Fantasy Football: Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football: Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 6

Week 5 of the NFL season is nearly done, with the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons on the slate for Monday night. Now we have, to use baseball vernacular, enough of a “sample size” for fantasy football owners to know where they stand for better or worse and where they need to look to add to their rosters. A few well-placed waiver wire additions can still make a difference, particularly with bye weeks in play through Week 12.

Only two teams are idle in Week 6, which is good news for fantasy owners, as the Falcons and Miami Dolphins have the week off. But that means some notable Falcons (Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White), and even a few Dolphins that have been startable to this point depending on your league size and scoring format (Mike Wallace, Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Miller, Brian Hartline, Charles Clay) will be unavailable to their owners this coming week.

I have again attempted to focus on players and team defenses that are available in over half of Yahoo! leagues right now, with only rare exceptions. In most cases the more widely a player is available at this point the more appealing they should be with a couple of very challenging bye weeks coming in Week 8 and Week 9, when six teams are off, so I have also tried to hone in on players who should be fairly widely available regardless of your league host.

Without further ado, here are my “Waiver Wire Pickups” for Week 6.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Cleveland Browns

Weeden threw for 197 yards and a touchdown in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills after Brian Hoyer went down with a torn right ACL, and now should get an opportunity to re-assert himself as Cleveland’s starting quarterback. A couple favorable-looking matchup are coming in the next two weeks against the Detroit Lions, who have allowed at least 274 passing yards in three straight games (two 300-yard passing games) and the Green Bay Packers, who have allowed at least 13 fantasy points (ESPN scoring) to an opposing quarterback in all four of their games as well as multiple passing touchdowns three times. Weeden is not about to become an elite fantasy quarterback, but owners that are looking for a QB2 with some upside or a potential bye week replacement over the next few weeks can do a lot worse.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Foles replaced an injured Michael Vick (hamstring) on Sunday against the New York Giants, and went 16-for-25 for 197 yards and two touchdowns. A report Sunday night suggested Vick will miss Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it’s possible he will miss multiple games. If Foles starts games beyond next week’s tough matchup, each of Philadelphia’s opponents from Week 7-Week 11 entered Week 5 in the bottom 10 of the league against opposing quarterbacks (ESPN scoring). He is a very speculative add until Vick’s health situation becomes clear, but Foles is set up to have a lot of success if Vick misses time over the next handful of weeks.

Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams

Stacy saw the first extended action of his career on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and performed well with 78 yards on 14 carries. He did leave the game with a reported rib injury, but Stacy said he just had the wind knocked out of him and as of now his status for Week 6 against the Houston Texans does not seem to be in doubt. At this point in the season any running back that sees an increased role and sees a rise in production is a virtual must-add in fantasy leagues, and as long as he is in no danger of missing games Stacy fits that bill this week.

Robert Woods, WR, Buffalo Bills

Woods had five receptions for 64 yards against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, and he has now been targeted 21 times over the last two games with nine catches for 144 yards over that span. Buffalo’s shaky quarterback situation with EJ Manuel (right knee) out and Thaddeus Lewis slated to start against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 stands to hurt him a bit, but Woods is still worth adding in 12 and 14-team leagues as a WR4 or WR5.

Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego Chargers

Brown had eight catches for 117 yards against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night, and he now has 15 receptions (on 18 targets) over the last two games. San Diego’s Week 6 opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, has been fairly tough on opposing wide receivers so far this season but they have allowed at least 12 receptions to opposing wide receivers in four of their five games. Then in Week 7 the Chargers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed at least 20 fantasy points (ESPN scoring) to opposing wide receivers in all but one of their games this season and six touchdowns to the position over their last three games. Brown is currently owned in just over half of Yahoo! leagues right now, but he is worth adding in 12-team leagues and has extra value in PPR formats. Just be aware that San Diego has a bye coming in Week 8.

Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Celek had three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 5, and he now has two touchdowns on 10 receptions this season. If Foles winds up starting in Week 6 against Tampa Bay and perhaps beyond, he and Celek seem to have a solid rapport ahead of a favorable stretch of games. Five of Philadelphia’s next six opponents came into Week 5 in the bottom 10 of the league against opposing tight ends (ESPN scoring), and other favorable-looking matchups will come after their Week 12 bye. Celek’s target total may be inconsistent depending on who the Eagles employ under center over the next few weeks, but he is worth consideration as a TE2 in 12 and 14-team leagues.

Ryan Succop, K, Kansas City Chiefs

Succop went 4-for-4 on field goals and converted both of his extra points in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, and he is now 9-for-10 on field goal attempts over the last three games with at least nine points (ESPN scoring) in all three contests. Among Kansas City’s upcoming opponents, only Week 7 (Houston Texans) and Week 9 (Buffalo Bills) are against teams that entered Week 5 in the bottom 10 of the league against opposing kickers. But the Chiefs’ offense seems to be improving, and Succop needs to be owned more widely than he is right now (available in 92 percent of Yahoo! leagues).

Pittsburgh Steelers Defense

Fantasy owners were surely down on the Steelers’ defense heading into their Week 5 bye, since they did not force a turnover in their first four games and only registered five sacks over that span. But in Week 6 they will face the New York Jets, who entered Week 5 with 12 turnovers in their first four games as rookie quarterback Geno Smith has struggled to take care of the ball. After that a couple more decent matchups will come in Week 7 (Baltimore Ravens) and Week 8 (Oakland Raiders), so Pittsburgh’s defense could be at least a viable bye week fill-in over the next few weeks.