October 12, 2016

Demetri Raftopoulos examines which NFL wide receivers and tight ends saw a surprisingly high number of targets in Week 5 of the fantasy football season and could become a desirable waiver target and add for Week 6.

Another week in the books, another list of surprise breakouts. Oh, and Tom Brady is back, if you haven't heard yet, or in case you missed him obliterate the Cleveland Browns. Pretty much anyone on the offensive side of the ball in New England is an option moving forward.

Here is a look at the surprise target grabbers from Week 5, and a look at possible breakout options for Week 6 based on the usage they are seeing in the passing game. You can ask me more waiver wire and game day questions on Twitter @DemetriRafto.

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Surprise Week 5 Target Grabbers

Jeremy Kerley - (WR, SF)

Jeremy Kerley was the Niners' leading receiver for the second straight week against the Arizona Cardinals. A guy used predominately in the slot and on punt returns in New York, Kerley has found a new home on the opposite side of the country. A week after catching 6-of-9 targets for 88 yards and a touchdown, Kerley topped that in Week 5 with eight receptions on a career-high 13 targets for 102 yards and a score. His best overall performance, yardage-wise, came when he put up 120 yards against the then divisional rival New England Patriots in 2012.

Kerley will be one of the top waiver wire adds this week as he has certainly meshed well with Blaine Gabbert, and could potentially excel even more after the recent announcement of Colin Kaepernick taking over starting duties at quarterback. Most of Kerley's production has come during garbage time, but it's all the same in fantasy. Get used to the Niners playing from behind and throwing the ball often. He's a WR3 in deeper leagues against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.

Cameron Meredith - (WR, CHI) 

Yeah, this one came out of nowhere. But, considering Kevin White was recently placed on injured reserve with a spiral fracture of his fibula, someone had to emerge in Chicago's surprisingly good, eighth-ranked offensive unit. In came Cameron Meredith who surpassed his yard total from all of last season in one game versus Indianapolis in Week 5.

Meredith also nearly topped his targets and receptions totals as well while scoring the first touchdown of his young career against Andrew Luck and the Colts. Meredith finished the day with nine receptions on 12 targets for a bloated 130 yards. He'll likely come down to earth in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but remains a red zone threat and a necessary waiver wire add. The Jaguars have allowed eight touchdowns through the air in four games played.

Brandon LaFell  - (WR, CIN) 

Goodbye, Tom Brady. Hello, Andy Dalton. Despite a disheartening loss to the Dallas Cowboys, LaFell and Dalton clicked for eight catches on 11 targets for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Although both scores came in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach due to Dallas' early offensive explosion, the fantasy points count all the same.

LaFell is hard to trust as a fantasy starter considering he failed to catch more than four passes and accumulate more than 45 yards in his previous three contests. It's also extremely hard to believe that he will outproduce and be targeted more times than A.J. Green consistently. LaFell gets a crack at his former team in Week 6, and shouldn't be started until he establishes a trustworthy flow of fantasy points.

Possible Week 6 Breakout Options

Kenny Britt - (WR, LA)

Kenny Britt should definitely see a rise in ownership after last week's efficient performance (mainly for PPR leagues). Britt caught five of six targets for 75 yards in a loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, marking his second straight week of productivity. According to Yahoo! Sports, Britt is reeling in 71.9% of his targets from Case Keenum, increasing his week-to-week floor. The accumulation of yardage is there, but Britt has yet to find the end zone this season.

With Tavon Austin failing to establish himself as a consistent threat, Keenum could continue to look Britt's way against a Detroit Lions defense that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. The Lions have also surrendered 14 touchdowns through the air, the highest total of any team in the league. Britt is a solid add, and should see plenty of opportunities against a shaky Lions defense. He's no more than a WR4, but holds solid value in deep PPR formats.

Sammie Coates - (WR, PIT)

It wasn't just the inability of the Jets to cover the deep ball, or any ball thrown for that matter, that led to one of his touchdowns in Week 5. Coates showed some noteworthy talent as a receiver on his 72-yard scoring bomb, blowing right past Marcus Williams down the field. He should continue to see a high target volume with Big Ben throwing him the ball. Big game aside, the dude has some pretty slippery butter fingers, transferring his status as a WR3 into more of a boom-or-bust play.

Coates dropped four passes against the Jets, three of which, yes three, would have gone for a score. Coates still managed to find the end zone twice, reeling in six passes on a team-tying 11 targets (Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, big surprise) for a team-leading 139 yards. The Steelers will likely work with Coates on his inexcusable drops heading into one of the most favorable matchups any team has this week. Pittsburgh visits Miami for a showdown against a Dolphins team that has given up the fifth-most points to wideouts.

Jesse James - (TE, PIT) 

James is the second Pittsburgh Steeler to make the cut. Rightfully so, when you have Ben Roethlisberger throwing you the football. James is coming off his best performance of the aging season against the New York Jets (seems like a familiar trend for opposing teams facing Gang Green) and like Coates, should see a similar amount of targets versus the Miami Dolphins. James caught six passes on eight targets against New York, reeling in his third touchdown in four contests. James is a touchdown-dependent option considering he's only tallied 18 receptions in five showings. He's a TE2 facing a Dolphins team that loves gifting fantasy points to opposing players.

Other Options: Quincy Enunwa (WR, NYJ) @ARI, Will Fuller (WR, HOU) vs IND, Charles Clay (TE, BUF) vs SF