Keepers, Sleepers, and Jeepers: Week 6

By Adam Filadelfo (@FNTSYArchitect)

It's time once again to hit the waiver wire in anticipation of week six. With the fantasy football season almost half over, the waiver wire gems are going to be more difficult to come across leaving each passing week more important than the last. With that said, let's take a look at which players could have an impact immediately and which players may be better off staying on the waiver wire.

Keepers

Branden Oliver- Running Back- San Diego Chargers- With injuries piling up in San Diego, Branden Oliver is the latest Chargers player to step up and make an impact. Ryan Matthews is set to return to the team in the next couple of weeks but for now, fantasy owners should ride the wave of rookie Branden Oliver. Especially with the Oakland Raiders as the week six opponent for the Chargers. What makes Branden Oliver's week five performance that much more impressive was it came versus the Jets who happen to be the fifth toughest team to run on. Oliver totaled 182 yards and two scores making him a top waiver wire add heading to week six.

Andre Williams- Running Back- New York Giants- With an MCL injury to Rashad Jennings, it looks to be Andre Williams time to shine. He is off to a great start where in week five, he had a total of 83 yards and a touchdown. All indications are Williams will get every opportunity to show what he can do and should even get goal line touches as well. There is a possibility of Peyton Hillis stealing some touches from the Boston College rookie but this looks like Williams' job to lose until Jennings returns.

Odell Beckham Jr- Wide Receiver- New York Giants- Finally over his hamstring injury that sidelined him for the first four weeks of the season, Odell Beckham Jr wasted no time in showing what he can do with four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Beckham Jr played half the snaps for the Giants offense in his debut and figures to receive more going forward barring any setbacks with his hamstring.

Sleepers

Storm Johnson- Running Back- Jacksonville Jaguars- After five weeks of pedestrian numbers out of Toby Gerhart, the Jaguars may look to rookie Storm Johnson for week six. Johnson played just eight snaps in week five which ranked fourth among Jaguars running backs but looks to be in line for a heavier workload in week six. Of the eight snaps Johnson saw, he carried the ball four times for 27 yards. After an 0-4 start to the season, it may be time for the Jaguars to see what Storm Johnson can do moving forward.

Antone Smith- Running Back- Atlanta Falcons- When your line after five weeks shows you have four touchdowns and are averaging over 16 yards per carry on 17 touches, fantasy owners have to wonder why Antone Smith isn't getting more touches. Smith has clearly been the better back in Atlanta thus far and could be a potential sleeper candidate if he gets more touches going forward. He is capable of breaking off big plays as he's showed this season and is worth a stash in case the Falcons wise up and showcase him more.

Travis Benjamin- Wide Receiver- Cleveland Browns- While Travis Benjamin may have been on some fantasy owners radars, he definitely made a name for himself in week five when he caught two touchdowns. This may be another second year receiver ready to break out or it could have been just a game but either way Travis Benjamin should be a player fantasy owners keep an eye on.

Ronnie Hillman- Running Back- Denver Broncos- With the groin injury expected to keep Montee Ball out multiple weeks, Ronnie Hillman could be the next man up in Denver. There are a couple of other possibilities for the Broncos to use as Ball's replacement but Hillman is definitely in the mix. He did rush for 64 yards on 15 carries versus the Cardinals in week five leaving him in the mix for touches.

Juwan Thompson- Running Back- Denver Broncos- The rookie out of Duke was the most impressive running back in week five for Denver when Montee Ball went down with an injury when he rushed for 15 yards and a touchdown on three carries. As is the case with Ronnie Hillman, Thompson should be in the mix for touches in the absence of Montee Ball. He will probably end up splitting time with both Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson.

Jeepers

Kenny Britt- Wide Receiver- St. Louis Rams- Before this article goes any further, let's all pump the brakes on Kenny Britt. His week five stat line would suggest there is still life left in Kenny Britt but fantasy owners should not buy into the hype of one week. His three catches for 68 yards and a score may have some fantasy owners thinking about picking him up but there isn't a good enough reason to use a roster spot on a player that has his better days behind him. Granted Britt does have two double digit fantasy points games this season but unless fantasy owners are desperate for receiver help, Britt will look better on the waiver wire than fantasy rosters.

Tim Wright- Tight End- New England Patriots- As of this moment, Wright isn't worth owning simply because his playing time isn't there. That could all change in a week but for now, Wright's season high in snaps remains at 21 and that came back in week one. With Gronk looking healthier each week, it may be difficult for Wright to get the playing time he needs to be fantasy relevant. The days of two tight end sets in New England may be a thing of the past.

Jermaine Kearse- Wide Receiver- Seattle Seahawks- Even though Kearse had a touchdown on Monday night and sees eighty percent of snaps on a weekly basis, he's not getting enough targets to warrant taking up a roster spot on fantasy teams. He saw two targets in week five and caught his lone target for a 15 yard touchdown.

C.J. Anderson- Running Back- Denver Broncos- The Broncos backfield is about to become a lot more crowded now that Montee Ball is expected to miss significant time with his groin injury. Fantasy owners should expect less touches from Anderson who was a healthy scratch in week five and has done nothing the last two weeks. It seems like a majority of the running back duties will fall on Ronnie Hillman and rookie Juwan Thompson until Ball is healthy enough to return.
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