Welcome back, everybody! We’ve got NFL Week 5 wrapped and a lot to recap from ALL the action! Hopefully, you have liked the new version of the 2023 usage report. While slightly altered from previous installments, I think it packs a punch that is exactly what fantasy managers want and NEED as they make transactions heading into the next week.
Again, we live in the year 2023, where bite-size and easy-to-digest content is the way, the masses consume content. My goal with this weekly piece is to provide you with the KEY ACTION items – waiver wire pickups, trade, add, drop, stash, buy, sell, start, sit, etc. – for your fantasy football team based on what happened the previous week. Let me do the work of scouring through the data, so you can just follow my lead. As my college marketing professor always said, “Keep it simple, stupid.” The KISS mantra is at its finest.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
As always, I’ll be citing data and what I watched on film from the weekend’s past matchups highlighting what matters most and what’s potentially just noise. I will make a strong effort to feature players who are coming off polarizing performances, as they are sure to be the ones fantasy managers have the most question marks about. Note that If I omit a certain player(s), it’s likely because their role/usage did not change from the week prior. Want to save valuable space for players whose stock is rising/falling, as this is where we can take advantage as savvy fantasy gamers.
Here is my entire Week 6 fantasy football forecast. Below we dive into a few notable players.
Fantasy Football Forecast
Jacksonville Jaguars
Buy Evan Engram, Sell/Hold Christian Kirk
Travis Etienne was the workhorse (AGAIN) in the backfield, tallying 26 carries for an impressive 136 yards. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry and reached the end zone twice with two rushing touchdowns. Etienne showcased his versatility with 4 receptions for 48 yards. 5 targets.
Tank Bigsby. The preseason hype king? 3 carries for 8 yards. 15% snap share. Woof.
Calvin Ridley was a standout receiver, targeted 8 times and securing 7 receptions for a remarkable 122 yards (124 air yards). He averaged 17.4 yards per catch. Christian Kirk contributed significantly with 6 receptions for 78 yards (8 targets, 22% target share).
Evan Engram (8 targets) and Zay Jones, with Jones catching a touchdown pass. Jones left the game with a knee injury – as he missed time earlier this year with a knee injury. Jones plays such a critical role in the red zone for the Jaguars.
I’ve done my best to approach the Jags WR room with buy/low tips, and buying on Ridley last week paid off. The Colts up next is a GREAT spot for him.
Selling Kirk…did not. But again, I did not anticipate Jones getting re-injured.
Either way, I think the move with this roster is to just buy any asset after a bad game and sell high after a strong game. In this case, it’s Evan Engram as the buy target. Still saw 8 targets but just 4 for 28.
Jaguars take on Colts, Saints, and Steelers over the next three games.
Buffalo Bills
Buy James Cook, Sell Gabe Davis
Did anybody tell the Bills they were scheduled to play at 9:30 ET? Did absolutely nothing in the first half and just too big a hole that’s they couldn’t rally out of in time during the second half. Still for fantasy…monster games.
Josh Allen threw for 350-plus yards. Stefon Diggs went for 121 on 8 catches on 11 targets. Gabe Davis 6 for 100 on 8 targets and another TD. You wanna sell high off a 4-week TD streak? Be my guest.
Dalton Kincaid missed some time with an injury while Dawson Knox saw 6 targets.
James Cook. WOOF. 5 for -4 yards. 3 for 25 on 4 targets. The run game was completely abandoned.
Still…The Giants and Patriots up next.
So, I’d be buying the bounce back on the talented second-year RB.
Still played 62% of the snaps, tied for a season-high. 63% route participation.
Detroit Lions
Add Josh Reynolds, Hold Jameson Williams
Dominate performance is to be expected by one of the league’s best teams.
And no Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jahmyr Gibbs. No problem.
David Montgomery led the ground game with 19 carries, accumulating an impressive 109 yards. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored a touchdown. 6 targets while finishing second on the team in routes run.
No. 2 RB Craig Reynolds contributed “significantly” with 7 carries for 52 yards, averaging an impressive 7.4 yards per carry, and also recorded a touchdown. Didn’t touch the ball till the 4th quarter…
Quarterback Jared Goff orchestrated the Lions’ passing game with remarkable efficiency:
Goff completed 20 of 28 passes for a total of 236 yards. He threw three touchdown passes and did not record any interceptions. Goff at home? Jared God.
Josh Reynolds emerged as the top target, being targeted 5 times and catching 4 passes for 76 yards. He averaged 19 yards per reception and scored a touchdown. And that was just on 13 routes run.
Clearly, he is the go-to guy for Goff whether or not St. Brown is active.
Sam LaPorta made 3 receptions for 47 yards and was a valuable target in the red zone, scoring two touchdowns. “The” late-round tight end that could legitimately finish No. 1 overall…
Kalif Raymond contributed 45 receiving yards on 3 receptions, showcasing his big-play ability (3 targets).
Jameson Williams finished third in routes run among WRs and in snaps played. He did not start. Caught two passes for 2 yards on 3 targets. Expect his snaps to increase so keep him stashed.
Cannot risk missing out on him if the St. Brown injury is long-term.
Detroit plays Tampa Bay then Baltimore over the next two games.
-Andrew Erickson
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