Fantasy Football: High on Jeremy Kerley, sound alarm on Alshon Jeffery

Now is the time to make an impact on the waiver wire. Snagging players now can make your season down the road. Be sure to check out Rotoballer.com’s Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Tool for up-to-the-hour waiver wire advice and ideas.

Kaepernick to Kerley Could be Key for the 49ers

Colin Kaepernick has officially been named the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback for Week 6, and with his promotion comes a plethora of possibilities for the San Fran skill players. Jeremy Kerley has been hands-down the most reliable receiver in that offense, and has posted 190 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches in the last two weeks—with Blaine Gabbert under center. The rocket-armed Kaepernick can’t be much worse than Gabbert, so Kerley’s upside takes an immediate step forward.

Giants Don’t Mind Rainey Days

With Shane Vereen out for the foreseeable future, Giants running back Bobby Rainey has been filling in admirably as the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield. Since fully taking over the role in Week 4, Rainey has averaged 4.89 yards per carry on the ground (only nine total carries) and 47.5 receiving yards per game on 6.5 receptions. These are very usable numbers in PPR formats, and if Rainey were able to find the end zone he would flirt with RB2 value. He makes for a great depth add in any format given his weekly role in the Giants’ pass-heavy offense.

Lack of Looks Leaves Alshon Owners Livid

Chicago Bears star wide out Alshon Jeffery is hands-down one of the best deep-ball receivers in the NFL. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners and for Jeffery himself, he has not been afforded many opportunities to make the impact plays that his value is reliant on. So far Jeffery has only received 31 targets through five games, converting those into just 22 catches and zero touchdowns. While Jay Cutler typically has no problem throwing risky jump balls to Jeffery, current starting quarterback Brian Hoyer plays much more conservatively, oftentimes leaving Jeffery hanging while opting for a safer option. Hoyer has been playing well enough to continue to start even when Cutler returns from injury, so Jeffery’s long-term potential will be limited until the situation changes in Chicago.

NFL Sleepers of the Week

Each week we will identify three players worth taking a shot on in deeper leagues.

James White, RB, New England Patriots – The pass-catching specialist benefited from Tom Brady’s return, catching four balls for 63 yards. He should be a flex option every week from now on.

Brandon LaFell, WR, Cincinnati Bengals – Bill Belichick is notorious for trying to “take away” a team’s best offensive weapon—in their game against the Bengals, that’ll be A.J. Green. While Green is blanketed, LaFell could step in and have a big game against a very beatable secondary.

C.J. Fiederowicz, TE, Houston Texans – With fellow tight end Ryan Griffin ailing, Fiedorowicz has a chance to continue his recent string of fantasy relevance against the porous Colts secondary in Week 6.