Waiver Wire Week 6 Pickups

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Waiver Wire Week 6 Pickups

Week 6 Waiver Wire headliners include Dak Prescott suffering a gruesome season-ending injury and Dalvin Cook possibly missing a few games if the MRI comes back with something significant.

In a review of previous weeks adds, Chase Edmonds, is again a recommended option as he has looked like the better back between him and Drake. Justin Jackson outperformed Joshua Kelley on Monday Night Football.  Cameron Brate and Laviska Shenault led their teams in catches and with DJ Chark going down with another injury, Shenault should be the alpha in that passing game for as long as Chark is out with Keelan Cole Sr. also getting a bump. Jeff Smith played in 99% of New York’s snaps and saw 11 targets, making that 20 in the past two weeks. He looks like the number two receiver moving forward but is only worth a look in deeper leagues given what team he is on. Now let’s move on to this week, led by a new starting quarterback and a pair of breakout receivers.

Andy Dalton

Quarterback 0.2% rostered

First and foremost, I wish nothing but the smoothest recovery for Dak Prescott, who suffered an ankle fracture on Sunday versus the Seahawks. Andy Dalton came into the game and looked decent, completing 9 of 11 passes for 111 yards. He looked confident in his deep ball, hooking up with Michael Gallup who made a highlight reel type catch on one occasion. Its the supporting cast that makes Dalton so intriguing, armed with Ezekiel Elliot, Dalton Schultz, and his trio of extremely talented receivers. This is a guy who finished no worse than QB18 in his first seven years, even scoring as the overall QB4 in 2013. The past two years he only played in 24 of a possible 32 games so we cant use his season-long stats from them, but if he played a full 16 he was again on pace for a top 18 finish. With better weapons and a pass-heavy coach, I see no reason why Dalton can’t put up Top 15 numbers moving forward and is worth every cent of your FAAB in Superflex leagues. In re-draft leagues, I would be ok with 10-15% if you are hurting for a Quarterback.

Alexander Mattison

Running Back 41.6% rostered

Earlier this year, I wrote an article on my favorite handcuffs that are worth rostering and Mattison was my number one recommendation. He showed us why on Sunday, taking 20 carries for 112 yards while adding on three receptions for 24 yards. The man can play running back very well and I can see him being a Mike Davis type replacement from a fantasy points standpoint. He can step right in and deliver high-end RB2 numbers, with upside for RB1 production if Cook were to miss any time. As of right now, all we have heard is that the MRI “went well” but given Cook’s injury history, it might be wise to let him sit and fully heal, knowing that they have someone of Mattison’s caliber waiting in the wings. My fellow deep leaguers should take a look at Mike Boone as well, as he should see some work in Cook’s absence as a low-end flex if in a bind.

Chase Claypool (aka MapleTron)

Wide Receiver 8.8% rostered

Well, welcome to the league Mr.Claypool… Chase put up madden like numbers with 116 yards and four total touchdowns. While it is easy to see this and want to dump everything you have on him, keep in mind while he got this opportunity. Diontae Johnson was knocked out of the game and Claypool capitalized, giving the Steelers staff no choice but to keep him involved moving forward. But that will be at the expense of James Washington, not Diontae Johnson if he doesn’t miss any time. Claypool was also doing this against a high-school level Eagles defense. If Diontae misses time, Claypool will be worth every penny, but if not, he will then be competing with both JuJu and Diontae for targets. Who knows, maybe Claypool is legit and will out-perform a healthy Diontae or Diontae’s injury forces him to miss multiple weeks and Claypool is the alpha. Just know the risk in betting big for him in redraft. Dynasty is another story, as I have long believed that JuJu will not be a Steeler past his first contract and Claypool’s play proved that. I am all in as a dynasty player.

Travis Fulgham

Wide Receiver 0.2% rostered

Whereas Claypool smoked an awful defense on his way to a big game, Fulgham smoked one of the best in the league against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He turned his team-high 13 targets into 10 catches for 152 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles may very well get Desean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery back as early as this week, but a performance like that against a team like that deserves playing time. Both Desean and Alshon are in clear decline and Pederson would be a fool not to feature Fulgham and see if he has something real here. But you never know, so there is some risk to betting on Fulgham being a steady producer and I only view him as a flex right now, but if he has another week like he did this week and sees steady volume once Jackson and Jeffery return, he could be a valuable asset moving forward as the alpha receiver.

Every catch from Travis Fulgham's 10-152-1 day: pic.twitter.com/JPNe7EuHsu

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 12, 2020

Brandin Cooks

Wide Receiver 60.9% rostered

Cooks just makes my article as my usual process is not including players that are rostered in over 60% of leagues, but I’ll allow it here. Cooks was another guy I wrote about as a dynasty buy this year and he blew up, after posting a goose egg last week. I luckily didn’t drop him where I had him rostered, but last week we saw a ton of people give up on him so if he is available he is worth a priority waiver and some serious FAAB. Add in the fact that this was the first game without Bill O’Brien and this could be a new direction Interim Head Coach Romeo Crennel wants to take the offense in, which features Cooks in the passing game. Let’s hope that this is a sign of things to come for Cooks, who finished with 1,000+ yards in four consecutive seasons with three different teams from 2015-2018.

Mecole Hardman

Wide Receiver 37.5% owned

Word came out Monday that Sammy Watkins is expected to miss some time with a hamstring injury. This opens the door for both Hardman and Demarcus Robinson. Both are worth a pickup in this high powered offense, but good luck choosing which one will go off week to week. They had a near-identical snap-share this week with Hardman playing 71% of the snaps and Robinson 70%. While Hardman will be the more popular pick, we can’t forget Robinson’s 172 yard, two-touchdown performance last year when Watkins first missed. Hardman will cost you more and depending on the state of your team, I am ok chasing that upside. But if you want a piece of the Chiefs offense for free, you can wait till your waivers clear and grab Robinson or bet $1 for him. With that said, if I had to choose, I would take Hardman.

Austin Hooper

Tight End 45.3% rostered

Another guy a ton of people gave up on, including me, is Austin Hooper. Hooper failed to see more than 4 targets a game through his first three games but has gone on to see 17 targets in the last two weeks, eclipsing at least 10+ PPR points in both. Hopefully (see what I did there), Hooper just needed some time to get acclimated in his new home and earn the trust of his Quarterback. With Tight End proving yet again to be a challenging spot to fill, especially in larger leagues, Hoop is worth taking the shot on, especially given the fact that he was the overall TE6 in 2018 and 2019. The natural talent has always been there, all he needed was more opportunity and it looks like he may finally be getting it.

Quick Hits

• I guess Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores’s remarks regarding his starting Quarterback for week 5 sparked Ryan Fitzpatrick on his way to 350 yards and three touchdowns. He lives another week, but I still think Tua Time is coming before the season’s end. While he is still the starter though, he is a solid streamer for his Week 6 matchup against the Broncos.
• Antonio Gibson has played very well the past two weeks but J.D. McKissic has been a thorn in his side, playing over 50% of the snaps through the last three weeks and catching 16 balls in the same span. In deeper PPR leagues, McKissic could pass as a low-end flex, especially if the original check-down king Alex Smith takes over as the starting Quarterback.
• If someone dropped Cam Akers, I suggest picking him up. McVay loves the kid, as evidenced by selecting him in the second round. Even with Henderson playing well, Mcvay told reporters that Akers will see increased work in Week 6. McVay pretty clearly wants Akers to earn his spot at the top and should get every opportunity to, as long as his health cooperates.
• Dolphins receiver Preston Williams had huge expectations this year but failed to even come close to reaching them through the first four weeks, leading many fantasy owners to drop him. Now available in 62% of leagues, coming off a 100 yard+ game with a touchdown, he’s worth grabbing again, especially with a nice matchup against Denver incoming.
• Keep an eye on Tyler Johnson over in Tampa. In games without Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller has struggled. Meaning Miller almost needs extra attention off of him that a healthy Evans and Godwin bring to be successful. Well, Tyler Johnson doesn’t as he flashed his skill, leading the Buccaneers in receiving this week. His performance may have earned him playing time over Miller. Monitor this one deep leaguers.
• For some reason, Trey Burton has out-snapped and out-targeted Mo Alie-Cox the past two weeks. I guess if the Colts are going to do that now, he’s worth a look, especially with only eight tight ends reaching double-digit PPR points this week. I just wish they would unleash Alie-Cox…