Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 6
By Rahul Lal
Last weekend, we saw injuries to Dalvin Cook, Chris Carson and Ty Montgomery. This week, we had to watch Charles Clay, Odell Beckham and just about the rest of the Giants' receivers suffer from ankle injuries. In fact, Beckham is done for the season, as is Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris, and Sterling Shepard went to the locker room with an ankle injury too. It was a rough week for a number of teams but the Giants, and fantasy teams that are built around Beckham, are definitely going to feel it the rest of the season. So where does that leave you? Are you in the market for an injury replacement, bye-week replacement, or are you just looking to bolster your depth and maybe take the next waiver success off the board? Any which way, the waiver wire is important for every fantasy player.
Teams on bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Seattle
Below are a few of our favorite waiver wire pickups for Week 5, and they are separated by the three categories of Add Now, Worth A Look, and finally Deep League Add.
Matt Breida (San Francisco 49ers, RB)
Confidence Level: Add Now
If you're a Carlos Hyde owner, this move is imperative. It's starting to look like the two are on the way to creating one of the most annoying committees out there (for Hyde owners). Many assumed that Hyde rode the bench this week due to injury but it was revealed that the team was just going with a "hot hand" approach. Breida rushed 10 times for 49 yards and caught 3 balls for 22 yards. The numbers don't pop out at you but Hyde hasn't shown the ability to stay healthy with a full workload and Breida is now the next guy up - he's a decent pick up without an injury, he's the top pick up if Hyde ever has to miss a game. Jerick McKinnon is in a similar place to Breida where he's not an every down back but still has a lot of upside.
Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (New York Jets, TE)
Confidence Level: Add Now
Some forward thinking, handsome fantasy owners made the move last week (yes, I'm talking about myself). If you still can, try and grab Sefarian-Jenkins this week. If you have a struggling tight end or are affected by the injury to a guy like Charles Clay, Sefarian-Jenkins should be in the TE1 conversation from here on out. He has been active for three games this season (was suspended for the first two) and has caught 15 receptions on 18 targets. The Jets don't have many trusted options in the receiving game and are beaten up in the backfield, and Sefarian-Jenkins seems to be a pretty steady option, especially in PPR leagues. His touchdown this week along with the six receptions made for a decent PPR stat line. For non-PPR purposes, Jets don't usually translate to fantasy success but he's still worth a roster spot.
Will Fuller (Houston Texans, WR)
Confidence Level: Add Now
Surprisingly, people seemed to forget about Will Fuller. Fuller began the year hot last season before suffering a season-ending injury. He made his season debut last week lining up as the number two receiver across DeAndre Hopkins in this newly explosive Texans offense and has put up four touchdowns in two weeks. No, Fuller isn't going to catch two touchdowns a week but he has very real and very deadly chemistry with Deshaun Watson, as the two spent plenty of time outside of practice rehabilitating Fuller to be game-ready. How often is it that you can find the number two option in an offense that threw for five touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs' stout secondary six weeks into the season?
Marlon Mack (Indianapolis Colts, RB)
Confidence Level: Worth a Look
Marlon Mack finished with one touchdown but had another one brought back as he was ruled down on the one. Mack brought a sort of pop that Frank Gore simply doesn't have at this point in his career. Gore has been solid all season and has a knack for staying remarkably healthy, but the difference in carries was pretty close this past week. Gore got 14 carries and Mack contributed 9. Gore's 48 rushing yards were easily beaten by Mack's 91 yards, though Gore played a decent role in the passing game. While Mack won't surpass Gore, he can force a timeshare and has enough speed and pop to be fantasy relevant in coming weeks - remember, he's just a rookie.