The quickest way to fall behind in a fantasy football league is to become complacent and rely on the team you drafted, neglecting the all-important waiver wire. As managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 6, hoping to strengthen their roster, should Denver Broncos RB Mike Boone be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. Los Angeles?
Mike Boone Showed Signs of Promise in an Otherwise Boring Game in Week 5
Injuries are an unfortunate side effect of playing a violent game. At the same time, they do create new opportunities. Following the season-ending injury to running back Javonte Williams, Boone stepped up to help carry the load, working in tandem with veteran Melvin Gordon III.
But on a night where the offenses looked at times like JV football teams, it wound up a disappointing result. Boone finished second in snaps to Gordon, playing on 41% of the snaps to Gordon’s 56%.
That isn’t overly surprising as there is no longer a 1A/1B situation in Denver, more like a 1A/1C, as Ian Wharton put it on the Run The Table podcast. Boone rushed seven times for 38 yards last Thursday, adding three receptions on as many targets for 47 yards as well, bringing his total fantasy points to 11.5 PPR.
Gordon dominated the touches in the first quarter, but Boone consistently played on third downs, leading Gordon eight to four. Yer, something very noticeable said everything about how Denver views its backfield.
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In a one-score game, where points were nearly impossible to come by, Denver wasn’t feeding the ball to Gordon. They were giving it to Boone. The reason? Denver couldn’t afford a fumble, and Gordon hasn’t fixed the fumbling woes that have plagued him in recent years.
Boone showed some real burst in the fourth quarter and nearly had a few explosive plays, which if he could have broken a tackle or two could have ended it. It was a promising performance. While I did advise managers not to start Boone last week, his so-so day compared to the rest of the league has extended the waiver wire window into Week 6, giving fantasy managers another opportunity if they want to take a shot on the potential RB2 in Denver.
Is Mike Boone Worth Targeting Off the Waiver Wire Ahead of Week 6 Fantasy Matchups?
To me, Week 6 is more like Week 4 in terms of the waiver wire. There are big names available who could alter your fantasy team’s trajectory. In Week 4, that was Khalil Herbert and Jamaal Williams. Last week, Boone was probably the top RB, but there was a significant step down to him.
We shoot back to the moon in Week 6 as the top waiver wire claim of the year is available in Kenneth Walker III. He should be the focus of every single fantasy manager. I’m spending whatever it takes on K9 after Seattle lost Rashaad Penny (broken tibia) for the season.
With that said, Boone would be a solid consolation prize assuming Denver gets its act together on offense. Russell Wilson’s arm is allegedly acting up, which certainly seems like interesting timing, and for all the fantasy assets in Denver to reach full value, the situation has to improve compared to what we’ve seen through five weeks.
Boone will have additional competition this week. Due to the timing of the signing, Latavius Murray missed last week’s game, having joined the team the night before and recording 11 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown with New Orleans just a few days prior. And for as solid as Boone looked at times last week, he certainly didn’t lock the job up.
Ideally, the only RB I’d want to have on my roster is Gordon because I know what his role is and how much Denver values him. I’m less certain of Boone and Murray. Of the two, I would prioritize Boone, who is rostered in 26.8% of leagues.
Additionally, keep Murray on the shortlist of potential sleepers for the week and someone who would be available in more leagues (11.1% rostered). Given Denver’s offensive issues, whichever running back gets hot first might just steal the show. We just have to make an educated guess on who that might be when Monday night against the Chargers finally rolls around.