Week six of the 2020 NFL season is approaching and it isn’t just Covid screwing up NFL seasons. There are also horrific injuries waiting around every corner. Alex Smith took his first NFL snap since becoming an amputee and the football gods struck Dak Prescott down in retribution. For football is a vengeful, petty god that cares not for your fantasy rosters. Lucky for you, Football Absurdity is going to help you salvage your decimated rosters. If I don’t mention someone whom you think I should be talking about, just know there are many reasons why I overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad I don’t even consider them. Maybe it’s because your opinions cannot be trusted. After all, you are here. So let us examine our best week six waiver wire pickups…
Week Six Waiver Wire QBs
Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers (49% rostered)
It is time to take a long, hard look at Teddy Bridgewater as your starting quarterback. In week five, Teddy notched 313 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. This gave Bridgewater back-to-back top-twelve weeks (pending TUESDAY Night Football). Next week, Teddy’s match-up against the Bears isn’t a good one, but he gets New Orleans and Atlanta after that. Moreover, Bridgewater has five matchups the rest of the season against quarterbacks that give up top-ten points against opposing quarterbacks, including two in the fantasy playoffs. Teddy Bridgewater is definitely worth rostering.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (44% rostered)
Last week, I told you Justin Herbert had a great four-week stretch. In week five, he delivered on some of that promise with 264 passing yards and 4 touchdowns against the Saints. Herbert was inconsistent at times, but he also had some electrifying throws. At worse, pending Tuesday Night Football, he ends the week as QB5. The only problem is that thanks to the rejiggered NFL schedule, Herbert is on a bye next week.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (21% rostered)
Ryan Fitzpatrick is on most waiver wires right now, and he has no business being there. In week five, Fitzpatrick threw for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers. If this was a one-time thing, I might overlook it, but Fitzmagic is the QB9 this season. He is having a better year than Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Deshaun Watson. While you might be skeptical of Ryan Fitzpatrick, after a certain point you have to start trusting his production.
Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys (2% rostered)
In a year where everything is horrible, Dak Prescott’s ankle injury was the scariest thing you will see this Halloween season. Before his injury, Prescott was the best quarterback in fantasy football. With the way the Cowboys defense has been playing, he had to be. Dak has been averaging over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns a game. While it is unrealistic to expect that same level of production from Andy Dalton, the Cowboys have Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Dalton Schultz. The Cowboys have arguably the best collection of skill players in the NFL. Andy Dalton has shown in the past that if he has talented players around him, he can produce.
Week Six Waiver Wire RBs
Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals (56% rostered)
In week five, Chase Edmonds had 92 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown. One thing to bear in mind is that he did this against the New York Jets, which is the equivalent of 40 yards and 0 touchdowns against a real football team. There are many analysts, myself among them, who think Edmonds will end up taking over the Cardinals starting job. However, unlike most of those experts, I don’t care who is the starting running back in Arizona. As I broke down in my Kenyan Drake Absurdity Check, the Cardinals don’t really lean on their running backs. It is hard to believe either player will be consistently reliable. However, given the scarcity of running backs, if you need running back help, you should probably grab Edmonds off the waiver wire. Just don’t drop anyone you actually like for him.
Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers (49% rostered)
In week five, Justin Jackson found himself in a near-even split in the first half with Joshua Kelley. He pulled away in the second half and had most of the passing game looks, as well. With 20 touches for 94 all-purpose yards, Jackson had a low-end RB2 week in a bad matchup. The way running backs are dying, if you can grab a guy who can get you low-end RB2 production, you better freaking do it! Get Justin Jackson!
Damien Harris, New England Patriots (47% rostered)
Stockholm Syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological alliance with their captors during captivity. It is also what happens when you convince yourself that Bill Belichick isn’t going to switch out running backs in an indiscernible pattern meant to confuse you and screw over your fantasy roster. Yeah, Damien Harris has 100 yards in week 4. Yeah, he’s running back depth. And yes, you should probably add him, but you definitely shouldn’t like it.
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings (42% rostered)
In week five, Dalvin Cook suffered a groin injury that caused him to miss most of the second half of the Vikings game against the Seahawks. While the injury does not appear to be serious, there is a chance he will be missing some time. If Cook isn’t available in week five, you will want to have Alexander Mattison on your roster. Alexander Mattison logged 23 touches for 136 all-purpose yards. Despite playing Seattle’s surprisingly stout running back defense (fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position), the offense also had no problems leaning on him once Cook went down. Even if Cook is healthy, he has shown he is susceptible to lower-body injuries and those types of injuries can linger. If you need running back help, grab Mattison.
Week Six Waiver Wire WRs
Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans (52% rostered)
A lot of people out there are real mad at Brandin Cooks. In their minds, Brandin Cooks did them wrong. They expected so much more out of him, with DeAndre Hopkins gone and Deshaun Watson at quarterback. What you fail to realize is that it was actually Bill O’Brian doing everyone wrong. It is not a coincidence that as soon as Bill O’Brien was let go, Cooks had 8 catches for 161 yards and 1 touchdown. He’s a good receiver with a good quarterback. Now, he should do even better because he doesn’t have a bad coach. Get Brandin Cooks.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (48% rostered)
I’ve been talking about Tee Higgins too! I’ve been talking about how the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t been giving his talent the respect it deserves. And for the second week in a row, the Bengals seem to be listening. His 4 catches for 62 yards in week five are nice, but the fact that for the first time this year, Higgins led the team in targets, means I feel a lot better about his prospects going forward. A.J. Green is a ghost and Tee Higgins appears to have solidified the number two role in Cincinnati behind Tyler Boyd.
Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders (47% rostered)
Henry Ruggs came back from his lower-body injury with a vengeance in week five, with 2 catches for 118 yards and 1 touchdown. There are two issues with rostering Ruggs. The lesser issue is that it has yet to be seen if the Raiders can sustain a deep passing game, which is Ruggs strength. The greater issue is burning a waiver on a questionable receiver who will have a bye in week six.
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (40% rostered)
During the Monday Night Saints/Chargers game, Keenan Allen exited the game with a back injury and was unable to return. While it is too early to tell, if I were to guess his recovery time, I would assume that he will dissolve to ash like an extra in an Avengers movie. This is where Mike Williams comes in. As in, once Allen was out, Mike Williams came into the game and had 5 catches for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns. If Allen misses an extended amount of time, Mike Williams because a very interesting receiver to have on your roster… but monitor his injury situation. He limped off at the end of the game, as he took a brutal hit on the last play.
Laviska Shenault, Jacksonville Jaguars (33% rostered)
Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m bothering talking to you about Laviska Shenault. Sure, in week five he had 7 catches for 79 yards. Yeah, he has only been trending upwards every week. But why should I bother singing Shenault’s praises when you are just going to ignore me anyway? Pick up Shenault or not! I don’t care anymore!
Preston Williams, Miami Dolphins (30% rostered)
In week five, Preston Williams had 4 catches for 106 yards and 1 touchdown. This would be more impressive if it weren’t the first time this year that Williams posted these types of numbers. In his previous four games, Williams didn’t come close to the yards he produced against the 49ers. There is no reason to think he will be able to maintain this level of production. Williams is currently fifth in targets on a Dolphins offense that shouldn’t be as high-powered as it has been. The Dolphins can’t sustain too many fantasy producers and Preston Williams is the odd man out.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers (13% rostered)
The best performance by any player at any position in week five came from Chase Claypool. With 110 receiving yards and 4 total touchdowns, Claypool reminded us why fantasy players love rostering players the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted. I honestly can’t improve on what Jeff Krisko wrote about Chase Claypool, so I’ll just say put in your claims right away for him.
Travis Fulgham, Philadelphia Eagles (2% rostered)
We can start this analysis by asking the question on everyone’s mind: who the hell is Travis Fulgham? This is a great question. A Fulgham is what you get when all the receivers on your offense die. By the greatest of fortunes, Travis Fulgham has 10 catches for 152 yards and 1 touchdown in week five. To count on that happening again would require a level of faith that I am not comfortable giving to a football team with the offensive line the Eagles have. Considering Carson Wentz’s injury history, it is a miracle he is still playing. It would be an even bigger miracle if Travis Fulgham had another top-ten fantasy week.
Week Six Waiver Wire TEs
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers (60% rostered)
In week four, Robert Tonyan’s 4 catches for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns made him the second-best tight end in week four. That would be way more impressive if he didn’t produce those numbers against the Atlanta Falcons. If you need a tight end, he has the potential to be great, but don’t read too much into his week four performance.
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears (47% rostered)
In week five, Jimmy Graham had 3 catches for 33 yards. Graham also had one of the best-looking touchdown grabs of the week. Five weeks into the season, Jimmy Graham is second in targets on the Chicago Bears. Graham is also the fifth-most targeted tight end in fantasy football. Perhaps most important of all, Jimmy Graham is the TE3. The only reason Jimmy Graham shouldn’t be on a roster is if your league doesn’t require starting tight ends.
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