Fantasy Football Early Week 6 Waiver Wire: Injuries could make must-starts of Kenneth Walker, Eno Benjamin
Here's your first look at the Week 6 waiver wire
By
Chris Towers
•
1 min read
You never want to see injuries, but the reality of Fantasy Football is, injuries often create opportunity, and that's the case with Rashaad Penny's unfortunate ankle injury suffered in Sunday's lose to the Saints. Penny's injury was serious enough that he was in a walking boot and on crutches after the game, with NFL Network reporting that the injury is a fractured tibia, which could require surgery. That makes Kenneth Walker III arguably the highest priority waiver-wire add in all leagues where he is available heading into Week 6.
Walker isn't available in most leagues, but his 68% roster rate means he's out there in plenty of them, and you'll need to check to make sure he's not rostered in yours. Because Walker is a very talented back – he was the No. 41 pick in this year's draft – who is going to be the lead runner for a team that has been surprisingly effective on offense this season. The Seahawks are averaging 25.4 points per game and while they've been a bit more pass-happy than many expected, perhaps, this is still a team that definitely wants to get the running game going every week.
Expectations for Walker should be very similar to what they have been for Penny. That would put Walker in the RB2 conversation most weeks. He probably won't have much of a passing game role – the Seahawks don't throw to their backs much – but they're averaging 6.0 yards per carry by running backs so far this season, and Walker figures to get 15 or so carries most weeks. Walker's upside might be a bit limited, but he should be worth starting, at the very least. And obviously Walker could end up being a must-start Fantasy option if he ends up being a truly high-level runner – that's within his range of possible outcomes.
If Raheem Mostert (80% rostered) is available, it would be a tough decision of which one to prioritize on waivers this week, but I think I would give Walker the edge – the Dolphins probably won't lean on the running game as much when Tua Tagovailoa is healthy as they did in Week 5, and Mostert's injury history speaks for itself. Both should be RB2/3 options moving forward, but Walker might just have a bit more upside.
Here's who else we'll be chasing on the waiver wire for Week 6.
Week 6 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
Benjamin is another player who could be thrust into a really valuable role due to injuries. James Conner left Sunday's game with a rib injury and fellow backup Darrel Williams left with a knee injury, which pushed Benjamin into a primary role in the second half of Sunday's game. He turned eight carries into 25 yards and a touchdown, while also catching three of four passes for 28 yards as the Cardinals fought their way back from a 14-0 deficit. Obviously, Benjamin's value for Week 6 is going to depend on Conner and WIlliams' status, but if they're both out, Benjamin would probably be in the top-15 discussion at RB against a Seahawks defense that has been pretty lousy this season – they just gave up 194 yards to Alvin Kamara.
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The Chargers appear to have settled on a backup/compliment to Austin Ekeler, and that makes Kelley someone worth stashing on your bench if you've got a spot to play with and are looking for some upside. Kelley benefited from an unusually run-heavy game script for the Chargers Sunday, but Kelly played 26 snaps Sunday to just two for Sony Michel, a pretty solid role after he had been splitting snaps behind Ekeler prior. I wonder if Michel was dealing with an injury of some sort, but it could just be that the Chargers have simply given Kelley the role after trying both out. That could put him in the weekly low-end RB starting discussion, as we saw Sunday, but it also makes Kelley a potential must-start player if anything happens to Ekeler. You want that on your bench.
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Geno Smith was widely viewed as a punchline, and the Seahawks were supposed to be a laughing stock this season, but he's getting the last laugh so far. Smith has played exceptionally well this season, and that continued Sunday as he averaged 10.7 yards per attempt with three touchdowns. Smith continues to take advantage of his big-play duo of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, who combined for 56% of his targets, ending up with 10 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns. I don't know if Smith can keep this level of production up, but he's had multiple passing touchdowns in four of five games, he's got one of the better WR duos in the league, and he's only had one bad game so far. The Week 6 byes aren't killer – Jared Goff, Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, and Davis Mills are out – but if you need a QB, Smith looks pretty good for this week against the Cardinals.
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I've been hesitant to take Hill seriously as a Fantasy option even by the low standards of the tight end position, but it's hard to ignore a four-touchdown game from any position. He's doing it in completely non-traditional ways, with nine carries for 112 yards and three rushing touchdowns plus a 22-yard pass touchdown, but it's not like his role is a total fluke. Hill has 21 carries in four games, with a real role near the goal line. He's not going to keep averaging 1.5 touchdowns per game, and there are going to be plenty of games where Hill has four carries for 12 yards and nothing else to show for it. However, when people are relying on the likes of T.J. Hockenson (one catch for 6 yards on Sunday), Tyler Conklin (zero catches, one target), and Gerald Everett (one for 2 yards), how much can I really justify ignoring Hill. He's a touchdown-or-bust tight end, but clearly, his chances of scoring are pretty good in any given week.
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Meyers came back from a two-game absence due to a knee injury and, despite playing with a rookie third-string QB, put together a pretty massive performance against the Lions Sunday. Targeted on eight of Bailey Zappe's 21 passes, Meyers caught seven of them for 111 yards and a touchdown, and that's his second game in a row with 18-plus PPR points. Meyers has 20 catches on 27 targets through three games, with 261 yards through three games, and has remained the Patriots' top option in the passing game despite the addition of DeVante Parker. This is a low-volume passing game and Meyers has never been much more than a fringe starter for Fantasy for more than a few weeks at a time, but the usage so far this season has been very promising, and he should be on someone's roster in every league.
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The Giants have been desperate for someone – anyone! – besides Saquon Barkley to step up and give them some playmaking, and Slayton took advantage of the opportunity Sunday. Playing big snaps for the first time all season, Slayton gave the Giants a badly-needed downfield presence in the passing game, as he was the only player on the team to accrue more than 22 air yards. He led the team in targets, catches, and yards, and could be the No. 1 option in this passing game moving forward, given their injuries and lack of other compelling options. Will you feel confident starting Slayton against the Ravens next week? Probably not. But he might still be worth a spot in your lineup.
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Thrust into action over the past two weeks due to injury, the No. 148 pick in this year's draft responded Sunday with a solid performance as an auxiliary piece of the Bills offense. His appeal seems entirely dependent on whether Isaiah McKenzie is able to return from his concussion in Week 6, but Shakir is worth a look as a stash in deeper leagues just in case he can carve out a consistent role in what is looking like the best offense in the league.
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With the Lions on a bye in Week 6, Reynolds isn't necessarily the most high-priority target out there, but if you've got the flexibility, he's showing some pretty serious upside. Even with Amon-Ra St. Brown active, Reynolds was the top target for the Lions Sunday. Obviously, Reynolds benefited from both St. Brown being limited and D.J. Chark not playing, two factors you won't necessarily be able to rely on moving forward. However, with three straight games of at least 81 yards and six catches, Reynolds deserves some respect.
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Anytime a tight end shows any signs of life, Fantasy players are going to be interested, and Engram put together a very solid performance as the Jaguars No. 2 target in Week 5. He hasn't been used that much consistently – in fact, he has just one game with more than four targets otherwise – which makes it hard to trust him, especially in an offense with so many targets. However, Engram has shown the potential to be something more than just a touchdown-or-bust option, which puts him in the streaming discussion.
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