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 battling ailments, we could talk about players who will see a bump in opportunities. However, this week feels like the perfect opportunity to discuss emerging young talent. We’re closing in on midseason and as young players start to acclimate and solidify roles, they’ll continue to find themselves in advantageous situations and matchups that can help facilitate breakouts.
Welcome to the Make or Break Article, NFL Babies Version!
Can these young fantasy assets on the rise emerge and bring big upside to your lineups this week?
Make or Break Chicago Duo: Caleb Williams, QB; Rome Odunze, WR
Williams and Odunze have a beautiful matchup against the Jags ahead but how are we approaching the pair in Week 6? Williams is coming off his best overall performance of the season, showcasing 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 absolutely on an upward trend 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 to quarterbacks, and he could have another top-10 performance.
Odunze has had volatility in his production throughout the season. He’s not the first look in this Bears offense and when you add that to inconsistent volume for Williams, it’s been tough to predict breakout opportunities for Odunze. His talent popped in Week 3 in a similar matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, where he performed well, catching his targets for 112 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Aside from that single instance, he’s had an extremely low floor and has been 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 startable receiving asset, while all other Bears’ pass catchers remain extremely risky. However, the matchup does make Odunze enticing to those suffering from injuries and bye-week woes.
Will Williams and Odunze make or break your lineup in Week 6?
We do have to contextualize just how bad the Jags’ defense has been. Last week, three Colts receivers scored double-digit fantasy points against them. Even the Bills, who have struggled with passing consistency, had four passing touchdowns, even on lower-than-typical volume. While the matchup is fantastic, it isn’t a complete lock that Williams will continue the trend of quarterbacks thriving against Jacksonville. The quarterbacks who have excelled against the Jags include Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and Joe Flacco — all very experienced, volume quarterbacks. Williams doesn’t quite fit that list yet, and his inconsistency is clear. Williams has the ability to finish as a top-five quarterback or a bottom-five one, but can 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 leaving 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. Just beware — you could be looking at another WR50 or lower finish for him.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Etienne Jr has a problem — and that problem is Tank Bigsby.
I’m not one to typically panic over the flow 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 the top off of Hall’s upside, Allen ultimately isn’t a threat to steal his job.
However, Etienne versus Bigsby is another story.
The Jaguars have been vocal about their desire to reduce Etienne’s workload. The only thing holding them back was the lack of trust they had in Bigsby, but his offseason work has paid off. The difference between Bigsby’s 2023 and 2024 production is clear: through five games, he’s already exceeded his 2023 stats. When you break down the overall effectiveness of Bigsby versus Etienne, you begin to see why Bigsby could ultimately earn a larger share of that backfield, if not a higher workload. Fantasy analysts are aggressively raising Bigsby in rankings but there’s still a lack of clarity in terms of his true upside.
Will Bigsby make or break your lineup in Week 6?
Etienne has been dealing with a shoulder injury, so the changes in workload are likely related to that. However, Bigsby’s efficiency has been significantly higher. When you break it down purely to rushing, Bigsby has been the better back on the ground. Ultimately, Bigsby could see more work on the ground and become a weekly, viable fantasy asset while Etienne has the edge as the receiving back. It’s a recipe for a split backfield; in matchups where the Jaguars are competitive and have plenty of goal-line opportunities, Bigsby has the upside.
In difficult matchups where they’re playing from behind and struggling to create opportunities, Etienne would still have the edge. This week’s matchup 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 might be chasing points. Bigsby is game-script-dependent and a risky play this week.
Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Wilson showed promise last season and popped early this season. However, lack of volume remains a concern. Other than Week 2 against the L.A. Rams, when Kyler Murray had 266 passing yards and three touchdowns, Murray hasn’t exceeded 207 passing yards in a single game, has had three games with less than 200 yards and only one touchdown per game in all other games this season. Murray has been rather efficient and the Cardinals are simply opting for a game plan that leans on the ground game and limits pass volume, making the floor for all Cardinals’ pass-catchers rather unreliable. Oddly enough, Wilson has the most touches among receivers for the Cardinals this season. Including tight end Trey McBride, Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. range from 17 to 20 total touches.
Will Wilson make or break your lineup in Week 6?
The good news is that Wilson has a solid role within the offense — his snaps have been fine, and his receptions have improved over the last couple of weeks. He’s simply yet to fully capitalize on the opportunities.
This week, the Cardinals face Green Bay. The Packers’ pass defense has typically been a stronger asset, though there have been some cracks, as multiple quarterbacks have exceeded 300 passing yards against them this year. That trend could continue in Week 6, creating more opportunities for the WR2 and Wilson could have another strong performance, particularly if the Packers defense opts to focus on shutting down Harrison Jr.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Early season usage for all three Seahawks’ receivers has been volatile. DK Metcalf has finished as high as WR2 in half-PPR but has been held multiple weeks outside the top 50. Tyler Lockett has taken a clear step back but has maintained enough volume to be a low-end flex option. Njigba has taken a clear step forward and finished as high as WR12 but his other finishes range in the 30-80 range.
Geno Smith is having a fantastic rebound season but with volume spread fairly well throughout the offense, it’s difficult to truly trust anyone. This week’s matchup against San Francisco isn’t the friendliest, but we’ve seen that teams’ WR2 tends to stand out more against the 49ers’ defense. Smith-Njigba could have the strongest fantasy upside of the three receivers.
Will Smith-Njigba make or break your lineup in Week 6?
The problem with Smith-Njigba is that there’s no key indicator of how he’ll perform in a matchup and part of the issue is that Seattle’s early season schedule hasn’t been favorable for the offense. Their easiest defensive matchup was against the Giants, a defense that has been an overall average opponent. In that game, Smith-Njigba had four receptions for 31 yards but managed to salvage the day with his first touchdown of the year and he appears to be trending up heading into Week 6. Given the matchup, Smith-Njigba offers potential as a flex option for needy fantasy managers.