RADIO
As we look ahead to Week 7 of the 2018 NFL season, Dan Marcus examines both official and unofficial moves across wide receiver depth charts to help fantasy football owners make informed lineup decisions.
The wide receiver landscape continues to change, with the biggest breakout belonging to Keke Coutee, who appears to have to established a role for himself in Houston regardless of Will Fuller's health. Several of the situations discussed in Week 5's article also played themselves out. Some hit -- see David Moore -- while others fell flat -- see Jakeem Grant.
We also got clues as to how the crowded wide receiver core in New England will sort out, and how to prioritize Colts receivers while T.Y. Hilton remains out. Those will be two of this week's article, with plenty
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Injury Updates
Cleveland
The Browns tried to move away from Antonio Callaway after an uneven performance in Week 4, but there may not be much they can do to avoid him in Week 6 with Rashard Higgins sidelined by a knee injury. The other possible name to emerge with a role is Derrick Willies -- he was on the field for 32.5% of offensive snaps in Week 5 -- who has an 87th percentile Spaq-x score and averaged 16.9 yards per reception in college.
Green Bay
Both Geronimo Allison and Randall Cobb were limited in practice on Thursday and appear to be on track to play Sunday. That will likely relegate Week 5 standout Marquez Valdes-Scantling to his peripheral role in Week 6 against the 49ers.
Indianapolis
We got a look at the Colts’ receiving core without T.Y. Hilton, who looks likely to miss another game this week. Eric Ebron was the clear winner, but among wide receivers on the team, both Zach Pascal and Marcus Johnson saw their snap count rise in Hilton’s absence. Pascal saw seven targets and a big jump in snap share, but displayed horrendous efficiency, hauling in only one catch. Johnson logged a season-best 42.7% snap rate, but saw only two targets and isn’t likely to have a big role, assuming the Colts defense is able to slow down the Jets offense. Though his snap rate didn’t change much, Chester Rogers continued to do his work out of the slot and has a juicy matchup in Week 6. The Colts have been of the most pass-happy teams in the league, so this is a situation worth attacking for desperation/punt plays.
LA Rams
It appears that both Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks will be on the field Sunday, eliminating any intrigue surrounding the Rams’ receiving core. If either suffers a setback, Josh Reynolds should be the beneficiary and Robert Woods would be an automatic play in every league.
Depth Chart Changes
Miami
In the Week 5 article, I highlighted Jakeem Grant as an intriguing player when Devante Parker can’t take the field. However, that his usage didn't bear that out, as the Dolphins rolled out Danny Amendola, Kenny Stills, and Albert Wilson as their three primary receivers. Each of them had a snapcount over 80 percent, with both Wilson and Stills topping 90 percent.
New England
A lot of eyes were on the wide receiver situation in New England due to the return of Julian Edelman. While Edelman himself was on the field for nearly 70 percent snaps, Cordarrelle Patterson was the big loser, seeing his snap rate fall to 11 percent. Phillip Dorsett remained on the field, but appears to be the next in line to lose his role as Josh Gordon emerges.
New York Jets
Robby Anderson reemerged seemingly out of nowhere in Week 5. However, he still saw fewer snaps than Jermaine Kearse and Quincy Enunwa. While he’s far more explosive than both, his playing time suggests he is a high-risk, high-reward option akin to Calvin Ridley on a weekly basis.
Oakland
Seth Roberts manages to stick around every year, and that appears to be the case once again. He outsnapped Martavis Bryant for the first time this season, though we know there isn’t much fantasy relevance for Roberts even if he maintains playing time.
Seattle
David Moore’s arrow is up (check out last week’s article) while Brandon Marshall and Doug Baldwin struggle. Stash Moore in dynasty leagues now and grab him deep seasonal leagues.
Tennessee
It appeared that Taywan Taylor was set to take off in Week 5 after displaying big-play potential through the early portions of the season. Instead, he crashed back to earth and saw his playing time dip below that of Tajae Sharpe. While Taylor’s profile is the more exciting of the two, he’ll have to consistently maintain a role in the offense before he is a player worth being excited about on a weekly basis.
Situations to Monitor
Denver
Despite a vintage box score from Demaryius Thomas, the young receivers in Denver are slowly emerging. Courtland Sutton outsnapped Thomas for the first time this season, though the totals were always close. In addition, Daesean Hamilton played significant snaps -- 41.5% to be exact -- for the first time. While neither is a great play immediately, there are rumors of Thomas being traded, which would open up a regular role for Sutton.
