Week 6 Fantasy Football Market Share Report: Mike Gesicki Is Getting Money Targets

When speaking of depth, we often speak of next man up or extra options at running back, wide receiver and maybe even tight end. But as the chips keep falling, starter after starter keep leaving us stranded, and our options and tug-of-war at the waiver wire get more complicated and difficult to navigate.

This week we explore a couple options who might be best considered the guy behind the guy behind the guy types, as well as some, quietly interesting options we may have balked at earlier in the season.

Rushing Market Shares

JaMycal Hasty, 49ers

Raheem Mostert is out again, and it looks like JaMycal Hasty needs to be on our radar this time.

In Week 6, Hasty totaled 9 carries for 37 yards and also saw 1 target, giving us a glimpse of potential steal as Mostert recovers from a high-ankle sprain.

Hasty had the second-most rushing attempts of San Francisco running backs behind Mostert, getting more carries than Jerick McKinnon (six). Hasty's 28 percent rushing market share makes him an intriguing waiver stash who should see more work going forward with Tevin Coleman also out.

Devonta Freeman, Giants

Devonta Freeman is not a splashy addition to your fantasy team, but I think it's time we forget about splashy or flashy. As we continue to lose starters across the board, a stat line of 18 carries for 61 yards with 1 reception on 2 targets has to get our attention.

Freeman handled 100 percent of the running back rushing attempts for New York Giants in Week 6, and coming up for Freeman is a clash with the massively hobbled Philadelphia Eagles this week. Freeman is certainly a startable option based on volume.

Receiving Market Shares

Deebo Samuel, 49ers

Deebo Samuel had 6 receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in Week 6. His six targets were second to George Kittle. No one else had more than three.

His line continues his upward trend of usage in the San Francisco 49ers' offense, building upon his Week 5 line of 2 receptions for 19 yards on 8 targets. The Week 5 inefficiency might mean very little as Jimmy Garoppolo slowly re-acclimated himself to quarterbacking in that game and missed about anyone who moved.

Samuel has eased his way back to game action and is worth acquiring before he has a blowup game. Samuel's 19 percent target share is sure to rise as the season progresses.

Marcus Johnson, Colts

Marcus Johnson became the unlikely Week 6 hero of the Indianapolis Colts' passing game, getting 8 targets and leading the team with 108 yards on 5 receptions. Johnson's output is exciting considering he was targeted only 3 times last week, when he hit for 3 receptions and 53 yards.

This week's 19 percent target share makes a case for a waiver add and stash as we continue to see what this Colts offense turns out to be. We should approach this with some caution, though, since Philip Rivers won't be chucking it 44 times very often. But with Indy in need of perimeter playmakers, Johnson may have carved out a role for himself.

Red Zone Market Shares

James Conner, Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers' juggernaut of an offense has proved that a healthy Ben Roethlisberger and James Conner can give the team fantasy gold.

Early in the season, the chatter was which back would take Conner's job. But now, operating as the main artery of the offense and a dominant red zone presence, Conner can be counted on to produce where we need him the most -- the red zone.

Through Week 6, Conner has 14 red zone rushes for 45 yards and 4 touchdowns while handling 46 percent of the red zone work. He's got six carries from inside the five, tied for the seventh-most among all backs. He's scored on three of those carries.

Conner is looking like a high-end RB2, at worst, for the rest of the season.

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins

After see 8 red zone looks and 25 percent of the Miami Dolphins' red zone receiving work, Mike Gesicki will be looking to capitalize even more as the team makes the switch to first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa after their Week 7 bye.

Gesicki is seventh among all players in red zone targets, and if that usage holds up, he'll be due for some positive regression in the scoring department as he's got just two touchdowns. He's also seen the second-most air yards at the tight end position, so Gesicki is getting the money volume -- deep throws and red zone looks.

Time will tell if Tua is an upgrade on Ryan Fitzpatrick or if he targets Gesicki the same way Fitz was, but at a shallow position, Gesicki offers legit upside due to the kind of targets he's seeing.