Week 6 Fantasy Football Projections: Streaming Options Likely on the Waiver Wire

While only two NFL teams have byes in Week 6, both will be badly missed by fantasy owners.

The New Orleans Saints have elite options at quarterback, wide receiver and running back. The same might soon be said of the Detroit Lions if sophomore wideout Kenny Golladay and rookie running back Kerryon Johnson keep trending up.

Throw on the typical weekly allotment of injury questions, and there's a good chance you'll be utilizing the waiver wire in some fashion.

This guide will help you get through it by spotlighting some of the better streaming options—available in more than 50 percent of leagues on Yahoo—at the priority positions.

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (21 Percent Owned)

It's possible this is the last week in which Winston's ownership is under 50 percent. Granted, it'd take a huge jump to get him over that threshold, but there's just so much to like about both his Week 6 matchup and his potential moving forward.

On the road, he faces an Atlanta defense allowing the fourth-most points to opposing quarterbacks. Winston faced the Falcons once last season and threw for 299 yards (77.1 completion rate) and three touchdowns.

Looking beyond this weekend, it's important to remember just how high Winston's ceiling sits. This is his fourth NFL season, and he's already passed for at least 4,000 yards twice and had a year in which he ran for six scores. It's also worth noting he's upped his completion percentage each season.

"In five of his past 11 starts, Winston has finished as a top-eight quarterback in fantasy," ESPN.com's Field Yates wrote, "and he's completed nearly 69 percent of his passes during his past six games, up from 60 percent during his first 40 games. His upside? It's top-10 quarterback for the rest of the season."

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (37 Percent Owned)

Mayfield has given Cleveland a shot of adrenaline both in real life and the fantasy realm.

Before turning to him in the middle of Week 3, the Browns hadn't won a game since Dec. 24. They're 2-1 with the rookie under center, and their only stumble was an overtime defeat.

More relevant for fantasy owners are the 838 yards and three touchdowns he's tallied over a shade more than 10 quarters of play. Just this past weekend he went toe-to-toe with the mighty Baltimore Ravens—an AFC North rival with one of the league's best pass defenses—and totaled 342 passing yards, one touchdown and only one interception on 43 attempts.

Mayfield should have an easier time dealing with the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, who surrender the ninth-most points to opposing quarterbacks.

Running Backs

Alfred Morris, San Francisco 49ers (42 Percent Owned)

With Matt Breida battling an ankle sprain, Morris could become the main back in San Francisco. Not bad for someone originally signed to add depth in August.

There's nothing flashy about Morris—nor his Monday road matchup with a stingy Green Bay Packers run defense—but that's kind of the point. He's sturdy enough to have the trust of head coach Kyle Shanahan, which won't be said of any other non-Breida backs. If the depth chart reads Morris, Raheem Mostert and maybe a practice squad addition, Morris could be looking at a substantial workload.

Don't expect him to go too wild with it, though. He has five touchdowns in the last four seasons, and his longest run in San Francisco so far is just 16 yards. Unless he finds the end zone, he's probably topping out somewhere in the high single digits, making him good enough for flex consideration but maybe nothing more.

Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia Eagles (9 Percent Owned)

With lead running back Jay Ajayi lost to a torn ACL, the Eagles must quickly shake up their backfield.

The good news is that creates opportunities for new players. The bad news is those players will assuredly be intertwined in a committee.

It's hard to get a read on this situation long term, but it might be easiest to navigate this week. With Corey Clement (quad) and Darren Sproles (hamstring) fighting their own ailments, Smallwood could be feasting on a lion's share of the carries for now.

Smallwood's low ceiling could force him into depth duties whenever the Eagles get Clement and Sproles back, but he'll be a coveted addition for Week 6. Smallwood has averaged a robust 6.0 yards per carry, and in the last three weeks, he's compiled 18 carries and nine receptions for 216 scrimmage yards and two scores.

Wide Receivers

Robby Anderson, New York Jets (35 Percent Owned)

Remember him?

Anderson was one of last season's biggest fantasy surprises. Undrafted out of Temple in 2016, he was a top-20 fantasy wideout in 2017, catching 63 passes for 941 yards and seven touchdowns.

He'd been unable to replicate that success with rookie quarterback Sam Darnold this season, finishing with single-digit points each of the first four weeks and 2.8 or less in Weeks 2 through 4. But he finally broke loose against the Denver Broncos this past weekend, turning his three receptions into 123 yards and two scores.

"It was an awesome feeling," Darnold said. "I'm starting to feel the rhythm of Robby's timing and how fast he gets downfield."

If Darnold is willing to look Anderson's way several times, the deep-ball threat can turn a few catches into a major outing. The lack of quantity doesn't leave much margin for error, but Anderson showed last year his boom weeks can overcome the occasional busts.

Donte Moncrief, Jacksonville Jaguars (13 Percent Owned)

Fantasy owners have been tracking Jacksonville's targets from the moment Marqise Lee was lost to season-ending knee surgery.

Well, Moncrief jumped to the top of the list with 15 targets in Week 5. That number not only paced the Jags, it led every NFL wide receiver. He didn't do a ton with them (six grabs for 76 yards), but the fact this came on the heels of his five-catch, 109-yard, one-score performance the week prior suggests the Jags might want him to be their preferred option in the passing game.

He's been hit or miss so far, but that's true of a lot of what you find on the waiver wire. What isn't as easy to find, though, is an available player who, like Moncrief, has three double-digit scoring totals in five weeks. At the very least, he's hitting more than missing, and he might get a big enough target share to keep that trend going on the road against a stingy Dallas Cowboys pass defense.

Statistics used courtesy of ESPN.com and NFL.com. Fantasy scoring info via Yahoo Sports.