Fantasy Football Sleepers: Week 6
Injuries are beginning to pile up, taking top players like Justin Jefferson, Devon Achane, and James Conner during Tuesday’s injury report updates. We’ve also seen players settle into bigger roles since Week 1, finding a rhythm and a role within the offense to increase their production in fantasy football lineups. Identifying situations arising from these two occurrences, injuries and improved play, is how we continue to roster sleeper candidates who could prosper into bigger, league-winning roles later in the season.
The waiver wire will be jam-packed with claims this week. Some of these players may already be on your fantasy football roster, while the remainder are worth investing in on league waiver wires. So, let’s get right into some of the top players to roster and, when appropriate, insert into fantasy football lineups in the immediate future.
Antonio Gibson (RB – Commanders)
The game script forced Antonio Gibson into a bigger role in Week 5, catching four of six targets for 64 yards. Gibson didn’t even attempt a rushing carry, but he displayed good hands, finishing second on the Commanders in total targets. On the season, Gibson is only at an 8.9 percent target share on the season, but he’s still averaging 4.2 YPC when given carries. Outside of Week 4, Gibson’s seen at least three targets, making him a worthwhile prospect to stash if available on league waivers. If you’re rostering Gibson, it may be good to hold him on the bench in Week 6, as he’ll face the Falcons, who rank 1st in fantasy running back matchup difficulty, allowing just 12.1 points per game this season. A Week 7 matchup against the Giants could be the time to deploy Gibson into lineups.
Jaleel McLaughlin (RB – Broncos)
We’ve seen rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin climb the ranks from being an undrafted free agent to potentially becoming the RB1 in Sean Payton’s offense. Denver hasn’t looked good thus far but McLaughlin is a bright spot, recording consecutive 17.9 and 16.4 fantasy point games against the Bears and Jets. He’s done this on only 10-12 touches during this two-game stretch, so his hyper-efficient play means more volume could be coming in the near future. A short week in a divisional road matchup against the Chiefs could put Denver into catch-up mode quickly, making McLaughlin a low-end RB2 with high-end RB2 upside despite playing in a bottom-six fantasy matchup for running backs. Green Bay, Buffalo, and Minnesota all await Denver, so McLaughlin could quickly ascend into a strong RB2 for the remainder of the fantasy football season.
Tutu Atwell (WR – Rams)
Yes, Tutu Atwell is the odd man out in the return of Cooper Kupp, as Puka Nacua maintained a commanding target share in Week 5. However, Atwell managed to still find the end zone on only two receptions for nine yards. He drew five targets, six fewer than Nacua, but his speed and rapport with Matthew Stafford cannot be questioned. If Atwell is sitting on waivers, or on your bench, the Rams’ upcoming schedule against Arizona and Pittsburgh, both top-seven fantasy matchups for wideouts, justify Atwell being inserted as a solid WR3 with WR2 upside.
Zay Jones (WR – Jaguars)
Zay Jones is fifth in target share for Jacksonville (10%) but he’s missed two games, so this is a deceiving number. Jones scored the Jaguars’ first touchdown against Buffalo, and he’s seen five to seven targets in every game played. The perception of Jones is down due to the presence of Ridley and Kirk, so go ahead and put a claim in for Jones, who could wind up producing steady WR3, low-end WR2 numbers with Trevor Lawrence improving each week in his third year as the franchise quarterback.
Luke Musgrave (TE – Packers)
The Packers’ rookie tight end, Luke Musgrave, feasted on targets in Week 5, tying Christian Watson for seven during the Packers’ loss to Las Vegas. Musgrave has played well and seen a good target share this season, earning 14.6% despite getting knocked out of the game early with a concussion in Week 4. Musgrave’s volume should lead to more points as the Packers’ offense finds ways to remedy a sub-optimal start to its season. Jordan Love’s inaccuracy woes will lead him to Musgrave, his security blanket in the middle of the field, so Musgrave is certainly a viable streamer and could become a TE1 soon.
Jared Goff (QB – Lions)
Jared Goff has had a fantastic start to his season, ranking 11th in quarterback fantasy points per game (19.8) due to slinging it within the Lions’ potent offense. Led by OC Ben Johnson, who came back to Detroit after being a head coaching candidate for several teams this offseason, Goff’s numbers have spiked. Last year, he averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game, but he’s already well past this number, with a lot of juicy matchups waiting. The Lions look like a legitimate contender this season and Goff has been steady, recording two, three-touchdown outings, along with a pair of rushing touchdowns as a red zone threat. Goff is a QB1 that deserves to be in fantasy lineups moving forward without hesitation.
