Fantasy Football waiver wire finds become tougher and tougher to sniff out as the weeks go by, but after the Week 6 slate of games, there are certainly some options worth investing in moving forward.
For the likes of the considered quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, ESPN all had these following players sitting on fewer than 50 percent of their fantasy football team rosters, providing you with an inside track to winning the waiver wire again this week.
10. Nelson Agholor, WR
Las Vegas Raiders
1.4% Rostered
With Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards figuring in as the future pieces of this Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver core, veteran presence Nelson Agholor looks to be on the outside looking in. However, Agholor has contributed a touchdown in each of the past two weeks, showing that he can be a short-term installation into a fantasy lineup if the need were to arise.
In Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, Agholor led the WR group with 41 routes ran, which he turned into a quality 4/44/1 line. While only four catches gives him a small window to be successful in, Agholor has shown that he can make small target shares work, at least for the time being.
With Ruggs looking more and more comfortable in this offense and Edwards on the track to come back soon, combined with the top-five numbers that tight end Darren Waller are producing, and a sustained share of this offense for Agholor is very unlikely, outside of an injury.
Pick up Agholor only if you are in need of some underrated WR depth for the next few weeks (be wary of their Week 6 bye).
9. D’Ernest Johnson, RB
Cleveland Browns
29.1% Rostered
When fellow running back Nick Chubb went out with an injury in Cleveland’s Week 4 tilt against the Dallas Cowboys, Kareem Hunt immediately ascended into the RB1 role and excelled. But D’Ernest Johnson earned 13 carries himself, getting a surprising 95 yards on the ground.
Yes, the Cowboys were a sieve against the run that game, but Johnson showed enough to be a formidable option moving forward, as he received nine targets (8 carries) against the Colts in Week 5.
Chubb has no finite time table for his return, but what does look to be pretty solid is how Johnson is a solid bench option that has a path to 8-10 guaranteed touches every week for the foreseeable future. Just be concerned about their Week 6 game against the Steelers and temper your fantasy football expectations.
8. Tim Patrick, WR
Denver Broncos
18.8% Rostered
Tim Patrick, like pretty much all of these players, is coming from no-name backgrounds that people never expected to have roles. But with Courtland Sutton going down, Jerry Jeudy and Patrick form the 1-2 combo at WR for the Denver Broncos.
Against the porous Jets secondary, Patrick torched them for 6/113/1, easily the best performance of his career to date. And four of the team’s five games, Patrick has earned at least four catches, showing that (similar to Agholor before) while it may be a smaller target share, it provides a safe floor that can only grow once Drew Lock returns from injury.
7. Cedrick Wilson, WR
Dallas Cowboys
1% Rostered
Even with the season-ending injury to Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys hold the inside track to winning the NFC East division. And while that really does not mean a thing with how bad that division is, Cedrick Wilson has been a surprising contributor to helping keep the ship straight down in Dallas.
After his Week 3 breakout game (5/107/2), Wilson only hauled in three passes against the Browns in that shootout. But his performance against the Giants this past week was only saved by his TD pass, which came on an end-around that saw Prescott catch the short TD throw.
Wilson cannot be counted on for regular touches moving forward, especially with the uncertainties that surround Andy Dalton. But Wilson is an interesting stash pick for right now, especially with how Michael Gallup has been struggling to hold down any sort of target share as the WR3.
6. Greg Ward, WR
Philadelphia Eagles
21.4% Rostered
The curious case of the Philadelphia Eagles has lead to Carson Wentz again having no top-tier names to throw the ball to, outside of Zach Ertz. But Greg Ward, who has somehow managed to stick around and carve out a role in Philly, looks to be the default WR1 for Wentz moving forward.
Ward, outside of Week 2, has earned at least four receptions in each contest, including TDs against the Bengals and Steelers. And with the Eagles seeming to play from behind in practically every game, the idea that Ward has the safest floor of all targets not named Ertz on the Philly offense is certainly a safe guess. Worthy of a bench stash, Ward is a potential WR3 in a pinch for bye weeks.
5. Justin Herbert, QB
Los Angeles Chargers
35.3% Rostered
Thrust into the spotlight with the medical mishap surrounding why Tyrod Taylor ended up with a punctured lung, QB Justin Herbert is a star in waiting for the Los Angeles Chargers – and he has already put those skills on display early on in his first year.
Having thrown for 311, 330, and 290 yards in his first three starts, Herbert needs to take care of the ball better (3 INTs, 1 fumble), but those are elements that the Oregon rookie will learn to overcome. Herbert is worth more than just a flier or a bye-week fill-in, he could easily be your QB2 and provide solid fantasy football depth moving forward.
4. Robert Tonyan, TE
Green Bay Packers
48.4% Rostered
Looking for an unlikely hero to help pick up this offense, TE Robert Tonyan has been a god-send for the Green Bay Packers and has continued their pipeline of turning undrafted offensive players into above-average role players.
For the undrafted Indiana State tight end, Tonayn has provided Aaron Rodgers with a good safety valve. His streak of games with a TD has reached three in a row after his outburst on last week’s MNF, and he turned in a three-TD, 98-yard performance in the slaughter of the Falcons.
Moving forward, the fourth-best fantasy TE has a superb floor to him, although his streak of TD catches should not be able to continue as it has so far. Keep in mind, he will see a target drop once Davante Adams returns, and with Equanimeous St. Brown putting together his first practice after being eligible to return as well, Tonyan may see a few fewer targets per game moving forward.
3. Andy Dalton, QB
Dallas Cowboys
0.2% Rostered
No one likes to assume a starting role when it comes at the cost of losing a teammate, but for Andy Dalton, this is why he was brought in this offseason. And with the Cowboys looking like they are in need of a boost, Dalton is that fresh face that could instantly be that for them.
Now looking back at his Cincy days does not give DAL fans much to be happy about, but he certainly is one of the best QB2 options in the league that was brought in to be that fill-in if needed.
Dalton gets the Arizona Cardinals in his first full tune-up game, followed by Washington and Philly, which offer three varying defensive levels to get him back up to speed – if you are in a 2-QB league or want bench depth, Dalton is a lottery ticket worth taking with all of those weapons.
2. Travis Fulgham, WR
Philadelphia Eagles
0.2% Rostered
Just like Ward earlier, the Eagles have a ton of targets that need to be soaked up from their receiving targets, and Travis Fulgham looks to be teaming up with Ward to fill that role moving forward.
Having not even suited up in the first three games of the season for any team, the Eagles called him up for their SNF affair against the Niners, and he proceeded to catch two balls for 57 yards and the game-winning TD, a hell of an entrance into his Eagles tenure.
While Fulgham offers less of a solid floor than what Ward does in terms of a steady target share, his upside (as proven with his 10/152/1 line against the Steelers) proves to be much more valuable than Ward.
Fulgham will probably command much more attention from opposing defenses than he has experienced so far, so a tempered expectation of his production should be factored in/ Regardless, go out and sign Fulgham to your fantasy football roster.
1. Chase Claypool, WR
Pittsburgh Steelers
8.8% Rostered
The four-touchdown machine that Chase Claypool ended up being for the Steelers against the Eagles on Sunday was an absolutely unforeseen event that blew away practically every member of the fantasy football community. Big Ben just kept going back to the Notre Dame rookie, and he kept producing.
Claypool catches the Ravens and Giants in his next two games, making it a little tough to compound his top performance. However, Roethlisberger obviously enjoys moving the ball around, so Claypool is worthy of being picked up as he does look to be moving up the depth chart and earning more of a role moving forward.
Nothing more than a WR4/5 can be guaranteed of Claypool at this point, but as his involvement in the offense grows, so does his ceiling.
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