Did you miss out on Andre Williams, Ronnie Hillman, or Odell Beckham? Not to fear, I'm here with some deep sleeper waiver wire pickups for you. Let’s look at some of the guys that may be still sitting on the wire as we get closer to Sunday.
Digging Deeper - Potential Week 6 Waiver Wire Sleepers
C.J. Anderson - RB, Denver Broncos
8% Owned in Fleaflicker
Anderson was scratched mostly because he doesn’t play special teams. With Montee Ball out, he’s going to play ahead of Juwan Thompson in a committee approach with Ronnie Hillman. While I expect Hillman to see more looks, Anderson still has to be put into consideration. He's a power back who has put up very solid numbers in limited action throughout his career. He actually runs pretty explosively for his size, and will almost certainly see some goal-line touches.
Against a stout Jets run defense, there is a strong possibility that Hillman won’t have the physicality to get through what has become a formidable defensive line. Anderson may have more luck. I’d expect Hillman to get closer to 15 touches, but Anderson could push for 12 as well, including a few at the goal line. He’s a desperation play with a low ceiling, but a floor higher than most of what you will find on the waiver wire at this point.
John Brown - WR, Arizona Cardinals
20% Owned in Fleaflicker
Brown is 24 year old, older than the average rookie, and it has shown throughout the season so far. He possesses a ton of speed, and is able to work both the screen game and the sideline like a veteran. With Carson Palmer out, Brown's numbers have dipped, but both are expected to play this week in a potential shootout game against the Redskins. I’m buying Brown, and he’s most likely on your waiver wire after the subpar performance this past week. He’s been used in the redzone and in the middle of the field, and has already scored three touchdowns. It’s great to see Bruce Arians have so much trust in him already. I recommend you invest in Brown against a Redskins defense that’s been terrible against receivers since losing DeAngelo Hall.
Timothy Wright - TE, New England Patriots
24% Owned in Fleaflicker
Well, it didn’t come out of nowhere, but it was surprising nonetheless to see Wright produce on such minimal snaps. He’s insanely athletic, and in a great system to become a consistent fantasy producer. The question is: will he see more snaps? After this week, I’d say it’d be given on most teams, but this is the Patriots we’re talking about. With Brian Tyms returning, we won’t know how the targets are going to shuffle this week against the Bills. What can be said is that the Bills have allowed the second fewest fantasy points to running backs, so we can expect some passing in this game.
The Pats are going to have to use Gronkowski as a blocker against a strong pass rush, so there’s a chance that Wright is able to get a few looks on Sunday. I’d definitely hope you have other options, but if you’re scrounging, I’d pickup Wright, and then the guy below him.
Eric Ebron - TE, Detroit Lions
22% Owned in Fleaflicker
The Vikings have been average against the tight end this year, but if you look closer into the stats, you'll see that they were torched by two athletic tight ends, Jimmy Graham and Jared Cook, while they were able to hold the more traditional ones in check. I’m not at all a fan of rookie tight ends because of the required adjustment, and Ebron himself stated his head has been spinning, but I’m buying him this week against a group of slow cover linebackers and a safety with an ankle injury. With Calvin Johnson most likely sitting out next week, expect an increase from Ebron's four targets. He would have had a touchdown two weeks in a row if it hadn't been overturned, as well. If you need a desperation flier at tight end, Ebron isn’t a safe bet, but he’s probably the best bet to see some looks.
Brian Tyms - WR, New England Patriots
1% Owned in Fleaflicker
Tyms is a bit of an unknown, but he was excellent during the preseason before missing the first four games of the season due to suspension. With the Patriots wide receiver corps being an abomination (outside of Julian Edelman), the question is not if Tyms will start this season, but when. As previously discussed, it’s impossible to predict how the target situation will work out in New England. What is known is that they don’t have any trust in Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson or Brandon LaFell. It should be fairly easy for Tyms to produce as the season continues. I’d own Tyms out of all the Patriot receivers not named Edelman. He’s the most athletic of the bunch (more than Dobson), and seems to have more trust with the coaches by default already. He could end up being a sneaky FLEX play some weeks.
Previous Sleepers I've Highlighted Who Should Absolutely Be Owned in Deep Leagues
Week 1: Isaiah Crowell, Justin Forsett, Brian Quick, Larry Donnell
Week 2: Davante Adams, Jerick McKinnon
Week 4: Allen Robinson, Jeremy Kerley, Blake Bortles
Week 5: Darrin Reaves, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Marvin Jones