With the significant injuries that have occurred this week, including the loss of receivers Nico Collins and Michael Pittman and running backs like Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss and Devin Singletary all dealing with ailments, we can talk about players seeing an uptick in opportunities. However, this week seems like the perfect opportunity to discuss emerging young talent. We're approaching the middle of the season and as young players start to settle in and establish their roles, they'll continue to find themselves in favorable situations and matchups that can make it easier to break through.
Welcome to Make or Break, the NFL for kids!
Can these young, rising fantasy stars emerge and make big additions to your lineups this week?
Duet Make or Break Chicago: Caleb Williams, QB; Rzym Odunze, WR
Williams and Odunze have a beautiful matchup against the Jags, but how will we approach this pair in Week 6? Williams is coming off his best overall performance of the season, being efficient during the game without turnovers, completing 20 of his 29 attempts for 304 yards and two touchdowns and 34 yards on the ground. Williams performed admirably in an excellent matchup, but he is still a relatively risky acquisition.
While its overall improvement is trending upwards, its volume is still uneven. This week, he'll face a Jags defense that has been one of the best matchups for opposing quarterbacks this year, allowing quarterbacks to earn the third-best fantasy rating and potentially finish in the top 10 once again.
Odunze's play has been volatile throughout the season. He's not a starter in the Bears' offense, and when you add that to Williams' inconsistent scoring numbers, it was hard to see any breakout opportunities for Odunze. His talent was on display in Week 3 in a similar matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, where he performed well, throwing for 112 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Other than that one occasion, it had an extremely low floor and was a risky option at best with a low level of flexibility. The problem is that Odunze hasn't separated himself from Keenan Allen, leaving DJ Moore as the only option to start the offense while all of the other Bears pass catchers remain extremely risky. However, this matchup makes Odunze tantalizing for those suffering from injury and misfortune next week.
Will Williams i Odunze to do Lub break Your Week 6 lineup?
We have to put into context how bad the Jags defense was. Last week, three Colts players scored double-digit fantasy points against them. Even the Bills, who have struggled with passing consistency, had four passing touchdowns, even at lower than typical volume. While the matchup is fantastic, it's not certain that Williams will continue the trend of quarterbacks doing well against Jacksonville. The quarterbacks who were outstanding against the Jags were Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, CJ Stroud and Joe Flacco – all very experienced, seasoned quarterbacks. Williams doesn't fit into this list yet, and his inconsistency is clear. Williams could be a top-five or top-five quarterback, but could serve as a high-value streaming option this week.
Even if the volume continues for Williams, Odunze is still extremely volatile. It's possible that DJ Moore completely dominates and has a total WR1 week, leaving the other catchers with just crumbs. However, this could be the matchup where we finally see all three Bears players worthy of starting, and Odunze has a low flexibility value. Just be careful – you may be looking for a different WR50 or lower finish for it.
Bigsby Tank, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Etienne Jr has a problem – and that problem is Tank Bigsby.
I'm not someone who usually panics about the number of touches starting from behind compared to the reserve runners. I talked about Braelon Allen's comparison to Breece Hall, and while Allen's presence is Hall's biggest advantage, ultimately Allen isn't a threat to steal his job.
However, Etienne vs. Bigsby is a different story.
The Jaguars have been vocal about their desire to reduce Etienne's workload. The only thing holding them back was a lack of trust in Bigsby, but his off-season work paid off. The difference between Bigsby's production in 2023 and 2024 is stark: He has already exceeded his 2023 stats in five games. When you compare Bigsby's overall efficiency compared to Etienne, you start to see why Bigsby could end up securing more of the backfield, if not a bigger workload. Fantasy analysts are aggressively moving Bigsby up in the rankings, but there is still no clarity on his true upside.
Willa Bigsby’ego to do Lub break Your Week 6 lineup?
Etienne has been dealing with a shoulder injury, so the changes in workload are likely related to that. However, Bigsby's performance was much higher. If you break it all down to fast running, Bigsby was better on the ground. Ultimately, Bigsby could see more work in the field and become a viable fantasy asset each week, while Etienne has the edge at receiver. This is a recipe for a divided defense line; in matchups where the Jaguars are competitive and have plenty of scoring opportunities, Bigsby has the advantage.
In difficult matches where he plays from the back and tries to create chances, Etienne would still have the advantage. This week's game against Chicago is a bit of a mixed bag. Chicago was defenseless in the field, so Bigsby could succeed. However, scoring opportunities may be limited and the Jaguars may be chasing points. This week's Bigsby game depends on the game script and is risky.
Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Wilson showed promise last season and has emerged early this season. However, the lack of volume remains a problem. Outside of 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, had fewer than 200 yards in three games and only one touchdown per game other games this season. Murray has been quite effective, and the Cardinals have simply opted for a game plan that relies on the ground game and limits the number of passes, making the floor rather unreliable for all of the Cardinals' catchers. Oddly enough, Wilson has the most points among Cardinals receivers this season. Including Trey McBride, Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr., range from 17 to 20 total touches.
Will Wilson to do Lub break Your Week 6 lineup?
The good news is that Wilson plays a solid role in the offense – his snaps are fine and his receptions have improved over the past few weeks. He just isn't taking full advantage of the opportunities he offers yet.
The Cardinals will face Green Bay this week. The Packers' pass defense has typically been a strength, although there have been some cracks as multiple quarterbacks have surpassed 300 passing yards against them this year. This trend could continue in Week 6, creating more opportunities for the WR2, and Wilson could have another strong performance, especially if the Packers defense decides to focus on shutting down Harrison Jr.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks' usage of all three receivers has been inconsistent early in the season. DK Metcalf finished as a WR2 in the middle of the PPR, but he was outside the top 50 for many weeks. Tyler Lockett has clearly taken a step back, but retains enough volume to be a lower-end flex option. Njigba took a clear step forward and finished as high as WR12, but his remaining numbers ranged from 30-80.
Geno Smith is having a fantastic bounce-back season, but with the volume distributed quite well on offense, it's hard to really trust anyone. This week's matchup with San Francisco isn't the most enjoyable, but we've seen the teams' WR2 tend to stand out more against the 49ers defense. Smith-Njigba may have the strongest fantasy asset of the three receivers.
Will Smith-Njigba to do Lub break Your Week 6 lineup?
The problem with Smith-Njigba is that there are no key metrics on how he will perform in a matchup, and part of the problem is that Seattle's early season schedule is not favorable to the offense. Their easiest defensive matchup came against the Giants, and the defense was overall an average opponent. Smith-Njigba had four receptions for 31 yards in this game, but he managed to save the day with his first touchdown of the year and his trend seems to continue to climb heading into Week 6. Given the matchup, Smith-Njigba offers potential as a flexible option for fantasy managers in need.
