It felt unprecedented. It seemed like a cruel joke. But we all made it past the first bye week of the season AND all the injuries that came along with it. At least it's over… right? We didn't have our superstar in Malik Nabers, we had to tread water without Devin Singletary — but, hey, at least some of the tight ends scored!

We have another four teams on bye for Week 6, so things won't get significantly easier. The Chiefs, Rams, Vikings and Dolphins (insert joke about Miami being on a bye for the last three weeks here) will be off — so make moves accordingly to keep your fantasy football championship dreams alive. 

As always, the names are in order of priority and all players listed are below 40% rostered. Good luck!

(Note: You can see air yards, route participation, Utilization Score, and more in our Utilization Report)

SIGNIFICANT INJURIES 

  • Vikings: Aaron Jones (hip)
  • Jets: Aaron Rodgers (ankle)
  • Texans: Nico Collins (hamstring)
  • Dolphins: De'Von Achane (concussion)

WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 6

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars (22% rostered)

Remember when we said to stay patient with Tank Bigsby? Congratulations, we saw what Bigsby can really bring to this Jaguars offense on Sunday. He rushed 13 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns and also came down with his only target for 28 yards.

Here are the splits between Bigsby and Travis Etienne from Sunday, courtesy of the amazing Dwain McFarland:

  • Bigsby: 40% snaps, 57% attempts, 24% routes, 3% targets
  • Etienne: 39% snaps, 26% attempts, 44% routes, 21% targets

Bigsby was highlighted last week in the waiver wire article, and is a must-add now that we've seen a true committee forming. The Jaguars take on the Bears, Patriots, Packers and Eagles in their next four games. 

Tyrone Tracy, RB, Giants (23% rostered)

Devin Singletary was sidelined with a groin injury and the rookie Tyrone Tracy stepped up in his absence. He rushed for 119 yards on 15 carries and finished with a solid 13.4 fantasy points. Tracy also led the team with a 62% snap share, 58% rush share, and 43% route participation rate. Not a bad day! 

We will see if Singletary is healthy enough to come back for Week 6, but nonetheless Tracy should be rostered in deeper formats because of the role he could see if Singletary continues to be banged up during the season. He's a borderline RB2, but let's see what he looks like with another game under his belt. This is more of a stash play than anything else, but Tracy has the upside to really unlock fantasy potential down the stretch. 

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots (13% rostered)

Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss reported on Monday that a change at quarterback could be coming for the New England Patriots and we could see Drake Maye start as early as Week 6 against the Texans.

Even if Maye isn't QB1 this weekend it feels like it's a matter of when, not if, he becomes the starter. It has not been great with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, so maybe Maye can bring a spark to this offense. 

The Patriots haven't scored more than 20 points all season and in their last three games haven't scored more than 13. They're also averaging 119 net passing yards per game, which is the worst in the NFL. We'll see when Maye actually starts, but if you have the room he is a solid grab on the waiver wire this week.

Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings (28% rostered)

Vikings running back Aaron Jones left Sunday's game in London during the first quarter because of a hip injury, but head coach Kevin O'Connell said postgame that he is hoping Jones won't miss much time.

Even with the Vikings on a bye in Week 6 it's still important to highlight Ty Chandler just in case Jones' injury sidelines him for more than a week. Once Jones exited the game, Chandler saw 83% of the snaps, had a 56% route participation and 11% target share. He would be a high-end RB2 if Jones were to be sidelined. 

(Reminder: You can see air yards, route participation, Utilization Score, and more in our Utilization Report)

Alec Pierce (20% rostered) and Josh Downs (40% rostered), WRs, Colts

The Colts are hopeful that Anthony Richardson is going to play in Week 6, per multiple reports, but dang… Alec Pierce and Josh Downs THRIVED with Joe Flacco under center on Sunday. 

Pierce caught all three targets for 134 yards and a touchdown while Downs locked down nine of 12 targets for 69 yards. Here are the target shares for Downs since returning from injury: 28%, 32% and 27%. The unfortunate outlook for these two is that they get a boost when Flacco is QB1. If Richardson does return? You have to downgrade them.  

Or, as said in Dwain McFarland's weekly Utilization Report: 

“Downs is a WR2 with Flacco under center but only a WR4 when Richardson returns unless they give him more downfield opportunities.”

Blake Corum, RB, Rams (17% rostered)

We haven't seen as much Blake Corum as expected, but that's because Kyren Williams is an absolute BEAST. 

Corum had a 14% snap share in Week 5 which led to just 4.3 fantasy points, but we always want to be one step ahead of our leaguemates. We never want injuries, but if something were to happen to Williams then Corum would step into a huge role. If you're a Williams manager you need to handcuff Corum, but there is also value in stashing him because he could have RB1 upside with an injury. 

Jaylen Wright, RB, Dolphins (8% rostered)

The Dolphins just can't catch a break — De'Von Achane left their game in Week 5 against the Patriots with a concussion. Luckily, Miami has a bye in Week 6, but I still want to highlight Jaylen Wright as a "next man up" stash. We've mentioned him before in this column; he saw an increased workload once Achane left the game, rushing for 86 yards on 13 carries. If you have the bench depth it would be a good move to pick up Wright, in the event that Raheem Mostert or Achane go down again at any point this season.

Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys (7% rostered)

Brandin Cooks was placed on IR before Week 5 and he will miss (at minimum) another three weeks of action. This pushed Jalen Tolbert into a WR2 role and he took advantage of the opportunity. He led the Cowboys with 10 targets , seven catches and 87 receiving yards. Oh yeah, and he helped the Cowboys secure the win against the Steelers. 

He was injured in the fourth quarter, so that is something to monitor this week, but with another four teams on bye in Week 6 he could be a great FLEX play going up against the Lions in one of the highest totals on the weekend. 

Cade Otton, TE, Buccaneers (37% rostered)

Thursday night's game featuring the Buccaneers and Falcons kicked off an incredible Week 5. If you still need help streaming tight ends, consider Cade Otton. He caught three of four targets and notched 44 receiving yards for 7.4 fantasy points. The Buccaneers take on the Saints next, who have given up the 7th-most receiving yards to tight ends this season. 

Tyler Conklin, TE, Jets (30% rostered)

We talked last week about Tyler Conklin's volume in this Jets offense and Week 5 delivered the same upside. The tight end position has been volatile this season, but Conklin had six receptions off nine targets for 55 yards and 11.5 fantasy points in London against the Vikings. He is a solid streaming option going up against the Bills on Monday Night Football.

Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals (13% rostered)

Marvin Harrison Jr. managers, just look away for this one. 

Kyler Murray connected most on Sunday with wide receiver Michael Wilson, who had five catches for 78 yards and 12.8 fantasy points against the 49ers. I will admit this is a bit of a riskier play, but if you're desperate at receiver Wilson could fill in for you when they take on the Packers in Week 6. 

Zay Jones is also able to return this week after he was suspended for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy — we'll see if he cuts into Wilson's workload at all, but there is still upside because of his production. 

Jameis Winston, QB, Browns (0% rostered)

I know the Browns owe Deshaun Watson a ton of money, but something has to give here. This roster has too many talented weapons being brought down by Watson week in and week out. This is a stash play only. This is a "hit glass in case of emergency" player you just wait and see what happens, but I'd be remiss to not mention Jameis Winston on waivers this week. 

Head coach Kevin Stefanski already postgame that Watson is their quarterback moving forward — Watson is not losing his job, but he's playing like he should. 

Watson has completed 60.2% of his passes for 852 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. According to ESPN, his 23.9 total QBR is the lowest of any qualified passer this season. This is obviously a stash play if you have the bench space — let's see if the Browns eventually do the right thing.