Adam Strangis NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire
Week 5 was another tough week on the injury front and there’s pretty solid odds your team is down an important player. It’s also another week of the schedule flexing around with Covid issues. There’s still three games to be played so stay tuned for updates. For now, let’s get to work on the NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire and start to sort through the players we need to look at.
*Note* The ownership referenced will be based on Yahoo and if this needs updated after Monday and Tuesday Night Football, it certainly will be before your waivers run.
Teams on a Bye – New Orleans, Las Vegas, Seattle
Quarterback
Andy Dalton, Cowboys – 3% rostered
First and foremost, let’s all hope that Dak Prescott has a smooth recovery from his nasty leg injury. Personally, I hope he rehabs and gets paid this offseason. However, teams are going to be looking for a new quarterback. In one QB leagues, it’s not likely as pressing to find another player. Quarterback remains deep. In 2QB leagues, Dalton is going to be a prime target and he should be.
He’s not going to be Dak and the offensive line does present an issue, as it’s not that great with injuries. Dallas might try to be a little run-heavier, but their defense will not afford them that luxury. Dalton stepped in and went 9/11 for 111 yards. The Red Rifle might be the butt of some jokes, but he’s a capable player. Over 133 starts, he has a 62% completion rate and 204 touchdowns to 118 interceptions. The trio of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup might (it is) be the best receiving corps he’s worked with. That’s not even mentioning Ezekiel Elliott. Dalton is going to be very fantasy relevant the rest of the way.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins – 20% rostered
The Dolphins went to the West Coast and absolutely SMACKED the 49ers, so Fitzpatrick has quieted the calls for Tua for another week. He faces the Jets this week, who entered Week 5 ranked 22nd in passing DVOA. That was before Kyler Murray hung 380 yards on them Sunday, so that DVOA ranking didn’t get better.
For his part, Fitzpatrick went over 300 yards for the second straight week and has thrown seven touchdowns on the season. With big names like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson on bye weeks, players need a fill-in. I would prefer Dalton but FitzMagic is a very fine consolation prize.
Honorable Mention
Kirk Cousins, Vikings – 33% rostered
Cousins does draw a Falcons team that is getting torched through the air and now has faced turnover at the coach and GM positions. He’s not someone that I trust, but if you’re desperate he’s in play.
Running Back
Alexander Mattison, Vikings – 39% rostered
As of now, it’s a very thin week for the running back position. Mattison would check in as my top priority with Dalvin Cook having an injury issue on Sunday Night Football. He did return to the game momentarily but this is an injury that needs to be monitored closely. Cook is one of the best running backs in the league and in fantasy. With his injury history, this one could be an issue for longer than just a week.
Mattison would be a top-15 type back if Cook were to miss time and with no pressing priority at the position, Mattison needs picked up if you have the spot. He already has a 100-yard game under his belt and that was with Cook playing a good portion of Sunday. If we learn that Cook is hurt, Mattison is the number one priority even ahead of a certain Steelers receiver.
Chase Edmonds, Cardinals – 64% rostered
I’m making an exception to my normal rule of rostered percentage for Edmonds. He need to be rostered universally right now. He’s been targeted 23 times already and scored on Sunday, bringing his total to three on the season. Will he takeover the job outright from Kenyan Drake? Almost certainly not but Edmonds is going to be a flex option through the bye weeks and if something does happen to Drake, the ceiling is immense for Edmonds.
Honorable Mention
Justin Jackson, Chargers – 43% rostered
He hasn’t played this week yet, but he’s a great stash on your bench before Monday Night Football kicks off. With Austin Ekeler out for the foreseeable future, Jackson is going to have a role in the offense of likely double-digit touches. He should not be under 50% rostered.
J.D. McKissic, Washington – 6% rostered
This is really only for a deep PPR leagues, but he’s going to have some sort of value moving forward. He’s seen eight targets in each of the past two weeks and will likely have Alex Smith or Kyle Allen under center. Those QB’s are going to check down often and even though Antonio Gibson is better, Washington still likes McKissic. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Wide Receiver
Chase Claypool, Steelers – 16% rostered
As far as NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire goes, we’ve hit the basically unanimous number one priority. Claypool went completely and utterly bonkers on Sunday, scoring four touchdowns and recording over 100 yards. I’m going to throw a small bucket of cold water on the coming out party just to remind everyone that Diontae Johnson was injured in this game again. Claypool also has two games under 40 yards with three receptions combined in those games. You’ve missed the best game of the year, but Claypool has massive potential moving forward.
For one, he’s already had his bye week. It’s a nice bonus to not have to worry about it moving forward. Ben Roethlisberger seems to really like him and has fed perimeter receivers targets through his career. The Steelers have a great history of drafting receivers through the years and looks like they may have another massive hit on their hands. Just be slightly cautious through the next couple of weeks as we see what his role is with Johnson in the lineup.
Mecole Hardman, Chiefs – 40% rostered
Sammy Watkins came up in mid-route with an injury and never came back to the game. That’s not a good sign and it wouldn’t be a shock if he missed some time. Enter Hardman, who has speed to spare and was already pushing DeMarcus Robinson for snaps as the wide receiver three in the offense. If Watkins is out, Hardman has quite the ceiling attached to Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are always going to see the bulk of the coverage. Hardman might not be a huge PPR player, but a solid role for the Chiefs speaks for itself.
Honorable Mention
Travis Fulgham, Eagles – 1% rostered
I feel like others might chase Fulgham more than I will. He’s bounced around the league the past few weeks alone, as he Eagles are his third team since August 9th. Philly desperately needs playmakers in this offense as Zach Ertz has fallen off the face of the Earth to go along with their yearly injuries. He had 13 targets on Sunday, turning it into a 10/152/1 line. I’ll admit I don’t know what to make of this monster game. It could be something though so he is worth a pickup if other options fall through.
Brandin Cooks, Texans – 43% rostered
If you’re looking for consistency, look elsewhere but Cooks is still a greatly talented receiver and the Texans are free of Bill O’Brien. Cooks likely isn’t going to see double-digit targets often, but he doesn’t always need them. Cooks is an excellent complimentary receiver to go along with Will Fuller.
Tight End
Austin Hooper, Browns – 55% rostered
I’m definitely not clamoring for Hooper in any major way, but it’s notable how much more he’s been involved the past couple of weeks. Totaling 17 targets hasn’t turned into a ton of production yet (91 yards and a touchdown) but that qualifies at tight end this year. I’m not really of the belief that the Browns paid him the kind of money they did to see 10 targets in three games like the season started.
This could be the Covid effect front and center. Hooper and quarterback Baker Mayfield may just have needed time to get the chemistry working. Maybe they’re hanging out at book club more often now, since Baker brought all that cheese. If Hooper remains a big part of the Cleveland passing game, low-end TE1 status isn’t out of the question.
Trey Burton, Colts – 1% rostered
Burton has only been active for two games for the Colts, but he has 11 targets already. He’s far more attractive in PPR formats because he’s not a field stretching tight end. Even if he was, Philip Rivers is allergic to completing passes down the field. Burton was the talk of camp before missing the first three games on IR, and his targets have shown that wasn’t a lie. The numbers aren’t eye-popping but Burton may well be a safe bet for 10 PPR points per week at this target share.
D/ST
Washington, 7% rostered
NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire actually presents some solid options for defenses. Targeting against the Giants has been the money spot so far this year (unless you’re the Dallas defense) and Washington has cooled off since their great Week 1. They’ve also faced some really good offenses, but the Giants stop that streak. New York quarterback Daniel Jones is basically good for two turnovers a game it seems, and the Washington defense is hardly rostered at all.
New York, 1% rostered
I don’t mind the other defense in this game either. While I greatly prefer Washington, New York gets to pick on a very weak offense. Neither Kyle Allen or Alex Smith posed any threat on Sunday as the Washington offense barely cracked 100 yards from scrimmage. New York has 10 sacks and four turnovers, while they have held two of five opponents under 20 points.
Los Angeles Chargers, 37% rostered
The roster percentage is likely to drop since they are playing the Saints Monday night. LA hasn’t been wildly impressive and the injury bug has bit that side of the ball hard. However, they face the Jets in Week 6. Enough said.
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