The Must Stash: Week 6

Eli Grabanski looks at some deep sleepers to stash before Week 6's games.

Eli Grabanski
Going Deep 3 Years Ago

Every week 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 rostered in under 20% of leagues 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 Rondale Moore (47.7% on ESPN), Trey Lance (27.1% on ESPN), and Damien Williams (61.4% on ESPN) are on the waiver wire, you’re either in a league too shallow for stashing, or you should go pick those guys 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. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

 

Week 5 Review

 

  • Khalil Herbert (RB, Chicago Bears): Khalil Herbert had a strong day against the Las Vegas Raiders where he had 18 carries for 75 rushing yards. He’s now rostered in over 20% of leagues on Yahoo, so he is no longer eligible for the Must Stash.
  • Jeremy McNichols (RB, Tennessee Titans): Jeremy McNichols carried the ball once for nine rushing yards and caught two passes for 26 receiving yards this past week. If you are playing the handcuff lottery, McNichols is an option each week, but if you need to drop someone for a waiver pickup feel free to drop McNichols.
  • Taylor Heinicke (QB, Washington Football Team): Taylor Heinicke didn’t have the best game against the New Orleans Saints, completing 20 passes of 41 pass attempts for 248 passing yards (two interceptions) through the air and carrying the ball five times for 40 rushing yards on the ground. But with BYE weeks starting to kick in and injuries piling up, he’s found his way to being rostered in over 20% of fantasy leagues on ESPN and Yahoo and is no longer eligible for the ‘Must Stash’.
  • Brandon Bolden (RB, New England Patriots): Brandon Bolden carried the ball twice for 25 rushing yards and caught four passes for six receiving yards against the Houston Texans this past week. He may have a role as the pass-catching back on the Patriots, but it is important to note that both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson saw more touches than Bolden last week.
  • Tyrod Taylor (QB, Houston Texans): Tyrod Taylor is not quite ready to return yet this week as he needs a little more time to recover from his hamstring injury. Keep an eye on him on the waiver wire or stash him on your injured reserve if you need QB help.
  • There was a brief mention of Kadarius Toney in the tweet at the end of the article, but after his phenomenal 10 receptions on 13 targets for 189 receiving yards game against the Dallas Cowboys, I really wish I gave him a full write up on the Must Stash last week.

The Must Stash

 

Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, Washington Football Team (7.1% on ESPN, 13% on Yahoo)

Ricky Seals-Jones gets a promotion from the ‘Deep Cuts’ section to the ‘Must Stash’ this week. Seals-Jones has seen a larger workload since Logan Thomas was injured and placed on injured reserve. In Week 4, Seals-Jones caught two passes on four targets for 19 receiving yards, and he followed it up with another nice performance in Week 5 where he caught five passes on eight targets for 41 receiving yards. With Thomas on injured reserve for at least two more weeks, Ricky Seals-Jones should continue to see more opportunities in Scott Turner’s TE-friendly offense. Given the state of the tight end position in fantasy right now, Seals-Jones is worth a shot if you need help at the position.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots (6.5% on ESPN, 9% on Yahoo)

It feels like each week with the ‘Must Stash’ we are playing musical chairs with the inclusion of one of the New England Patriots running backs. Last week it was Brandon Bolden. This week it is Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson has appeared on the ‘Must Stash’ before after the James White injury but didn’t see any usage so we took him off. This week that changed with Rhamondre Stevenson taking 11 carries for 23 rushing yards against the Houston Texans. While it certainly would be nice to see him be more efficient, the workload is encouraging and suggests that he may have more of a role as the season goes on. In addition, there are some rumors floating around that Damien Harris may miss Week 6 which means that Stevenson could have a bell-cow workload as early as this week. If you are hurting at running back and want someone who may have some upside later this season, Stevenson is looking like a decent lottery ticket in deeper leagues.

Jerick McKinnon, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (2.2% on ESPN, 8% on Yahoo)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire went down against the Buffalo Bills with an MCL sprain and is expected to be out for a few weeks. While Darrel Williams is expected to be the primary back now, Jerick McKinnon may also have an increased workload – particularly in the passing game. Given many of the top handcuffs are likely already rostered in your fantasy leagues and the waiver wire is pretty thin at this point of the year, it may be worth it to utilize one of your last bench spots on Jerick McKinnon who plays in one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL.

Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks (2.7% on ESPN, 6% on Yahoo)

Chris Carson has dealt with a variety of injuries over the course of his career, and missed Week 5’s Thursday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams with an injury. Given we recently found out that Chris Carson has a chronic long-term neck injury, we could see even more time missed due to injuries in the future for Carson. That makes it even more important to roster the Seattle Seahawks’ primary backup running back. While Alex Collins filled in last week and had a solid performance, former 1st round pick Rashaad Penny is nearing a return and may even be ready to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6 according to Pete Carroll. If Rashaad Penny is healthy (big if), he will be one of the better handcuffs to roster for the rest of the season that is available on most league waiver wires.

David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns (9.4% on ESPN, 15% on Yahoo)

David Njoku tore up the Los Angeles Chargers this past week as he caught seven passes on seven targets for 149 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. The former 1st round pick is still just 25 years old and might finally be breaking out for real on a Browns team that is desperate for downfield threats. Given the Browns’ utilization of the tight end position in the passing game, he’s worth a speculatory add in the hopes that you catch lightning in a bottle for the 2nd half of the season.

Deep Cuts

 

(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)

Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)

 

Benny Snell Jr., RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.8% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): Benny Snell took five carries for 20 rushing yards against the Denver Broncos last week. If Najee Harris ends up missing time at any point this year, it’s likely Snell would step into the role as the lead back.

 

James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (1.2% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): James Washington has been a solid receiver over the course of his career and will have an increased role with JuJu Smith-Schuster out for the year. Last week he caught four passes on five targets for 69 receiving yards, so there may be some fantasy value here.

 

Quez Watkins, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (2% on Yahoo, 2.4% on ESPN): Quez Watkins has been getting more involved in the offense over the past few weeks and saw a season-high 82% of the offensive snaps in Week 5. He was a training camp standout this offseason, so with the increasing workload, he could find himself being fantasy-relevant this season.

 

Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots (2% on Yahoo, 2.3% on ESPN): Kendrick Bourne had a nice game in Week 3 where he had six receptions on eight targets for 96 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, and then followed it up with five catches on five targets for 58 receiving yards in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 5 against the Houston Texans, he had three receptions on three targets for 26 receiving yards. He seems to be getting involved in this offense.

 

J.J. Taylor, RB, New England Patriots (0% on Yahoo, 0.7% on ESPN): When the Patriots lost James White to a serious hip injury, it opened up some playing time opportunities for some of the other Patriots’ backs. While he’s pretty small, Taylor is worth consideration in deeper leagues.

 

Jaret Patterson, RB, Washington Football Team (1% on Yahoo, 0.9% on ESPN): Jaret Patterson carried the ball four times for 13 rushing yards in Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints. If Antonio Gibson were to miss time, Patterson would have an opportunity to be fantasy-relevant.

 

DeAndre Carter, WR, Washington Football Team (1% on Yahoo, 0.3% on ESPN): DeAndre Carter caught four passes on eight targets for 62 receiving yards through the air and took one carry for 11 rushing yards on the ground against the New Orleans Saints. Given Curtis Samuel is week-to-week, Carter may have more opportunities in the coming weeks.

 

Chris Moore, WR, Houston Texans (1% on Yahoo, 0.6% on ESPN): In Week 5 against the New England Patriots we saw Chris Moore catch five passes for 109 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

 

ESPN/Yahoo Only

 

Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Indianapolis Colts (1% on ESPN, 5% on Yahoo): Mo Alie-Cox caught three passes on five targets for 42 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. In Week 5, he followed it up with three receptions on four targets for 50 receiving yards. The Colts’ primary pass-catching tight end will always have some sleeper potential on a week-to-week basis as long as Frank Reich is calling the plays, so keep an eye on Alie-Cox.

 

 

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 (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)

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