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Week 6 Adds, Drops, Buys, and Sells
What a week! Week 5 was exhilarating but the turnaround is quick. Waivers are running and we have championship rosters to build. With that in mind, here are the adds, drops, buys, and sells to consider making in Week 6.
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Add Kenneth Walker
Obviously if you’re in deeper leagues, he is already rostered. But, Kenneth Walker is still available in a lot of shallow leagues. If you’re in one of these, he is your number one priority this week. Not only that, he is the waiver wire add of the year. This is what you’ve been holding back your FAAB for. Spend it all. The Seattle offense has greatly exceeded our preseason expectations thanks to the performance of quarterback Geno Smith. With Rashaad Penny out for the season, the path has been paved for this talented rookie to take on a significant workload. Walker is a thick back at 5-9, 211-pounds. He has blazing 4.38 speed to go with it. Walker is versatile in his running style and wins with an impressive combination of power, speed, and elusiveness.
Add Geno Smith
Speaking of the Seahawks and quarterback Geno Smith, how in the world is Smith still available in so many leagues? Sure, this has been one of the most surprising developments in all of fantasy football this year, but it feels like it’s been so shocking that it’s given fantasy managers waiver wire paralysis. It’s time to react, people! This is happening. Smith is QB6 in fantasy points right now. Five weeks is enough of a sample to say this is legitimate. He has the weapons and his defense is bad enough to force them into negative game scripts. But Smith has actually played really well, too. He’s near the top of the league in a number of efficiency metrics. Go get him.
Add Pierre Strong
When Damien Harris left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, Rhamondre Stevenson all that was left at running back. That’s because Ty Montgomery is on injured reserve and rookie Pierre Strong was inactive. That’s likely to change this week, however, as reports have indicated Harris is likely to miss several weeks. Strong will be active on game days, spelling Stevenson and maybe getting some work on passing downs. While it may not be a fantasy relevant role, an injury to Stevenson would thrust the rookie into the starting lineup. Remember, Strong was the fastest running back at the NFL Combine this year. Don’t spend a lot of FAAB on him, but scoop him up, stash him, and see what happens.
Add Eno Benjamin
Eno Benjamin was already on our radar as the team’s best receiving back, especially with James Conner dealing with some injuries coming into Week 5. Then, Conner exited Sunday’s loss with a ribs injury. He never returned. On top of that, running backs Darrel Williams (knee) and Jonathan Ward (hamstring) also left the game and did not return. Benjamin could be atop the depth chart in Week 6 against the Seahawks. He’s an athletic back who thrives in the passing game so he’s especially appealing in PPR leagues.
Buy Travis Etienne
In Week 5, Travis Etienne out-snapped James Robinson (53% to 40%) for the second-straight week and third time in five games. That’s significant. As is the fact that Etienne ran 27 routes to Robinson’s 16, saw five targets (11%) to Robinson’s two, and had the same number of carries while out-rushing Robinson 71 yards to 27. As I discussed in Week 3’s Gameplan article, Etienne is essentially a rookie. He’s now played five NFL games. His snaps and opportunities continue to rise, along with his performance on the field. He may never become the true bellcow and take a 70% opportunity share, but his role is going to continue to grow in this offense especially in games where the Jaguars are playing from behind.
Drop Chase Edmonds
It was obvious early on that Chase Edmonds was not going to be the lead guy in the Miami backfield. That’s why I pushed you to sell him a few weeks back. Now we have gotten to the point where it’s time to drop him altogether. His snap shares have dropped every week and were down to a mere 15% in Week 5. If you thought maybe he’d at least maintain a passing-downs role, that was wrong, too. Edmonds was third behind both Raheem Mostert (20) and Myles Gaskin (9) with five routes run out of the Miami backfield. Even if Mostert’s injury history comes back to get him, we can’t confidently project a significant role onto Edmonds. It would likely become a messy committee where Edmonds, Gaskin, and Salvon Ahmed would cannibalize each other.
Buy Ja’Marr Chase
Ja’Marr Chase has been underwhelming to start the season. The whole Bengals offense has been a disappointment. But the offensive line has improved over the last two weeks and we have to believe the offense will get better with it. The good news is, the Bengals are still targeting Chase at a high rate. He was fifth in target rate in Week 5. Sure, that was with Tee Higgins spending most of the game on the sidelines, but Chase ranks eighth among all wide receivers in target share for the season and he’s had just one game below a 25-percent share. We know the talent is there and we know the chemistry he has with Joe Burrow. I’m buying.
Buy Rhamondre Stevenson
As I noted when I discussed adding Pierre Strong, the Patriots are looking like they will be without Damien Harris for multiple weeks. That will thrust Rhamondre Stevenson into a full bellcow role for the time being. Stevenson had already taken the lead role, significantly out-snapping Harris over the previous few weeks. Not only that, Stevenson has become a target magnet out of the backfield with target shares of 16-percent, 24-percent, and 10-percent in the last three games. Without any competition for touches, Stevenson is looking like a fantasy RB1 for the foreseeable future.
Buy D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift managers may be getting impatient. They’ve been without him for two weeks and now have to wait at least one more with the Lions on bye in Week 6. If you’re in a spot where you can afford to keep him on your bench for now, make an offer to get D’Andre Swift. He was playing well before the injury and he’s expected back in Week 7. The Lions offense was the league’s top-scoring unit through the first month of the season. At the same time, they’ve given up the most points in the league. This is a dream environment for fantasy football. The offense is pedal to the medal at all times and they’re racking up points. I want every part of this offense, especially they’re dynamic all-purpose runner.
Add Rondale Moore
Rondale Moore has come back to a significant role. After running a route on 94.3-percent of Kyler Murray’s drop backs in Week 4, he was at a 97.1-percent route participation rate in Week 5. His target share went up from 16-percent to 20-percent. Moore gets heavy usage out of the slot which should help insulate his role when DeAndre Hopkins returns.
Buy Drake London
Drake London’s box score has been quiet over the last two weeks after a productive start to the season. He scored 12.4, 22.6, and 14.4 fantasy points in his first three contests. While it’s been just 3.7 and 7.5 over the last two, the usage has not changed. London sits behind just CeeDee Lamb and Cooper Kupp among the wide receiver target share leaders. His lowest share was 21-percent back in Week 1 and it hasn’t dipped below 28-percent since. The only problem is, the Falcons are throwing the ball at a frustratingly low rate. If they ever decide to pass more, London is going to be an absolute stud. Even if they don’t, he can still be a productive WR2/3 like he showed us in the first three weeks. Buy low.
Sell Gabe Davis
Let me preface this by saying I’m only selling Gabe Davis if I’m getting WR1 or high-end WR2 value in return. We all saw those two incredible big-play touchdowns in Week 5. If you had Davis in your lineup you likely ran away with a win in your fantasy matchups. With that said, Davis is still well behind Stefon Diggs in the Bills pecking order. In fact, touchdowns aside, Davis’ usage has been mediocre at best. He had target shares of 16-percent, 10-percent, and 8-percent to start the season. Even in his big Week 5, that number was just 17-percent. That’s a 13-percent share for the season. He needs to get that into the 20s if he expects to return weekly WR2 production. Davis has been on the field a ton and running nearly all the routes which is encouraging. But if anyone expects Week 5 to be the norm, they’re very mistaken. There are passionate Gabe Davis enthusiasts out there who are salivating over this recent performance. If one of them is in your league, cash in.
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