Week 6 Waiver Wire: Delone Carter and 3 Players You Must Add

Fear not, fantasy football GMs decimated by injuries, bye weeks and poor performance—the waiver wire is your very best friend. Nary a week in the NFL can pass without a new crop of players making names for themselves, propelling themselves from a situational play with little fantasy value to an every-down starter worthy of your attention. Here, I detail three players who can give your fantasy team a boost.

RB Delone Carter, Indianapolis Colts (at Cincinnati Bengals)

While the Bengals boast a decent run defense and Colts quarterback Curtis Painter performed well in his team's Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, don't count out running back Delone Carter from being a useful addition to your fantasy roster.

Starting back Joseph Addai suffered a hamstring injury in the Chiefs game, leaving his availability this Sunday in doubt. Carter and Donald Brown will be taking over for him while he's out, with Carter easily getting the majority of the carries.

Carter had just 22 yards on 12 carries in Week 5, but one of those was for a touchdown, and has 125 rushing yards on the season. He also caught two passes for 12 yards against the Chiefs. All of these numbers will go up against the Bengals this week.

Prior to Addai's injury, Carter was poised to take the starting position away from him. Now that he has been thrust into the position by default, I can see him impressing on Sunday. Owned in just 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues, if you've a need at running back, Carter is a fantastic option.

WR Greg Little, Cleveland Browns (at Oakland Raiders)

The Browns used the bye week to evaluate its offense and find ways to get the passing game kick-started, and one of the ways they are attempting to do so is by making Greg Little an every-down starting X receiver.

Little, who had six catches in eight targets in Week 4, replaces the under-performing Brian Robiskie. He's got great hands, excellent speed after the catch, and will be a major target for quarterback Colt McCoy from Week 6 and on.

Up until now, the Browns have offered very little in terms of high-value fantasy players, but if head coach Pat Shurmur's reasoning is to be trusted, Little will be a big factor in the Browns' offense moving forward. Little is low-risk and high-reward in my opinion, and should be added—and started—in practically every league.

WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oakland Raiders (vs. Cleveland Browns)

Risk-and-reward are inverted with this receiver, but I'm recommending him as an add anyway. He might not be a great option in standard 10-team leagues, but for those who are in a deeper league, especially one with three starting wide receivers, Heyward-Bey can be either worth a stash on the bench, or, like this week against the Browns, a realistic starting option.

Heyward-Bey is the definition of a frustrating fantasy player. His career has been marred by poor performance and dropped passes, and with the ascension of fellow Raider receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford, his fantasy value had decreased to practically nil.

However, with single coverage against the Houston Texans in Week 5, Heyward-Bey was targeted 12 times, catching seven balls for 99 yards and a touchdown. That brings his total over the past two games to a surprising 214 yards.

The fear with Heyward-Bey is that he fumbles if you start him and explodes while he's on your bench, and it's a fair fear to harbor. But if you're in serious need at wide receiver and are willing to take a big risk, Heyward-Bey is a better option than most other WR3s in the NFL.