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Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press
The waiver wire is going to be hot heading into Week 6. With injuries continuing to mount and bye weeks about to begin, the startable talent still available will be at a premium.
The San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are all off this weekend in the first wave of byes. The following week will see even more squads sidelined, with a season-high six teams taking a rest.
Shrewd managers should be looking at which starters will be missing over these next few weeks and put a plan in place to fill those positions. If you aren’t happy with your bye-week replacement options, it’s time to scour waivers.
With that in mind, here are some of the top available targets to pick up to deploy in Week 6. All players are rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo leagues.
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Adrian Kraus/Associated Press
Fantasy managers who need a replacement quarterback in Week 6 won’t have many top-tier options at their disposal. With a lack of talent available and no notable injuries in Week 5 creating new opportunities, rolling the dice on a high-upside signal-caller who’s coming off his best game as a professional appears to be the best move.
Houston Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills just had the breakout performance fans had been waiting for. The 22-year-old carved up the New England Patriots defense, completing 21 of 29 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
While the Texans still lost 25-22, Mills bounced back in a big way following his zero-touchdown, four-interception outing in a Week 4 drubbing against the Buffalo Bills.
Mills will face the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, a team that was giving up more passing yards (216.8) and points (24.3) per game than the Patriots heading into Monday’s Week 5 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. The Indianapolis defense has recorded just three interceptions and a meager eight sacks—tied for the second-fewest in the league—on the season.
Given the ineffectiveness of Houston’s running game—it ranks in the bottom five with a paltry 79.8 yards per game—and Indy’s ability to clamp down on opposing rushers—just one touchdown allowed on the ground—Mills will need to throw early and often to keep his team competitive.
If you are desperate for help at the position, going with a low-floor, high-ceiling player like Mills could end up winning you a Week 6 matchup. It could also cost you one, but Mills provides much more upside than other middling waiver options like Geno Smith or Ben Roethlisberger.
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Brett Duke/Associated Press
DK DFS Value: $5,400
The New York Giants were ravaged by injuries this past week, missing several key contributors going into their rivalry game with the Dallas Cowboys and losing several more during it. Star running back Saquon Barkley was the most prominent Big Blue player to go down, getting carted off in the first quarter after suffering a nasty ankle sprain.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Barkley is week-to-week and will likely miss at least one game.
Backup Devontae Booker took advantage of his increased role on Sunday, rushing 16 times for 42 yards and a touchdown.
He should remain a major part of the New York offense in Week 6, especially with starting quarterback Daniel Jones now in the league’s concussion protocol after taking a brutal shot to the head.
Replacement QB Mike Glennon didn’t do much in his two-plus quarters, completing 16 of 25 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions and a fumble.
Booker will have extra value in PPR leagues as a checkdown option for whoever lines up under center. The 29-year-old running back hauled in three of his four targets for 16 yards and a score on Sunday and could see plenty more short passes thrown his way against a swarming Los Angeles Rams defense this weekend.
Booker will be in line for a mountain of work for as long as Barkley remains sidelined. He has a volume-based RB2 floor and could be one Week 6’s top scorers if he continues to find the end zone.
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Matt Rourke/Associated Press
DK DFS Value: $4,900
Darrel Williams may end up as one of the top waiver-wire additions of Week 6.
The Kansas City Chiefs backup running back took over for Clyde Edwards-Helaire after the starter suffered a knee injury and was carried off by teammates in the second half of Sunday’s matchup with the Bills.
Fantasy managers will want to keep tabs on Edwards-Helaire in the coming days. Head coach Andy Reid didn’t give any additional details following the game, but the back was spotted going for X-rays.
Williams finished Week 5 with five carries for 27 yards and three receptions for 18 yards.
With Kansas City down by double digits following CEH’s injury, Williams didn’t get many touches. The Chiefs were forced to throw often in an attempt to keep pace with Buffalo’s red-hot offense, but that should change in Week 6 with a softer matchup against Washington.
The Football Team defense has been allowing over 400 yards (sixth-most in the NFL) and 31 points per game (second-most) to the opposition. It should be a high-scoring affair, one in which Williams could garner up to 20 touches and find pay dirt at least once if he’s serving as KC’s primary ball-carrier.
Jerick McKinnon may also see his role increased if Edwards-Helaire is out for a stretch. The 29-year-old veteran is only worth a speculative add in the deepest of formats, however, and shouldn’t cut into Williams’ workload much if the LSU product can stay healthy.
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Ron Jenkins/Associated Press
DK DFS Value: $5,600
The Giants were already without Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton for Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys. They lost another top wideout when Kenny Golladay suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and wasn’t able to return for the second half after attempting to play through the pain.
Rookie receiver Kadarius Toney had no problem picking up the slack, snagging 10 of his 13 targets and exploding for 189 yards. That performance—easily the best of Toney’s fledgling career—followed a promising Week 4 showing in which the Florida product hauled in six of nine targets for 78 yards.
Toney is now one of New York’s last remaining proven pass-catching options. That sets him up nicely for another massive outing against the Rams. While L.A.’s defense presents a tough matchup for the 22-year-old, it’s becoming obvious that head coach Joe Judge wants to get the ball in the playmaker’s hands.
The Giants had Toney attempt a pass and take a direct snap carry on Sunday, a sign that the offense is committing to this supremely talented rookie.
It’s a marked change from earlier in the year, when the No. 20 overall pick had been frustrated with his role. Toney caught a meager four passes for 14 yards over the first three games of his career and seemed to be the odd man out.
Even after dealing with a minor ankle injury and potentially facing repercussions for a punch he threw that caused officials to eject him late against Dallas, Toney is a must-add on waivers this week.
He’s not only the No. 1 pickup for receiver-needy fantasy managers but also the top overall free-agent target regardless of format. Deploy Toney confidently as a high-upside WR3 with the potential for much more.
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Tony Ding/Associated Press
DK DFS Value: $4,200
Amon-Ra St. Brown got off to a relatively slow start to his NFL career, but the Lions rookie receiver is starting to come into his own.
The USC product saw eight targets for the second consecutive week. He followed up a six-catch, 70-yard outing against the Chicago Bears with a seven-catch, 65-yard performance against the Minnesota Vikings.
While St. Brown is still hunting for his first professional touchdown, the fourth-round pick is quickly establishing himself as weekly flex play in PPR leagues because of his catch floor and could do the same in standard formats if he can start notching some touchdowns.
It may be tough for St. Brown to finally cross the goal line in Week 6 when he squares off with a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has only given up six receiving touchdowns all season (tied for fifth-fewest). He should still produce, however, as Cincinnati is allowing 250.2 passing yards per game and was just burned for 333 yards and a pair of scores by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
St. Brown is well worth a waiver claim if you aren’t satisfied with your receivers or want to stash a high-upside talent for later in the season.
The rookie is only going to get better with experience and appears to be earning the trust of quarterback Jared Goff. That should translate to some week-winning performances in the critical last weeks of the fantasy regular season and playoffs.
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Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press
DK DFS Value: $3,700
David Njoku started off the 2021 campaign with an impressive five-catch, 76-yard showing, but he had since fallen out of favor in the Cleveland Browns’ passing game.
After three quiet outings—including a Week 3 matchup against the Bears in which he wasn’t even targeted—the veteran tight end reemerged Sunday with a monster performance against the Los Angeles Chargers.
He snatched all of his seven targets and turned them into 149 yards and a touchdown. His best moment came in the fourth quarter, when he secured a pass over the middle and shook off a would-be tackler before turning up field and outrunning L.A.’s defense for a 71-yard score.
It was a big moment for an aerial attack that has often struggled this year. With Jarvis Landry sidelined and Odell Beckham Jr. ineffective since returning to the field, Cleveland had been averaging a paltry 181.7 yards per game through the air between Weeks 2 and 4.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield breached the 300-yard mark Sunday for the first time since the season opener against the Chiefs, perhaps not coincidentally the last time that Njoku had a relevant fantasy game. Although Cleveland ultimately lost against the Chargers, the renewed chemistry between Mayfield and the tight end was one of the bright spots of the day.
Look for the pair to keep it rolling in Week 6 when the team hosts the high-octane Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Arizona boasts the sixth-ranked offense and has yet to lose a game in 2021, setting up what looks to be a barnburner with a lot of potential for fantasy production across the board.
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