RADIO
This week I'll be forward-thinking on my recommendations and indicate two players that other fantasy football blogs/websites might not be talking about just yet.
Here's my thinking: if you have a deep bench and you can get a dynamic playmaker with high upside and little risk, why not? This is why the recommendations could be a difference maker for your team later in the season. Additionally, we all know that the owner who doesn't jump on players fast enough loses out on a huge opportunity and regrets it later. I'm here to help you not be that person.
Now, I'm going to add one additional secret for these recommendations (WRs only): do not use a waiver wire pickup for Crabtree or Brazil. Why? Well, if you use a waiver pickup on one of these players you will lose your waiver priority, likely for a player whom no one is wanting to pick up just yet. So my advice is to ride out the waivers and make your move immediately after waivers expire. That way, you can keep your priority but get the player you want. This is extremely useful when you have a major injury to your roster later in the season. For the offensive players, I'll continue to follow my guidelines and at the end I will list of players who do not meet all of them but who MAY be available in your leagues waiver wire at the end of the article.
NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers
Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - Waiver Wire Pickup
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues (12+ teams Standard, PPR)
ANALYSIS: If you haven't noticed, let me enlighten you on something that's happening in San Fran: Colin Kaepernick needs WR playmakers. San Francisco's passing offense is ranked 31st out of 32 teams. That's worse than the Jacksonville Jaguars! On Monday, head coach Jim Harbaugh stated that Crabtree is on his way to recovery and will be playing by late November. Now, if you are a fantasy manager who likes to plan for the future-- i.e., championship!-- this is a player you can get for free on the waiver wire who could be a huge value when it matters. If you are in a league with a small bench, I don't recommend to stash now, but definitely place Crabtree on your watch list. Last year, Crabtree and Kaepernick showed great chemistry together (1,105 yards, 85 catches, and eight TDs in 2012). Kaepernick misses him, and the offense will take a major jump when he returns. Make sure you are one of those managers who reaps the benefits.
LaVon Brazil, WR, IND - Waiver Wire Pickup
BALLER MOVE: Continue Monitoring
ANALYSIS: Brazil has not played a single game this season due to a suspension. I will admit this is a bit of a stretch recommendation, but I would recommend you monitor him. Why? He's a speedster who can get separation and make plays if given the chance. The question is: will he? Right now, it's hard to tell, so I would recommend you watch how the season progresses. I would not be surprised if he gets his opportunity and makes some big plays for the Colts this season.
Keenan Allen, WR, SD - Waiver Wire Pickup
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues (10+ teams Standard, PPR)
ANALYSIS: Recently, Malcom Floyd was placed on IR due to injury, and since that occurred, Allen has been given an opportunity to replace him. So far he has not disappointed. The past two weeks, Allen has 195 yards, 11 catches and a TD. With Floyd out of the picture, I expect that Allen will continue this trend, and I recommend you pick him up if he's available. Philip Rivers is starting to build chemistry and looking his way (15 targets the last two weeks). If you are in a PPR or standard league I recommend you go for Allen. In fact, I like Allen's value over a previous recommendation and teammate Eddie Royal.
BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately (10+ teams Standard, PPR Leagues)
ANALYSIS: Blackmon missed the past four weeks due to suspension, and during that time period, many impatient managers dropped him. I'll bet they soon will regret that decision. If you are in a league where you see Blackmon on the wire, go ahead and pick him up. He posted 136 yards, 1 TD and five catches on nine targets. Even better news is Gabbert is out for at least a couple of weeks, which improves Blackmon’s value even further. I still don’t understand why Jacksonville does not see that Henne is a better QB. Regardless, Blackmon is a talent and will get many opportunities to repeat his Week Five performance.
NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire - Defense
Defense No-Brainer Starts: Cincinnati (vs. Buffalo who is starting a QB from the practice squad!); Denver (vs. JAX - notice a trend here yet?); San Fran (vs. Arizona)
PHI, DEF - Waiver Wire Pickup
BALLER MOVE: Add in Standard Leagues (10+ teams)
ANALYSIS: Philadelphia is not a great defense (31st out of 32), but they are facing rookie QB Mike Glennon, which improves their value. I would advise you that this pick is strictly a streamer pick (i.e., only for this week), as I expect that turnovers will happen in this game. If you aren't familiar, streaming defenses is one strategy fantasy football managers use when playing defenses. Fundamentally, the strategy works by selecting a defense with a strong play each week, which may entail a different defense each week. If you aren't a streamer, no worries, Philly is a nice choice for those managers facing a bye week.
STL , DEF - Waiver Wire Pickup
BALLER MOVE: Add in Standard Leagues (14+ teams)
ANALYSIS: I'm going to go out an a limb with STL again this week. Why? They are facing a Houston offense who has four straight pick-six games in a row. This has caused a QB controversy- will Schaub start or Yates? Either way, I'm picking STL and assuming that Schaub starts and does not get out of the rut he's in. However, this pick may blow up in my face given the numerous offensive weapons on the team. This is a risky choice and I wouldn't make this move unless I were in a deeper league or were fairly confident that Schaub will continue to stink.
Vontaze Burfict, IDP - LB, CIN - Waiver Wire Pickup
BALLER MOVE: Add in Immediately (10+ teams IDP Leagues)
ANALYSIS: Burfict so far is having a fantastic season with 33 tackles, 17 assists, 1 sack and 1 TD. Over the past three weeks he's turned it up 22 tackles and 11 assists. If he continues this pace he will certainly pass his last year rookie numbers (73 tackles and 54 assists). If you are looking for an IDP option Burfict is a nice option for your to consider.
My Guidelines
1. I will not repeat waiver selections. All mentioned players prior to week 4 will apply to the current waiver options and going forward.
2. I will only recommend players that are lower than 25% ownership in Yahoo! or ESPN leagues.
Josh Gordon, WR, CLE
Justin Blackmon, WR, JAC
Vincent Brown, WR, SD
Percy Harvin, WR, SEA
Golden Tate, WR, SEA
Kenbrell Thompkins, WR, NEW
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, PIT
Marlon Brown, WR, BAL
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Don’t forget to check back at RotoBaller.com this for up-to-date waiver wire pickups and fantasy football analysis. Good luck with your decisions in Week Six!
