Every week, I try to find players who could be sitting on the waiver wire and are worth picking up for this week based on their matchups. With bye weeks here, finding streaming options has become even more important! Here’s what I have for week six:
Teams on a bye: Chiefs, Rams, Dolphins, Vikings
This week, if you roster Mahomes, Stafford, or Darnold, you might be looking for a streaming option.
Since his disaster of a game in week one against the Vikings, Jones has actually been pretty good. He has thrown 6 TDs to just 1 INT, and although the Giants are only 2-2 in the four games, they arguably could be 4-0 if they had a FG kicker in one game and just another 45 to 60 seconds left on the clock in the other. Regardless of the past, Jones is in a good spot this weekend against the Bengals, who are allowing 27.8 points per game this season and rank 28th in fantasy football against QBs.
The TD passes haven’t come in bunches yet, but Geno is having a strong season throwing the football. He has thrown for at least 280 yards in 4 straight games and set a career high with 395 yards in week 4. He also has 110 rushing yards in just the past two weeks, and although running with the football hasn’t typically been a big part of his game in the past, the new offense that the Seahawks are running this season has given him more open field to run in. He faces the 49ers on TNF this week, which is an underrated matchup. The 49ers defense has underwhelmed this season, and it’s a big reason why they are 2-3 entering week 6.
This week, if you roster Hunt, Kyren Williams, Achane, or Aaron Jones, you might be looking for a streaming option.
Even with his 3 TD in the past two games, Johnson still remains available in most 10 and 12-team leagues. The biggest reason is that D’Andre Swift is still the lead back in Chicago, and he has been very good over the past couple of weeks. Also, Johnson hasn’t carried the ball more than 10 times in any game this season and is averaging just 3.2 YPC. The reason I like him this week is that he does have TD equity because he has been getting red zone carries, but also, there are some big name RB on byes this week. Johnson faces the Jags, who rank 28th in fantasy football against opposing RBs through the first five weeks.
He was a hot name after week two and even after week three, but since then, he and the Jets running game has been very underwhelming. Both Allen and Breece Hall have been disappointing over the past two weeks, and it has led to fantasy managers moving on from Allen. This week, I would look to pick him back up and take advantage of your league mates lack of patience. The Jets are facing the Bills on MNF this week, and the Bills allow 144 rushing yards per game this season, ranking 26th in the NFL. They rank dead last against RB in fantasy football as well, so you should expect big days from both Hall and Allen.
He is still the backup in Atlanta as long as Bijan Robinson is healthy, but Algeier has still carved himself out a decent role. Prior to the difficult week five matchup against a good Bucs run defense, Algeier was averaging 6.1 YPC on 27 carries. This weekend, both he and Bijan could be set up to have big days based on their matchup against the division rival Panthers. The Panthers rank 27th in the NFL against the rush, allowing 144.6 yards per game. They rank last in the NFL in points allowed per game with 33 and second last in fantasy football against the RB position.
This week, if you roster Juju, Worthy, Atwell, Tyreek, Waddle, Jefferson, or Addison, you might be looking for a streaming option.
It is officially Jalent Tolbert season in Dallas. He had the best game of his career last week and the biggest catch of his career, too. With Brandin Cooks on IR, Tolbert is the number two WR in the Cowboys offense, an offense that is pass-first. He won’t have a huge game every week because CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson are still Dak’s favorite targets, but this week, the Cowboys host the Lions, who rank 27th in the NFL against the pass, allowing 258 yards per game. They rank second last in fantasy football against the WR position, setting Tolbert up for a big game.
Dare I say it? Caleb Williams and the Bears offense has actually looked good over the past two weeks. Many people out there will tell you it’s because they have had good matchups, and although I agree with that, I like the Bears this week because they have another good matchup. Although the game is across the pond in London, the Bears face the Jaguars, who rank last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, second last in points allowed per game, and last in fantasy football against the WR position. This could be a big week for Odunze, similar to his 6 catch, 112 yards and a TD week three he had against the Colts.
Bateman finally was involved in the Ravens offense in week five, seeing 8 targets, catching 4 of them for 58 yards and a TD. The Ravens played the Bengals in what turned out to be a shootout, as the teams combined for 79 points. This weeks matchup against the high-flying Commanders could have a similar score and game flow to it, so don’t be surprised if Bateman is heavily involved once again. It helps that the Commanders rank 26th in fantasy football against the WR position despite being in the top half of the league in passing yards allowed.
He has seen at least 6 targets in each of the past three games and has emerged as the number two WR in the offense. He and the Cardinals face the Packers this weekend in what should be a high-scoring game. The Packers rank 24th in fantasy football against the WR position and with star CB Jaire Alexander (if healthy) likely shadowing Marvin Harrison Jr., Wilson is going to be the WR that QB Kyler Murray looks for. If Alexander misses another game, then the entire Cardinals passing game immediately improves. Either way, Wilson is in a good spot.
This week, if you roster Kelce, Parkinson, or Jonnu, you might be looking for a streaming option.
The Commanders offense has been the best in the NFL this season, and although Ertz hasn’t had any monster days and is still without a TD, he has been pretty consistent in his production. This week could be his time to really shine in what will be the toughest test yet for the young Commanders and their rookie QB, Jayden Daniels. The Ravens are one of the best teams in the NFL, riding a three-game win streak, but their pass defense hasn’t been doing them any favors. They rank 31st in the NFL against the pass, allowing 280 pass yards per game, and they rank 28th vs. the TE position in fantasy football. This sets up nicely for Ertz.
He hasn’t scored a TD yet this season, but you know that one is coming soon, especially with how well Baker Mayfield has been throwing the football this season. Otton only had 1 catch on 4 targets through the first two weeks of the season, but since then, he has 16 catches on 21 targets. He is seeing more action in an offense that is pass-heavy due to their inefficient run game, and this week, Otton’s matchup is ideal. The Bucs face the Saints, who rank 31st in fantasy football, against the TE position.
This is mostly a deep league option. If you play in a 14-team or 16-team league like I do, it can be even harder to find a TE option when there are key players on bye weeks. Okonkwo and the Titans offense have both been pretty terrible so far this season, but they do face the Colts this weekend, who rank 29th in the NFL against the pass and 30th against the TE position in fantasy football.
If you roster any of the defenses that are on a bye week, you might be looking to stream.
The Chargers defense has been pretty solid so far this season, and I like their matchup this week against rookie QB Bo Nix. The Broncos have been playing better offensively lately, but much of that has to do with matchups. Our rankings expert at DrRoto.com, Chris Kennedy, agrees with me, as he has the Chargers ranked 4th this week on his defense ranks.
