Week 5 of the regular NFL season is in the books and fantasy owners are looking for bye week replacements or to add players due to both injury. We bring you our weekly list of players to avoid who might be potential waiver wire busts.
Fantasy football waiver wire, Week 6: Players to avoid
It’s Week 6 and fantasy owners have entered bye week mania looking to add replacements to their rosters. Who leads the list of possible waiver wire busts going into Week 6? We’re here to answer your questions.
RB Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Thomas rushed 19 times for 36 yards while catching nine passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 5 win over the Chicago Bears. Thomas is getting some work with Mark Ingram out with a toe injury and this was his best game to date. He didn't make an impact in the run game only averaging 1.9 YPC but he did get a ton of looks in the passing game. Thomas snagged all his targets while dual purpose weapon Darren Sproles was only targeted three times. You have to wonder if the Saints are showcasing Thomas for a trade as his contract contains escalators in the final three years. Otherwise, it seems likely Thomas will get lost in the shuffle again as the Saints are stacked with skill players and it is unlikely Sproles stays quiet.
QB Josh Freeman, Minnesota Vikings
The newly minted Viking is expected to compete for the starting job in Minnesota but will not be the starter this week as he gets acclimated to the new system. Freeman is talented and this is a good fit for him but he is far from assured the starting position. Still, it appears the Christian Ponder era is grinding to a halt and he is dealing with a rib injury and might not play in Week 6. If Matt Cassel proves ineffective Sunday it won't be hard for the Vikings to pull the trigger for Freeman. He remains an iffy fantasy option but is worth a bench stash as this system fits him perfectly.
WR Austin Pettis, St. Louis Rams
Pettis led the Rams in receiving Sunday against the Jaguars with four receptions for 49 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, Pettis has 22 receptions on 36 targets for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Pettis is currently third in receiving for the Rams who are ranked 18th in the league in scoring. Bradford is also spreading the ball around a lot and there isn't a clear frontrunner at the receiving position. At some point the Rams will need to figure out how to use first round pick Tavon Austin and get him involved in the offense. Pettis remains a low end fantasy option.
RB Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals
Ellington has a lot of upside and should be worth a look especially in PPR leagues. However, it was reported today that head coach Bruce Arians believes he isn’t durable enough for more than 30 snaps a game. Putting Ellington on a snap count seems rather silly but this is definitely the kind of thing that could limit this upside. The rookie is talented and the Cardinals should be willing to utilize it. He is still worth a pickup just be aware that there exists the possibility the Cardinals will limit his upside with a snap count.
WR Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Williams saw significant action Sunday as Miles Austin was out again with another injury and he posted a big game with four receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Romo threw for career high numbers in the shootout with 506 passing yards and five touchdowns. It is difficult to imagine Romo replicating those numbers and Williams remains the third option competing with DeMarco Murray for targets.The rookie has upside just be aware he is unlikely to see this much production on a consistent basis with Bryant and Witten remaining Romo's favorite targets.
