The road to a fantasy championship is never smooth, free of obstacles and injuries. Every season has its challenges. Luckily, the waiver never lasts a week off. If you have roster issues, we have many possible solutions. Each week we feature a collection of useful fantasy options here, all available in most Yahoo leagues.
Teams have a bye in Week 6: Packers, Steelers
Running backs
Johnson was actually among the most sidelined players in the Yahoo leagues in the days following his early exit from Thursday Night Football due to a concussion. But the rookie’s workload will likely increase assuming he’s ready to play in Week 6. (We don’t normally expect a quick return, but the extra three days should help.) Khalil Herbert suffered a high ankle sprain on Thursday while trying to secure an inferior passport, potentially leaving him facing an absence of several weeks.
The Bears have a number of user-friendly defenses on the schedule, starting with a home game against Minnesota. This is not the time to send Chicago running backs to the discard pile. Johnson has played extremely well in his rotation role in the first few weeks, averaging 4.9 YPC and 5.3 yards per catch. Additional usage would make him an obvious fantasy starter. When he gets going he’s an absolute nightmare:
D’Onta Foreman has looked good in Chicago’s last four games, but he will clearly return to this team’s backcourt and deserves the league’s attention.
Recommended FAB, on a budget of $100: $26
Another week, another Ravens running back to chase the wire. In keeping with tradition, we use an incredible amount of FAB resources on these guys. Hill again emerged as a key committee member on Sunday, rushing for 11 touchdowns, gaining 45 scrimmage yards and delivering the game’s first touchdown:
He was again the only Baltimore to catch a pass and finished the game with four receptions on as many targets. Hill is clearly a fully-fledged and trusted member of the Ravens’ backfield committee, as well as being the only RB on the team with PPR eligibility. This week, Baltimore travels to London to take on Tennessee, a team that has allowed just 195 unexpected yards to Zack Moss.
Fabulous: $16
James Conner withdrew on Sunday due to knee problems after a great run, making Demercado the next man up in the Cards’ backfield. The undrafted rookie out of TCU was excellent in relief, carrying 10 carries for 45 yards, including this 11-yard TD:
Demercado actually played 35% of the snaps for Arizona in Week 4, so he had already begun to carve out a role long before Conner’s injury. Keaontay Ingram is dealing with a neck injury and was inactive Sunday.
Some of you may remember Demercado from his 150-yard performance against Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl when he was dealing with a full workload following Kendre Miller’s knee injury. He’s a strong back with receiving ability who, depending on Conner’s status, could hope for significant touches in Week 6 against the Rams.
Fabulous: $16
We didn’t come into the season expecting there to be any sort of committee rule in the Titans’ backfield, and yet it appears to be the case. Derrick Henry turned his 16 touchdowns into 62 scoreless yards on Sunday, while Spears turned his 11 touchdowns into 69 yards and an impressive 19-yard TD:
Spears, a rookie out of Tulane, had played 50% of Tennessee’s offensive snaps this season entering the week, so Sunday’s appearance wasn’t particularly shocking. Going forward, he has flexibility in his own right, and if Henry misses time at any point, he has the potential to be a must-have.
Fabulous: $8
Extra RBs on the wire
D’Onta Foreman is Chicago’s emergency running back and there’s no question he’s needed after Khalil Herbert’s injury in Week 6.
Kendre Miller played a strong role for the Saints as they beat New England on Sunday, carrying a dozen balls for 37 yards and catching four passes for 53 yards. He is the clear understudy to Alvin Kamara at the moment.
Chuba Hubbard is now splitting snaps evenly with Miles Sanders in an offense that’s going nowhere, if that even interests you. Neither back has made much fantasy noise.
Jordan Mason Ran as the clear No. 2 for the Niners while Elijah Mitchell was sidelined (knee), and ran 10 times for 69 yards and a score against Dallas.
Wide receivers and tight ends
Indy’s rookie slot receiver just delivered his most productive day as a pro, catching all six of his targets for 97 yards and thriving with Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew behind center. Downs is just two weeks removed from a 12-goal game, so volume certainly wasn’t an issue. So far it has been primarily a short-range weapon, but it has also demonstrated the ability to penetrate deep:
Downs was a fantastically productive college receiver at UNC, catching 195 balls for 2,364 yards and 19 scores in his final two seasons. He will be a persistent problem for opposing defenses no matter who controls the Colts’ offense, which looks like Minshew for now.
Fabulous: $10
Rice’s second touchdown of the season was the first score in the second half at Minnesota, where he made a huge throw, blocked it, completed the catch and celebrated like a veteran:
We haven’t seen much running from the SMU rookie yet, but he’s clearly becoming a trusted circle receiver for Patrick Mahomes. Rice has good size, exceptional jumping ability (41 inches in height) and is paired with a magical QB. Rice’s snap counts are also trending in the right direction. It’s easy to imagine a game-changing performance coming soon – possibly this Thursday at home against Denver’s poor defense.
Fabulous: $6
It wasn’t hard to imagine a big day for Reynolds, as Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) was sidelined in Week 5. As expected, Reynolds delivered. He caught four balls for 76 yards and a 1-yard toe-drag score against Carolina:
By now you should probably know that Reynolds and Jared Goff have a relationship that goes back to their Ram days. The record shows that the veteran receiver was very productive before St. Brown’s injury. He will continue to be a factor in driving one of the most productive offenses in the league.
Fabulous: $7
Logan Thomas, Washington Commander (15%)
A tight end was targeted 11 times, you say?
Yes, he’s a no-brainer in this miserable position.
Thomas hauled in nine balls for 77 yards and a score on Thursday, leading all Washington receivers in every major category. He also opened the year with an eight-goal game against Arizona, so it’s not like last week’s effort was entirely unprecedented. In all likelihood, your fantasy team’s starting tight end doesn’t have a 9-catch game this season. Thomas belongs in our waiver plans.
Fabulous: $7
Other priority WRs and TEs
KJ Osborn was targeted nine times in the loss to KC and he’s aiming for similar volume to Justin Jefferson next week Hamstring injury prevents him from seeing the field.
Kadarius Toney has managed to hit 13 of its 14 goals since its disastrous, losing season opener. We’re not talking about high-yield downfield targets here (3.5 ADOT), but hey, it’s some kind of progress.
Curtis Samuel has found the end zone in consecutive games and posted a receiving line of 6-65-1 on Thursday.
It’s not unreasonable to hope that the Chargers create a few opportunities for the rookie Quentin Johnston during the team’s farewell.
Dalton Schultz posted significant volume in Week 5 for the first time this season, turning it into a serviceable 7-65-1 performance.
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Quarterbacks
After five weeks, it’s still not clear whether Howell is actually good in the traditional sense, but he’s certainly fun. In a failed comeback attempt against the Bears on Thursday, he passed for 388 yards and two scores, but also threw an ugly interception (his sixth of the season) and was sacked five more times. Howell is currently on pace to get 99 sacks this year, which…well, it’s ridiculous and possibly unsustainable. It would, of course, destroy David Carr’s single-season record (76).
Still, Howell is quite tenacious and his rushing abilities are well documented – he ran for a two-pointer in the loss to Chicago. His receiving corps is also excellent. Washington’s upcoming schedule doesn’t include a road game any time soon – the Commanders have the Falcons, Giants and Eagles scheduled – so Howell can help you navigate the byes.
Fabulous: $3
Additional QB pickups
Baker Mayfield now has his bye behind him, put together a 3-TD performance and is on his way to a possible shootout with Detroit.
Gardner Minshew will start this week against a former employer as Anthony Richardson is out with his shoulder injury.
Desmond Ridder feels like a dangerous roll of the dice, but he’s coming off a 329-yard, 2-TD performance and is getting ready to take on a Washington defense that’s just been prepared by Chicago.
Team defense
Jacksonville Jaguars, D/ST (16%)
The Jaguars finally get a legitimate home game after two weeks in London when the Colts and Gardner Minshew roll into town in Week 6. Jacksonville’s defense has tallied 11 takeaways in five weeks, tied for second-most in the league. The Jaguars face the Saints and Steelers after the Indy matchup, so this unit may be more than a one-way defense.
Fabulous: $1