RADIO
As we head into the first round of bye weeks, the waiver wire is getting a little more complicated across the fantasy landscape. If you are okay with planning for your byes one week ahead of time and rostering players or defenses with a good upcoming matchup, you won't be scrambling at the last minute realizing you had players on a bye that you hadn't planned for. Right now, it's important to go through your lineup over the next three to four weeks to see who has a bye week coming up so you can plan accordingly.
Last week, I recommended adding Geno Smith as he was rostered in just 32 percent of leagues. Now that number has jumped up to 76 percent! What's incredible about Geno Smith's emergence this season is that he is completing 75.2 percent of his passes, which is the highest in the league by six percentage points. Geno also has the third-highest yards per attempt in the league at 8.3. As it stands now, he is going to be viewed as a QB1 for the rest of the season.
Week to week, it is my job to keep my ear to the ground of all that is going on with 32 teams to help you bargain hunt for some free options on your league's waiver wire. Here are this week's selections for you to keep an eye on.
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Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes Before Week 6
Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants - 6% rostered
A second-round pick of the Giants in 2022, Wan'Dale was the star of the 2022 training camp before injuries caught up to him in Week 1 where he hasn't been able to play since. Sophomore receiver Kadarius Toney has been sidelined with injuries and veteran Kenny Golladay still finds himself in head coach Brian Daboll's doghouse on the surprising 4-1 Giants.
Daniel Jones has been much improved this season but the Giants haven't been able to get their passing game going with just about all of their entire WR corps sidelined with injuries. With Sterling Shepard done for the season, the Giants have been trotting out Richie James, David Sills V, and Darius Slayton. Wan'Dale is expected to hopefully be back for Week 6 against the Ravens and could become the number one target on the team by default. He isn't a player I recommended to be in your lineup this week but feels like a solid stash in deeper leagues where he could emerge as a playmaking receiver if back to full health.
DeeJay Dallas, Seattle Seahawks - 15% rostered
A fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in the 2020 NFL Draft, Dallas has been stuck in a crowded Seattle backfield that at one time also featured Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny. Now that Penny is unfortunately finished for the rest of the season, the backup running back spot in Seattle looks like it's going to belong to Dallas. Pete Carroll has had the 'Hawks offense humming along nicely and producing for fantasy through the first five games of the season, something none of us saw coming!
In fantasy, we always want to be looking for running backs who are just one spot away on the depth chart from having some serious fantasy value. Seattle, much like Detroit, has become the perfect storm for fantasy this season. Their offense has some serious weaponry but their defense is so bad they can't stop anyone, which has only gotten worse with Pro Bowl safety Jamaal Adams out for the rest of the season. While we should expect rookie Kenneth Walker to see the bulk of the carries, Dallas is a player we should want on our rosters just in case as Seattle is going to play in a high number of shootouts.
In the coming weeks, the Seahawks play the Cardinals, Chargers, Giants, and then the Cards again. Expect their high-flying offense to continue, even if it goes against much of what we thought would be true about Seattle heading into the season. Pete Carroll can coach, man.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs - 24% rostered
For consecutive weeks, Andy Reid is playing games with our hearts. Two weeks ago, he got us all hyped up for Jerick McKinnon, then he went and made us all look stupid again by playing Pacheco and not using much of McKinnon only to just mix it up again. Last week, Pacheco only had one carry for 0 yards in a 30-29 victory for the Raiders. Incumbent starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been good for fantasy and in real life this season, but that could change as the season goes along.
Pacheco was a seventh-round choice of the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft and impressed many in training camp. Maybe he just looks fast because he is wearing Tyreek Hill's old number. In all seriousness, Pacheco is a player we should keep an eye on because he may continue to play more as the season goes along. While we can't put Pacheco in our lineups right now, he has the kind of upside that we want from players on our bench and Pacheco could be the type of league winner for teams as an RB2 later in the season as the Chiefs' offense is going to become more fine-tuned as the season goes on.
While Jerick McKinnon has been a capable backup and has looked good in his limited action for the Chiefs as well, Pacheco is the one with the highest possible upside of the two. Unfortunately, Pacheco is going to need an injury to happen to one of the two backs to probably get more playing time, but he is a solid stash on your bench for the time being.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions - 32% rostered
The 12th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Jameson Williams has yet to play an offensive snap this season, but that could be coming soon. The Lions have a bye during Week 6 and there is some hope among many that he will be on the field for Week 7. Right now the Lions are the absolute perfect storm for fantasy as they are No. 1 in the NFL in total offense and No. 32 overall in total defense!
Jared Goff is thriving this season with the Lions' offensive line giving him plenty of time to throw and the receivers getting open downfield. While Amon-Ra St. Brown looks like the clear-cut WR1 on this offense, it is not difficult to see Williams overtaking DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds very quickly. St. Brown tends to play in the slot and near the line of scrimmage whereas Williams plays on the outside, so we shouldn't be worried about either of them taking away from one other.
If anything, Williams and St. Brown on the field at the same time when they are both healthy is probably going to look similar to the Bengals with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Judging from how well the Lions are moving the ball and the production we have seen from Chark and Reynolds, we should be licking our chops at the thought of Williams getting on the field. He could have the kind of second half similar to what Odell Beckham did in 2014 in his rookie season with the Giants. I'm not kidding. If your league has an IR spot, you can pick up Williams for free right now and stash him there until Week 7.
Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders - 11% rostered
Hollins bounced around the NFL for his first few seasons in the league but appears to have found a permanent home with Derek Carr and the Raiders, who are on a bye in Week 6, but he is still a player we should be paying attention to. So far this season, Hollins has played close to 93 percent of the team's offensive snaps and that number has been increasing heavily in the last three weeks.
In Week 3 against the Titans, Hollins caught eight of his 11 targets for 158 yards and a TD. He is a big-bodied receiver at 6 foot 4 inches and looks to be a permanent part of this offense. While he has to compete with Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller for targets, two of the three of those players have been in and out of the lineups with injuries and Waller left their Week 5 matchup on MNF against the Chiefs early due to a tweaked hamstring.
We still don't know the status of Davante Adams after he pushed over a cameraman in frustration on his way to the locker room following the Raiders' loss. There has been some talk of him receiving a possible suspension from the league, which would make Hollins a must-start in a favorable matchup with the Houston Texans in Week 7. Keep your eye on the situation with Adams as well as Waller's health. If either of them were to miss time, Hollins could feast.
Tevin Coleman, San Francisco 49ers - 14% rostered
Coleman had a miserable 2021 season being stuck on an even more miserable New York Jets roster. While the Jets appear to be turning the corner this season, Coleman found his way back with his old friend Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Last week, Coleman had eight carries for 23 yards and a TD while catching three passes for 44 yards and another TD in a 37-15 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Incumbent starting running back Elijah Mitchell is still sidelined with a knee injury and Coleman appears to be the backup running back on the 49ers right now to Jeff Wilson Jr. We know that Kyle Shanahan loves to run the football and ride the hot hand, something he may do even more this season with the team switching back to Jimmy Garoppolo and looking like their 2019 team with a punishing defense who made it to the Super Bowl.
Coleman is a player worth keeping on your roster if anything should happen to Wilson Jr. or he should fall out of favor with the coaching staff. While he is older now at 29 years of age, he has shown to be more than a capable running back over his career and looked good in limited action last week.
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 4% rostered
We know that Tom Brady loves to target his tight ends in the red zone and the Tampa offense appears to be shaking off some of its early season rust after they dealt with a rash of injuries across the offensive line and fellow receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones all missed time. The good news is the Bucs have the Steelers, Panthers, and Ravens over the next three weeks.
Brate was knocked out of the Bucs' Week 4 contest against the Chiefs after a concussion and missed Week 5 as well. There is a good possibility that he returns to action this week against a Steelers defense that looks anything but the intimidating foe we are used to. If you need help at a tight end and want a player with some serious upside in the red zone, look no further than Brate.
The tight end position has been a difficult one for fantasy players in 2022 with the only constants being Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews while just about every other player drafted high has been a disappointment for tight ends outside of Dallas Goedert in the middle rounds. If the Bucs offense continues to improve Brate could be along for the ride by default.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants - 29% rostered
Another polarizing player that seems to generate a lot of hate across the fantasy landscape, Daniel Jones has been more than capable this season despite having no one to throw the ball to. His wide receiver corps has been largely banged up and he is missing the wily veteran Sterling Shepard who suffered a devastating knee injury and is out for the season.
Since 2021, Jones has averaged 4.6 fantasy points per game solely from rushing and faces a Ravens defense that has had a difficult time stopping opponents so far this season. While it is still uncertain whether Jones will be the Giants' quarterback after 2022, they appear committed to him for this season and are doing whatever they can to help him succeed.
If Toney or Wan'Dale Robinson can get healthy, it would be a huge boost for the Giants' offense as well as Jones. Could they potentially be in the hunt to make a trade with Carolina for DJ Moore? If you are in a 2QB or Superflex league, Jones is likely rostered, but if you are in a 14-team league that only starts 1QB, there is a chance Jones could still be out there. In their next three games, the Giants play the Ravens, Jaguars, and Seahawks.
I hope you enjoyed these picks. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for more waiver and player analysis throughout the season!
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