2022 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 6 Picks and Injury Replacements

Field Level At SoFi Stadium. Photo Credit: Ryan Dyrud | LAFB Network

The Desai Guys continue their Waiver Wire Fantasy Football coverage this week with injury updates and replacements.

Fantasy Football Updates: Week 5 Injuries And Waiver Wire Week 6

Russell Wilson, QB – Denver Broncos

Suffered a torn lat at the beginning of the second quarter in the Week 4 game against the Raiders
- This injury will not require surgery but is going to hamper his performance going forward
  - Possibly could be rested for a couple of weeks if the injury is not getting better
The Broncos offense is going to suffer with this issue in the short term and their BYE week is not until Week 9
If you have Wilson, you need to look to possibly getting someone to replace him in the short term
- Hang on to Wilson, but see if you can sacrifice a bench spot for him and then pick up another quarterback off the waiver wire
Guys you can pick up include Geno Smith, Matt Ryan, Trevor Lawrence, and Justin Fields

Baker Mayfield, QB – Carolina Panthers

Seemed to have suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the second quarter in the Week 5 game against the 49ers
- Played the entire game, but it’s revealed that he will miss a couple of weeks with a high-ankle sprain
Was brought in to bring stability to the quarterback position, but so far has led to a 1-4 record
- Also has led to head coach Matt Rhule losing his job and being replaced by Steve Wilks
Sam Darnold is still a couple of weeks from returning to playing action, so the Panthers are turning to P.J. Walker to lead the offense
Walker’s scrambling ability is going to possibly benefit this offense and the running game too

Kenneth Walker III, RB – Seattle Seahawks

Penny left the Week 5 game against the Saints in the 4th quarter with a leg injury
- Determined afterward that it was a fractured tibia and will need surgery
Penny was having a great season, but his career has been marred with injuries
The next man up will be the rookie, Kenneth Walker III
- Walker broke a 69-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter which briefly gave the Seahawks the lead
With Travis Homer on the IR until Week 8, DeeJay Dallas and Walker are the only running backs earning carries in this offense
If you want to look at other running backs, you can look to add Tyler Allgeier, Brian Robinson, James Cook, and Mike Boone

James Conner, RB – Arizona Cardinals

Left the game against the Eagles in Week 5 in the 3rd quarter with an injury
- Turned out to be a ribs injury and head coach Kliff Kingsbury has said it’s nothing serious
While there’s optimism that Conner will not miss time, Alvin Kamara missed time with the same injury
Darrel Williams also left that same game with an ankle injury and left Eno Benjamin as the lone back
Benjamin is a great addition to your roster if Conner has to miss any time

Damien Harris, RB – New England Patriots

Harris left the contest against the Lions early in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return
- He suffered a hamstring injury and could miss some time depending on the severity
Hamstring injuries are hard to gauge because it could be a short-term injury or it could nag Harris all season
- The Patriots want to exercise caution and make sure he’s fully healthy before putting him back in the lineup
Expect Harris to miss at least a couple of weeks with this injury and this means Rhamondre Stevenson is going to flourish
- He decimated the Lions defense for 161 rushing yards on 25 carries
Most likely Stevenson is gone in your leagues, but you can also look into rookie Pierre Strong Jr.

Chris Olave, WR – New Orleans Saints

Suffered a concussion against the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd quarter
- Did not return to the game and could miss this coming game in Week 6
With all the news surrounding Tua Tagovailoa, expect the Saints to exercise caution with Olave
Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry have been dealing with injuries as well but should be able to suit up for Week 6
- Landry practiced a little this past week, but Thomas didn’t and might miss time still
If a combination of these receivers miss the Week 6 game against the Bengals, pick up Taysom Hill
- Had a four total touchdown performance against the Seahawks
  - He may not have the same performance, but expect him to be involved in the offense
If Olave misses time along with the other Saints receiver, look to add George Pickens, Michael Gallup, Robbie Anderson, and Zay Jones

Pat Freiermuth, TE – Pittsburgh Steelers

Freiermuth took a big hit to the head in the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills
- He left the game with a concussion and could miss time with the injury
The reason we say time is because Freiermuth is suffering from his 3rd concussion in less than 12 months
As mentioned, the handling of Tagovailoa’s injury has put concussion protocol under scrutiny
Zach Gentry would take Freiermuth’s place at the tight end position but holds no value in this offense
You’re better off going with other options at the tight end position that are not Pittsburgh Steelers
- Guys like Irv Smith Jr., Tyler Conklin, Hayden Hurst, and Evan Engram

Dalton Schultz, TE – Dallas Cowboys

Left the game against the Los Angeles Rams with a knee injury and did not return
- Turns out Schultz re-aggravated his earlier PCL injury from Week 2
With another injury to that knee, the Cowboys are expected to let him fully heal before putting him back in the starting lineup
- Nothing is confirmed of course, but he could miss at least two weeks
Peyton Hendershot and rookie Jake Ferguson would fill the tight end role in Schultz’s absence
- Neither is worth rostering in fantasy football until we see their usage in the offense

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 6 Picks

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks vs. ARZ (ESPN Roster Percentage – 32.5%)

Currently boasts a 9-2 touchdown to interception ratio and has had back-to-back weeks with over 20 fantasy points
- Nearly three straight but scored only 19.9 in Week 3
Smith is also going to benefit from having a good schedule for the next handful of weeks
- Face the Cardinals, Chargers, Giants, Cardinals again, and Bucs in the next five weeks
With the BYE weeks starting to start up, Smith is a perfect option to stream if you need to fill your starting quarterback for a BYE week

Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders vs. CHI (ESPN Roster Percentage – 47.7%)

I know this seems like a crazy pick given that he’s been the most Carson Wentz that has ever Wentz’d lately but here’s the thing about fantasy football
Some people love it, and some people don’t but when it comes to FF, the team’s win/loss doesn’t matter, their overall stats do
This is a long-winded way of saying that Wentz is currently ranked as the 9th best fantasy QB and that’ll likely go up once the stats process from this week
Over the next three weeks, he plays the Bears, the Packers, Indianapolis, and Minnesota
This is a good backup pickup and a decent stream starter especially if you’re still searching for a replacement

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks vs. ARZ (ESPN Roster Percentage – 47.5%)

I always said I liked Walker as a good fantasy play, never said anything to the contrary and you can’t prove otherwise
In all seriousness though, I’ve always said that I liked him as a player but was worried about his timeshare as the lead back
Well, that’s not really a worry anymore because Chris Carson retired, and Rashaad Penny is out for a while
This Seahawks offense is good and that defense is bad which means they will need to score a lot
This is an instant FLEX opportunity with RB2 upside because who’s to say that Penny gets the job back when he’s back?

Latavius Murray, Denver Broncos vs. LAC (ESPN Roster Percentage – 11.1%)

Murray was snatched off the practice squad from the Saints and should see action for the Broncos quickly
In the first game without Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon saw the most carries with 15 and played the most snaps on offense as well
- Confidence in Gordon is still low though with his tendency to fumble
The biggest news is the issues with Russell Wilson and the passing offense, the Broncos may rely heavily on the rush attack
It wouldn’t surprise me if Mike Boone sees fewer carries compared to the veteran Murray and Gordon now

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. TB (ESPN Roster Percentage – 50.8%)

Saw only five targets in his first two games but it’s now increased over the past three weeks
- Back-to-back weeks with eight targets and had seven in Week 3
With the switch to the rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, you can expect Pickens to get more targets and receptions now
- Also, the news of Pat Freiermuth possible missing time with a concussion opens the door for more opportunities for Pickens
He’s available in almost half of ESPN leagues, but once he finds the end zone this number will greatly drop as people will rush to get him
- Be ahead of the pack and grab him now before he really breaks out

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts vs. JAX (ESPN Roster Percentage – 8.6%)

The Colts offense is an absolute bore but hey, they target Pierce a whole helluva lot
In the last three weeks, he’s gone from 5 to 6 to 9 targets
They play Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Washington in the next three games which are all going to be horrible to watch but mean a lot of Colts passing “attack” so Pierce is a good stash on your bench that could develop into an intriguing FLEX play

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND (ESPN Roster Percentage – 20.2%)

Admittedly, this might be an overreaction pick but I think the more comfortable both he and Lawrence get in this offense, the more this relationship is going to grow (no duh)
But at 20% ownership and a thin position, this is the kind of no-duh statement that will make this pickup look really good in three or four weeks’ time
Whenever Engram sees more than 5 targets, he scores 8 or more points so all it takes is involvement

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints vs. CIN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 11.8%)

Absolutely broke out last week against the Seattle Seahawks
- Scored three rushing touchdowns and also threw for one as well for a total of 34 fantasy points
The absence of starting receivers from this offense is part of the reason Hill for more involved in the game plan
Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave are all dealing with injuries and a combination of them could miss this week
This means that while Hill may not replicate his same numbers from last week, he should be involved and could get a good amount of points
- Hill is not a long-term option but in the short term he could be a good pick-up for your team

Waiver Wire Defenses/Special Teams

Los Angeles Chargers vs. DEN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 45.2%)

The Broncos are a mess on offense and we’re not sure what’s going to happen going forward with Russell Wilson
The Chargers may have given up a lot of yards and points on defense, but their offense will lead to their defense having a good game
They need this win to keep up in the AFC West division, so expect the Chargers to bring it this week against their divisional foes in the Broncos

Indianapolis Colts vs. JAX (ESPN Roster Percentage – 45.2%)

This defense is the only reason the Colts aren’t 0-5 right now
They’re not amazing but they are a solid group with the potential to surprise some with a great performance
They play JAX, TEN, WAS and NE over the next few weeks so this is a streaming option you can hold onto

Waiver Wire Kickers

Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks vs. ARZ (ESPN Roster Percentage – 1.2%)

Hasn’t scored less than 10 points in the last three weeks
Even with the Penny injury, this is a legitimately good offense still and even if Geno Smith falls back to Earth a little bit, this is an offense that is capable of going off at any time
I’m honestly shocked his rostered numbers are this low

Riley Patterson, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. IND (ESPN Roster Percentage – 10.5%)

Averaging 8.2 fantasy points per game this season and scored 8 points last time the Jaguars played the Colts
This Jaguars offense should be able to move the ball against the Colts defense
- This will lead to a lot of chances for Patterson to get extra points and field goals