We’re now at least five into the 2024 National Football League regular season, depending upon if a team has already had its bye. The depth chart changes do not take a week off, and one week a guy has fantasy appeal, and then next he is waiver-wire fodder.
It happens with injuries, too, where a starter goes down, the fills in and tears it up, and then the coach is reluctant to change back.
We had a few guys see their fantasy values change because of injuries at the quarterback position, too, and one change actually pumped up the fantasy prospects of a couple of other players.
Lastly, it’s just one game, but one guy could be back from the dead, so hopefully you didn’t pull the plug on him too early.
We have just two teams on a bye in Week 7, so that’s a good thing. Some of these depth chart changes, or guys who step in for an injury right before a bye, can be rather meaningless as things get shaken up like an Etch-a-Sketch when a bye week hits.
New England Patriots WRs/TEs
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo finally pulled the plug on QB Jacoby Brissett, giving rookie QB Drake Maye his first NFL start in Week 6 against the Houston Texans.
And, just like that, the Patriots’ passing offense looked NFL caliber again, and there are reasons to think New England for fantasy purposes.
The rookie certainly wasn’t perfect, but he stepped in under center and made WR DeMario Douglas, WR Kayshon Boutte and TE Hunter Henry look worthy of fantasy consideration.
Maye and Douglas hooked up six times for a game-high 92 yards with a touchdown on nine targets. He had identical numbers in Week 5, posting six catches and nine targets, but he had just 59 yards and no scores. And, he had a goose egg back in Week 2, and 13 or fewer receiving yards in three of his first four games. As long as Maye is under center, Douglas might be worthy of using as a WR3 or flex fantasy play in leagues of 12 or more teams.
Boutte had three grabs for 59 yards and a 40-yard touchdown, showing explosive speed with good hands. He looked like Irving Fryar or Hart Lee Dykes in those Patriot Pat red throwback jerseys on Sunday. He is more of a wait-and-see kind of fantasy option. If he looks good again in Week 7, then he might be worth scooping up as a reserve.
At the tight end spot, Hunter Henry had 109 yards on eight receptions with 12 targets in Week 2. It looked like he might be a fantasy regular. But, as quickly as he emerged, he disappeared. He had six receptions for just 53 yards on 10 targets in the following three games. In Week 6 with Maye, he went for three receptions, 41 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Just like that, he is back as a low-end TE1 in leagues of 12 or more teams. At TE, it doesn’t take much to turn heads of fantasy managers.
New Orleans Saints wide receivers
Remember the old ’80s metal song by Cinderella? Don’t know what you got …’til it’s gonnnnnne?
QB Derek Carr went down with a multiweek oblique injury, so rookie QB Spencer Rattler was tasked with his first start in Week 6. It wasn’t great.
WR Chris Olave had just one reception for five yards before checking out due to a concussion. He has just two catches for 10 yards in Kansas City last week, and he is killing fantasy managers who selected him to be their WR1 or WR2. With a quick turnaround against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Olave is likely to be out.
WR Rashid Shaheed played the majority of the game before nicking his knee in the fourth quarter. He was targeted seven times but had just one catch for 11 yards, never getting on the same page with Rattler before departing.
The Saints’ top wide receiver was actually WR Bub Means, who had five grabs for 45 yards and a TD, while tying Alvin Kamara for a team-high eight targets.
If Olave and Shaheed are each sidelined by their injuries, it could be Means as the WR1 for the Saints. He would be worth a look as WR4 or flex fantasy option. WRs Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Mason Tipton would be the second and third options, respectively, but they’d only be worth attention in deeper leagues, and that’s if Olave and Shaheed are each out.
Denver Broncos wide receivers
There was no change under center in Denver, but we had a receiver emerge due to injury.
For a while, WR Josh Reynolds was looking like the top fantasy option at receiver. He had nine receptions for 138 yards on 13 targets in the first two games, as rookie QB Bo Nix really locked in on him. In the past two games, he had just a single catch with four targets and a 9-yard touchdown.
He suffered a fractured finger in the Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he is now on injured reserve, so Reynolds will be forced to miss at least four games.
Everyone knows what Courtland Sutton can do, and he had four receptions for 53 yards and a TD in Week 6. He has scored in two of the past three games, too. He has picked up the pace and is the top fantasy option again in the Mile High City, worth using as a WR3 in standard fantasy leagues. But, there is a new option in town.
WR Devaughn Vele had eight receptions for 39 yards on eight targets in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. He was down since, though, but active in Week 6 with Reynolds gone. He posted four receptions for 78 yards on six targets, and he might be worth WR4 attention going into Week 7 on Thursday in New Orleans, especially in PPR leagues. With only two teams on bye, consider Vele more useful in DFS play.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers
Jaguars receivers went to England, and they suddenly looked useful from a fantasy perspective again.
Heading into the season, Jaguars pass catchers looked like a great unit, at least on paper. WR Gabe Davis was brought in from the Buffalo Bills, and there were high expectations. It has been a slow go, though, as he had three or fewer catches in each of his first five games. And, fantasy managers had two more yards than Davis in Week 4, when he had an ugly minus-2 yards.
However, Week 6 saw Davis go for a season-high five receptions for 45 yards and his first two Jacksonville touchdowns. He is finally on the same page as QB Trevor Lawrence, and he can be trusted as a WR4 or flex play.
Here’s the deal, the defense might not be able to key on the wideouts with TE Evan Engram returning to the lineup. He had 10 receptions for over 100 yards in his first game since Week 1. The defense needs to pay great attention to Engram, leaving the receivers with just a little more room to operate.
WR Christian Kirk started out very slow with two catches in his first two games, but he has three or more receptions in four straight, and he is looking a lot more dependable for PPR fantasy managers as a WR4 or flex option again.
Buffalo Bills running backs
Bills RB James Cook was sidelined for the Week 6 Monday Night Football contest against the New York Jets. That gave rookie RB Ray Davis as an opportunity, and he literally took the ball and ran with it.
It was expected that he and RB Ty Johnson would sort of split the carries with Cook on the shelf, but the rookie Davis had other ideas.
He ended up rushing for 97 yards on 20 carries, while also chipping in with three receptions for a team-high 55 yards on his three targets. That’s 152 total scrimmage yards. Cook’s previous rushing high was 82 yards, while his best scrimmage yardage total was 103 yards in Week 1 against Arizona. Might Davis have done enough to force his way into a timeshare even when Cook returns? We’ll see.
If Cook is sidelined again in Week 7 against Tennessee. While the Titans have been pretty stout against the run, Davis could be worth leaning upon as a RB2 or flex fantasy option in leagues of 12 or more teams. Johnson did nothing to earn anything more than an occasional carry or two. In fact, Cook’s injury could really have found something for Buffalo. Fantasy managers who have Cook will want to get Davis rostered as a handcuff immediately.
