Week 6 Waiver Wire RB/WR: Roschon Johnson, Emari Demarcado, Justice Hill, KJ Osborn
We finished our fifth football Sunday, and now it's time to hit the waiver wire. With Week 5 over, we are really starting to see things take shape around the league. Here, we are going to focus on the best running backs and wide receivers that may be available in your league.
Running Backs
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Khalil Herbert went down with a high-ankle sprain last week and is going to miss some time. Johnson also went down in this game but isn't expected to miss time. D'Onta Foreman is also an option here, however, Johnson has looked like the superior talent and the Bears have treated him as such this season based on snaps and touches. High-ankle sprains can come with a lengthy recovery time and it's not assured Herbert will get his job back if Johnson plays well. This could be a solid short-term and long-term addition.
Emari Demarcado, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner went down with a knee injury this week and Keontay Ingram was already dealing with a neck injury. This leaves Demarcado as the RB1 in Arizona and he looked solid coming in last week. The Cardinals' offense has been much better than expected and the starting running back comes with upside because of it. In Week 5, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry taking 10 carries for 45 yards and a TD. He also caught a 12-yard pass. Both Conner and Ingram could miss multiple weeks. The team did add Tony Jones on Monday, but he is most likely more of a depth piece than anything else.
Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots
Predictably, the Patriots' backfield has been obnoxiously unpredictable. Despite Rhamondre Stevenson being the only good player on the Patriots' offense and more efficient, Zeke and Rhamondre are splitting snaps almost evenly and Elliott saw more opportunities this week. It's worth mentioning that Stevenson has been dealing with a nagging leg injury which could also be a factor. Nevertheless, Zeke seems to be getting more targets and looks on the rare occasion that the Pats are near the end zone. He's worth adding if you need to stream a running back.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Just when the Ravens' backfield looked like it was starting to clear up, we once again have more questions than answers. Gus Edwards still saw the most carries with 12 compared to Hill's seven, however, Hill was more efficient on the ground, scored a TD, and received all four targets that were directed at a running back. There is plenty of value to be had in the Ravens' backfield, it's just tough to predict who it's going to be from week to week.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears is getting enough work behind Derrick Henry and has been good enough that he is worthy of flex consideration in deeper leagues. He's seen at least eight opportunities in each of the past four games including 12 last week that he turned into 69 yards and a TD. The Titans' offense is in desperate need of dynamic playmakers and that's what Spears is, he's not going away any time soon.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Miles Sanders has been banged up and unproductive, allowing Hubbard to carve out a role in the offense. Last week, Hubbard saw nine carries and two targets compared to Sanders's seven carries and one target. The issue is that this offense is terrible and a running back who gets half the touches doesn't hold a ton of value. Still, he's currently a running back leading his backfield in touches which isn't easy to find on the wire.
Jeff Wilson Jr, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have opened Wilson's 21-day window to activate him off of injured reserve. Star rookie De'Von Achane is also dealing with some sort of knee injury. In an offense this explosive there is an outside chance you can add a guy who could end up seeing starter-type touches even without injury. That is more than worth a speculative add.
Wide Receivers
KJ Osborn, Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson is likely to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury. Odds are Jordan Addison is already rostered in your league, but Osborn may not be. Osborn may also be serving as the WR1 with Jefferson sidelined. This is an offense that likes to throw the ball and has proven they are very capable. In Week 5, both Addison and Osborn saw nine targets. He deserves immediate flex consideration.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Downs caught all six of his targets for 97 yards last week and we like him a bit more with Gardner Minshew under center, which looks like is going to be the case for a while. The rookie is only two weeks removed from a 12-target game. He should have plenty of PPR value going forward, especially while Minshew is the starter.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Rice led all Chiefs' wide receivers in fantasy points this week and scored another TD. We've been telling you since the day he was drafted that he was the best wideout on this team. There is no reason he should be on waivers unless you're in a very shallow league. You need to be stashing him on your bench if you can still get your hands on him.
DJ Chark, Carolina Panthers
We went into this season expecting Chark to be the most valuable fantasy wideout before he was set back by injury to start the season. Over the past three weeks, he has seen 20 targets and scored two TDs. This offense needs an explosive weapon and Chark looks like their only hope of finding that right now.
