RADIO
Hamid Sandhu looks at the most added and dropped players of the week on Fleaflicker's waiver wire transactions list to help fantasy football owners evaluate player value and who to stream in Week 6.
With Week 5 coming to a close in record-breaking fashion, it is that time of week again to look at the most added and dropped players from the waiver wire leading up to week 6. But before we do, as always allow me to share some statistics from the previous week.
Adam Thielen is the third player in NFL history to begin a season with five straight 100-yard receiving games. Odell Beckham's touchdown pass of 57 yards traveled 24 air yards, in comparison Eli Manning has not thrown a touchdown pass with that many air yards since Week 5 of last year. How about this crazy little stat, through five weeks A.J. Green (29 receptions) is not the leading receiver on the Bengals by number of receptions, that honor belongs to Tyler Boyd (30). Jared Goff of the Rams leads the lead in passing yards with 1,727 yards (who would have guessed that?).
What a time to be watching the NFL and playing fantasy football. Alright, without further ado, here are the top six added and dropped positions players of the week.
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Most Added - Week 6
Wendell Smallwood (RB, PHI): 5035 adds - 45% Owned
With Jay Ajayi on IR, it is going to be difficult to predict this backfield from week to week who will stand out, because either can perform better than the other without actually out snapping/touching the ball. It is safe to mention that Corey Clement also needs to be added in all formats, and both can be considered weekly flex options. I highly recommend choosing a different option until this backfield is sorted it if you have the luxury to do so. We all know how the Thursday Night game turned out as even though Smallwood out-snapped and out-touched 19-14, it was Clement who made the better of his touches while recording a touchdown. On an offense that plays at a high pace and loves to score despite the strength of their defense, I would prefer Clement over Smallwood if I had to pick. Personally, I would avoid this backfield altogether in 10 or 12-man leagues. Both are worth rostering in deeper 16 -team leagues though.
Ka'imi Fairbairn (K, HOU): 3776 adds - 43% Owned
Fairbairn has had 12 field goal attempts in the past three games and there is no reason why anyone should worry about him against the Bills. He is a solid streaming option in all formats.
Ryan Succop (K, TEN): 3011 adds - 57% Owned
The Titans host the Baltimore Ravens, who on defense are allowing the 6th fewest passing yards (1077), tied for the 3rd fewest TD passes allowed (six), tied for the fourth fewest yards per attempt rushing at 3.9 yards, allowing the fifth-fewest first downs (24), and have allowed just two rushing touchdowns this year. I am not sure how many opportunities Succop is going to actually have this week against this type of defense. With better options on the waiver wire I am surprised he was the 3rd most added player this week.
Jamaal Charles (RB, JAX): 2351 adds - 17% Owned
The all-time leader in yards per carry (5.4 yards), was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars after losing Corey Grant for the season and Leonard Fournette (hamstring) likely to miss an extended time (potentially till the bye week). Last year he played for Denver and even though he averaged 4.28 yards per carry, do not let this signing fog your judgment. He will not be fantasy relevant. This is T.J. Yeldon's backfield and he will be the workhorse back. Jamaal Charles signing was insurance more than anything else, giving Yeldon a backup who can give him a breather from time to time. Before signing Charles, the Jaguars signed Bo Scarbrough to the practice squad and promoted rookie David Williams from the practice squad. Neither is a viable backup, and the same goes for Charles. He is best left on the waiver wire.
Green Bay Packers (DEF, GB): 2179 - 47% Owned
At this point, any defense facing the Niners is a streamable option. This week just happens to be the Green Bay Packers. C.J. Beathard has thrown four interceptions in two games and the Niners as a team has turned the ball over seven times. I would not say start the Packers defense with confidence but definitely stream worthy if your defense has a tougher matchup.
Cody Parkey (K, CHI): 2021 - 27% Owned
Chicago is coming off a bye to go up against the Miami Dolphins, against whom they should create plenty of opportunities for Parkey to put up points. Parkey has converted nine out of ten field goals and converted a career-high 50-yard field goal attempt against the Buccaneers. He is a solid option this week in all formats.
Most Dropped - Week 6
Jay Ajayi (RB, PHI): 3212 - 70% Owned
This is pretty self-explanatory. What was surprising is, all this time we were told he was dealing with a back issue (which he was), a fractured back, only to now have a torn ACL. The Philadelphia Eagles placed him on IR, officially ending his 2018 season. I hope the only reason why he is still owned in 70% of leagues is because they are dynasty holds. That's a lot of dynasty leagues if that is the case.
Tennessee Titans (DEF, TEN): 3093 - 38% Owned
The Tennessee Titans defense is actually allowing the fifth-fewest passing yards (1050), which is better than their opponent this week (Baltimore Ravens), and have allowed the same number of touchdowns as their opponent through the air (six), though this can be explained to the fact that the Titans have faced 35 fewer passing attempts. The Ravens are on pace to produce three WR3s this year. While their running game is inconsistent and inefficient, Joe Flacco is averaging 310 yards a game and is on pace for 4960 yards and 26 touchdowns, the yards would be a new career high by over 600 yards while the touchdowns would be one short of his career high. Having said all of this, the Titans are still worth a start, but the fantasy universe seems to have found better options on the Waiver wire.
Matt Prater (K, DET): 2846 - 58% Owned
The Lions are on a bye so this is totally understandable as kickers is a position that can be weekly streamed. There is never a need to keep two kickers on your bench.
Will Lutz (K, NO): 2186 - 76% Owned
Although the Saints are on a bye this week, I am surprised that over 2000 owners felt like they had to drop Lutz, a kicker on an offense that is as efficient and potent as the Saints are. He should be scooped back up after Sunday.
Robbie Gould (K, SF): 1697 - 63% Owned
He should continue to be dropped across all formats with C.J. Beathard under center, and a number of injuries on offense including Marquis Goodwin and Matt Breida. How does this offense plan to move the ball with an under-performing Pierre Garcon and George Kittle (who seems to be their only legitimate playmaker at this point). He should not be started even against a middling defense as the packers.
Vance McDonald (TE, PIT): 1405 - 55% Owned
After pretty much locking up the Stiff Arm of the Year award, he makes our list of top-dropped players. The problem is Ben Roethlisberger may one week decide to target McDonald and next week make "The Road Dawg" Jesse James a household name as he did last week. He targeted McDonald five times which converted to one reception for six yards. It is going to be a hit or miss with the tight end position in Pittsburgh and the floor is just too low to risk starting either of them. McDonald is yet to draw more than five targets in a game this season. You can find better more consistent options at a position which has dropped to all-time lows this season.
