A rash of injuries around the league likely means your fantasy team needs help. Fortunately the Week 6 waiver wire presents a few opportunities to improve your squad and keep you afloat through the bye weeks.
Whether you are reeling due to Jamaal Charles’ reported torn ACL or simply have to replace top options like Todd Gurley, Joseph Randle, Doug Martin or Amari Cooper during Week 6 byes, there are players available who can help you both now and potentially down the line.
Here is a look at the top fantasy options available in at least 50 percent of ESPN leagues.
Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Josh McCown had the biggest game of the day (457 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown), but Blake Bortles has become a consistent force in fantasy football. His four-touchdown performance in Week 5 gave him a season-high 28 fantasy points in standard leagues, marking his fourth game in a row with at least 15 points.
Although it’s mostly due to flow of the game, Bortles has thrown the ball quite a bit this season. The quarterback is averaging 37.8 pass attempts per game with at least 33 passes thrown in each game.
With this many opportunities and talented receivers around him, Bortles can put up big numbers every week regardless of how well he actually plays.
The biggest concern is a possible shoulder injury sustained during the latest loss, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com:
Head coach Gus Bradley seems relatively unconcerned:
It remains something to check as the week progresses, but when healthy Bortles has shown he can be a legitimate fantasy performer.
Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Both Knile Davis and Charcandrick West are listed in the table because they should both be added, although the slight edge goes to West. He is the one who got first crack at touches after Jamaal Charles went down with a knee injury, finishing with seven carries for 31 yards.
In the video above, Nerdy Football’s Jason Cole notes there is a split among the Chiefs organization about who will get touches going forward, although he notes head coach Andy Reid favors West.
When asked about the breakdown going forward, however, the coach refused to pick a side.
“I’m not saying who is or is not the feature guy, but we need both of them,” Reid said after the game, via Kathleen Gier of the Kansas City Star. “Both their games are different. We’ll just see how that goes. You saw both of them played today, so we’ll got back to the drawing board on that and get it right.”
Davis has been the primary backup in Kansas City for the past few seasons, but his two carries for two yards Sunday represented his only touches since Week 2. This makes West the best guess to get the majority of the workload going forward.
Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints
In the Saints offense, it doesn’t matter where you were drafted or if you were drafted. All that matters is that you produce on the field. Willie Snead is taking advantage of this mindset.
The former Ball State star followed up his six-catch, 89-yard performance in Week 4 with another six catches for 141 yards in Week 5. He didn’t get into the end zone, but he led the team with 11 targets to prove Drew Brees trusts him to make plays.
Adam Levitan of DraftKings also noted the playing time has rapidly increased in recent weeks:
In an offense that will likely continue throwing the ball quite a bit this season, Snead should remain a solid bet for production each week.
Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns
The one play that turned heads around the country was a touchdown caught between his legs:
However, that is not the only reason to pick up Gary Barnidge. Even without the touchdown, the 30-year-old veteran has come out of nowhere to become a consistent part of the Cleveland Browns passing attack.
Over the last three weeks, Barnidge has 20 catches for 319 receiving yards and three touchdowns, all of which are better than any single season in the tight end’s career. Perhaps most importantly he has been targeted 26 times in this stretch and remains a quality safety net for Josh McCown.
His lack of success over an eight-year career makes it scary to trust him going forward, but Barnidge‘s recent play indicates you should feel free to put him in your lineup.
Other Options
Most times you can overlook someone with just two targets, but Jaelen Strong turned those two chances into touchdowns. Considering one of those was a Hail Mary before the end of the half, it’s easy to dismiss this performance as a fluke.
On the other hand, this was Strong’s first game action and he played 42 snaps behind just DeAndre Hopkins and Keith Mumphery, according to Pro Football Focus. Mumphery got the start with other receivers dealing with injuries, but Strong has a lot more upside and the third-round draft pick is likely only going to see more time as the year continues.
It’s too early to trust him in your lineup, but if you have space on the bench he is worth an add.
At running back there are a number of players who could turn into featured backs down the line but we aren’t quite sure just yet. Javorius Allen had a big Week 5 with 58 rushing yards on eight carries, though he remains behind Justin Forsett on the depth chart. Zach Zenner got his chance to show what he could do after Ameer Abdullah was benched for fumbling.
Matt Harmon of NFL.com believes this should have come earlier:
The Detroit Lions running back had 10 carries for 30 yards, although it is uncertain how things will shake up with Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Joique Bell when healthy.
Antonio Andrews led the Tennessee Titans in receiving (45 yards) and scored on a goal-line run, which probably makes him the best option out of that backfield. Then again it doesn’t seem like any of Andrews, Bishop Sankey or Dexter McCluster could be a trustworthy start until one separates himself from the pack.
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