The sixth week of the NFL season is officially behind us. The long-awaited Sunday has come and gone in a blink of an eye. After countless hours of only moving from the couch to use the bathroom, we look ahead to week seven. With everyone scrambling to the waiver wire, this article will look beyond that.
This is the sixth installment of the weekly series, One Week Ahead. We will use our fantasy football crystal ball to look ahead to future weeks and try to predict players who will emerge with fantasy relevance. We will try to get a leg up on our opponents by picking up potential fantasy assets before they become a major waiver wire pick-up.
Nico Collins – WR Houston Texans
Texans wide receiver, Nico Collins made his return from injury on Sunday. In this game, he caught four of his six targets for 44 yards. Nothing earth-shattering, however, it was encouraging to see him on the field getting substantial looks. Despite playing on just 57% of snaps, Collins was second on the team in targets.
This 6’4” rookie receiver is someone I am looking to stash on my bench if I have the room for it. While Brandin Cooks will remain the focal point of this offense, drawing a lion’s share of the targets, I believe Collins will eventually assume the number two spot behind him, if he has not done so already.
On a team severely lacking weapons, Collins has a legitimate chance to provide some fantasy-relevant weeks. If he can stay healthy and show the team what he’s got, he will increase his playing time and in turn, receive more looks from the quarterback.
In addition to Collins showing off his skills to stay on the field more, if anything were to happen to Cooks, Collins would be forced to step up. With such a big frame, I could see him being the go-to guy, especially in the red zone.
DeeJay Dallas – RB Seattle Seahawks
Once buried on the depth chart, Seahawks running back, DeeJay Dallas finally saw some meaningful action this past week. Playing on only 22 snaps, he managed to carry the ball four times for 17 yards. He also added five receptions for 33 yards.
Dallas playing more than usual was most likely a product of Alex Collins getting banged up towards the end of the game. However, it is this very reason why Dallas could make for a sneaky waiver add and stash.
Seattle’s lead running back, Chris Carson was just placed on injured reserve with a neck injury. There has not been much clarity on the severity of the injury, but there is a real possibility he could end up missing significant time. Couple this with Collins ailing coming out of this week’s game and Dallas could easily see an uptick in playing time.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, Rashaad Penny could be coming back this coming week. However, with his extensive injury history, I would not be surprised if they elect to play it slow with him or heavily limit his workload.
It is evident Seattle likes Dallas catching the ball out of the backfield. Of his 22 snaps, he ran a route on 18 of them. It is yet to be seen if he will have a bigger role going forward, but we all know the value pass-catching backs hold. I’m taking a shot in the dark on Dallas and seeing if his time will eventually come.
Follow me @FF_Worm and feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or general fantasy football talk.
