Fantasy Football 2015: Early Week 6 Waiver-Wire Pickups, Add/Drop

While some major producers on byes afforded fantasy football owners a reasonable excuse for a loss this week, owners won’t be able to blame Week 6‘s byes for any blunders.

With receiver Amari Cooper and running backs Doug Martin and Todd Gurley as really the only exceptions, there won’t be a ton of missed production with the Cowboys, Raiders, Rams, and Buccaneers all resting up in Week 6. Though in the case of Dallas this would’ve been the week for Tony Romo and Dez Bryant’s subs.

But for struggling owners and their teams, there’s a ton of serviceable pickups available on the waiver wire heading into Week 6, specifically at receiver and tight end, and a couple of minor running backs.

With five more games left in Week 5‘s slate other players will emerge as waiver-wire targets, but for a quick jump on next week here’s five players to consider adding during Week 6’s waiver wire period, and several others to monitor in the coming weeks.

Ty Montgomery, WR, Packers

A very effective Packers receiving corps just got some more competition for targets. The rookie Montgomery recorded the second touchdown of his career against St. Louis as he filled in for injured Davante Adams. Montgomery took full advantage of his opportunity, while Adams has managed 92 yards off 15 targets this season. There's a chance Montgomery takes Adams' job in the coming weeks if keeps it up. In deep 12 or 14-team leagues, Montgomery will shoot up the waiver wire. He’s currently owned in 10 percent of Yahoo and just 6.7 percent of ESPN leagues.

Kamar Aiken, WR, Ravens

Aiken started Week 5 with only 18 targets through the first four games of the season, but he exploded with nine targets in regulation against Cleveland and racked up 78 yards as Joe Flacco’s interim No. 1. He’s owned in 24 percent of Yahoo and 31.9 percent of ESPN leagues, but owners are right to be wary of how Aiken will produce once Steve Smith comes back. Still as a plug-in for say Tampa Bay’s Vincent Jackson, Aiken’s a good WR2 or WR3 for now.

Marquess Wilson, WR, Bears

Injuries have decimated the Bears receiving options, with Eddie Royal out this week and Alshon Jeffery missing a fourth straight game. Enter Wilson, who led the Bears in targets against Kansas City. He’s a WR3 in very deep leagues as of today, but with Jeffery’s absence stretching on Wilson could have a lot more opportunities in the coming weeks. Wilson’s owned in just 1.3 percent of ESPN and 6 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles

Ertz was third on the Eagles with 19 targets before Week 5, and he was their second-most targeted pass catcher for most of their win over New Orleans this week. Brent Celek got the looks in the end zone, but Ertz has the better potential for receptions and should be a target in PPR leagues. With Philadelphia’s running game and offensive line showing some signs of life, the passing game has opened up for quarterback Sam Bradford and his receiving weapons, and Ertz could serve as an excellent sub for Jason Witten or Jared Cook owners.

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks

Two 100-plus yard performances in the last three weeks won’t make the Seahawks forget Marshawn Lynch, but fantasy owners evidently haven’t pounced on the rookie Rawls yet. He’s owned in just 46 percent of Yahoo and 40.7 percent of ESPN leagues, and Rawls rocked a Bengals rushing defense that was No. 7 in league. Seattle will of course start Lynch when he’s healthy, but with Rawls excelling the Seahawks won’t have to rush Lynch back so we could see this kind of production for another couple of weeks.

Others to monitor: Antonio Andrews, RB, Titans; Marquise Goodwin, WR, Bills; Bengals D/ST; Riley Cooper, WR, Eagles; Jeremy Langford, RB, Bears; De'Anthony Thomas, WR, Chiefs; Jacob Tamme, TE, Falcons; Gary Barnidge, TE, Browns