Week 6 Waiver Wire: 10 Week 5 Studs Worth Picking Up

The waiver wire wasn't a very happening place after Week 4 came to a close. Sure, there were some surprise players getting some attention, but there weren't that many to go around.

Things were a little different in Week 5. All sorts of heretofore hidden fantasy gems burst onto the scene, many of whom were light years away from the fantasy radar at the start of the season.

It would be all well and good if you and I could just sit back and appreciate these breakout stars, but fantasy football is a serious business. The question is not what they have done for us lately, but what they will do for us in the future.

That's what we're going to find discuss in this slideshow. Scroll ahead for waiver wire advice on each of the most notable Week 5 studs.

10. Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

"Welcome to the Steelers, kid. Now go out there and get me 100 yards."

I don't know if Mike Tomlin actually said this to Jonathan Dwyer, but Dwyer gave him 100 yards on Sunday anyway. To boot, he did it on just 11 carries.

That's what scares me. Of Dwyer's 107 rushing yards against the Tennessee Titans, 76 came on a single carry. He doesn't have breakaway speed, so my guess is that he won't have that many long runs this season.

You can pick up Dwyer if you want, and you can definitely get him seeing as how he's barely owned in Yahoo! and ESPN leagues, but I would think twice if I were you.

Verdict: Pass

9. Jake Ballard, TE, New York Giants

With Kevin Boss in Oakland, tight end was supposed to be a problem position for the Giants this year.

Enter Jake Ballard.

Problem solved? It's looking like it. Ballard was quiet in the first three weeks of the season, but he's caught touchdown passes in each of the last two weeks. Perhaps Eli Manning is starting to trust him.

That's definitely possible, and I think it's something you can gamble on. If you need a tight end, I recommend giving Ballard a shot.

In case you're wondering, Ballard is unowned in over 95 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues.

Verdict: Pick him up

8. Jackie Battle, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

On Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Jackie Battle was the Chiefs' leading rusher with 119 yards on 19 carries.

Wait, who?

Exactly. Battle was way down on KC's running back depth chart at the start of the season, yet here he is standing triumphant after a 100-yard game. Anybody who said they saw this coming is a filthy liar.

I'm showing that Battle is owned in just 11 percent of Yahoo! leagues and a miniscule 0.7 percent of ESPN leagues, so he's yours if you want him.

Trust me, you want him. The Chiefs have a bye in Week 6, but Todd Haley will have every excuse to give Battle the ball when they take on the Oakland Raiders in Week 7. There are many things the Raiders can do, but stopping the run is not one of them.

Verdict: Pick him up

7. Joel Dreessen, TE, Houston Texans

We knew coming into Week 5 that Matt Schaub liked his tight ends. We just didn't know that Joel Dreessen was one of them.

After catching just three passes in Houston's first four games, Dreessen caught five passes against the Raiders, turning them into 112 yards and a touchdown. He was the highest-scoring tight end in fantasy in Week 5.

If you want Dreessen, he's yours. He's unowned in 99 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues.

However, I would tread carefully. The Texans offense is going to revolve around Arian Foster as long as Andre Johnson is out, and Dreessen is not going to supplant Owen Daniels as Houston's top tight end.

Because of that, I'm afraid I must use the F word in conjunction with Dreessen.

The F word being "fluke," of course.

Verdict: Pass

6. Jason Hill, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Before this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars knew who Jason Hill was, and I presume that his mother knew who he was, too.

My guess is that most fantasy owners had no idea who Jason Hill was.

Well, if we didn't before, we sure do now. Hill caught five passes for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. All of a sudden, he is Jacksonville's second-leading receiver.

If you need a wide receiver, you can get Hill, as he's available in 99 percent of both Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. And as strange as it may sound, I actually think he's worth a pickup.

Because the Jags have a rookie QB in Blaine Gabbert, I'm well aware this is a risky proposition. However, the way I see it, Gabbert might just see Hill as his go-to guy after the game he had against the Bengals.

That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

Verdict: Pick him up

5. Curtis Painter, QB, Indianapolis Colts

And then there's Curtis Painter, otherwise known as Peyton Manning's steward.

Kidding aside, Painter has been surprisingly impressive in each of Indy's last two games. He threw two touchdown passes on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he threw two more against Matt Cassel and the Kansas City Chiefs.

These, by the way, came with no interceptions. Interesting.

If you want him, Painter can definitely be had, as he's unowned in over 90 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. He might actually be a solid stopgap QB to use during a bye week.

All of this being said, my gut tells me that you'll be playing with fire if you pick up Painter. Sure, he's been good, but, well, he's Curtis Painter.

Verdict: Pass

4. Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Fantasy owners love undrafted free agents. Their ranks have given us the likes of Tony Romo, Arian Foster and...Doug Baldwin?

Yup, Doug Baldwin. He's the Seattle Seahawks' leading receiver, and he's coming off a game against the New York Giants in which he hauled in eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.

So, given the circumstances, fantasy owners have every reason to love Baldwin, who is owned in six percent of Yahoo! leagues and 0.8 percent of ESPN leagues.

However, I don't. I think it's foolish to rely on any one part of Seattle's passing attack, and Baldwin is no exception. He may be hot now, but next week it could by Sidney Rice. The week after that, it could be Ben Obomanu.

Besides, Baldwin's touchdown grab on Sunday was total luck.

Verdict: Pass

3. James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers is the ranch dressing of quarterbacks. He makes everything better.

That includes his teammates, one of whom is James Jones. On Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons, Rodgers found Jones five times for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Jones can definitely be had, as I see he's owned in 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 52.3 percent of ESPN leagues, but I'm going to say right here and now that you should let somebody else gamble on him.

You just never know who Rodgers is going to favor on a weekly basis, but the odds of it being Jones again are slim. Rodgers is going to look at Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley before he looks at Jones.

As such, I just don't see why we should expect Jones to be reliable.

Verdict: Pass

2. Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Matt Cassel started the 2011 season as an intriguing option for one's quarterback position. Then he quickly became a punchline, and people stopped caring.

Now Cassel is back to being an intriguing option again. That's what a four-touchdown performance can do for you.

Because Cassel is not a nobody, he barely qualifies as a waiver wire find. I'm seeing he's owned in just over 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and in barely more than 60 percent of ESPN leagues. Odds are he's out there if you want him.

And if you're asking me (you are), you could do worse than Cassel. He's not going to throw four touchdowns every week, but his QB rating has been over 100 in each of the last three weeks. If nothing else, that's a good sign that he's reliable.

Verdict: Pick him up

1. Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Given what we know about Alex Smith, one good game from him should always be deemed a fluke.

But two good games? In back-to-back weeks? In impressive wins? That there might just be the sign of a trend.

This might actually be the case with this year's version of Smith. He's thrown five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the last two weeks, and he looks confident for the first time in, well, forever.

I'm not so sure Smith is a better pickup than Cassel, per se, but you have a better chance of being able to get Smith. He's owned in just 15 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 9.3 percent of ESPN leagues.

For a guy who is third in the NFL with a 104.1 QB rating, that's borderline insulting.

Verdict: Pick him up