With major injuries across the board this week, including the loss of receivers Nico Collins and Michael Pittman and running backs like Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss and Devin Singletary all with ailments, we could be talking about players who will see a bump in opportunities . However, this week feels like the perfect opportunity to discuss emerging young talent. We are approaching midseason and as young players begin to acclimate and solidify roles, they will continue to find themselves in advantageous situations and matchups that can help facilitate breakouts.
Welcome to the Make or Break Article, NFL Babies Version!
Could these young fantasy assets on the rise emerge and provide a major benefit to your lineups this week?
Make or Break Chicago Duo: Caleb Williams, QB; Rome Odunze, WR
Williams and Odunze have a great game ahead of them against the Jags, but how do we approach the pair in Week 6? Williams turned in his best overall performance of the season and demonstrated efficiency in a turnover-free outing, completing 20 of his 29 attempts for 304 yards and two touchdowns, plus 34 yards on the ground. Williams thrived in an excellent matchup, but he’s still a relatively risky asset.
While he is definitely trending upward in terms of overall improvement, his volume is still inconsistent. This week he faces a Jags defense that has been one of the best matchups for opposing quarterbacks this year, allowing the third-most fantasy points for quarterbacks, and he could put together another top-10 performance.
Odunze has suffered from volatility in his production all season. He isn’t the first look in this Bears offense and when you add that to the inconsistent volume for Williams, it has been difficult to predict breakout opportunities for Odunze. His talent came to the fore in Week 3 in a similar game against the Indianapolis Colts, where he performed well, catching his targets for 112 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Other than that one example, it had an extremely low floor and was a risky, low-end flex option at best. The concern here is that Odunze has failed to separate himself from Keenan Allen, leaving DJ Moore as the only starter who can start while leaving all the other Bears’ pass catchers extremely risky. However, the matchup does make Odunze attractive to those dealing with injuries and the misery of the bye week.
Will Williams and Odunze to make or break your line-up in week 6?
We need to contextualize how bad the Jags’ defense has been. Last week, three Colts receivers scored double-digit fantasy points against them. Even the Bills, who struggled with passing consistency, had four passing touchdowns even on lower than normal volume. While the matchup is fantastic, there’s no guarantee Williams will continue the trend of quarterbacks flourishing against Jacksonville. The quarterbacks who excelled against the Jags include Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, CJ Stroud and Joe Flacco – all highly experienced volume quarterbacks. Williams doesn’t quite fit into that list yet and his inconsistency is clear. Williams has the ability to be a top-five or bottom-five quarterback at quarterback, but could serve as a high-upside streaming option this week.
Even if the volume flows with Williams, Odunze is still extremely volatile. It’s possible that DJ Moore absolutely dominates and has an overall WR1 week that leaves nothing but crumbs for the remaining pass catchers. Or this could be the matchup where we finally see all three Bears receivers worthy of a start and Odunze has low-end flex value. Beware, you might be looking at a different WR50 or lower trim for him.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Etienne Jr has a problem – and that problem is Tank Bigsby.
I’m not someone who typically panics about the flurry of touches for starting running backs versus backup running backs. I’ve talked about the comparison between Braelon Allen and Breece Hall, and while Allen’s presence takes over the upside of Hall’s upside, Allen ultimately isn’t a threat to steal his job.
Etienne versus Bigsby, however, is a different story.
The Jaguars have been vocal about their desire to reduce Etienne’s workload. The only thing holding them back was the lack of confidence they had in Bigsby, but his offseason work has paid off. The difference between Bigsby’s production in 2023 and 2024 is clear: After five games, he has already surpassed his 2023 stats. When you break down the overall effectiveness of Bigsby versus Etienne, you start to understand why Bigsby could ultimately deserve a bigger share of that backfield, if not a higher workload. Fantasy analysts are aggressively moving Bigsby up in the rankings, but there is still uncertainty surrounding his true upside.
Will Bigsby to make or break your line-up in week 6?
Etienne is dealing with a shoulder injury, so the changes in workload are likely related to that. However, Bigsby’s efficiency has been significantly higher. If you’re purely rushing, Bigsby was the better one on the ground. Ultimately, Bigsby could see more work on the floor and become a weekly, viable fantasy asset, while Etienne has the edge at the receiving end. It’s a recipe for a split backfield; in games where the Jaguars are competitive and have a lot of goal line opportunities, Bigsby has the advantage.
In tough matchups where they play from the back and struggle to create chances, Etienne would still have the edge. This week’s game against Chicago is a bit ambiguous. Chicago has been vulnerable on the ground, so Bigsby could have success. However, goal-line opportunities may be limited and the Jaguars may be chasing points. Bigsby is dependent on the game script and a risky play this week.
Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Wilson showed promise last season and exploded early this season. However, the lack of volume remains a concern. Other than Week 2 against the LA Rams when Kyler Murray had 266 passing yards and three touchdowns, Murray has not exceeded 207 passing yards in a single game, has had three games with fewer than 200 yards and only one touchdown per game overall. other matches this season. Murray has been quite efficient and the Cardinals are simply opting for a game plan that relies on the ground game and limits pass volume, making the field quite unreliable for all Cardinals’ pass catchers. Oddly enough, Wilson has the most contacts among the Cardinals’ receivers this season. Including tight end Trey McBride, Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. range from 17 to 20 total touches.
Will Wilson to make or break your line-up in week 6?
The good news is that Wilson is playing a solid role in the offense: his snaps have been great and his receiving has improved in recent weeks. He has yet to take full advantage of the opportunities.
This week the Cardinals face Green Bay. The Packers’ pass defense has generally been a stronger asset, although there have been some cracks as multiple quarterbacks have had over 300 passing yards against them this year. That trend could continue in Week 6, creating more opportunities for the WR2 and Wilson could turn in another strong performance, especially if the Packers defense chooses to focus on shutting down Harrison Jr.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Early season usage for all three Seahawks receivers was volatile. DK Metcalf has finished as high as WR2 in half-PPR, but was held out of the top 50 for several weeks. Tyler Lockett has taken a clear step back, but has retained enough volume to be a low-end flex option. Njigba has taken a clear step forward, finishing as high as WR12, but his other finishes range from 30 to 80.
Geno Smith is having a fantastic rebounding season, but with the volume spread fairly well across the offense, it’s hard to really trust anyone. This week’s matchup against San Francisco isn’t the friendliest, but we’ve seen that teams’ WR2s tend to stand out more against the 49ers’ defense. Smith-Njigba could have the strongest fantasy upside of the three receivers.
Will Smith-Njigba to make or break your line-up in week 6?
The problem with Smith-Njigba is that there is no major indication of how he will perform in a game and part of the problem is that Seattle’s schedule early in the season was not favorable to the offense. Their easiest defensive matchup was against the Giants, a defense that was an average opponent overall. In that game, Smith-Njigba had four receptions for 31 yards but managed to save the day with his first touchdown of the year and appears to be on an upward trend heading into Week 6. Considering the matchup, Smith-Njigba offers potential as flex worker. option for needy fantasy managers.
