If there is one trend that always holds, it is that the Pittsburgh Steelers know how to scout and find wide receiver talent. We saw that again on Sunday with Chase Claypool’s massive performance that shot him into arguably the top spot in fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 6. While we can’t expect four touchdowns every week, can we expect Claypool to maintain this momentum while in a crowed Steelers receiver room?
Chase Claypool’s Week 5 performance was one for the record books
On Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers second-round pick Chase Claypool showed off his unreal skillset while dominating the in-state rival Philadelphia Eagles to the tune of four total TDs (three receiving) and seven catches for 110 yards. He should have had five touchdowns because one was called back on one of the softest offensive pass interference calls I have seen all year.
Claypool did not enter the game expecting to have a large workload.
“I thought I was going have a smaller role for the game,” Claypool said after Pittsburgh’s win. “But when Dionate went down, I knew I had to step up for the time being, and luckily I was able to do that.”
Claypool got into the scoring column early via the rushing game when he went in motion and took a handoff from the Eagles’ 2-yard line on a sweep. It says something where the team is just as comfortable using him in a crucial spot on the field rather than RB James Conner. However, Claypool’s 6’4″, 238-pound frame gives that confidence as he has a size advantage against nearly anyone he comes up against on the field.
Longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows just how special that Claypool is and what he can bring to the team.
“He’s talented,” Roethlisberger said of Claypool, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “He has got some God-given abilities that not many people in this world have. He’s big, fast and strong, and he’s very, very smart. So we’re able to do those things like move him around and do some things with him. That last touchdown is a perfect example. Changed the play, and he makes it happen. I just have to give him a little bit of a cue, and it’s awesome.”
On Sunday, Claypool became the first rookie to have four touchdowns in a game since Reggie Bush in 2006. He was also the first Steeler to have four scores since Roy Jefferson in 1968. Given the vast amount of Hall of Famers in the franchise’s history, that is an incredible feat.
While we can’t sit here and realistically expect him to have multi-touchdown games every week, there is no reason to think the Steelers will want to reduce his workload. Because of this and their trust in Claypool, he needs to be targeted on the waiver wire in Week 6. If you miss out on him this week, it’s likely that you won’t get another chance this season, unless you trade for him.
Is Chase Claypool worth the top waiver wire spot?
Absolutely, Chase Claypool in Week 6 should be your top waiver wire target, and this is not just coming from a biased Steelers fan.
We don’t know right now how long Diontae Johnson will miss time dealing with his back injury that took him out of the game. JuJu Smith-Schuster has been disappointing given the expectations many have placed on him, especially because we know how good he can be or at least what he showed in previous seasons.
Featured | Chase Claypool can provide instant value for Steelers in 2020
Claypool entered the season in a competition with former Oklahoma State WR James Washington, and due to the offseason’s turmoil, Washington had the upper-hand. We have to wonder if Sunday’s blowup game came from him finally getting up to speed in the NFL and learning his craft. We are starting to see more rookies playing well that started slow, which has to be considered. Maybe Claypool has now caught up to speed with his other draftmates and will now be another focal point of an explosive Steelers’ offense.
Claypool was rostered in only 12.8% of leagues, which makes sense given he had only seen nine targets entering the week. I expect Chase Claypool to see at least five to six targets each game and even a few carries, which makes him a must target in waiver wires for Week 6. He will likely carry flex value with high-upside moving forward in fantasy rankings.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.