Week 6 is now in the books, and so too, is about half of your fantasy football season. Hopefully you have stuck with us to this point and hopefully you have heeded my good advice (and ignored my not so good advice). Either way, we are back for Week 7, helping you sift through the waiver wire rubble.
NOTE: All ‘Percent Rostered’ stats are based off ESPN.com fantasy leagues
Quarterbacks:
If you are looking for a quarterback – short term or long term – you are in luck. There are still plenty of quarterbacks out there who can contribute for a week (or more).
Matthew Stafford, QB, Det:
Percent Rostered: 49.6%
Stats thru Week 6: 1,387 yds, 9 TD, 2 INT
We start exactly where we started last week, with Matthew Stafford. It still amazes me that he is available in more than 50% of leagues. He isn’t having a huge season, but he is still on pace for about 4,000 yards, 30 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions – those are good numbers for a starting fantasy football quarterback folks. If you need a quarterback, Stafford should be the first guy you look for on the waiver wire.
Sam Darnold, QB, NYJ:
Percent Rostered: 7.9%
Stats thru Week 6: 513 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Darnold looked great in his first game back, completing nearly 72% of his passes for 338 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against what is supposed to be a solid Dallas defense. Darnold is a borderline fantasy starter, but rarely do you find a borderline starting quarterback available in 92% of leagues going into Week 7.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Ind:
Percent Rostered: 45.5%
Stats thru Week 6: 1,062 yds, 10 TD, 3 INT
Just another week with Jacoby Brissett landing on my waiver wire list. Brissett has thrown two or more touchdowns in four of his five games and has yet to throw multiple interceptions in a game. He is unlikely to put up huge numbers in any given week, but he is even more unlikely to put up a bad week.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Min:
Percent Rostered: 26.4%
Stats thru Week 6: 1,374 yds, 9 TD, INT
Cousins got called out this past week and he responded in a big way – completing 75.8% of his passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. That is Cousins’ second week in a row with 300+ yards and 2+ touchdowns. With a good run game, a good defense and very good receivers, Cousins is a solid fill in starter.
Running Backs:
Usually, there aren’t a lot of good options out there on the waiver wire in terms of running backs. This week, there are a few decent pickups still available in a number of leagues.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buf:
Percent Rostered: 65.3%
Stats thru Week 6: 10 carries, 127 yds, 1 TDs, 5 rec, 28 yds, 0 TD
The Bills were on bye last week and it may have been perfect for Singletary. If he is able to play this weekend, he gets to come back to a schedule which will allow him to play the Dolphins twice and the Redskins once over the next five weeks.
Carlos Hyde, RB, Hou:
Percent Rostered: 61.4%
Stats thru Week 6: 99 carries, 426 yds, 3 TD; 6 rec, 22 yds
Hyde has solidified himself as a legit RB2 at this point in the season, and as the Texans offense continues to improve, so should Hyde’s numbers. He now ranks 10th in the NFL in terms of carries and yards and has seen his fantasy points increase in each of the last four weeks.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Was:
Percent Rostered: 55.5%
Stats thru Week 6: 63 carries, 226 yds, 1 TD; 5 rec, 22 yds, 0 TD
A week after going for just 18 yards on seven carries, Peterson came back with 23 carries for 118 yds (5.1 ypc). Sure, it was against Miami and the Redskins upcoming schedule is not favorable for Peterson (SF, @Min, @Buf), but he should see lead back touches, so that makes him worthy as a potential Flex starter.
Giovani Bernard, RB, Cin:
Percent Rostered: 20.8%
Stats thru Week 6: 23 carries, 49 yds, 0 TD; 14 rec, 108 yds, 0 TD
One of these days, the Bengals will realize they gave this guy an extension, and ought to use him…especially with A.J. Green and John Ross still out of the lineup. With a more favorable schedule looming, Bernard’s role (and value) should be expanding over the next few weeks.
Wide Receivers:
There are normally some viable options out there on the waiver wire if you need receivers. This week is no different. In fact, there are some real good options in some leagues.
Robby Anderson, WR, NYJ:
Percent Rostered: 56.9%
Stats thru Week 6: 16 rec, 256 yds, 1 TD (29 targets)
Robby Anderson is the prototypical boom or bust fantasy player. In three of the Jets first four games, he was a ‘Bust’ and had less than 25 receiving yards. In fact, going into Week 6, he had 11 catches for 131 total yards. Week 6, with Sam Darnold back, was Anderson’s ‘Boom’ week: five receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown. The matchups the next two weeks are not favorable (New England and Jacksonville), but after Jacksonville, he has gets five straight favorable matchups against the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders and Bengals.
Golden Tate, WR, NYG:
Percent Rostered: 63.2%
Stats thru Week 6: 9 rec, 115 yds, 1 TD (15 targets)
Tate was forgotten about in a lot of leagues because he started the season suspended for the first four games, but he is a top 25-30 receiver and he showed it in just his second week back and only his second week working with Daniel Jones. Sure, his value likely decreases when Barkley, Engram and Shepard get back, but Tate pulled in six of his nine targets for 102 yards and a touchdown. With a Week 7 matchup with the Cardinals, Tate is worthy of a Flex play.
Jamison Crowder, WR, NYJ:
Percent Rostered: 57.8%
Stats thru Week 6: 28 rec, 272 yds, 0 TD (40 targets)
We said it here last week, when Darnold plays, Crowder is a Flex starter or even a WR2. When Darnold does not play, Crowder is not worth a start. In two games with Darnold, Crowder has 20 receptions on 26 targets, 197 yards and one touchdown. In the three games without Darnold, he had 8 receptions on 14 targets, for 75 yards and zero touchdowns. With five of their next seven games against the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders and Bengals, Crowder has plenty of value.
John Brown, WR, Buf:
Percent Rostered: 57.2%
Stats thru Week 6: 28 rec, 390 yds, 1 TD (39 targets)
Maybe a lot of players have forgotten about ‘Hollywood’ because he was on bye last week, but in PPR leagues, he has put up double digits points in every week except one…and that week he put up 9.5. He has had 4+ receptions in all five games, 5+ receptions in four of his five games and 50+ yards and 5+ targets in every game. Over the next five weeks, he will get two games against the Dolphins and one against the Redskins.
Tight Ends:
Like running backs, normally shopping for tight ends on the waiver wire is tough – probably the toughest position to find waiver wire help. However, thanks to injuries – some guys leaving with injuries, some guys coming back from injuries – there are some solid tight end options this week.
Hunter Henry, TE, LAC:
Percent Rostered: 54.0%
Stats thru Week 6: 12 rec, 160 yds, 2 TD (14 targets)
If you were lucky enough to need a tight end last week (like me) and picked up Henry, he proved you to be a genius, pulling in eight receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Henry is a talented tight end and if finally healthy, he is a starting fantasy tight end. In the two games he has played in 2019, he is averaging six catches on seven targets, 80 yards and a touchdown.
Luke Wilson, TE, Sea:
Percent Rostered: 0.2%
Stats thru Week 6: 5 rec, 52 yds, 0 TD (6 targets)
Not a very exciting pick up here, but with Will Dissly going down for the season, Wilson will be the the Seahawks top tight end…at least for the time being (keep your eye on Ed Dickson when he returns in a few weeks). Wilson should have some opportunities. Dissly was a top 10 tight end and one of Russell Wilson’s favorite targets. He was third on the team in targets (27), second in receptions (23), third in yards (262) and lead the team in touchdowns (4). While I don’t expect Wilson to have that sort of productivity, he will get plenty of opportunities in this offense.
Jack Doyle, TE, Ind:
Percent Rostered: 18.8%
Stats thru Week 6: 14 rec, 128 yds, 1 TD (20 targets)
Doyle was here last week, but he was on bye…so here he sits again! The Colts use both Doyle and Eric Ebron about the same, and despite having nearly identical numbers, Doyle is owned in less than half as many leagues as Ebron. Over his last three games, Doyle has 15 targets, 11 rec 87 yds and one TD. Not bad for a tight end still available in 80+% of fantasy leagues.
Gerald Everett, TE, LAR:
Percent Rostered: 60.9%
Stats thru Week 6: 20 rec, 232 yds, 1 TD (3 targets)
Another carry over from last week, Everett was a huge disappointment for anyone who picked him up. Like I said last week though, with the weapons the Rams have on offense – including two tight ends – it is hard to rely on Everett, but he is a decent option if you need a spot starter for a bye week or an injury. Last week, he didn’t help your team, but with Atlanta and Cincinnati next on the Rams schedule, he should have brighter days in the near future.
