Andre Williams' Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 6

Injuries in the NFL are never good, but they do open up opportunities for fantasy football owners to make a splash on the waiver wire.

With that in mind, you should target New York Giants running back Andre Williams if he is available in your league heading into Week 6 (he is owned in 36.4 percent of ESPN.com leagues as of Tuesday afternoon) after Rashad Jennings suffered a knee injury.

Williams ran for a combined 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his last two games against Washington and the Atlanta Falcons, and that was when he was splitting time with Jennings. Williams will see significantly more touches in Week 6 and beyond while Jennings heals, which means more fantasy points for your team.

Dan Graziano of ESPN NFL Nation provided an update on Jennings' status while Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated pointed out what that meant for Williams:

What's more, the Giants have turned their season around with three straight wins and are clicking on offense. The offensive line has improved over the course of the season, and quarterback Eli Manning is avoiding the dreaded turnover bug and hitting his receivers downfield.

That means opposing defenses cannot afford to simply put a bunch of guys in the box, which could leave extra running lanes for Williams in Week 6.

Williams also had the confidence of head coach Tom Coughlin in recent comments, via Conor Orr of NFL.com, which is critical if Williams is going to get the kind of touches that fantasy owners need for a productive week:

"

I am very confident (in Williams taking a bigger role). The other thing that he did that was great was the third-and-7 first-down run. A lot of that was on his own outside the flank of our blockers. He was able to pick up that first down. That was really indicative of people trying to tackle the ball and get the ball out, and he made that play. When you have a young guy, you really get into great, great detail even more about pass protection. He has done a good job when he has been in there. He is going to have to do even better.

"

Williams doesn't only have an opportunity to impress for your fantasy team because of Jennings' injury, though.

The Giants face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6, which may just be the biggest reason why you should target Williams on the waiver wire. While the Eagles defense has made fantasy owners happy with a number of big plays like punt return touchdowns, punts blocked for touchdowns and interception returns for touchdowns, it's not performing that well in reality.

Al Bello/Getty Images

In fact, Philadelphia ranks 29th in the league against the pass and 24th in the league against the run. The San Francisco 49ers recently shredded the Eagles on the ground for 218 yards, and the St. Louis Rams almost mounted a significant second-half comeback by racking up multiple touchdowns against the vulnerable unit.

The opportunity will be there for Williams to finish with big point totals against the porous Philadelphia front seven.

What's more, the Giants may look to establish the run even more so than usual Sunday to keep the Eagles' high-octane attack off the field because New York's defense hasn't exactly been dominant this year, either. All that means is more touches for your waiver-wire target. 

If you need help in the running back department, you need to look Williams' way. He should put up big numbers while Jennings is out and proved over the course of the last two games that he can still produce as part of a shared backfield.

Follow me on Twitter:

Follow @ScottPolacek