I really do not know what to say at this point. Though we did not see any major names lost to injury in Week 5, here we are still trying to navigate a waiver wire full of names that were barely considered in deep best ball leagues. Players that could potentially miss Week 6 and beyond: Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, Deebo Samuel, TJ Hockenson, Will Shipley, Kenyon Sadiq.
The biggest mover of the week is probably Marvin Harrison, Jr. as he was traded to the Houston Texans after the morning games ended. Considering he is currently rostered in 79% of leagues; there is only a small chance he is attainable in your league. What we really need to know is who steps into his role for the Cardinals. Keep reading for my thoughts.
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WAIVERS:
ADD OF THE WEEK = Woody Marks – 53% rostered has effectively usurped David Montgomery as the Texans top RB option. The 19 touches and 80+ yards marked (pun intended) season highs for Woody. Montgomery left the game (groin) in the second quarter and did not return. I truly believe this is the turning point for Marks moving forward.
QB: Jameis Winston – 6% rostered did Jameis Winston things on Sunday connecting with Malik Nabers (11-121-1 on 20 targets!) while putting up 33 points against an atrocious Commanders pass defense. His three TDs were copy and paste from Week 4. The difference in Week 5 is those TDs came without an interception. The crafting veteran even added 27 yards with his legs. If your league scoring does not significantly penalize for INTs, then Jameis could be a bye week replacement for Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, or Kyler Murray.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Aaron Rodgers – 27% rostered: Three straight games with 24+ points. This offense clearly revolves around Jaylen Warren, who broke off a massive TD reception, but if you know ball, like I know ball, you know Rodgers loves his stats. With that, he loves TEs in the red zone and will continue to throw for TDs regardless of how well Warren plays.
Deshaun Watson – 13% rostered did not look great on Sunday. Much of that had to do with the brutal rain in New York and the early loss of rookie WR K.C. Concepcion. Additionally, Quinshon Judkins looked dinged and was seen leaving the facility in a walking boot. Watson gets a favorable matchup against the Ravens in Week 6. There are worse options, especially considering he looks more mobile than the two QBs listed above as was evident by his 40 rushing yards in Week 5.
RB: MarShawn Lloyd – 60% rostered found a way to score two TDs on 10 carries for 31 yards. There are two reasons he is in this column for Week 6. Reason 1 – He scored two TDs, so we need to pay attention just in case he continues to see short yardage work when it counts. Reason 2 – The Bears Still Suck!!! All jokes aside, keep an eye on both Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson. This is probably a week-to-week deal where they flip flop production.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Kendre Miller – 7% rostered. What a difference a week makes. Where was two TD Alvin Kamara in Week 5? Check the back of a milk carton because dude was missing. Miller scored, and that is about where the analysis ends. They faced a tough Vikings defense, so I expect better statistical days for Miller moving forward.
Samaje Perine – 3% rostered. This seems to happen every year. We get a Samaje Perine game, and we all go nuts assuming Chase Brown is no longer the guy for the Bengals. I doubt the is the case, but Perine does have a role, and the Week 5 work is encouraging. Do not run out to place a FAAB bid on him considering the Bengals are off in Week 6. This is a deeper add that can be done after waivers run for free.
Emmett Johnson – 24% rostered: Deep stash only. Johnson is the one RB I would consider adding as a just in case insurance policy for the Chiefs. He is not a player you can start now but could return massive numbers should Kenneth Walker III miss time. He is past his bye, which is positive.
Dameon Pierce – 2% rostered saw plenty of action that did not translate into fantasy relevance. Someone will start at RB for the Eagles. This team is offensive on offense so do not take offense when I tell you to steer clear from this offense. The jokes are free here, folks.
WR: Keon Coleman – 4% rostered had a TD along with two receptions called back due to offensive line penalties. Keep an eye on Coleman should you need by week coverage.
Kendrick Bourne – 6% and Jaylin Noel rostered 4% could become fantasy relevant or fall to the wayside. Consistent production from both hinges on the acquisition of Marvin Harrison Jr. How quickly can Marv pick up the playbook? Will Marv find chemistry with C.J. Stroud? If Marv washed? All questions we need answered before we assign him the WR2 tag in Houston. If Harrison falters again, flip a coin between these two names. Though Noel caught a TD in Week 5, tend to favor Bourne.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Rather than bore you with invented explicative comments about middling WRs, I will simply give you a list to consider. These are players that stepped in, possibly stepped up (a little) for their team in Week 3: Laquon Treadwell, Tre Harris, DeMario Douglas, Germie Bernard, and Darius Cooper. As noted with other players in this column, these are all ‘in case of emergency, break glass’ players versus anyone you want to rely on long-term.
TE: Tyler Higbee – 4% rostered looks to have found lightning in a bottle. With the IR stint for Terrance Ferguson, Higbee is the clear passing catching TE option for the pass happy Rams. I like him over many current starting fantasy TEs and he is available in 96% of leagues.
Pat Freiermuth – 15% rostered. As mentioned above, Aaron Rodgers loves his TEs. Enter Pat Freiermuth and this 5-44-2 (7 targets) line from Week 5, and you have a decision to make with four teams on bye. Do you chase the two TD game or play it safe with another TE in Week 6? Considering my home league saw Hockenson go down, I might be leaning into the Muth to cover my Sam LaPorta bye week. Brenton Strange – 32% and Chig Okonkwo – 16% rostered also did enough to warrant bye week consideration.
As mentioned above, it has only been one week, so if you lost, got blown out even, relax. It will be OK. There is no need to rush to drop any specific player.
Follow me @stiles08 on X and send questions comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs. We have a ton of free content to include our Slot Versus Wide tool additional articles from our crack team of writers.
-Stiles-
