Quarterback
Daniel Jones, Giants (9%)
The quarterback options are slim this week. Kirk Cousins will be the top choice for plenty of teams but is rostered in just over half of all Yahoo leagues, so he gets left off this list. That leaves Jones as the highest-scoring quarterback who most fantasy managers have access to. He has topped 250 yards three weeks in a row and has multiple passing touchdowns in three-of-five games. Jones has been fine in the nerd metrics as well. He is the QB19 in EPA per play and the QB14 in CPOE. The Giants get a Cincinnati defense that ranks 29th in EPA per play allowed against the pass in Week 6.
Bo Nix, Broncos (10%)
Nix’s first five games have been as shaky as it gets for a rookie quarterback, but there have been highs to go along with the lows. He threw for multiple scores for the first time last week and punched in his third rushing touchdown of the year. Nix is now on pace for 10 touchdowns on the ground and 405 rushing yards. His rushing output is the selling point, and the hope that he can continue to improve as a passer is the upside.
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Joe Flacco, Colts (8%)
Flacco would be the top add at quarterback if we knew he was starting in Week 6. He is top-five in EPA per play and CPOE this year.
Flacco is the small dot hanging out near Jayden Daniels at the top-right.
Pro Football Focus also has him graded as a top-10 quarterback. Most importantly, the Colts opened up their offense under Flacco. They went from a -9% pass rate over expected through the first month of the season—all Anthony Richardson starts—to a +8% PROE in Flacco’s first start. The catch is that Richardson could return from his hip injury in Week 6. If you add Flacco on waivers, be sure to have a backup plan.
Others receiving votes: Drake Maye, Derek Carr
Running Back
Rico Dowdle, Cowboys (56%)
Both Dowdle and Trey Sermon came in at just over 50% rostered, so they go down as “Not In My League” all-stars. Sermon out-carried Tyler Goodson 10-5 and caught six balls. Goodson caught three. Game script was not on Sermon’s side in Week 5 and he posted a solid score. Things will improve for him in Week 6 versus Tennessee.
Dowdle iced Ezekiel Elliott in Week 5. He out-carried Zeke 20-6 and caught two passes, one of which was a touchdown. Check your waiver wire for both of these backs first.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants (23%)
Tracy got the start with Devin Singletary out in Week 5. Tracy profiled as an explosive playmaker coming out of college but never earned a high-volume role, largely because he only played running back for one year. His big-play abilities were on full display on Sunday and he dominated the New York backfield.
He took the field for 62 percent of the Giants’ snaps and out-carried his backups 18-4. Tracy was in college for six years and earned 18 or more carries once. He answered all of the questions and then some in Week 5. It will be hard for the Giants to put their Ferrari back in the garage, even when Singletary is healthy.
Ty Chandler, Vikings (28%)
Aaron Jones suffered a hip injury in Week 5 and is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. The Vikings also get their bye this week, so Jones could be back without missing any time. Third-string running back Myles Gaskin was hardly involved in the offense after Jones went down, leaving Chandler to handle 14 carries plus two receptions. Kevin O’Connell gave Chandler a three-down role late in the 2023 season. Chandler made the most of the opportunities by averaging 16 touches for 82 yards and a touchdown over the final four weeks of the year. He could be in line for a similar role if Jones misses any time.
Tank Bigsby, Jaguars (23%)
The Jaguars continue to insist that Travis Etienne is their starter.
#Jaguars HC Doug Pederson on whether Tank Bigsby will replace Travis Etienne atop the depth chart:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) October 6, 2024
“No, not at all. Travis is our guy. Tank had a good game, that’s just the way games go.”
Pederson has a 35% reliability rating on depth chart coachspeak pic.twitter.com/GALzbYRd4C
Tank Bigsby’s play continues to insist that he should be the starter. Bigsby broke off a 65-yard touchdown last week for his second gain of 40+ yards. He is averaging 4.19 rush yards over expected per carry. For reference, De’Von Achane was at 2.87 in 2023. Bigsby out-snapped and out-carried Etienne in Week 5. I fully believe that Doug Pederson will continue to trot Etienne out for the opening drive going forward, but Bigsby has already forced a committee after just a month of football.
Jaylen Wright, Dolphins (8%)
De’Von Achane suffered a concussion early in the Dolphins’ win over New England. Raheem Mostert took over the RB1 job but Miami ran enough to make both him and Wright relevant fantasy options. Mostert ran 19 times for 80 yards while Wright rushed 13 times for 86 yards. The Dolphins get their bye next week and Achane could return after that, but Wright is worth stashing in all formats.
Roschon Johnson, Bears (20%)
The Bears have played better football as of late, winning two of their past three games while shifting toward the run at the same time. Their PROE of +2% through two games has fallen to -3% over the past three weeks.
Coupling the philosophical shift with a pair of wins allowed the Bears to give their running backs 95 rush attempts over the past three weeks. That is the third-most in the NFL. Even as the clear backup, that level of rushing volume propelled Johnson to 25 carries for 81 yards and three scores during that stretch. He has some standalone value and would take on a massive role if anything happened to D’Andre Swift.
Dare Ogunbowale, Texans (1%)
The Texans threw in the towel on Cam Akers as their top back in Week 5. Ogunbowale out-carried him 15-9 while still serving as the team’s lead option on passing downs. He ran a route on 62 percent of C.J. Stroud’s dropbacks and earned a 19 percent target share. Joe Mixon didn’t practice at all last week before being ruled out, putting his availability for Week 6 in doubt as well.
Others receiving votes: Braelon Allen, Jaleel McLaughlin, Antonio Gibson, Tyler Allgeier, Emanuel Wilson
Wide Receiver
Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys (7%)
Tolbert was nearing a takeover of the WR2 gig in Dallas before Week 5. Brandin Cooks was then placed on injured reserve, solidifying Tolbert as Dak Prescott’s No. 2 receiver. He stepped up on Sunday Night Football with seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Tolbert earned a 26 percent target share and 42 percent of the team’s air yards. Tolbert is a solid player in a great situation, putting him on the WR3/4 border for Week 6.
Josh Downs, Colts (40%)
Downs has been a target-earning machine since retaking the lineup in Week 3. He has 26 targets in three games and weekly target shares of 29, 33, and 27 percent. Downs ranks second in the NFL in targets per route run (.35) and seventh among receivers in target share (30 percent). Downs is a clear bet on talent and it’s rare to find that on the waiver wire this late into the season. I would go as high as a third of my FAAB on the second-year wideout.
Darnell Mooney, Falcons (48%)
Kyle Pitts came back to life with seven receptions for 88 yards in Week 5, but Atlanta’s win over the Bucs will be remembered as the Darnell Mooney breakout game.
Editor’s note: No it won’t.
Mooney saw 16 targets and cashed in with nine grabs for 105 yards and two scores. Pitts was billed as Atlanta’s de facto WR2 but Mooney has other plans. He has quietly amassed a 24 percent target share and a 34 percent air yards share. The Falcons get another great matchup this week with Carolina, keeping Mooney on the WR3 periphery.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs (27%)
Smith-Schuster was the clear beneficiary of Rashee Rice’s season-ending injury, running a route on 66 percent of Patrick Mahomes’ dropbacks and earning a 24 percent target share. He caught seven passes for 130 yards.
Juju is the first #Chiefs WR not named Rashee Rice with 100+ receiving yards in a regular season game since… Juju had 124 against the 49ers on Oct. 23, 2022.
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) October 8, 2024
Smith-Schuster looked like he had nothing left in the tank in New England, but he has a shot at being the No. 1 receiver for the best quarterback in the NFL for the rest of the season. He has to be added in all formats and is worth upwards of a quarter of the FAAB budget.
Jordan Whittington, Rams (15%)
The Rams are on bye in Week 6 and then Cooper Kupp could be ready to return in Week 7, so this is only a $1 bid, but Whittington is an interesting flyer for deeper rosters. He took on a full-time role in Week 4 and almost instantly cemented himself as the best remaining receiver for LA. Whittington has a 25 percent target share over the past two weeks. He has 13 grabs for 151 yards on a 90 percent route rate during that stretch. Even when Kupp returns, Whittington could stay in the lineup as Matthew Stafford’ WR2.
Darius Slayton, Giants (3%)
Wan’Dale Robinson is rostered in just over half of all Yahoo leagues but would otherwise be one of the top adds at receiver. Instead, we can look to another New York wideout as a viable FLEX play if Malik Nabers misses any more time. Daniel Jones locked onto Slayton for 11 targets at an aDOT of 10.9 on Sunday. That was two more targets than Robinson at an average target depth 6.5 yards farther downfield. Slayton caught eight balls for 122 yards and a score. Nabers should be back for Week 6, but Slayton is at least worth a look in deeper leagues.
Others receiving votes: Alec Pierce, Allen Lazard, Demario Douglas, Rashod Bateman
Tight End
Tyler Conklin, Jets (30%)
Conklin has at least four catches in each of his past three games and has seen eight targets in back-to-back contests. He leads all tight ends in total routes (184) and is seventh in targets (25). He isn’t the most exciting add, but this is what peak TE11 performance looks like.
Zach Ertz, Commanders (31%)
Ertz earned a season-high eight targets last week but came away with just two grabs for 10 yards. It could have been a monstrous day for the veteran tight end. Jayden Daniels missed Ertz open in the end zone once and tried to get it to him on the next play. He was picked off the second time around. The most painful miss was undoubtedly this throw:
Zach Ertz almost had a 99 yard touchdown, but Jayden Daniels missed him 🧐 pic.twitter.com/cJUyatQ5yj
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 6, 2024
Ertz is a high-volume tight end on one of the best passing attacks in the league. Better days are ahead for him.
Colby Parkinson, Rams (28%)
Parkinson is coming off a 13-target game where he caught seven passes for 52 yards. He would easily be the best add at tight end this week if the Rams didn’t have their bye. Even worse is the impending return of Cooper Kupp. Parkinson will be unplayable if Kupp is back in the lineup for Week 7. If your league is more aggressive with adding streamers at the onesie position, holding Parkinson for one week isn’t the worst idea given the sad state of the tight end position.
Others receiving votes: Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, Jonnu Smith
