(Audacy) Two weeks ago at this time, Giants receiver Kadarius Toney had caught four passes for 14 yards in his NFL career. I suggested that you pick him up in fantasy football because of a combination of injuries to fellow receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton as well as a significant uptick in snaps. Something had to click for him eventually, right?
Something did click once Week 4 arrived, as Toney had six catches on eight targets for 78 yards and followed it up with 10 catches on 13 targets for 189 yards on Sunday despite throwing a punch and getting ejected from the contest.
Needless to say, even with that ejection and with an injury that might keep him out for a little while, Toney should still be a hot commodity on the waiver wire this week. He's only owned in 17% and 11% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, respectively — apparently, not everyone takes my advice — and could be a legitimate fantasy asset going forward. He should be at the top of waiver wire target lists as far as I'm concerned, and this is your warning to do so.
Here's who joins him ahead of Week 6 after a week that was marked by plenty of injuries to key players. That should make for an active few days of FAAB bidding and waiver wire strategy.
Devontae Booker | New York Giants | RB
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Yahoo: 6% owned | ESPN: 4% owned
Giants fans are happy that Toney has emerged at a top target on the fantasy football radar. Giants fans aren't happy that Booker has also done so. That's because he's become a fantasy football asset due to yet another injury to Saquon Barkley, who hopefully won't be sidelined for all that long but who will also miss enough time to warrant Booker's addition to needy rosters.
Booker scored twice on 19 total touches Sunday and though the Giants offense won't be all that high-powered if Daniel Jones and others miss time, he's still a starting running back with a large workload. That's enough for me, especially if you're dealing with injuries at the running back position.
Darrel Williams | Kansas City Chiefs | RB
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Yahoo: 16% owned | ESPN: 8% owned
Another running back injury, another waiver wire emergence. Williams was someone who had already carved out a little bit of a role prior to Week 5, with 12 touches in Week 4, but an injury to Clyde Edwards-Helaire should vault him into a larger and more consistent role for the time being. The latest is that Edwards-Helaire's MCL sprain will keep him out for a few weeks.
If you're really in trouble, you could look in the direction of Jerick McKinnon as well, as he hauled in a pair of receptions Sunday. But again, that's only if you're scraping for help.
Khalil Herbert | Chicago Bears | RB
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Yahoo: 19% owned | ESPN: 5% owned
Damien Williams was the priority add following David Montgomery's injury, and it made sense why that was the case. He also played well Sunday, going for 84 total yards and a touchdown. However, it was Herbert who got more carries on the ground, picking up 75 yards on 18 attempts.
Any running back with an 18-carry game is a good option to pick up for a team with injury troubles at the position, though it's worth remembering that Williams will likely still be just as (if not more) involved in the running game than Herbert during Montgomery's absence, which is expected to be three more weeks or so. Again, don't break the bank, but Herbert looked good all game long Sunday and earned his touches as a result.
Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots | RB
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Yahoo: 7% owned | ESPN: 6% owned
Another running back injury, another waiver wire emergence ... possibly. Damien Harris reportedly avoided a serious injury, and his status is really the determining factor. Tests "ruled out anything significant" and he's day-to-day, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported, but his colleague Mike Giardi added some context that made the injury seem a little scarier.
You can't know what Harris' status will be before you need to make a decision on the waivers, of course, so I wouldn't recommend breaking the FAAB bank on Stevenson. However, he'd be a starting-caliber running back next week if Harris is out.
Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions | WR
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Yahoo: 3% owned | ESPN: 4% owned
I'm glad that I'm finally writing this. I chose St. Brown as my stealthy late-round draft pick right before the season got underway, largely based off of preseason hype and the lack of other exciting receivers out in Detroit. And though there wasn't much to write home about out of the gate, it really didn't take him all that long to find his niche with the Lions.
In Week 4, St. Brown had six catches on eight targets for 70 yards, and he followed that effort up with a similar seven-catch, 65-yard day on another eight targets Sunday. With more injuries to receivers, St. Brown could become Lions quarterback Jared Goff's top threat on the outside — if he hasn't become that already.
Hunter Henry | New England Patriots | TE
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Yahoo: 46% owned | ESPN: 36% owned
Henry has now outplayed fellow Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith -- who was almost universally ranked higher than him ahead of the season -- for three straight weeks, hitting his peak with a six-catch, 75-yard game Sunday in which he also found the end zone. Meanwhile, Smith had six fewer targets and only went for 27 yards.
Henry is quietly the TE8 so far this season, ahead of names like Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant and Tyler Higbee, and he may be proving to his Patriots coaches and teammates that he's the best pass-catching tight end on the roster.
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