This article is part of our NFL Waiver Wire series.
James Cook was a surprising inactive Monday night. Both Marvin Harrison (two targets, no catches) and Chris Olave (one catch, five yards) suffered concussions and Aidan Hutchinson suffered a brutal broken tibia. Coaches Doug Pederson, Kevin Stefanski and even Mike McCarthy have to be on the hot seat, and I'd be surprised if we don't see another firing by next Tuesday. A couple young running backs made a splash in Week 6, but there's no one who stands out significantly this week. Oh, and the number of teams on bye looks like this the next several weeks:
Week 7: 2
Week 8: 0
Week 9: 2
Week 12: 6
Teams with byes this week: Bears, Cowboys
Quarterback
PRIMARY TARGETS
Drake Maye, NE - You had to be impressed with Maye's rookie debut, considering how anemic the Patriots' offense had been until Sunday. Twenty-one points was a season-high for New England and Maye had more TD passes (three) than Jacoby Brissett had in his five starts (two). Maye might be prone to turnovers as a young QB, but he should be the Patriots starter the rest of the season. FAAB: $5-$10
SECONDARY TARGETS
Justin Herbert, LAC - The Chargers have largely transitioned to a run-heavy team and really don't have a true No. 1 wide receiver. That said, Herbert is still a talented quarterback and has his best matchup of the season this week against Arizona. The Cardinals rank 29th against quarterbacks, though it should also be noted that
James Cook was a surprising inactive Monday night. Both Marvin Harrison (two targets, no catches) and Chris Olave (one catch, five yards) suffered concussions and Aidan Hutchinson suffered a brutal broken tibia. Coaches Doug Pederson, Kevin Stefanski and even Mike McCarthy have to be on the hot seat, and I'd be surprised if we don't see another firing by next Tuesday. A couple young running backs made a splash in Week 6, but there's no one who stands out significantly this week. Oh, and the number of teams on bye looks like this the next several weeks:
Week 7: 2
Week 8: 0
Week 9: 2
Week 12: 6
Teams with byes this week: Bears, Cowboys
Quarterback
PRIMARY TARGETS
Drake Maye, NE - You had to be impressed with Maye's rookie debut, considering how anemic the Patriots' offense had been until Sunday. Twenty-one points was a season-high for New England and Maye had more TD passes (three) than Jacoby Brissett had in his five starts (two). Maye might be prone to turnovers as a young QB, but he should be the Patriots starter the rest of the season. FAAB: $5-$10
SECONDARY TARGETS
Justin Herbert, LAC - The Chargers have largely transitioned to a run-heavy team and really don't have a true No. 1 wide receiver. That said, Herbert is still a talented quarterback and has his best matchup of the season this week against Arizona. The Cardinals rank 29th against quarterbacks, though it should also be noted that Herbert's season high fantasy points in a game is only 16.3 this season. After the Cardinals he has four tough matchups, so he should be viewed as a one-week option. FAAB: $3-$6
HAIL MARY
Spencer Rattler, NO - Rattler had some success in Sunday's start but also looked very much like a rookie at times. He fumbled (but recovered it) and had a interception. Throwing for 243 yards is solid (though 6.1 YPA isn't great) and that was with losing Chris Olave early. It's unclear when Derek Carr will return, though he'll be out "multiple weeks," so Rattler should start Thursday on a short week. The bad news is he'll face the Broncos, who allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. FAAB: $1-$3
Running Back
PRIMARY TARGETS
Tyrone Tracy, NYG - After his second consecutive strong outing, Taylor should hold onto at least 50 percent of the backfield touches even when Devin Singletary returns. Taylor had 14 and 22.7 fantasy points the last two weeks and scored his first touchdown of the season Sunday night. He's also a good pass-catcher who can handle work on all three downs and at the goal line. The bad news, for those who didn't take our advice last week to pick him up, is he's rostered in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues. FAAB: $15-$20
SECONDARY TARGETS
Kimani Vidal, LAC - Gus Edwards (ankle) was placed on IR on Saturday, pushing Vidal into the backup spot to J.K. Dobbins. Vidal score on a wheel route on his first professional touch and looked completely comfortable in the Chargers' offense. He showed the ability to pass-block and finished with 50 scrimmage yards. He isn't about to take away work from Dobbins but expecting 5-8 touches seems reasonable. FAAB: $5-$10
Tyler Goodson, IND - Trey Sermon got a big workload (18 carries) but could only manage a meager 29 yards. Enter Goodson, who carried eight times for 51 yards and caught four passes for 14 yards. Jonathan Taylor could be back this week, making Goodson a difficult start. However, Goodson might have done enough to leapfrog Sermon on the depth chart and get at least 10-plus touches if Taylor is out again. FAAB: $4-$8
Ray Davis, BUF - Technically, Ty Johnson started Monday night, but that was likely a courtesy considering he was playing his former team. Davis received the lion's share of work, finishing with 152 scrimmage yards on 23 touches. A big chunk of those came on something of a fluky 42-yard pass play, but even without that he still surpassed 100 yards. The seriousness of James Cook's injury, nor how much time he'll miss, is unknown. It appears, though, that Davis is an adequate replacement as long as Cook is out. Toe/foot injuries tend to linger so keep that in mind. FAAB: $4-$8
Isaac Guerendo, SF - Jordan Mason suffered a shoulder injury in last Thursday's game. He was in a non-contact jersey at practice Monday, which actually might indicate he could play this week. Guerendo isn't an elite prospect, but it seems like any running back can be successful in Kyle Shanahan's system. The problem, though, is two-fold: Mason could be back this week and the matchup is against the Chiefs, who are the best team in the NFL against running backs. Adjust your bidding if we more definitive information emerges. FAAB: $4-$8
Sean Tucker, TB - I'd like Tucker a lot better if we knew Rachaad White was going to be out for some time and didn't have a good possibility to be back this week. Tucker exploded for 192 yards from scrimmage and two scores which no one saw coming. It helped that Tampa was in a blowout of a game but the numbers are still very impressive. He should at least rostered in all leagues and can be deployed if White's injury lingers and he misses more time. FAAB: $4-$8
HAIL MARY
D'Onta Foreman, Pierre Strong, CLE - Jerome Ford could miss time with his hamstring injury and Nick Chubb is set to return to the backfield this week. It's unlikely Cleveland gives Chubb a huge workload in his first game back from last season's knee injury, so we should see one, if not both, of these guys get a few touches against the Bengals. FAAB: $1-$2
Wide Receiver
PRIMARY TARGETS
JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC - JuJu was mentioned last week yet finds himself on only 33 percent of Yahoo rosters. Rice is out for the season, and there's good reason to believe that after Xavier Worthy he'll be the next wide receiver target. It's possible he's better than Worthy in full-point PPR, catching a lot of mid-range passes. FAAB: $8-$16
Josh Downs, IND - Downs made a big splash in his return Sunday, finishing with 9-7-66-1. He's established himself as the 1B option to Michael Pittman and the return of Anthony Richardson (hopefully) should help. It could be tough sledding for him this week against the Dolphins defense, and he's already rostered in 48 percent of Yahoo leagues. FAAB: $6-$12
SECONDARY TARGETS
Romeo Doubs, GB - Doubs isn't the Packers' top wide receiver but should continue to be fantasy relevant. He finished Sunday with a season-high 19.9 fantasy points. Jordan Love has been fantastic when healthy and likes to spread the ball around, but if Jayden Reed or Dontayvion Wicks miss time, that would certainly help Doubs. FAAB: $4-$8
Michael Wilson, ARI - Wilson should be the top receiving target for the Cardinals along with Trey McBride should Marvin Harrison miss time. The problem is the Cardinals face defenses seventh or better against wide receivers in their next four games before a Week 11 bye. Greg Dortch and would also see an uptick in targets if Harrison is out. FAAB: $3-$6
Bub Means, NO - The Saints will probably be without Chris Olave on Thursday night, which should have Means in another significant role for New Orleans. Means finished with 8-5-45-1 Sunday, good for a respectable 15.5 fantasy points. Olave hasn't been officially ruled out and the Broncos, again, are good against the pass. FAAB: $3-$6
Tight End
SECONDARY TARGETS
Cade Otton, TB - Cotton has been solid yet unspectacular in his last four games, averaging more than 10 fantasy points over that span. He has three good matchups coming up, and we all know by now what a mess tight end has been for fantasy. He should be at least useful. FAAB: $2-$4
Noah Fant, SEA - His last four games, Fant has caught 17 passes on 17 targets. The bad news he hasn't found the end zone and has scored 5.4 fantasy points or fewer in four of his six games. Still, he's carved out a small role in this offense and should end up with 2-4 touchdowns by the end of the season. FAAB: $2-$4
Defense
HAIL MARY
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST - This has nothing to do with the Bengals being some outstanding defensive team; this has to do with them playing Cleveland. The Browns have been awful on offense and only a blocked field goal for a touchdown kept them in the game with the Ravens. Deshaun Watson has a league-low 5.1 YPA and now he's without Amari Cooper, who was traded to Buffalo. FAAB: $1-$2
