Pigskin Papers Waiver Wire- 2022 Week 6
I Give Up - Add Taysom Hill
(Published October 10, 2022)
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Welcome to the Waiver Wire, Week 6! Week 5 was a pretty bad one for injuries, and the Byes start this week, so lots of fantasy managers are looking for some relief from the free agent pool. I’m here to help.
Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to identify which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” I’m not spending a lot of time on Kenneth Walker or Rhamondre Stevenson this week, because they should be rostered in all leagues. If either one is available in your league, stop reading this column now, and put in a claim for one or both of them. Just make sure you come back.
These are your Bye week teams for Week 6: Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas and Tennessee. As a matter of strategy, I like to try to plan ahead for Bye weeks when I can, to avoid missing on guys I might want as fill-ins (or having to overpay for them). Teams with Week 7 Byes are big ones for fantasy: Buffalo, LA Rams, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. Now is a great time to pick up a QB, DST, TE or PK for Week 7, if you know you’re going to need one.
***SEE THE WEEK 5 TAKEAWAYS COLUMN HERE: https://www.thepigskinpapers.com/posts-1/pigskin-papers-take-3-2022-week-5 ***
Week 6 Waiver Wire
Geno Smith - The Staple of This Column
QB - WIth so many Superflex leagues out there, and with a bunch of injured QBs and 4 teams on bye, lots of you might be looking for a streamer this week. I’ve got 4 for you to consider:
Geno Smith. I’ve been saying it for weeks. Grab him. He’s the QB6 on a PPG basis. Forget streamer, right now I can’t blame you for starting him over bigger names, such as…I don’t know…Russell Wilson? (Cut to memes of Broncos fans throwing up, and Seahawks fans laughing into their snifters of fine cognac).
Carson Wentz. Yeah, I know. But much like Geno, he’s putting up points for a bad team that can’t play defense, and the Bears on TNF are a decent matchup. He’s the QB7 on a PPG basis, meaning that like Geno, he shouldn’t be available in your league. So if he is, grab him.
Daniel Jones. Jones gutted it out on Sunday in London, and he continues to be a decent QB2 fantasy option, albeit in a low-volume passing offense. Still, the turnovers are way down, and with another week to heal, his rushing upside should return. He might also get a receiving weapon or two back. The Ravens did a nice job on Joe Burrow on Sunday night, but they’ve been very vulnerable at times this year. You could do worse.
Justin Fields. What’s that you say? How can I recommend Fields when I’ve advised fading him every single week this season, and it’s been solid advice? Have I lost my mind? Fair enough, but hear me out. A bunch of QBs are injured, a few are on bye, and the Bears are playing the Commanders, who are near the bottom of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to QBs this year. Fields is coming off his best game of the season with…wait for it…15 completions! That’s almost like a real NFL QB! He also has good rushing upside. If you’re desperate at QB, I think Fields can help you this week.
Cook is Starting to Cook - Stash Him
RB - The obvious names here, in this order, are Kenneth Walker and Rhamondre Stevenson. They should not be available, but if they are, they’re high priority adds. Rashaad Penny is out for the season, so Walker will be leading the backfield for an offense that’s been much better than expected. And Walker is a gifted runner. Damien Harris injured his hamstring Sunday, and will likely miss some time. Stevenson was already getting plenty of touches, and you saw on Sunday what he can do with a full workload. This could be an opportunity for him to seize more of a lead role when Harris eventually returns.
Here are players that are much more likely to be available:
Mike Boone was on this list last week, and likely got scooped up in most leagues. He looked pretty spry on Thursday night, and should get a decent share of the work, operating behind Melvin Gordon.
Eno Benjamin figures to be the main beneficiary if James Conner is going to miss any time with his latest injury. With Conner’s penchant for getting nicked up and Darrell Williams also getting hurt Sunday, I think Benjamin is a smart add and especially with the porous Seattle run D on tap for this week.
Brian Robinson has been listed here for a few weeks, and he’s available in less than 50% of leagues. They’ll ease him back in, but it’s clear that the coaching staff prefers him to Antonio Gibson. Grab him if he’s still on your wire.
Joshua Kelly is worth adding if you have Austin Ekeler, as he’s emerging as the clear #2 RB option for the Chargers. Otherwise, his value is pretty limited.
Caleb Huntley and Tyler Allgeier were on the list last week, and I still like them both as depth adds, with Patterson out for at least 3 more games. Newsflash - the Falcons like to run the ball.
Tevin Coleman and James Cook are 2 stashes that are worth considering if you’ve got the bench space. Cook is starting to get more involved and has the better upside, especially given the number of points the Bills can put up on a weekly basis. Plus, it’s not like Devin Singletary has run away with the job. As for Coleman, the upside is limited, but the 49ers clearly don’t want Jeff Wilson getting every touch, and it looks like Coleman could carve out a 3rd down, 2-minute, and relief role. His 11 touches on Sunday were a surprise.
Michael Carter scored 2 TDs this week, but the usage was low, and Breece Hall had a breakout game. Don’t expect many repeat performances. Carter is fine for depth (and especially if you have Hall), but tough to trust.
Alec Pierce - One of Few Bright Spots on TNF
WR
There are a few names to consider, but assuming Jakobi Meyers is not available, then I think Darius Slayton is the top WR add this week. He finally saw the field for a full game on Sunday and broke out with a solid game (6-79 on 7 targets). The Giants once again boast the league’s most banged-up WR corps, and Slayton - who’s had success with Jones before - figures to be highly targeted going forward. It’s a little odd that they didn’t really use him before Sunday, so I’m a tiny bit hesitant on this one.
Alec Pierce was one of the lone bright spots for either team in that dreadful Thursday night game. The rookie now has back-to-back games with 80+ yards. The Colts and Matt Ryan have looked pretty awful, but this is an offense that has a lot of room to improve, and has targets available. I like adding the rookie Pierce now, before it’s too late. You can easily make a case for him as the top WR add this week.
Tyler Boyd is worth adding, for a variety of reasons. Tee Higgins is banged up and may miss more time. Boyd is a seasoned, capable receiver in what should be a high caliber offense. I like him as a depth add and potential spot-start.
Bills’ rookie Khalil Shakir is intriguing, although it’s hard to know how much opportunity he’ll have once Isaiah McKenzie and Dawson Knox return. He’s a decent bench stash with some upside but I wouldn’t rush him into lineups.
A couple of other stash candidates: Rondale Moore and Jameson Williams.
Josh Reynolds has taken full advantage of his opportunity, with so many Detroit WRs hurt the past 2 weeks. They’re on a bye this week, and after the bye, it may be that ARSB and D.J. Chark are both back at full strength, and at some point Williams should make his debut as well. I don’t see a ton of opportunity for Reynolds going forward.
Finally, 2 more deeper adds you could consider are Dyami Brown and Marvin Jones. Both are coming off big games that came out of nowhere, so it’s very hard to trust and I like the names listed above better.
Hurst: Earning his Stripes
TE
I give up - add Taysom Hill, and play him at a position he literally doesn’t play, ever. And then watch him turn a few touches into a ton of fantasy points. It makes no sense, and never did. Welcome to fantasy football!
In terms of actual NFL tight ends, Hayden Hurst is an obvious add. He’s taking full advantage of the targets that aren’t going to Higgins, and has scored in 2 straight. Given how weak TE is, Hurst is a borderline priority add.
Evan Engram has been in this column several times already this year. He isn’t consistent, and apparently neither is his QB. But at a weak position, you take what you can get.
Giants 4th round rookie Daniel Bellinger is up to about a 60% snap share and Brian Daboll is finding creative ways to get him more involved. I like him as a depth add, as his opportunities should continue to increase in an improving offense.
Cole Kmet was hyped up a lot in the preseason, but in the last few weeks he was rightly dropped in tons of leagues. If you have bench space, consider stashing him. If the Bears start playing like a real NFL offense, Kmet should be part of it.
PK
Week 6 Streamers: Nick Folk@CLE, Chase McLaughlin vs. JAC, Jason Myers vs. ARI.
Also, keep an eye on injured kickers Harrison Butker, Jake Elliott, and Matt Prater. If they were dropped in your league. you might consider picking them up sometime soon if you’re needing an upgrade at the position.
DST
Week 6 Streamers: LAC vs. DEN, JAC@IND, IND vs. JAC, GB vs. NYJ.
Good luck with your waiver pickups!
DH
***This column (Waiver Wire) and the Weekly Fantasy Recap appear each Monday and Tuesday, and the Weekly Fantasy Preview each Thursday. Please bookmark the site and come back often. You can also follow on Social Media - on Instagram (thepigskinpapers) and Twitter (@PigskinPapers). I appreciate your patronage and welcome your feedback. You can post in the comment boxes or email pigskinpapers@gmail.com.***
