Week 5 is now behind us, and it’s time to turn our attention toward Week 6. Like every week, that starts with the waiver wire. Here, we are going to focus on a loaded and intriguing grouping of running backs who could be available. These are our top fantasy football running back waiver wire targets.
Running Back Waiver Wire Targets: Week 6
Woody Marks, Houston Texans
Marks is our top waiver wire target of the week. David Montgomery injured his groin this week and is set to miss some time. That leaves the Texans’ backfield to Marks, who has already been the superior running back this season.
Not only could you get Marks, who should see a near bell-cow role while Montgomery is out, but there is a real chance that Marks wins this backfield outright and never looks back. That’s not to say that Montgomery will just fade away, but Marks could and should take over as the lead back.
So far this season, Montgomery has carried the ball 52 times for 138 yards at 2.7 yards per carry with two touchdowns, while catching all seven of his targets for 67 yards and a touchdown. He has not scored a touchdown since Week 1 and hasn’t seen a target since Week 3.
Marks has played 178 offensive snaps to Montgomery’s 155, which is a bit skewed by Week 5 when Montgomery left early. Nevertheless, he has also handled 43 carries for 149 yards at 3.5 yards per carry and two touchdowns, while catching 11 of 13 targets for 54 yards. He has clearly been the superior back and has a shot at becoming a league-winner this season.
Dameon Pierce, Philadelphia Eagles
With Will Shipley injuring his foot in Week 5, Pierce is the last man standing. Both Shipley and Saquon Barkley are dealing with multi-week injuries, and Tank Bigsby is on injured reserve. That should leave Pierce with a bell-cow role.
He has a strong matchup against the Carolina Panthers this week, and the volume should be great. The issue is, he’s not very good. After being elevated off the practice squad and thrust onto the field in Week 5, he carried the ball 11 times for 14 yards at 1.3 yards per carry and turned five targets into -2 yards. Granted, it wasn’t a great matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but those are horrific numbers.
If you need a starter this week, Pierce is an intriguing option. However, understand it is a calculated risk, and he could flop if he doesn’t fall into the end zone.
Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers’ backfield is a mess, but Vidal led the way in Week 5. He led the backfield, playing 42% of the offensive snaps, with Keaton Mitchell playing 34% and Omarion Hampton playing 30%.
Hampton still led the team with 14 carries, but only rushed for 33 yards at 2.4 yards per carry, while Vidal rushed eight times for 57 yards and a touchdown at 7.1 yards per carry off the back of a 42-yard run. It was a strong showing for an offense looking for answers and may believe they found them, but we aren’t going all in on anyone in this offense. He can be stashed, but temper your expectations.
Raheim Sanders, Cleveland Browns
Sanders would be higher, but we don’t know if he’ll be able to play this week. If he can’t, Jaleel McLaughlin will likely be the next man up. We also don’t really know what’s going on with the other backs.
Quinshon Judkins left the stadium in a walking boot after Week 5, and Dylan Sampson could have his 21-day practice window this week, meaning his return from injured reserve could be imminent. You can grab Sanders and could catch lightning in a bottle for a week, but understand there is a lot that comes with it.
Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals
Perine has a proven, carved-out role in Cincinnati, which gives him some sort of floor, and he stepped up in Week 5 and outperformed Chase Brown. It’s also worth mentioning that Chase Brown was seemingly demoted and almost flipped roles with Perine after fumbling against the Dolphins.
In Week 5, Perine handled a team-high 14 carries for 68 yards at 4.9 yards per carry and two receptions for 10 yards and a touchdown. Brown carried the ball 13 times for just 39 yards at 3.0 yards per carry, with three receptions for 21 yards.
We don’t believe this is a sign of things to come, but we can’t rule out the possibility. The bigger issue this week is that the Bengals are on a Week 6 bye. If you need someone to plug in this week, he will not be an option.
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