Two weeks ago, today, 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 wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, as well as a significant uptick in snaps and his first-round draft value. Something had to click for him eventually, right?
Something did click, in fact, once Week 4 came around, as Toney went for 78 yards on six catches (eight targets). And if something clicked in Week 4, then something completely snapped in Week 5, as Toney went for a whopping 189 yards on ten receptions (13 targets) — not to mention the wide receiver himself snapped, 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 percent and 11 percent 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 very 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, a week which was marked by plenty of injuries to key players and should make for an active few days of FAAB bidding and waiver wire strategy.
Devontae Booker | New York Giants | RB
Devontae Booker has an opportunity for a workhorse role after Saquon Barkley's injury.
(Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Yahoo: 6% owned | ESPN: 4% owned
Giants fans are happy that Kadarius toney has emerged at a top target on the fantasy football radar. Giants fans are not happy that Devontae 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, 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 RB position.
Darrel Williams | Kansas City Chiefs | RB
Darrel Williams should get the bulk of the work in Clyde Edward-Helaire's absence.
(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Yahoo: 16% owned | ESPN: 8% owned
Another running back injury, another waiver wire emergence. Williams was someone that 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 CEH'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 the veteran hauled in a pair of receptions. But again, that's only if you're scraping for help.
Khalil Herbert | Chicago Bears | RB
Khalil Herbert drew 18 carries in Week 5.
(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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, 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 that experienced an injury at the RB position, though it's worth remembering that David Montgomery will come back soon-ish and Williams will likely still be just as (if not more) involved in the run game during that absence. Again, don't break the bank, but Herbert looked good all game long and earned his touches as a result.
Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots | RB
Keep your eye on Damien Harris's status if you want to pick up Rhamondre Stevenson.
(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says that tests "ruled out anything significant" and that he's day-to-day, but his colleague Mike Giardi added some context that made the injury seem a little scarier.
You can't know what Harris's 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 startable RB next week if Harris is out.
Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions | WR
Amon-Ra St. Brown is living up to preseason expectations in recent weeks.
(Elsa/Getty Images)
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 went for 70 yards on six catches (eight targets), and he followed that effort up with a very similar seven-catch, 65-yard day on another eight targets. With more injuries to wide receivers, St. Brown could become Goff's top threat on the outside — if he hasn't become that already.
Hunter Henry | New England Patriots | TE
Could Hunter Henry have officially leapt Jonnu Smith as far as the Patriots' fantasy tight ends?
(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Yahoo: 46% owned | ESPN: 36% owned
Henry has now outplayed fellow tight end Jonnu Smith, who was almost universally ranked higher than him ahead of the season, in three straight weeks, hitting his peak (so far) with a six-catch, 75-yard game in which he also found the end zone. Smith, meanwhile, had six fewer targets and only went for 27 yards.
He's quietly the TE8 so far this season, ahead of names like Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant and Tyler Higbee, and may be proving his Patriots coaches and teammates that he's the best pass-catching tight end on the roster.
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