Every Friday I will list some players who I think, if things go their way, will wind up in those waiver articles the following Tuesday. You don’t have to stash all of them – it depends on who you have on your roster, the depth of your benches, the scoring system of your league, etc. But these are guys that should at least be on your radar.

Stashing players is only something that can occur in deeper leagues with large benches, so to make this information worthwhile, I will only be recommending guys that are under 20% owned on both Yahoo and ESPN, and in many cases, you’ll see percentages in the single digits. If you’re in a league where guys like James Robinson (92% on Yahoo, 96.5% on ESPN), Joshua Kelley (63% on Yahoo, 66.4% on ESPN), or Laviska Shenault (40% on Yahoo, 39.1% on ESPN) are on the waiver wire, you’re either in a league too shallow for stashing, or you should go pick them up right away.

In addition, for those of you in really deep leagues (16+ teams), we will also include some deep cut players that are rostered in less than 3% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN in a section at the end to try and give you the best chance of winning your fantasy league.

Week 1 was a success where we advised you to pick up Joshua Kelley, Laviska Shenault, and Jerick McKinnon. Week 2 wasn’t quite as successful in finding huge steals, but still pretty good as Corey Davis, Myles Gaskin, Logan Thomas, and Tre’Quan Smith showed that they are rosterable. Week 3 and 4 were less successful but had a few solid waiver suggestions such as Jeff Wilson, Mo Alie-Cox, and Hunter Renfrow. Week 5 we told you to pick up Trey Burton who once again led the Indianapolis Colts tight ends in targets, routes run, and receptions. Who made the list(s) this week? Let’s dive in!

 

The Must Stash

 

La’Mical Perine, RB, New York Jets (9% on Yahoo, 5.7% on ESPN)

 

The Jets released star running back Le’Veon Bell this week, meaning that for the foreseeable future the Jets will have to lean on their other backs. While many fantasy players are going to pick up the ageless wonder, Frank Gore, it’s not a bad idea to also take a strong look at the Jets fourth-round rookie running back, La’Mical Perine. Through the first five games of the NFL season, Perine has taken 15 carries for 56 rushing yards (3.7 YPC). While this isn’t particularly efficient, it is better than what Frank Gore has done so far this year. Take a look below. 

 

 

As you can see from the table above, Frank Gore is only averaging 3.2 yards per carry. If Gore’s inefficiency continues, it provides an opportunity to Perine to gain a larger role and potentially become the Jets bell-cow running back. While it may not happen immediately, he should gradually take on a larger role each week and that makes him a fantastic player to stash with one of your final bench spots.

 

Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks (4% on Yahoo, 2.2% on ESPN)

 

Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks (3% on Yahoo, 2.1% on ESPN): After many weeks of being on the ‘Deep Cuts’ list, Rashaad Penny has finally gotten a promotion to ‘The Must Stash’ since he’s closer to returning from the PUP list. Penny is ahead of schedule in his recovery and should be back around week 8 or so. Given Penny’s previous effectiveness, Chris Carson’s injury-proneness, and Penny’s first-round pedigree, he’s worth a hold as one of the most valuable handcuffs in the league. 

 

 

In addition, for you folks in keeper or dynasty leagues Seahawks lead running back Chris Carson is a free agent at the end of the season and means that Penny could be in line for a bigger role in 2021.

 

Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (14% on Yahoo, 10.8% on ESPN)

 

The 2020 rookie wide receiver class has been balling out so far this year, with CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Justin Jefferson, Tee Higgins, Brandon Aiyuk, Henry Ruggs, and Laviska Shenault all being fantasy relevant wide receivers. We should get ready to add another rookie wide receiver to this list, the Philadelphia Eagles first-round draft choice Jalen Reagor. Looking at his draft profile, the big strengths of Reagor’s profile were his speed, vertical receiving ability, and ability to change directions.

These abilities were on full display in the first two weeks of his NFL career catching five passes for 96 receiving yards before his season got derailed by a torn UCL in this thumb. He’s eligible to return from injured reserve next week (week 7). While the Eagles may opt to wait until after their bye week and have Reagor return week 9, now is a great time to roster this high upside receiver if you have an open bench spot.

 

Denzel Mims, WR, New York Jets (3% on Yahoo, 3.9% on ESPN)

 

For the second week in a row, we feature Denzel Mims on this list. Mims was getting some looks in the offseason as a potential fantasy football sleeper, but a preseason injury stopped that hype train from getting out of the station. Finally returning from the injured reserve, Mims will have an opportunity to reignite that excitement against the Miami Dolphins.

The second-round pick is an athletic freak who ran a 4.38 forty yard dash (96th percentile) at the NFL combine, has an insane catch radius that ranks in the 96th percentile, and possesses high speed (96th percentile) and burst scores (90th percentile). In his draft profile, he was touted for his strong hands, contested-catch ability, and vertical receiving skills. Based on these abilities, Mims will have a very high ceiling in the NFL. It’s just a matter of when he hits it.

It could be sooner rather than later. Mims may see his path to fantasy relevance accelerated with the New York Jets lack of pass-threats. Outside of Jamison Crowder, the Jets have struggled at wide receiver and tight end. Mims has the talent and will have the opportunity to break out, which makes him worthy of this list.

 

Trey Burton, TE, Indianapolis Colts (7% on Yahoo, 1.8% on ESPN)

 

After many weeks of being one of the top players on the ‘Deep Cuts’ list, Trey Burton finally got promoted to the ‘Must Stash’ last week. As I’ve touched on in the previous weeks of this series, Burton has been worth keeping an eye on based on Frank Reich and Philip Rivers‘s past history of utilizing the tight-end position. In the 101 games that Colts head coach Frank Reich has been either an offensive coordinator or head coach, his tight end room has averaged 9.64 targets, 71 receiving yards, and 0.70 receiving touchdowns per game. In addition to Frank Reich’s offense being very TE friendly, quarterback Philip Rivers targeted his tight ends an NFL-high 36.3% of the time from 2014-19.

 

The primary pass-catching TE in #Colts Frank Reich's offense is a must-roster in fantasy football

Over 101 games as an OC/HC, Reich's TE room has averaged: 9.64 targets, 70.99 receiving yards, and 0.70 receiving touchdowns per game.

Pick up Trey Burton! https://t.co/8vm2niLtI0

— Eli G (@3li_handles) October 12, 2020

 

In addition since returning to the field in week 4, Burton has run the most routes, gotten the most targets, and led the Colts tight ends in receiving yards. If you are interested in a more detailed breakdown of why Trey Burton is a strong pickup in your fantasy football league, check out this ‘Going Deep’ piece on him.

 

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Deep Cuts

 

(Less Than 3% owned in ESPN and Yahoo)

 

Anthony McFarland, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (3% on Yahoo, 2.1% on ESPN): The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back, Anthony McFarland, has gotten some work the last two weeks taking nine carries for 48 rushing yards. Given James Conner‘s extensive injury history and the uncertainty of how much of a hold Benny Snell has on the backup running back job after McFarland’s performances, there’s a very real possibility that McFarland could potentially see lead back carries at some point this year. He’s one of the best boom/bust lottery tickets that you can still find available on a majority of waiver wires. 

 

Royce Freeman, RB, Denver Broncos (2% on Yahoo, 1.6% on ESPN): Melvin Gordon recently got a DUI and may be suspended for a few games by the team or the league. While Phillip Lindsay will be the primary beneficiary, don’t forget about Royce Freeman. Freeman was one of fourteen NFL players who met the criteria of ‘The Mixon Formula‘ this season and is one of the best backup/third-string running backs in the league. ‘Rolls’ Royce Freeman will be a sneaky fantasy play if Gordon is out.

 

Nelson Agholor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (2% on Yahoo, 2.1% on ESPN): 231 players have been targeted at least eight times in the 2020 NFL season so far. Of those 231 players, Nelson Agholor is the only player who has netted a perfect passer rating when targeted. For this reason, it is necessary to mention the former first-round pick in the ‘Deep Cuts’ list and for fantasy owners to keep a close eye on him.

 

K.J. Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos (2% on Yahoo, 2% on ESPN): K.J. Hamler had his hype train derailed after he suffered a hamstring injury in week 4. While his talent makes him a player worth monitoring, it might be a while before he’s fully healthy and can maximize his opportunity with the team.

 

Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears (1% on Yahoo, 1.2% on ESPN): The Bears 5th round pick Darnell Mooney has been playing pretty well in his first five NFL games, catching 15 passes on 25 targets for 160 yards and a touchdown. The Bears decision to start quarterback Nick Foles seems to be helping Mooney take another step and he could become an occasional FLEX play/decent bench piece for fantasy players down the line.

 

Andy Isabella, WR, Arizona Cardinals (3% on Yahoo, 1% on ESPN): The Cardinals wide receivers are heavily utilized in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Because of this, one wide receiver worth monitoring on the waiver wire is former third-round pick Andy Isabella. Isabella has legit 4.31 forty-yard speed and if any of DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, or Christian Kirk miss any time Isabella would be in a position to be a FLEX caliber player.

 

Tyler Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0% on Yahoo, 0.5% on ESPN): Tyler Johnson had a great game against the Chicago Bears, catching four passes on six targets for 61 receiving yards. The Buccaneers are a very pass-happy team, and if Johnson can jump Scotty Miller on the depth chart he could be a solid streaming option this year.

 

Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens (3% on Yahoo, 1.5% on ESPN): Throughout his three-year NFL career, Gus Edwards has been consistently solid, averaging 5.3 YPC on 304 carries. While the Baltimore Ravens backfield situation is crowded between himself, J.K. Dobbins, and Mark Ingram, if either of Ingram or Dobbins misses time Edwards will have value in Baltimore’s run-heavy offense. 

 

Dontrell Hilliard, RB, Cleveland Browns (0% on Yahoo, 0.2% on ESPN): While D’Ernest Johnson has jumped in as the number two running option on the Cleveland Browns with star running back Nick Chubb out, Hilliard is worth monitoring as well. Kareem Hunt has been limited in practice with a thigh injury and if he ends up missing any time, Johnson and Hilliard will be solid plays in the Cleveland Browns rushing attack.

 

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (1% on Yahoo, 1% on ESPN): Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz has had a rough start, throwing only six touchdowns to nine interceptions through the first five weeks of the NFL season. Doug Pederson has stated that Carson Wentz’s starting job is not in trouble, but keep in mind that the team did use a second-round pick on Jalen Hurts in the 2020 NFL draft. Given this information as well as Jalen Hurts’ strong rushing ability in college producing 10.96 rushing attempts, 58.46 rushing yards, and 0.77 rushing touchdowns, he could be an intriguing fantasy option if Wentz’s struggles continue.

 

That’s it for week 6. Feel free to weigh in and mention any players you believe should be on this list.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)