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Fantasy football waiver wires will have fewer players that can help you this week. There will be no Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers or New Orleans Saints mentioned in this week’s column. That’s because fantasy football managers will have to deal with their first round of NFL teams being on their bye weeks.
Even though there is less to choose from on league waiver wires, there are plenty of post-waiver pickups and pivot plays available if one of your fantasy starters ditches you before Sunday. These are sneakier players to pickup or start, and are more under-the-radar options.
Without further ado, here are my pivot plays and post-waiver pickups for Week 6 – and the questionable superstars who you might need to replace at the last-minute in your fantasy lineup:
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Sneaky Pickups and Starts for Week 6
If Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert (COVID IR) cannot be cleared in time for Thursday night’s game, you could pick up and play….
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (TE) vs. TB
Ertz is supposedly the second fiddle in Philly’s tight end orchestra, yet he has been targeted by quarterback Jalen Hurts a half-dozen more times than top tight end Dallas Goedert has. Goedert still has Ertz beat in most major fantasy categories, however, which is why the latter is available in more than half the fantasy leagues out there at the present time. If Goedert is not given the green light by game time, Ertz suddenly becomes the most attractive tight end option on fantasy waiver wires.
Ertz will be roaming for room against a 32nd-ranked Tampa Bay secondary who seems to be taking social distancing way too seriously these days as they do not like to get near six feet of any opposing pass catchers. Part of the problem is that teams know they cannot run on the Bucs, but the bigger part of the problem has been injuries ravaging their defensive backfield. In a game that appears on paper to be high-scoring and one that Philadelphia will probably be trailing in, look for plenty of passes to come Ertz’s way on Thursday.
If Miami’s DeVante Parker (hamstring) is ruled out before Sunday’s morning’s kickoff in London, you could pick up and play….
Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots (WR) vs. DAL
Agholor has been a fantasy flop since signing with Bill Belichick’s squad. After coming off the best year of his career in 2020 (48-896-8) and a good game Week 1, Agholor has given his fantasy managers 11 receptions for 125 yards and no touchdowns over his last four games. This is the Agholor fantasy players not-so-fondly remember from his Philadelphia Eagles years.
The Dallas Cowboys have done a lot right during the first five weeks of the season, but covering receivers has not been one of them. Look no further than last week when Kadarius Toney leaped out of Joe Judge’s dog house and torched the Cowboys secondary for 10 catches for 189 yards. The Cowboys have the 31st-ranked pass defense and the game script will likely dictate twice the pass plays than run plays from the Patriots in the second half. Do not expect Agholor to do what Toney did, but I can see him posting six catches for 80 yards and a TD. New England QB Mac Jones has steadily improved, and Dallas’ defense will concentrate more on tight end Hunter Henry than big-play specialist Agholor.
If New York’s Daniel Jones (concussion) cannot clear his head in time for Sunday, you could pick up and play…
Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts (QB) vs. HOU
I have a lot of respect for one of Pat McAfee’s favorite quarterbacks. Wentz works his butt off to make plays with his sprained ankles and his arm, and although he might put himself in harm’s way as often as Travis Pastrana and could suffer another season-ending injury sooner rather than later. Using him now while he is healthy and productive is a sneaky smart fantasy play.
Wentz has thrown for 630 yards and four touchdowns over Indy’s past two contests and has really started to gel with an underrated Colts receiving corps. Zach Pascal catches the touchdown tosses, Michael Pittman Jr. catches the passes between the 20s, and Nyheim Hines and Jonathan Taylor can both catch passes out of the backfield and turn them into long gainers. Plus Wentz has a decent tight end twosome with Mo Alie-Cox and Jack Doyle. As long as Wentz does not get himself dinged against a Houston defense that only has eight sacks in five games, he should throw for 250-275 and two-to-three TDs.
If Tennessee’s Julio Jones (hamstring) misses his third straight game, you could pick up and play….
Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions (WR) vs. CIN
You must monitor the Jones situation closely since Tennessee is not slated to play until Monday night versus the high-powered Buffalo Bills. Tennessee’s reserve receivers have not been consistent enough to trust using in a fantasy lineup since Jones has been out, however.
Raymond has a golden opportunity to be peppered with passes this Sunday since Detroit wideouts Tyrell Williams and Quintez Cephus are both on injured reserve. Even if Williams recovers and returns this week, Raymond has a decent chance to lead the Lions in targets as he had 16 between Weeks 3 and 4 and scored two touchdowns. Teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown might be a better waiver choice in PPR leagues, but the slot receiver is no game breaker (9.4 YPC) or red-zone threat (zero TD). In a winnable home game against a mediocre Cincinnati pass defense, Raymond could surprise and haul in five Jared Goff passes and put up 60 yards and a score.
If New England’s Damien Harris (ribs) does not suit up Sunday, you could pick up and play…
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (RB) vs. DAL
I know his name is a mouthful, but it might be worth mentioning Stevenson’s name to the commissioner of your fantasy league if you have Harris on your roster and he ducks out on you before the Pats play Sunday afternoon. Brandon Bolden has taken over the James White role on third downs as the primary pass catcher out of the backfield, so he has only had seven carries this year. Stevenson had 11 rushing attempts versus Houston last week, and even though he only mustered 23 yards the point is that he is the one getting the early-down touches when Harris is hurt.
While I mentioned earlier that Dallas’ pass defense has been horrendous, the Cowboys run defense has been stout (5th-ranked in the NFL), so Stevenson is will need to lower his helmet and take every tough yards he can get. That should be no problem as that plays into his strength as a downhill runner who is not one for juking and jiving to avoid tacklers. With Mac Jones playing better there should be some red-zone opportunities for Stevenson if he emerges as the team’s top tailback for this contest.
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