8 Fantasy Football Stash Candidates Ahead of Week 6

Plucking players off the waiver wire and stashing them ahead of your league mates is certainly advantageous if you can make it happen, and this series does its best to provide you with some names to consider every week. With bye weeks starting and injuries plaguing rosters across the league, grabbing the right players can be a difference-maker in the weeks to come.

Clear out those benches (check out my Dead Weight Report on who to drop) and make room for this week’s crop of emerging fantasy assets.

Editor's Note: Check out the Week 6 Waiver Wire Watch

Rachaad White, RB - Buccaneers

If you’re like me, you may have drafted Rachaad White based on his upside as Tom Brady’s possible receiving back but were forced to drop him to make room for actual scoring players at some point in the last five weeks. Well, it’s time to grab him back or add him for the first time, as the rookie’s usage is starting to trend up, and the Bucs may start to pull back Leonard’s Fournette’s volume to preserve his body for playoff-Lenny mode.

White’s output hasn’t been anything to chase, but he did carry the ball eight times over the past two weeks with nine targets in that time frame. Getting the 23-year-old now is with an eye ahead to the coming matchups, but he’s currently only on 34% of Yahoo rosters which is likely to change with each passing week.

James Cook, RB - Bills

It’s no secret that I am a massive UGA homer and have been touting James Cook for fantasy purposes since before the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s had an up-and-down start to his professional career in Buffalo, but the rookie has looked pretty solid with the opportunities given since fumbling his first NFL snap in Week 1.

The Bills seem to be sticking with Devin Singletary as their lead back for now, but with Cook taking advantage of his chances and trending towards a backup takeover of Zack Moss (4 touches to 1 in Week 5), stashing the 23-year old now may benefit your roster long term. He’s only injury insurance at the present time, but it’s also never a bad idea to chase players on ridiculously high-scoring offenses.

Nico Collins, WR - Texans

The Houston offense has been rough when it comes to fantasy output or any type of consistency, but Nico Collins is on the upswing and could prove valuable as a bye-week option in the coming weeks. The NFL sophomore was tied for team targets with Brandin Cooks (6) last week and was on the field for 96% of the Texans’ snaps. His 14.9 aDoT is 11th among WRs with at least 12 targets this season, and his 18.1 yards per reception sits fifth at his position (per PFF).

I know it seems grim for this offense, but that production is coming. It also doesn’t hurt that after their bye this week, Houston faces the Raiders and Titans in their next two contests, defensive units that are yielding the sixth and third-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) to enemy WRs this season. Collins is only rostered in 22% of Yahoo leagues, so snag him now while you still can.

Damien Williams, RB - Falcons

On the shelf since Week 1 with a rib injury, Damien Williams is eligible to return this week. The Atlanta backfield is pretty murky, with Cordarelle Patterson currently on IR and a trio of RBs forming a committee in his absence. There are several scenarios at play here, either Williams returns and regains his spot behind Patterson, who is sidelined until at least Week 9, he could emerge as a clear back before Patterson hits the field, or the Falcons backfield could become even cloudier with him in the mix.

The 30-year-old is clearly the most experienced among himself, Tyler Allgeier, and Avery Williams, and has shown prowess as both a pure runner and in the passing game. With injuries crippling fantasy rosters at the RB position and bye weeks upon us, Williams may end up being a nice add moving forward. You can’t start him this week against the 49ers, even if he’s active, but Williams is stash worthy for what lies ahead.

DeeJay Dallas, RB - Seahawks

While everyone is spending a huge chunk of their FAAB or a high-priority waiver wire pick on Ken Walker, as they should be, DeeJay Dallas will go unnoticed and is worthy of stash consideration at this point. With Rashaad Penny out for 2022 and Travis Homer still on the shelf with a rib injury, having a piece of this perenially run-heavy backfield is always a solid idea for fantasy purposes.

Dallas hasn’t done much in 2022 this far, but he’s been involved in the passing game in prior years under Pete Carroll, with 23 targets behind Chris Carson and Alex Collins in 2021 and another 20 in 2020 while sharing the backfield with Carson and Carlos Hyde. Another positive to grabbing the 24-year-old is that Seattle’s schedule is stunningly gorgeous for RBs in the weeks ahead, as they face the Cardinals twice in the next four contests, who rank 18th in RB aFPA, along with the Chargers and Giants, who sit 28th and 12th in that same category, respectively.

Pierre Strong Jr., RB - Patriots

While the rookie was a healthy scratch last week, Pierre Strong Jr. could have his number called in the coming weeks, depending on the extent of Damien Harris’ hamstring injury. We all know Bill Belichick is unpredictable, particularly regarding backfield usage, so going to the South Dakota State alum isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

Strong didn’t particularly have a stellar training camp and preseason for New England. Still, the way the offensive line has been playing, he could gain instant confidence and contribute right away if given the opportunity. It’s tough to gauge exactly what the Patriots will do if Harris is sidelined for any length of time, but jumping ahead with Strong if you have the room could prove beneficial.

Sam Howell, QB - Commanders

We’ve reached that time, folks. Carson Wentz hasn’t been horrendous for fantasy purposes in 2022; in fact, he’s QB12 in fantasy points per contest, but his knack for turnovers at the worst possible times came out to play in Week 5. He fumbled a handful of snaps against the Titans, which we can blame partly on the center, but Wentz botched a potential game-winning drive with three shots to the end zone that were nearly picked off twice and intercepted the third time.

Washington has plenty of talented weapons in this offense, and it’s a shame to continue to roll Wentz out there, especially since this team won’t be competing in the postseason at this rate. They may decide to see what they have with rookie Sam Howell sooner rather than later, and if you’re in a Superflex or 2QB league, getting ahead of your league on signal callers can prove a positive move.

Zach Gentry, TE - Steelers

This is a deep cut, but we all need as much TE help as we can get in 2022. Pittsburgh TE Pat Freiermuth suffered his third concussion since entering the league in 2021 against the Bills in Week 5 and was replaced by Zach Gentry, who put up 43 yards on five receptions.

While Gentry may not be a household name, the 26-year-old filled in admirably last season, running a full complement of snaps in Week 16 with Freiermuth inactive for the same injury. You may have better options in 10 or 12-team leagues, but if you’re desperate for TE production with shallower waiver wires, Gentry could provide a few weeks of service.