Week five of the 2011 NFL season has come to a close and the time has come to scour your fantasy football league's waiver to get some week six bye-week fill-ins. Week six will see the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans all taking the week off. That leaves a variety of talented players sitting on the sideline as your league is just starting to heat up.
The Oakland Raiders are off to a solid 3-2 start this season and their performance has raised the potential fantasy value of several players. We know guys like Darren McFadden and Sebastian Janikowski have been scooped up. You'll be looking for lesser talents on the waiver wire hoping to find a diamond in the rough.
Arguably the most intriguing such diamond could be wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. The Raiders receiver struggled through the first couple seasons of his NFL career, but over his last two games he has come on strong, hauling in a combined eleven passes for 214 yards and a touchdown. He still has some issues with drops, but unless you lose points for drops, he is doing enough on offense to remain an intriguing option if you need a wide receiver this week.
The Raiders defense could also be a solid pickup as they host a questionable Cleveland Browns squad. The Browns are a pretty decent team, but they remain somewhat offensively challenged. If you need a defense this weekend, you could see a solid showing from the Raiders.