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NFL Fantasy: Pitts lights up London, Wentz for Week Six?

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Hannah Wilkes

Overtime Presenter & NFL Reporter

Hannah Wilkes helps you navigate your way through the 2021 season in her weekly column; watch NFL Overtime with Hannah and Josh Denzel, as well as guests Kay Adams and Will Blackmon, every Thursday from 9pm on Sky Sports NFL

Last Updated: 14/10/21 6:18am

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz could be a quarterback target on the waiver wire for Week Six

Sky Sports‘ NFL Fantasy Football guru Hannah Wilkes helps you navigate your way through the 2021 season in her weekly column, where this week she looks back on the league’s return to London and suggests some quarterback options as bye weeks loom…

“I’m 30 years old, but it ain’t slowing me down right now!” enthused Cordarelle Patterson post-game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

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Cordarrelle Patterson talks to Sky Sports after his Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Jets in London.

Cordarrelle Patterson talks to Sky Sports after his Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Jets in London.

His energy was palpable after the Atlanta Falcons picked up their second win of the season in front of a sell-out London crowd, and the wide smile on his face summed up pretty much the mood of all 60,000+ people there (even the New York Jets fans).

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Highlights of the game between the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London

Highlights of the game between the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London

Being there on Sunday it simultaneously felt like the London Games had never been away, but also like their return had sent excitement levels through the roof. Fans were pouring in when I arrived at 10.30am on Sunday morning, and were still going strong nine hours later well after the teams had left for the airport.

As always, the stands were a riot of colour with all 32 teams represented in the jerseys being worn – our American friends over for the game were particularly entertained by the number of Blake Bortles jerseys on display – and the national anthems set a new standard in sheer ‘wow’ factor. A lot is said about the ‘Super Bowl atmosphere’ of the International Games, but I don’t think that’s quite right; they’re a party all of their own and everyone’s invited.

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Matt Ryan and Kyle Pitts were key to a hugely impressive 92-yard touchdown drive!

Matt Ryan and Kyle Pitts were key to a hugely impressive 92-yard touchdown drive!

And, of course, it was an even better day for Fantasy Football managers who stuck with Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. With no Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage or Wayne Gallman this was billed as a Pitts break out game, and with nine receptions for 119 yards, plus his first career touchdown, the 2021 fourth overall draft pick hauled in 26.90 fantasy points and (finally?) lived up to they hype. He also showed some impressive stiff-arm skills and outrageous ability with his hands along the way; a one-handed catch right in front of our Sky sideline position was a personal highlight.

Tuck him safely back on your bench though as Atlanta, along with their London opponents the Jets, the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints are all on byes in Week Six.

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Good Morning Football’s Kay Adams picks out the five players you should target on the waiver wire in NFL Fantasy Football ahead of Week Six.

Good Morning Football’s Kay Adams picks out the five players you should target on the waiver wire in NFL Fantasy Football ahead of Week Six.

Bye-oh-bye…

Bye weeks are here. And it might pay to plan ahead, particularly looking at a Week 7 which sees the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars all take a rest. That means no Josh Allen, no Stefon Diggs, no Bills defense, no CeeDee Lamb, no Justin Herbert, no Aust….you get the point.

The good news is though, there are plenty of options out there who can get you out of a bye-week bind and probably some decent sleepers available who you continue to ignore. (Tim Patrick, anyone!?).

While you probably don’t have a quarterback from any of the Week Six bye teams as your starter (unless you’re brave), be prepared for at least three people in your league to be in need next week. If you’re playing dirty, grabbing the likes of Carson Wentz (who has been steady), Taylor Heinicke and/or Sam Darnold now might not be the worst idea.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold is another potential option in Week Six

In the words of Kay Adams on NFL Overtime last week, “there is no such thing as an unplanned bye-week”, so be alert! Take a browse through your roster in case you accidentally have a bunch of players with the same bye (my entire receiving corps in one league is Cincinnati Bengals players, not ideal) and start stacking that bench now.

Don’t sleep on…

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is in line for an increased role this week in the absence of Dallas Goedert

Zach Ertz (yep, really) on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Philadelphia Eagles’ No 1 tight end Dallas Goedert is on the reserve/COVID-19 list, so Ertz will likely have a big step up in production against a defense that is allowing the most passing yards this season.

I’ve said it a few times this season; at TE, it’s literally worth trying anything.

Also I recommend you check the Rob Gronkowski situation as late as you can ahead of TNF. He’s said to be heading in the right direction after the rib injury he picked up in Week Three against the Los Angeles Rams. He might be worth a gamble if you’re struggling, as if he does play it’s unlikely he’ll be given a full workload in his first game back.

Remember the name…

Amon-Ra St.Brown. The Detroit Lions fourth round draft pick this year has led his team in receptions in each of the past two games. St Brown has out-produced fifth-year receiver Kalif Raymond in the absence of Quintez Cephus who could be out for the season with a broken collar bone.

With the Lions winless they’re playing a lot of negative game scripts (meaning more reliance on the passing game) and St Brown is only rostered in 5 per cent of Fantasy leagues, per NFL.com, placing him as a potentially smart pickup. Especially if you’re in a deep league with limited options.

A brief word on…

Just how brilliant has this season been so far? Week Five was a supreme advert for everything we love about this sport. Wild kicking mishaps; the Bengals forcing the Green Bay Packers into overtime; the Bills avenging their AFC Championship loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead; Lamar Jackson carrying the Baltimore Ravens from 22-3 down to the Indianapolis Colts with three minutes to play in the third quarter, to 22 unanswered points and an OT win. WHAT!?

I feel genuinely sorry for people who don’t “get” American football.

— Hannah Wilkes (@hannahjwilkes)

October 10, 2021

I’ll quote my own Twitter post here because a) it’s my column and so I make the rules, and b) the response to it seems I’m not alone in this.

Join Hannah Wilkes and Josh Denzel, with Kay Adams and Will Blackmon, on NFL Overtime, every Thursday at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL.