Another week of football is in the books. Admittedly, I didn’t get to watch as much football on Sunday as I would have liked as I was attending a wedding all day Sunday and trying to keep up with my fantasy teams at the same time. On the other hand, I am very thankful to be invited and celebrate the happy couple!
Speaking of love, Jamarr Chase manager had to have loved his 50+ point outing after lamenting for weeks about production. For others (talking directly to the Jefferson and Achane managers), heartbreak struck. Both are expected to be placed on IR and miss at least 4 weeks. Fantasy managers will have to go to their benches or look to waivers to fill those voids. Last but not least, how about them Cowboys? After a relatively easy start to the season for both teams, I thought this game would be a good test of who was legit. We found that out! Always a good day when the Cowboys lose.
With that being said, here are my waiver wire targets heading into week 6.
Waiver Wire Targets:
Rashee Rice (Rostered in 23.4 of ESPN leagues)
All the way back in my week 2 waiver wire targets, I said I liked Rice as a stash while we waited to see who would emerge for the Chiefs. Rice seems to be picking up steam as a reliable option alongside Travis Kelce. While he hasn’t wowed with his yardage, through five games, Rice has seen 5+ targets in all but one game. He has also snagged 2 touchdowns so far on the year. If you are in need of a WR or want a piece of the Chiefs high powered offense, Rice looks to be that guy. Stash while you can.
KJ Osborn (Rostered in 21.6% of ESPN leagues)
The news broke today that Justin Jeffereson will be placed on IR after suffering a hamstring injury in Sunday’s week 5 loss to the Chiefs. The consensus number 1 overall fantasy pick will be replaced by Jordan Addison and KJ Osborn. Last year, Osborn capped off the end of the season with 4 double digit fantasy performances over the final six games. In each of those 4 games, he saw 5+ targets. Cousins is familiar with Osborn and he should see increased looks. With the Vikings pass happy offense, Osborn is no brainer addition while Jefferson misses time.
Emari Demercado (Rostered in 0.4% of ESPN leagues)
Another week, another injury to a starting running back. James Connor suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of his team’s loss to the Bengals. As of right now, Connor is expected to miss multiple weeks and could be a candidate for the IR list. In his absence Emari Demercado will look to fill the starting role. After Connor went down, Demercado made the most of it by rushing 10 times for 45 yards, ending the day with 12.7 fantasy points. I like Demercado as a fill-in while Connor is out because of his usage in the passing game and because he faces no real competition for snaps with Keontay Ingram also being out due to a neck injury.
Genius Pick of the Week
Tyjae Spears (Rostered in 25.6% of ESPN leagues)
Another repeat player from last week, Spears had his best game of the season against the Colts rushing 7 times for 34 yards and touchdown while chipping in 35 yards on 4 catches. Spears played 53% of offensive snaps to Henry’s 59%. Henry is still the main guy but Spears remains an elite handcuff going into week 6. It’s not too late to pick him up before the rest of your league mates figure out his potential.
Jeff Wilson Jr. (Rostered in 29.7% of ESPN leagues)
Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to make his return this week. We have seen Mostert and Achane run wild in this Dolphins offense so it stands to reason that Wilson will be able to do the same. Achane is expected to miss a few weeks with a knee injury so Wilson looks to fill in that number two spot behind Mostert. Hard to tell if he will need a game or two to get reacclimated but is worth a pickup.
Sam Howell (Rostered in 17.2% of ESPN leagues)
Last week I said Howell was worth picking up due to his upcoming schedule and ability to perform against the right opponent. Well, even after a rough first half against the Bears, that seems to be the case. Howell finished with 25.42 points fueled by 388 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. So far the only real blemish to Howell’s fantasy campaign this year is an ugly outing against the Bills. Two upcoming games against the Falcons and Giants has Howell sitting as a QB2.
Logan Thomas (Rostered in 8.1% of ESPN leagues)
If you asked me how many targets Logan Thomas would have on Thursday night, I wouldn’t have guessed 11. For a tight end that is abnormal unless you are the Kelce’s, Hockenson’s or Andrew’s of the world. Thomas finished the night with 9 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown resulting in 20.7 fantasy points. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy seems to want to get him involved (big surprise) which bodes well for fantasy. On top of that, the Falcons have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points per game to tight ends.