eifert (TE, Cincinnati Bengals): Eifert was unable to continue the trend of tight ends dominating the Cardinals, registering just two catches for 14 yards on four targets. There are better options out there available on the waiver wire.
Make sure to check out Matt Dean’s priority waiver wire adds article and/or podcast every Tuesday for more insight on who you should be submitting claims for heading into each Wednesday. Good luck in Week 6!
(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
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