One of last week’s top quarterback pick-ups, Mason Rudolph was on pace to a great, two-plus yards, multi-touchdown game before going down with a concussion. This week, there are several waiver wire adds that could help those fantasy football team owners missing players because of the Week 6 bye. Finding a running back will likely be difficult depending on the size of your league, but you will have options at all other positions, especially in shallower leagues.
Don’t add a player to your fantasy football team if you don’t need one.
Teams on the Bye: Bears, Bills, Colts, Raiders
QUARTERBACKS
1 Gardner Minshew, Jaguars
2 Kyle Allen, Panthers
3 Kirk Cousins, Vikings
4 Teddy Bridgewater, Saints
5 Matt Stafford, Lions
6 Colt McCoy, Redskins
Fantasy team owners with Jacoby Brissett may be looking for a back-up this week. Look no further than Gardner Minshew of the Jaguars or if he is not available, Kyle Allen of the Panthers, who draw favorable match-ups against the Saints and Buccaneers, respectively. Kirk Cousins plays an Eagles team that struggled last week. Bridgewater and Stafford get tougher opponents but could make noise.
RUNNING BACKS
1 Tevin Coleman, 49ers
2 Chris Thompson, Redskins
3 Adrian Peterson, Redskins
4 John Hilliman, Giants
5 Chase Edmonds, Cardinals
There are few options at running back this week. Yet, Tevin Coleman is still available in some leagues. He returned and dominated the number of rush attempts for the 49ers, showing his versatility and explosion. Coleman did not look like a player that missed the first month of the season.
The Redskins play the Dolphins whose defense is giving up the most fantasy points to running backs which equates to an average of over 200-plus all-purpose yards and over two touchdowns per game to the position. John Hilliman is strictly a volume based option with Wayne Gallman and Saquon Barkley having a good chance of missing this week’s Thursday night game. Chase Edmonds is a hand-cuff for all the David Johnson team owners out there but could make for a plug-and-play if you need the help.
Wide Receivers
1 Will Fuller, Texans
2 Courtland Sutton, Broncos
3 Michael Gallup, Cowboys
4 Mohamed Sanu, Falcons
5 Dede Westbrook, Jaguars
6 Marquise Goodwin, 49ers
7 Cole Beasley, Bills
8 Auden Tate, Bengals
9 Byron Pringle, Chiefs
If Will Fuller is still available in your league, he’s your top add. While he may not post 200-plus yards and three TDs again this season, he could. Courtland Sutton has established himself as the Broncos top wide receiver even in a tough match-up. Michael Gallup should continue posting solid stats as the Cowboys second best wide receiver. Dede Westbrook has played well two games in a row. And, Mohamed Sanu has been solid despite playing behind two of the league’s best wide receivers. Marquise Goodwin established himself as the second best receiver on the 49ers this week. The 49ers wide receivers have a favorable schedule coming up.
Tight Ends
1 Gerald Everett, Rams
2 Darren Fells, Texans
3 Jared Cook, Saints
4 Chris Herndon, Jets
5 Jimmy Graham. Packers
6 Hayden Hurst, Ravens
Gerald Everett is on a roll with 180 yards receiving and a touchdown over the past two games. While he could miss the box score in a given week, Darren Fells has scored touchdowns in two of the last three games and his upcoming schedule against tight ends is favorable. Likewise, Jared Cook is finally making an impact for the Saints and he also has favorable match-ups coming up. Hayden Hurst is mentioned if Mark Andrews is side-lined with a nagging foot injury.
Defenses
1 Cowboys (v. Jets)
2 Panthers (v. Buccaneers)
3 Redskins (v. Dolphins)
Need a one week filler with the Bears on a bye week? These defenses each play teams that have either struggled in one of the first three weeks of the season or are having problems producing offense due to injuries or poor play. Any defense playing the Dolphins is a solid play this season.
WEEK 5 DEEP SLEEPERS