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Waiver Wire
Week 6 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
The waiver wire is one of the most important keys to finding success in the world of fantasy football. I'll do my best to help you manage the waiver wire to scoop up the players who can help bring you fantasy glory each and every week. If you play in a deeper, more competitive league, and all 10 of these players are already owned, be sure to check out my weekly deep dive waiver wire column (published Mondays), for some high-upside players to aim for heading into Week 6. I'll have more on guys like Theo Riddick, Ty Montgomery, Chris Thompson and many more in that space. I've also added a new section to each player analysis called "FAAB suggestion." FAAB, or free agent acquisition budget, is a different style of waivers where you bid from a pre-determined budget to acquire players. I prefer it, as it gives every owner a shot at every player -- if they're willing to spend. For more specific FAAB questions, hit me up on Twitter
![With Jamaal Charles likely suffering a torn ACL, we need to identify the next man up. While many will default to Knile Davis (Charles' backup for the last few years), the better pickup is West. West's number was the first to get called after Charles went down, and he out-touched Davis six to two from that point on. West is an athletic specimen who had a great SPARQ score (a formula developed by Nike which measures player athleticism by outputting a single composite score). While West should take over the majority of Charles' workload, Davis will still get into the mix. Both backs should be rostered, but if you go after one, make it West. FAAB suggestion: 30-40 percent. (h/t Zach Whitman] for his excellent SPARQ coverage)](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/sl2ogqjqc5ozubeffg97.jpg)
With Jamaal Charles likely suffering a torn ACL, we need to identify the next man up. While many will default to Knile Davis (Charles' backup for the last few years), the better pickup is West. West's number was the first to get called after Charles went down, and he out-touched Davis six to two from that point on. West is an athletic specimen who had a great SPARQ score (a formula developed by Nike which measures player athleticism by outputting a single composite score). While West should take over the majority of Charles' workload, Davis will still get into the mix. Both backs should be rostered, but if you go after one, make it West. FAAB suggestion: 30-40 percent. (h/t Zach Whitman] for his excellent SPARQ coverage)

With so many of the Ravens pass-catchers dealing with injuries (Steve Smith, Crockett Gillmore, Breshad Perriman, Michael Campanaro and so on), the team needed Aiken to step up and lead the charge. He responded well, hauling in four of his nine targets for 78 yards. On the surface that might not seem like the greatest outing, but Joe Flacco was looking for Aiken in the end zone and on some deep passes as well -- the duo just couldn't connect in Week 5. That could change in the coming weeks, though. Aiken has had at least 77 receiving yards in every game where he's received at least seven targets, and with no other options emerging in Baltimore, his piece of the passing game pie isn't likely to get any smaller. Aiken gets the 49ers next week, and will be in the WR2/3 conversation, even if Smith comes back. FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent.

Those who thought Gary Barnidge was nothing more than a fantasy fluke benefiting from good matchups were wrong. The Barnyard Dog has now gone three straight weeks with at least 75 yards and a touchdown, and has done so against great matchups (Oakland) and tough ones (Baltimore). He's commanded 18.4 percent of the team's targets since Josh McCown has returned to the starting role, trailing only Travis Benjamin (22.6 percent). He has a tough draw next week against Denver's vaunted defense, but Barnidge's volume and efficiency over the last three weeks (1.9 FPPT during that span) cannot be ignored. He's a TE1 until further notice, much to the chagrin of the Rob Housler truthers out there. FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent.

While Allen Robinson (justly) received all of the offseason sleeper hype, Allen Hurns quietly went to work and improved every aspect of his game, and it shows on the field. Hurns leads the Jaguars in receiving yards (430), and his three touchdowns trail only Robinson (four). He has been able to take advantage of juicy matchups the last two weeks, but was producing before that as well. Julius Thomas' (hand) return to the lineup could open things up even more for Hurns (and Robinson). At this point, unless the matchup says otherwise, there's no reason Hurns can't be a weekly WR3 or flex option. Next week Jacksonville will square off against a Houston secondary that just allowed two touchdowns to Andre Johnson ... from the arm of a sickly Matt Hasselbeck battling a stomach flu. Get Hurns if he's still available in your league, as his ownership percentage is sure to rise after a second straight 17.6-fantasy point outing. FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent.

Through five weeks of the season (not counting Monday Night Football), Blake Bortles is the QB6, thanks to three 19-plus fantasy point outings in his last four games. He's been able to produce in fantasy on the back of a high volume passing offense (because the Jaguars have been behind a bunch), as he is tied for fourth in the NFL with 189 pass attempts. That likely won't change, but that's OK. All we care about in fantasy is the result, and with Julius Thomas returning to join the emerging Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, Bortles should be able to continue stuffing the stat sheet. If you're looking for a bye week replacement or stream quarterbacks, he has a date with the Houston Texans next on the schedule, who have been gashed by Alex Smith, Cam Newton and a less-than-100-percent Matt Hasselbeck. We also like Bortles' potential as a matchup-based starter for the rest of the season, too. FAAB suggestion: 5-10 percent.

Rawls saw his ownership percentage on NFL.com drop by 2.5 percent this past week, as many owners likely dropped him after witnessing his uninspiring effort against the Lions on national TV. Well, if you're weren't paying attention today, Rawls went off against the Bengals. We still don't know the extent of Lynch's injuries, which puts Rawls at must-own status for Lynch owners and anyone in need of RB help. Rawls is now averaging 5.6 yards per carry on the season (second among backs with 50-plus attempts), and has crossed the 100-yard mark in two of the three games where he's seen the lion's share of the carries. Even if you take out his 69-yard touchdown romp from this week, he's averaging 4.51 yards per carry on the season, which would rank eighth among running backs with 50-plus carries. He's one of the few RB handcuffs worth stashing when Beast Mode returns, given the litany of injuries he is suffering from this year. FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent.

Last week, we were impressed with Tavon Austin getting it done for the Rams (and in fantasy) on a bunch of actual wide receiver routes, and not simply gadget plays. This week, he got it done on a gadget play, but points are points. Austin's overall day suffered as Nick Foles was, well, ungood (four interceptions, completed 36 percent of his passes, 4.7 ypa, etc.). However, whether it's on traditional routes or cleverly-designed plays, the Rams and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti are making a concerted effort to put the football in Austin's hands. He's on a bye next week, which means you can probably sneak him onto your roster unnoticed. He'll be a solid WR3/flex play when the matchup is right moving forward. FAAB suggestion: 5-10 percent.

While Brandin Cooks out-scored Willie Snead on Sunday, he only did so because he caught his touchdown as time expired. Even with that garbage time touchdown, Snead received more targets and converted them into more catches and yards than Cooks. Like it or not, he's playing the best football at the wide receiver position for the Saints, and looks like the one to trust in fantasy for now. He draws a tough-ish matchup against the Falcons in Week 6, but the Saints are at home on Thursday Night Football, which helps. Snead will be on the WR3/flex radar moving forward. FAAB suggestion: 0-5 percent.

It seemed like an oddity last week when Jamison Crowder garnered 12 targets, with only one of them coming after Jordan Reed's injury in the fourth quarter. However, it appears that the rookie has worked his way into the good graces of Kirk Cousins (whatever that's worth), as he saw eight more targets this week, bringing in all of them for 87 yards. Digging a little deeper, over the last three weeks Crowder has seen more than 20 percent of Washington's passing targets go his way. He's yet to find the end zone, but that kind of volume cannot be ignored -- even in a Kirk Cousins-led offense. Crowder's fantasy ceiling could come down soon when DeSean Jackson returns from injury, but he could make a nice PPR flier in Week 6 against the Jets in deeper leagues. He'll have an even better matchup in Week 7 against the Buccaneers, for what it's worth. FAAB suggestion: 0-5 percent.

With Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal constantly battling injuries, Wilson has stepped up in their stead over the last two weeks. He's seen 17 targets and posted over 80 yards in both games, grabbing a touchdown this week as well. With the floundering Lions next up on the schedule, Wilson will be an interesting flex play if Jeffery and/or Royal have to sit out again. Scoop up Wilson this week just in case, as the Bears have quietly been getting slightly back on track after a forgettable start to the season. FAAB suggestion: 0-5 percent.