What an end to the week. We were exposed to Philip Rivers melting down on national television on Sunday Night. The follow up to that was the entire NFL community learning the extent of an "Illegal Use of Hands" penalty as the Green Bay Packers found a way to win against the Detroit Lions.
We’re now entering Week 7 with enough data to speculate on playoff prospects and MVP awards. Team tendencies in multiple situations give way to adjustments in workload that we can now reasonably expect. With this information, we can start to weed out players with less favorable outcomes as the season continues.
Four more teams go on bye in Week 7, but these teams -- Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- carry larger fantasy implications.
In their absence, we’re left to comb the waiver wire for replacements. Let’s look at targets, snap share, and the latest injury news to determine who the best candidates are to make room for waivers in Week 7.
Week 6 Review
Our previous drop candidates included:
Darrel Williams/Darwin Thompson – Andy Reid is the new Bill Belichick. Damien Williams’ 12 touches in Week 5 were reduced to two in Week 6. Darrel Williams did see the field (22% snap share) but only logged a single touch. Both Williams’ and Thompson’s roles remained insignificant, and only Williams remains in the mix at the frustration of the fantasy community.
Wayne Gallman – Gallman was one of the six offensive players to miss the New York Giants' Week 6 beat down against the New England Patriots. He resumed practicing on Monday ahead of their Week 7 matchup, but so did Saquon Barkley. Gallman saw five total touches with Barkley active, pushing him back to backup status and on to the waiver wire.
Raheem Mostert – Mostert’s snap rate dropped to 9% with Tevin Coleman reasserting himself atop the committee against the Los Angeles Rams. Mostert did receive four touches, but three of them came in the final two minutes of the game once the contest was all but decided. Without any meaningful contributions, Mostert should remain on the waiver wire until further notice.
Drop Candidates
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
17% Yahoo Ownership
A player caught in the infinite sadness that is the tight end position for fantasy football, Tyler Eifert currently sits at TE29, and that's saying something given Jason Witten is the TE10. The Cincinnati Bengals' tight end has averaged two targets per game the past three weeks, with only five of his 21 total targets for the year coming in the red zone. The assumption that Eifert would see more work with A.J. Green and John Ross out has given way to Auden Tate and Alex Erickson absorbing more targets as Cincinnati remains near the top of the league in passing rate (68.6% entering Week 6). Eifert should join the waiver wire in favor of higher-upside streaming options.
Peyton Barber, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
52% Yahoo Ownership
Peyton Barber continues to lose work as the Buccaneers struggled over in London, with Jameis Winston turning the ball over six times. It’s not just Barber's season-low 24% snap rate; it’s the emergence of the other members in the Tampa Bay committee. Dare Ogunbowale’s snap rate jumped to 58% while he got work in the red zone (one rush attempt) and through the air (five targets). Ronald Jones also got a rush attempt from within the 10-yard line and saw a similar snap share to Barber (16%). Jones now leads Barber in red zone carries, and Ogunbowale has asserted himself as the pass-catching back. Without any usage in the passing game and a limited role as a rusher, Barber is a clear drop candidate as the Bucs enter their bye week.
Jaylen Samuels, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
20% Yahoo Ownership
Jaylen Samuels had his knee scoped after their loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5. He’s expected to miss the next four weeks before he can return to practice. His usage as a receiver, runner, and passer were intriguing as the Pittsburgh Steelers looked to re-image themselves with backup quarterbacks, but the missed time makes Samuels not worth holding on your bench. With Pittsburgh entering their bye, if he wasn’t dropped prior to the injury news, he should be dropped now in favor of better options out on the wire.
Concerning Trend
Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore Ravens
98% Yahoo Ownership
Mark Ingram's starting role isn’t in question, but his workload took a step back in Week 6. His snap rate dropped to 38% (lowest of the season) while Gus Edwards and Justice Hill got more time on the field. He still handled 55.6% of the running back touches and the all-important goal-line carry to boost his fantasy production. But his decline in usage is concerning. It’s possible that the team felt they had their matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in hand and wanted to test an equal rotation. In either case, Ingram’s snaps and touch share should be monitored as there are multiple capable backs behind him.