Hey you, yeah you with the mountain of FAAB burning a hole in your hypothetical fantasy football pocket. What are you waiting for? No one is going to drop Christian McCaffrey, or anyone of similar talent, so why are you sitting on all your FAAB still? It is Week 6. By now, you have missed out on guys like James “RB1nson” Robinson and Mike “The CMC Imposter” Davis. You need to start making some moves because if you are sitting on that much FAAB Week 12, according to some dude on Reddit, it most likely means you missed out on a ton of good players. We agree with this sentiment so here is some advice on who to target with your FAAB waiver wire this week.
Week 5 was another relatively tame week as far as injuries and benchings go. Granted we still have Tuesday Night Football, thank the football gods, but most fantasy teams made it out relatively unscathed. With that being said, there are still bye weeks approaching, and many fantasy teams are scrambling for bye week depth. You may have already spent a good deal of your free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) or used priority on the waiver wire, but there are some economic options available.
FAAB Waiver Wire Week 6
Mid-Tier Targets (20-40%)
Dalvin Cook came up limping and went for an MRI on Monday that coach Mike Zimmer said went, “pretty well.” That is far from a clean bill of health and with a heavy workload so far this season Cook will likely be banged up again. That opens the door for Alexander Mattison to step into a larger role if Cook misses time. Mattison showed his skills on Sunday Night and has been steadily involved all season. His continued production may even lead to more of a role when Cook returns fully to limit Cook’s wear and tear. If you have Cook on your roster, go drop up to 25% of your FAAB on Mattison if you do not already have him. Everyone else should drop up to 14% of your FAAB.
Steady Contributors (10-20%)
There are not a whole lot of major contributors this week on the waiver wire. However, with the injury to Dak Prescott, many fantasy teams now find themselves without a reliable quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been quietly having a top-ten quarterback season down in Miami. With young weapons in Parker and Gesicki, plus the emergence of a reliable running back in Gaskin, Fitzy has become a must-start each week. Fitzpatrick has four 20+ games so far this season and yet is only rostered in 19.9% of leagues. Go drop 12-16% of your FAAB on Fitzmagic and start him each week.
It may be a slight overpay, but when a player who was drafted highly and plays in a pass-happy offense goes off for four touchdowns, you have to take notice. Chase Claypool absolutely went off against the Eagles and looks to be getting more and more involved for the Steelers’ offense. Consider dropping 8-12% of your FAAB on him, more if you play in a dynasty or keeper league where he is not rostered.
Travis Fulgham (WR) – 12% of FAAB
Chase Edmonds (RB) – 16% of FAAB
Reliable Bargains (<10%)
This is the week of quarterbacks. Justin Herbert has been a consistent producer so far for the Chargers. With a bevy of offensive weapons and Austin Ekeler slated to return soon, Herbert is set up to be a good choice for the rest of the season to finish as a top-ten quarterback. Through four weeks, Herbert is averaging around 20 points per game and lit the Saints up for three touchdowns in the first half Monday Night. Herbert looks like the real deal and can be had for around 6% of your FAAB this week.
With bye weeks arriving, you have to plug your nose and make some less-than-sexy plays. Brain Hill is one of those guys who you may need to consider inserting into your starting lineup. Hill has been the RB43 so far this season and is averaging 6.1 points per game in 0.5 PPR. He has been consistently getting 30% of the Falcon’s running back snaps and if Todd Gurley gets banged up, he looks to be the go-to guy. Hill is worth rostering in 12+ team leagues and as a Gurley handcuff. Be ready to spend up to 5% of your FAAB on him as a bye week fill-in.
Tim Patrick was a feature of this column last week and looks to continue his involvement in the Broncos’ offense moving forward. Patrick has steadily increased his production each week so far this season. Drop 7-9% on Patrick as a steady WR3 each week.
Similarly, Trey Burton has begun to secure the starting tight end job in Indianapolis. Burton was targeted six times Sunday and out-snapped Doyle and Alie-Cox combined. With how much Rivers likes to target his tight ends, Burton looks like he is worth 6-8% of your FAAB.
Speculative Fliers (<10%)
Keeping with the quarterback theme, Andy Dalton rides again as a starter after the injury to Dak Prescott. He comes in as the starter for the Cowboys and has the best receivers he has ever had. If you had Dak on your roster and need a quarterback, Dalton could be the answer. Dalton is not going to put up Dak-like numbers, but he has upside potential. Do not drop more than 7% of your FAAB on Dalton.
Bye weeks are coming soon. This means guys like JD McKissic provide some reliability and risk as well. McKissic has steadily increased his usage in a checkdown-heavy Washington passing attack. He will have some bye week fill-in value as he is seeing 6-10 targets per game. If he can score a touchdown, he will finish some weeks as a nice flex option. Do not use more than 5% of your FAAB on McKissic and only if you are desperate for a flex option.
Jeff Smith has been an absolute target monster for the past two weeks in New Jersey. With 20 targets over the last two games, he may be emerging as an option for Sam Darnold/Joe Flacco on the outside. However, he did not do a great job catching all those targets in Week 5. He is worth 4-7% of your FAAB as a speculative dart throw.
If you need a tight end, Eric Ebron has been steadily establishing himself in Pittsburg. So far he seems to consistently see 5-7 passes per game. He is a reliable contributor and may sneak into the endzone. However, the Steelers have a deep and talented receiving corps that may not allow Ebron to hold his role. If you are looking to stop streaming your tight ends, Ebron is worth 4-6% of your FAAB waiver wire.
No Bid/Free Agency Targets
No one knows what the Cowboys’ offense will look like with Dalton starting. Each week, Cedrick Wilson has been expanding his role and target share as defenses takeaway other receivers in the offense. Wilson is worth a post-waivers add in deep leagues.
If you play in a league with IR spots or a deep bench, Jalen Reagor is worth an add as he nears his return from IR. He is eligible to return beginning in Week 7 and figures to be an instant contributor. Reagor was praised all pre-season by the Eagles and figures to be an instant contributor.
Darnell Mooney has been targeted 5+ times the past four weeks but has not done much with those targets yet. Coming up next week the Bears are going to Carolina. Mooney could be in for a big week against a less-than-stellar Panthers’ defense.
The Bengals’ offense looked sub-par against the Ravens in Week 5. Former FAAB waiver wire darling Drew Sample looked mortal against a stingy Ravens’ D. Sample is most likely due to climb back up to his 4-7 targets per week and be more involved in the offense.
At the end of the day, Taysom Hill continues to be the bane of Brees, Kamara, and Murray. Each week he steals goalline work. However, his increasing goal-line play makes him a desperation flex play. If he hits on one play he can salvage your season. Plus he has tight end eligibility and you could do a lot worse than him as your tight end.
The Washington Football Team DST has an amazing matchup in Week 6. They will travel to New Jersey to take on the woeful Giants. As a result, the WFT front is in for a big game against an awful offense led by Daniel Jones.
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