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Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickup: RB Antone Smith

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By @WaltYeboah

RB Antone Smith Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

With three different running backs on the Atlanta Falcons ahead of Antone Smith in regards to total touches, one has to wonder — what on earth is the matter with the Falcons?

Coach Mike Smith, please help us out. At this rate, how are we supposed to use any of your RBs in our fantasy football leagues? Let me give you some pointers, coach Smith. In today’s NFL, most teams only use two RBs to share the load in the backfield — a between-the-tackles type and a pass-catching type, especially if the former can’t catch the ball well.

However, Smith has shown his ability to dominate both tasks on the ground and in the air with his Tecmo Super Bowl-like averages of 11 yards per carry and 26 yards per catch. So why isn’t he dominating the touches?

Currently, Smith is behind veteran RB Steven Jackson (63), Jacquizz Rodgers (19) and Devonta Freeman (19) in carries, since he’s only been handed off the ball 11 times through the first five games. However, Smith is second on his team behind Jackson in rushing yards with 121 to Jackson’s 238. Furthermore, Jackson is by no means thriving as the lead RB, with a lackluster average of 3.8 yards per carry and only two total touchdowns to his name thus far.

Smith, on the other hand, has scored four TDs, and they’ve all come in electrifying fashion. He’s averaged 16.29 yards per touch and 52.5 yards per score. The guy is the quintessential example of a “home run hitter” in the NFL, and if used regularly, he would definitely boost the Falcons’ running game, which is pretty mediocre at the moment (17th in NFL).

In the summer, Jackson and Freeman were the Falcons’ featured RBs on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” but Smith has proved that he’s actually the star RB on the team with his phenomenal play. Hopefully, coach Smith will soon realize that the crown jewel on his team who bears his own namesake needs to get the bulk of the backfield touches … so that fantasy owners who snatch Smith off the waiver wire in Week 6 can reap the benefits of their aggressive move.

I believe that more touches for Smith is the inevitable offensive adjustment that the Falcons will have to make in the very near future. Claim him off waivers this week, or you might be giving yourself a hard knock on your own head if he takes over the lead role as the Falcons’ RB1 possibly as early as Sunday’s contest against the Chicago Bears.

Walton Yeboah-Amoako is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @WaltYeboah, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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