Good evening, folks! We’ve made it through the bulk of Week 5 action, and it’s that most wonderful time of the evening once again. Sunday night gives fantasy owners time to reflect on the week’s triumphs or losses and take stock of their roster heading into the new week. It’s a time for reflection and a time to assess potential waiver wire options. Each week, I’ll be highlighting a handful of low-rostered options you should consider when making waiver wire claims. Each player’s upcoming three-game schedule will be noted, including strength of matchup. This is particularly helpful if you need a streaming option or a temporary replacement to get you through the tough times.
The Raiders shocked the Chiefs at Arrow Head, Atlanta lost its fifth straight, Houston got into the win column, Alex Smith saw his first NFL action since horribly breaking his leg in 2018, and Carson Wentz struggled once again in another Philly loss.
Unfortunately, there was another major injury this week, as Dak Prescott had his leg completely turned the other way while being tackled on a run late in the third quarter. He was carted off the field after a long break in the game and was visibly upset after suffering the gruesome injury. He will almost certainly miss an extended amount of time, and there’s a real possibility his season is over.
The waiver wire is pretty thin ahead of Week 6 with no notable tight ends to speak of and just one running back to target. The best pickups of the week come in at receiver, defense, and quarterback, and we’ll hit on all of them here.
Best of luck in all of your leagues moving forward! If you’ve got any questions about the week’s waiver wire options or anything fantasy football, hit me up on Twitter @ZaktheMonster.
Note: Most players are less than 30% rostered in Yahoo leagues.
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Wide Receiver
Chase Claypool (PIT): 14% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| CLE | @TEN | @BAL |
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Diontae Johnson was forced out of Sunday’s matchup with Philly due to a back injury, paving the way for an Claypool to take on an expanded role. Spoiler alert – he broke out. Claypool became the first Steelers rookie receiver in 30 years to score at least three touchdowns in a game, and he set a new Pittsburgh rookie record with four touchdowns in the contest while leading Pittsburgh to its first 4-0 start to the season since 1979. The historic game from the Notre Dame product makes him the top waiver wire add of the week.
Travis Fulgham (PHI): 2% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| BAL | NYG | DAL |
__________
After securing the game-winning touchdown in Week 4, Fulgham came to play against Pittsburgh in Week 5. He turned a team-high 13 targets into a monstrous 10/152/1 receiving line and seems to have developed a rapport with Carson Wentz. As the team continues to deal with injuries in the receiving corps, Fulgham is worth adding off the waiver wire this week.
Laviska Shenault (JAX): 34% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| DET | BYE | LAC |
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D.J. Chark was forced out of Sunday’s loss in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury, and he didn’t return. Jacksonville has a Week 7 bye, and the team may opt to be cautious and hold the No. 1 receiver out in Week 6 to give him an extra week of recovery. The rookie has gone 12/165 on 14 targets over the last two weeks and may be in for an expanded role in Week 6 if Chark is out.
Keelan Cole (JAX): 25% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| DET | BYE | LAC |
__________
Cole scored his third touchdown of the season Sunday as Jacksonville lost to Houston in Week 5. He’s now seen at least five targets in every game this season and may draw some additional looks if D.J. Chark is injured or limited moving forward.
Christian Kirk (ARI): 34% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| @DAL | SEA | BYE |
__________
Kirk hasn’t had any huge games this season, but he’s racked up a respectable 8/97/1 line across his last two. With excellent matchups against Dallas and Seattle coming up, Kirk should be rostered everywhere. He’s also a high-quality receiver handcuff for DeAndre Hopkins.
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins (MIN): 32% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| ATL | BYE | GB |
__________
A matchup with Atlanta? Yeah, that’s enough to turn any quarterback into Patrick Mahomes for an afternoon, and Cousins will get his crack at the 0-5 team that has been a mess on defense. Rostered in just 32% of leagues, Cousins will be widely available to stream for Week 6, where he should be able to push for a QB1 weekly finish.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA): 20% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| @DEN | LAC | RAM red |
__________
After an excellent showing against San Francisco in Week 5, it looks like it’s not Tua Time quite yet. Fitzpatrick should be the Week 6 starter where he’ll get another favorable draw against Denver. He’s your man if you need a one-week streamer.
Andy Dalton (DAL): 2% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| ARI | @WAS | @PHI |
__________
As mentioned above, Dak Prescott will likely be out for an extended period of time, leaving Dalton as the team’s starter in the interim. As Cincinnati’s starter for nine years, Dalton earned three Pro-Bowl nods and averaged 3,500 passing yards to go with 23 TDs and 13 INTs per season. He’s no slouch and will have immediate fantasy relevancy as the Cowboys’ starting signal-caller.
Running Back
J.D. McKissic (WAS): 6% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| @NYG | DAL | BYE |
__________
Yeah, I’m not too pleased to be suggesting JDM here, but hey, you do what you gotta do sometimes. McKissic has seen exactly eight targets in consecutive weeks, racking up a 13/86 receiving line in that span. With either Kyle Allen or Alex Smith under center moving forward, McKissic could continue to be a reliable checkdown option for Washington and a safe-floor PPR play for fantasy.
D/ST
New York Giants: 1% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| WAS | @PHI | TB |
__________
Despite the offensive struggles of this team, the defense has played soundly in 2020, and the matchup is a juicy one in Week 6. The Football Team benched Dwayne Haskins in Week 6 in favor of Kyle Allen. Allen was knocked out of the game briefly, and even when he was cleared to come back in, Alex Smith remained the quarterback. The G-Men are an excellent stream in Week 6 and should be available on nearly all waiver wires.
Washington Football Team: 7% rostered
| WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |
| NYG | DAL | BYE |
__________
In a battle of two struggling teams, both D/STs will be in play this week, and both are under 10% rostered. The Giants have given up the second-most points to opposing D/STs this season, making WFT an interesting streamer.
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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.
