The Eagles lost running back Jay Ajayi to a torn ACL, opening the door for Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement. Despite not seeing action in Week 1, Smallwood (10% owned, Yahoo!) is already a top-20 back in PPR formats. He figures to lead the charge in terms of touches. He’s a proven pass-catcher (10-96-1), and runner (25-150-1, 6.0 yards per carry). Make adding Smallwood a priority this week in all formats, but especially PPR. He’s got a great matchup against the Giants. Clement is nursing a quad injury and didn’t play in Weeks 4-5, but he has practiced in full this week. He put together two nice games in Weeks 2-3 (160 yards from scrimmage, rushing touchdown). Clement is also well worth a look.
Three Bucs to Consider
A trio of Bucs will make for intriguing adds on the fantasy waiver wire this week. Quarterback Jameis Winston, tight end Cameron Brate and running back Ronald Jones II were low priority adds in Week 4 as Tampa Bay rested in Week 5. But fast forward to Week 6 and all three Bucs are currently 30% owned or less in Yahoo! leagues. Brate will be a high priority add at tight end, where injuries have decimated an already shallow position. Owners struggling with inconsistent quarterback play would do well to add Winston, who was already named the starter against Atlanta. Jones is more of a flyer, but he’s certain to see more work after Peyton Barber’s dismal start to the season. Though he’s more widely owned, Chris Godwin (38% owned) also deserves a look.
Say Hello
Running Back
Alfred Blue (14% owned, Yahoo!) and D’Onta Foreman (20% owned, Yahoo!), Houston. Blue made a good case to remain the starter while filling in for Lamar Miller (chest), who has struggled mightily and hasn’t found the end zone. Blue totaled over 100 yards from scrimmage, and his 19-plus fantasy points are more than Miller has scored in a game this season. However, pump the brakes a bit here. According to coach Bill O’Brien, D’Onta Foreman is on track to return from a torn Achilles tendon in Week 7. If that proves true and all three backs are healthy, we could be headed for another timeshare.
Mike Davis, Seattle (19% owned, Yahoo!). Davis came out of nowhere in Week 4 while filling in for the injured Chris Carson. But even with Carson back in the lineup against the Rams, Davis had a solid day in carrying the ball 12 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. He caught both of his targets for seven yards. He looks to have supplanted rookie Rashaad Penny on the depth chart and figures to continue seeing decent volume. Davis gets a plus matchup in Week 6 when he’ll face the Raiders.
Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay (26% owned, Yahoo!). The Bucs finally appear to be moving away from Peyton Barber. He’s gained 148 yards on 50 carries (3.0 average) with zero touchdowns. Jones was active for the first time this season against Chicago and promptly out-touched Barber 11-9. All signs point to Jones taking over this backfield coming out of the bye.
Wide Receiver
Robby Anderson, New York Jets (35% owned, Yahoo!). Anderson took advantage of Quincy Enunwa’s hand injury and formed a much-needed bond with Sam Darnold as the Jets beat Denver. He led the team with 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, including a 76-yard score. Displaying the deep threat the Jets had been missing so far, Anderson proved his big-play ability hasn’t faltered. Enunwa, meanwhile, didn’t catch a single pass on five targets and his injury will need to be monitored as the week progresses.
Keke Coutee, Houston (34% owned, Yahoo!). After dominating in his NFL debut in Week 4, Coutee proved it wasn’t a fluke by catching 6 of 7 targets for 51 yards and a touchdown. Worth noting here is that Will Fuller was back in the lineup after missing Week 4, and he had a quiet game (2-15-0). Deshaun Watson’s connection with Fuller cannot be ignored, but Coutee is carving out a nice role for himself and may hold weekly fantasy value as the third option.
Equanimeous St. Brown (0% owned, Yahoo!) and Marques Valdez-Scantling (9% owned, Yahoo!), Green Bay. Anyone catching passes from Aaron Rodgers can become fantasy relevant. Just ask these two rookies, who saw an increased role with Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison sidelined by injury. St. Brown (3-89-0) had more receiving yards, but Valdez-Scantling (7-68-1) found the end zone. Valdez-Scantling was targeted 10 times to five for St. Brown. I would prioritize adding Valdez-Scantling, as he seems to be in line for more volume should Cobb and Allison miss more time. St. Brown is more of a flyer in deeper leagues.
Quarterback
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay (19% owned, Yahoo!). The Bucs are once again Winston’s team after the Fitzmagic carpet ride ended after during Week 4’s loss to Chicago. Tampa Bay confirmed Winston will start against Atlanta in what figures to be a high scoring affair. There is no reason to think that Winston can’t recreate what Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to do with the plethora of offensive weapons at his disposal. If you’ve been struggling to get consistent quarterback play Winston could be a difference-maker down the stretch. He also has a juicy matchup against the Saints for the fantasy playoffs.
Tight End
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay (30% owned, Yahoo!). Brate is another Buc who figures to make an immediate impact coming out of the team’s bye. He should see an increased target share with O.J. Howard sidelined by a sprained MCL. Brate has scored in each of his last two games after posting bagels the first two weeks. Consider him a TE1 until Howard returns.
Waive Goodbye
Running Back
Derrick Henry, Tennessee. He hasn’t scored a touchdown or eclipsed five fantasy points this season while averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Henry is also an afterthought in the passing game with three receptions. It may be painful, but it’s safe to drop him for a more productive player.
Wide Receiver
Cole Beasley, Dallas. He has yet to score a touchdown and hasn’t topped 10 fantasy points since Week 1. Beasley is just not seeing enough targets to stay fantasy relevant, even in PPR formats.
Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill, Miami. The secret is finally out: Miami is not that good of a football team. After starting 3-0 the Dolphins have lost their last two games and Tannehill’s play is a big reason for that. He’s thrown three picks and lost two fumbles during that time, and has a combined 10 fantasy points. He only has one fantasy-worthy performance all season, Week 3 against Oakland (28 points).
Tight End
Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati. Kroft didn’t end up benefitting from Tyler Eifert’s absence. Instead, he suffered a foot injury against the Dolphins while counterpart C.J. Uzomah caught two passes for 43 yards. Uzomah is the Bengals tight end to own, regardless of Kroft’s health.
