Waiver Wire Weekly: Surviving the Week 6 byes

Another week of the NFL season has come and gone, and fantasy players now find themselves in the proverbial dog days of the period. With the midway point of the fantasy season quickly approaching, finding a waiver wire gem could potentially vault your fantasy squad toward a deep playoff run. Keep in mind that this is the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts’ bye weeks, so if you have stars like Josh Jacobs, Allen Robinson and/or T.Y. Hilton, make sure to grab one of these players to fill the void.

*The %OWN statistic is based on ESPN standard leagues on Oct. 8. 

Quarterbacks

Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints, *%OWN: 10.2%

Many Saints fans were hitting the panic button after Drew Brees suffered a thumb injury in his team’s Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. But head coach Sean Payton remained calm and placed his unwavering faith in backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. So far, Bridgewater has done his job and beyond after stepping in for Brees, going 3-0 as a starter and posting some tantalizing fantasy numbers.

Bridgewater had his best game yet last week, going 26 of 34 for 314 yards and four touchdowns. Expect him to continue leading the potent Saints offense with a plethora of playmakers and an offensive-guru head coach behind him.

Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars, %OWN: 18.7%

Becoming somewhat of a frequent face on Waiver Wire Weekly, Gardner Minshew is still somehow owned in less than 20% of leagues. Even with another outstanding performance in Week 5, posting 374 passing yards along with two touchdowns and nearly 50 yards rushing, Minshew is still being snubbed by 80% of fantasy players.

He’s done everything and more to prove that he’s a viable fantasy option and will only continue to grow with experience. Looking past the Jacksonville’s Week 6 game against the Saints, Minshew’s long-term value is high with inviting back-to-back matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets in Weeks 7 and 8, respectively.

Running Backs 

Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins, %OWN: 48.6%

Mainly in this week’s edition, because of his very favorable matchup in Week 6, Peterson will look to break out against a bottom-feeding Miami Dolphins team. Peterson certainly doesn’t have gaudy numbers so far, but the Dolphins weak defense should allow Peterson to jumpstart a slow start to the year.

Peterson has been on the backburner in Washington much of the year because the team has been playing from behind, limiting the running game. Thankfully, the Redskins should finally be able to run the ball often against a talent-limited Dolphin team.

Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals, %OWN: 2.9%

Used sparingly until last week, Edmonds is starting to break his label as a “change-of-pace” running back to regular starter David Johnson. Edmonds had his best game of the season in Week 5 against the Bengals, carrying eight times for 68 yards and a touchdown. Edmonds is a valuable commodity for Arizona, considering Johnson’s history of injuries, so if the Cardinals ever need someone to lighten his load, they will look to Edmonds.

Wide Receivers 

Darius Slayton, New York Giants, %OWN: 0.5%

The opportunities for rookie Darius Slayton keep rising, first after Daniel Jones became the Giants’ starting quarterback in Week 3 and now because top pass catchers Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram suffered injuries last week. Slayton posted the best game of his young career last week against the Vikings, hauling in four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. His value will keep trending upward with those types of performances, combined with his growing chemistry with fellow rookie Jones.

John Brown, Buffalo Bills, %OWN: 59.8%

One of the more steady receivers this year, John Brown hasn’t had a game so far with less than five targets. He’s clearly the favorite target of quarterback Josh Allen, making his value very apparent. Brown caught all five of his targets on Sunday for 75 yards. Though the Bills will be on a bye week this week, they’ll be back in Week 7 against the league-worst Miami Dolphins. Expect Brown to collect a plethora of targets and turn those into receptions and yards for the rest of the year, especially next week against Miami.

Tight Ends

Chris Herndon, New York Jets, %OWN: 12%

Chris Herndon started the year serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, but is eligible to return this week against the Cowboys. Herndon flashed his potential last season and will look to build on that progress this year. He developed a solid connection with quarterback Sam Darnold, who will also return this week from a non-football related illness. Expect Herndon to instantly become a focal point of the Jets passing game.

Gerlad Everett, Los Angeles Rams, %OWN: 3.4%

Everett has become the favorite tight end of quarterback Jared Goff, seemingly replacing Tyler Higbee in that role. He has posted two straight weeks of very solid production, especially last week, when he caught seven passes for 136 yards. If Everett can remain a mainstay in the Rams offense, his value will skyrocket given the explosive nature of their playbook.