Free Agency and Injury report week 6 2019

By Kyle Dvorchak

Week 6 was a quiet one for news. There were few injuries or major events. However, that makes it all the more important to get the few free-agent decisions right. Let's get to it.

Injuries Piling Up In Green Bay

Geronimo Allison took a shot to the head on Monday night and did not return, costing him most of the second half. Green Bay was lucky to escape with a win and just the injury to Allison as well. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was rolled up on and missed the second quarter. However, he did return after halftime.

It didn’t end up mattering for the second-year receiver as he was held to two catches through the entire contest. It was Allen Lazard who stole the show, posting a 4-61-1 stat line and propelling the Packers to a win. MVS and Jake Kumerow, who also caught just two passes, both took backseats to Lazard in the second half.

It’s a small sample but Lazard was clearly the best receiving option Green Bay had on the field Monday night. On a slightly shortened week, the Packers could be without Allison and Davante Adams against the Raiders on Sunday. Lazard is worth a waiver claim because of that. If both receivers can’t suit up, Lazard is a low-end flex option with serious upside.

The DissMissile Goes Down

The big loss on Sunday was Will Dissly. Seattle expects the worst of his Achilles injury right now. It seems increasingly likely that Dissly suffered a torn Achilles.

If that is the case, Luke Willson will step in as the team's starting tight end. Willson was released by the team before the season started. After they traded Nick Vanett to Pittsburgh, Seattle brought Willson back. For fantasy teams in desperate need of a tight end, Willson will now get the bulk of the work as the starting tight end for Russel Wilson. There are worse options to pick up.

Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf
should also see small upticks in target with the loss of the breakout tight end on their team.

Marcus Mariota Hits the Pines

Mike Vrabel and the Titans staff benched Marcus Mariota in the midst of a shutout. Mariota played a half against the Broncos before being pulled for Ryan Tannehill.

The Titans are averaging less than 20 points per game and have looked even worse than that since piling it on against the Browns in Week 1.

Mariota's career is shaping up to be very similar to the passer who took his place on Sunday. It appears that his fifth middling year in Tennessee may be his last. He may start next week but still carries the risk of getting benched and should not be on fantasy rosters at this point.

No player on the team has a target share higher than 18% and on an anemic offense, even that mark is discounted. All players on this team should be avoided in fantasy at all costs.

Emmanuel Sanders' Outlook is Optimistic

Emmanuel Sanders left Week 6 with a knee injury and was unable to return. However, the Broncos are optimistic that he will be able to play Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sanders is a must-start despite the limitations because of his injury if he is active on Thursday night. The Chiefs' defense has been unable to stop nearly any team they have faced. Plus, their offense forces other teams to pass just to keep pace with them.

If Sanders is inactive, Courtland Sutton is the most obvious start of the week. All of the above arguments apply to him as well but he'll also see a major influx of targets with his biggest competition out. Sutton has a 23% share of Denver's targets. Sanders has a 19% target share. No other receiver on the team is above 12%.

DeSean Hamilton will likely get the start if Sanders is out. He has yet to do much this season but this would be his best chance to do so. He's worth taking a flyer on if you have the roster space.

Josh Rosen Benched… Again

We'll keep this short: Don't play any Dolphins. Preston Williams has nine more targets than DeVante Parker but hasn't topped 70 yards. Parker has hit that mark twice but also has two games of fewer than 30 yards. No receiver-or fantasy option at all now that Mark Walton is getting run over Kenyan Drake-has a floor high enough to start regardless of the quarterback.

Amari Cooper Does Not Return

The Dallas lost to the Jets but may have suffered an even larger loss on Sunday: Amari Cooper. Their alpha-receiver went down with a quad injury on Sunday and did not return.

Michael Gallup is the clear beneficiary if Cooper misses any time. In the four games the duo has played together this season, Gallup actually leads the team in targets (36) and air yards (417). Cedrick Wilson and Tavon Austin were each targeted six times. Randall Cobb was also out on Sunday.

There's no clear No. 2 option on this team and Cobb may be back next week, only furthering t muddy the waters.

Jason Witten was targeted seven times in Week 6. The absence of Cooper may also help his fantasy value.