Week 5 is over, and so is Jamaal Charles’ season. Unfortunately, owners of the perennial Pro Bowler will have to look for a replacement and the waiver wire is the likely spot. Of course not all of us will be able to snag the Chiefs’ new starter, so we’ll also need to know who else is worthy of picking up.

To help with that, our featured experts have ranked the top waiver options that are readily available (based on Yahoo ownership). We’ve also asked them to tell us which running back in the Chiefs backfield should be picked up and what other players they like as a waiver claim.

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Featured Pros

Mike Tagliere – Pro Football Focus

Ken Zalis – Pressbox

Eric Moody – FFLockerRoom

Joe Bond – Fantasy Six Pack

Waiver Wire Rankings (Standard Scoring)

Week 6 Waiver Wire Advice

Each expert was asked to share the reasoning behind their waiver rankings as well as who they like as Jamaal Charles‘ replacement. Here’s what the experts had to say.

Q1: Which Kansas City RB should fantasy owners target first and at what % of their free-agent acquisition budgets (FAAB)?

Mike Tagliere – Pro Football Focus

“Charcandrick West is the man in Kansas City, with Jamaal Charles being out for the year. While some may immediately think that Knile Davis is the one to grab, West out-snapped him 18 to 4 after Charles went down against the Bears. Davis didn’t see the field at all in Week 4, and didn’t play any snaps in Week 5 until Charles went down. Andy Reid coached teams have finished in the top eight in rushing touchdowns five of the last six years, and they’ve been in the top eight in terms of yards per carry all six of those years. West will see the volume and is worth 50 percent of your FAAB. You don’t stumble upon a workhorse on waivers very often, and West is just that.”

Ken Zalis – Pressbox

“I am treating West like C.J. Anderson last year. What would you have paid to get C.J. knowing what you know now? I will go up to 60% of my FAAB. West has shown glimpses of what he can do this year and has surpassed Davis on the depth chart, live for today and make sure you get him. (Side note, I’d get Davis if he is there as well, just in case)”

Eric Moody – FFLockerRoom

“Fantasy owners should target Charcandrick West on waivers this week. Jason Cole, of Bleacher Report, mentioned that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid prefers West to Knile Davis. West has the potential to be a season changer for owners. I would be willing to commit anywhere from 35 to 50 percent of my FAAB budget to land him.”

Joe Bond – Fantasy Six Pack

“Charcandrick West is the running back you want and I would spend a little more than half to three-quarters of my FAAB to get him. With how bad running backs have been to this point of the season, getting a guy who legitimately could get 15-20 touches a game is huge.”

Q2: Give us your thoughts on another waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

Mike Tagliere – Pro Football Focus

“Outside of grabbing Charcandrick West, Brandon LaFell is someone that needs to be picked up off waivers this week. While he has another week on the PUP, him returning to an offense that is scoring over 37 points a game will demand a lot of your FAAB if you wait that extra week. People seem to forget that LaFell didn’t become a full time player in 2014 until Week 3, and from that point forward, he outscored Julian Edelman in fantasy points, 138-103. ”

Ken Zalis – Pressbox

“The Ravens for the past two weeks have run the ball well. With Justin Forsett going down with an ankle injury, Javorius Allen is a must pick up this week. He has great hands and should be the lead back should Forsett miss significant time.”

Eric Moody – FFLockerRoom

“Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson is another under the radar running back. He needs to be rostered in 12 and 14 team PPR leagues. Thompson has had five or more catches in two out of three of the last games. He played 56% of the snaps through five games and is clearly the Redskins’ third-down back.”

Joe Bond – Fantasy Six Pack

“I really like Willie Snead. Snead has arguably been the best receiver for this team over the last two weeks, totaling 12 catches and 230 yards (both more than Brandin Cooks).”

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Thanks to the experts for ranking their top waiver pickups for Week 6. For more advice from them, please follow them on Twitter.

