NFL Barometer: High on Hyde

With the bye-week gauntlet now in full swing, many fantasy teams will have their roster depth tested. In addition, trades and waiver-wire additions take on a greater significance than ever as teams try to get on a winning streak while using a number of bench players in weekly lineups. This week's edition has a number of players who could be available on waivers, and other players that fantasy owners might consider dropping to help keep rosters fine-tuned.

RISING

Carlos Hyde, RB, SF

Going into the season, Hyde appeared to be little more than a two-down thumper playing on a team that was projected to face many negative game scripts. He also wasn't expected to see much goal-line work in an offense that wasn't supposed to sustain many long drives. But he's been an excellent fantasy option through five games, as he's yet to have seen fewer than 16 touches in any game. His volume has made him one of the more reliable running backs in fantasy. His only "bad" performance was when he had 52 total yards against the Panthers. Otherwise, Hyde has posted at least 79 yards and a touchdown in each of his other four contests. Fantasy owners who are deep at wide receiver might consider trading some depth to acquire him.

Cameron Meredith, WR, CHI

Once Kevin White left the Week 4 contest with a leg injury, Meredith took over and caught four passes for 28 yards, sliding right into White's offensive role without issue. Despite facing a terrible Colts' pass defense, he took full advantage of his opportunity as a starter by posting 130 receiving yards and a touchdown. It clearly benefited him that quarterback Brian Hoyer didn't look to force-feed the football to any of his established veteran targets, which put Meredith in an excellent position to succeed. It seems unlikely that Hoyer will be headed back to the bench anytime soon, as he's thrown for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns in each of his last three contests, so there could be plenty of production to support multiple receivers in the Bears' offense. It's not reasonable to expect this type of production from Meredith each week, but he's certainly worth a priority waiver claim as a player who could quickly be on the rise.

Sammie Coates, WR, PIT

Believe it or not, the 139-yard, two-touchdown performance that Coates put up against the Jets won't necessarily be earning him accolades when the Steelers watch film this week. Aside from his success, he had a few bad drops that kept him from having an absolutely enormous afternoon. Although it's possible that his inconsistency could "earn" him a reduction in targets, that's not likely to happen, as his blazing speed brings an element to the Steelers offense that they need to deploy against opposing defenses. After being targeted just 12 times over his first three games, he's now had 19 passes thrown his way over the past two weeks, and he's becoming a major factor in the team's passing attack. With opposing defenses scared to death of Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, he'll rarely see defenses attempt to take him away, and all he needs is one big play a week to have fantasy relevance. He's already shown the value of big plays, as he's recorded receptions of at least 41 yards in each game this season. He has to be viewed as a weekly starter.

LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF

With Sammy Watkins out of the lineup, McCoy is the only offensive option that Bills' opponents have to focus on when game planning. Despite the attention he's been receiving, his short-area quickness is back to where it was during his early days in Philadelphia, and his ability to make defenders miss has him set up as an elite fantasy option once again. Even though he's had a brutal schedule to start the season, he's been a big-play machine while posting at least 90 combined yards in each of his last four games while seeing at least 19 touches in each contest. To top things off, he already has four touchdowns on the year, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he finished the year as a top-three running back.

CHECK STATUS

Davante Adams, WR, GB

There's no question that Adams looked like a colossal bust last year, but the ankle injury he suffered early in the season may have had much to do with his lack of efficiency. He's beginning to look like a player on the rise, as it's been evident that Aaron Rodgers is getting more comfortable looking to his young receiver in critical situations, and he already has three touchdowns in four games to start the season. In addition, he's been targeted at least seven times in three different games, and as his confidence grows, it's entirely possible that he'll work his way into the discussion as a consistent starter as a third receiver in fantasy leagues. He's likely on many waiver wires, and he's the type of upside option that should have a place on most fantasy rosters.

Terrelle Pryor, WR, CLE

Just three weeks ago, Pryor set the fantasy world on fire with a huge game as a receiver while he was also racking up numbers as both a runner and passer. However, the Browns are trying to get by with third- and even fourth-string quarterbacks, and Pryor is no longer surprising opposing defenses, and he's posted just 94 receiving yards over the last two weeks, although he did score a touchdown in Week 4. It's possible that his current fantasy owner isn't quite as high on him as he was a couple weeks ago, so it could be a great time to try to acquire him now because Josh McCown and Corey Coleman could both be nearing returns to the lineup, which could create a much better situation for the young receiver.

James White, RB, NE

White has now put together a pair of games with at least four receptions and 62 total yards, and with Tom Brady back at quarterback, the third-year running back is starting to re-emerge as a good option in PPR leagues. In the last five games of 2015, White showed his value in this offense with Brady leading the attack, as he caught 28 passes for 315 yards while scoring five touchdowns. However, the biggest concern about his value is whether Dion Lewis returns in Week 7 or soon after from his knee injury, since that would relegate White to being an afterthought in the offense. That said, it's not a lock that Lewis will come back, so at least for the short-term, White's value iss tentatively on the rise.

Brian Hoyer, QB, CHI

It's entirely possible that the Jay Cutler era in Chicago is coming to a rapid close. Although the veteran quarterback has been sidelined with a thumb injury, Hoyer has now posted three consecutive games with at least 302 yards passing while tossing a pair of touchdowns in each contest, and it would be very difficult to believe that head coach John Fox would be willing to move Hoyer back to the bench. If that's the case, he'll likely settle in as a low-end weekly fantasy starter, as he'll be aided by the fact that the Bears' defense will continue to hemorrhage points, which will force the offense to continue their pass-heavy ways. Hoyer is averaging 43 pass attempts per start, and with Alshon Jeffery and Zach Miller giving him a pair of reliable receiving options, Hoyer is a player who might well be worth using as a matchup option in weekly lineups.

FALLING

Eli Manning, QB, NYG

We all know the narrative that there are "good" and "bad" versions of Eli when it comes to fantasy football, and although the inconsistencies can drive owners crazy, his overall numbers are typically strong enough to make him a strong starting option. Unfortunately, he now has thrown just two touchdown passes over his last four games, and three of those contests came against teams with struggling pass defenses. Sure, some of his production has been a result of bad luck, as he threw for at least 350 yards in games against the Saints and Washington, though he found the end zone just once between those two matchups. For now, it might be worth considering putting him on the bench until he starts finding the end zone little more frequently. For those who believe a big turnaround is on the horizon, he's definitely a player who can be acquired cheaply via trade.

Tajae Sharpe, WR, TEN

The rookie had an outstanding training camp and followed that up with a 76-yard effort in the season opener against the vaunted Vikings' defense. Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since then, as he's caught just 11 passes for 113 yards over his last four contests. To make matters worse, Andre Johnson and Rishard Matthews have become more involved in the offense over the past two weeks while Sharpe has failed to exceed 17 yards in those games. Playing in a conservative offense is one thing, but sharing targets in that type of offense is a killer for fantasy production. He can safely be dropped in all but the deepest of leagues.

Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN

Even though Hill aggravated his chest injury against the Cowboys and left the contest after just four rushing attempts, this downgrade goes beyond that. He's failed to top 3.4 yards per carry in all but one game this year, and unless he's getting into the end zone, he hasn't been effective enough to be a strong fantasy option. In addition, Hill needs volume in order to produce big yardage totals, and he's had more than 17 touches just once this season. He'll still be a starter as a second running back in most fantasy leagues, but his upside is severely limited, as he's averaging just 48 rushing yards per game, and he's been held without a reception in four of his five matchups. Since his overall numbers this year aren't terrible, he's someone who could be flipped to pick up another player in a trade, as Hill could have decent trade value due to his three touchdowns and recent strong outing against the Broncos.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, MIA

Even when Tannehill was throwing for multiple touchdowns and at least 319 yards in matchups against the Patriots and the Browns, he still threw a pair of interceptions in each game. Despite having success in those games, he's been absolutely brutal in his other three contests, as he thrown just a single passing score while failing to surpass 191 yards. He's clearly not progressing under head coach Adam Gase, and although Gase recently said that Tannehill is his quarterback for the rest of the season, the fact that this had to be addressed speaks to the issues with the passing game in Miami. He's little more than an upside option in leagues that start two quarterbacks or a bye week/injury replacement.