Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups: Gardner Minshew, Roschon Johnson, K.J. Osborn

Injuries are piling up in the NFL after the first five games of the season. Popular fantasy football waiver wire pickups heading into Week 6 include quarterback Gardner Minshew (Indianapolis Colts), rookie running back, Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears), tight end Logan Thomas (Washington Commanders), and wide receiver K.J. Osborn (Minnesota Vikings).

Colts QB Gardner Minshew
Indianapolis Colt backup quarterback Gardener Minshew, seen here throwing a pass against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, will start in Week 6 and replace injured quarterback Anthony Richardson. (Image: USA Today Sports)

Rookie running back Emari Demercado (Arizona Cardinals) could be worthy of a waiver wire pickup because starter James Conner is expected to miss several weeks with a knee injury.

Keep a close eye on the status of New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who sustained a neck injury this weekend. If Jones doesn’t play in Week 6, the Giants will start backup Tyrod Tayor.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams returned to the lineup in Week 5 after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Williams had a quiet return to action with just two catches on three targets. He’s expected to play a bigger role in upcoming weeks, especially with WR #1 Amnon St. Brown nursing an abdomen injury.

Gardner Minshew (QB, Colts)

Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson exited three games this season with injuries. Most recently, he went down in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans with a shoulder injury, and he’s expected to miss several weeks with a sprained AC joint on his throwing arm.

Gardner Minshew came off the bench three times already this season to finish games for the Colts. He also started one game when Richardson had a concussion. He completed 68.7% of his passes this season for 533 yards and two touchdowns. He’s 1-0 as a starter in 2023 and led the Colts to a road upset against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

Minshew started 25 games in his career but only has a 9-16 record as a starter.

Minshew started 20 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first two seasons in the NFL. He gets a chance to play against his former team in Week 6 and get revenge on the squad that traded him before the 2021 season began.

Roschon Johnson (RB, Bears)

The Bears lost running back Khalil Herbert to a high ankle sprain in a Week 5 victory over the Washington Commanders. Even if Herbert doesn’t land on the IR (four-week minimum stint), he’s expected to miss multiple weeks.

Rookie running back Roschon Johnson has a chance to see more touches in upcoming weeks. The Bears selected Johnson with a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas, where he was a capable backup behind Bijan Robinson.

Johnson exited “Thursday Night Football” with a head injury, but he’s expected to clear concussion protocol with extra rest time heading into Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Robinson has 122 rushing yards and one touchdown. He also added 58 receiving yards this season on 11 receptions.

Veteran D’Onta Foreman is also on the roster, but he saw minimal playing time in the first five games. Foreman has only five carries and two receptions this season, but should be elevated to backup running back behind Johnson.

Logan Thomas (TE, Commanders)

If you need a tight end, then Logan Thomas has seen a gradual increase in production. Eric Bieniemy joined the Commanders this season as their new offensive coordinator, and the Commanders should be familiar with the playbook after five games. Bienemy, the former OC of the Kansas City Chiefs, historically places a big emphasis on tight ends in his offense.

Thomas had his best performance of the season in a blowout loss against the Bears in Week 5. He caught nine passes for 77 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Sam Howell targeted Logan 11 times last week.

The Commanders play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. Opposing tight ends fared well against the Falcons this season. The Falcons are ranked in the bottom five teams in points allowed to tight ends in 2023.

K.J. Osborn (WR, Vikings)

The Vikings sent superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson to the IR after he sustained a hamstring injury in Week 5. That means rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison will have a huge uptick in targets from Kirk Cousins.

The Vikings used Osborn as a third option this season. He’s poised to have a breakout week after seeing only five total targets in Week 2 and Week 3. When Jefferson exited Sunday’s game, Osborn stepped up with five catches for 49 yards.

Osborn, a third-year wide receiver from Miami, has 13 receptions this season with 166 yards and two touchdowns. He averages 12.8 yards per catch. In his first two seasons in Minnesota, Osborn caught 115 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns as WR #3 on the team.

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Las Vegas Culinary Union to Picket Caesars, MGM Casinos This Week

Culinary Local 226, the union representing 53,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas, has inched closer to a possible Strip-choking strike. On Monday, it called for thousands to picket in front of eight casino resorts to pressure their owners to negotiate a deal for a new five-year contract.

The two-hour “informational” picket lines are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12 in front of Park MGM, Paris Las Vegas, and The Linq. Picketers are then expected to fan out to the sidewalks in front of Harrah’s, Flamingo, Horseshoe, Planet Hollywood, and New York-New York.

The last time the Culinary Union went on strike in Las Vegas was in 1984. (Image: Courtesy Culinary Union Local 226)

Instead of walking off the job, workers will join the picket lines before or after their shifts, according to a media release from Local 226, which asks all members of the public to “stand in solidarity with workers by not eating, meeting, or staying in a casino resort during an active picket line.”

The last time Culinary went on strike was in 1984. More than 17,000 union workers walked off the job alongside three other unions in what Local 226 called “one of the largest strikes in Las Vegas history.” Workers picketed for 67 days.

‘Disappointing’ Negotiations

Negotiations are ongoing between the union and the three largest Strip employers — MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts. However, Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the union, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday that the progress made so far is “very disappointing.”

No strike deadline has yet been set. However, late last month, the unions announced that 95% of its Las Vegas restaurant and hotel workers voted to authorize a strike as their contracts expired. About 40,000 union members now work under expired contracts, according to the union, and they would be the first picket if a strike were called.

“There is now an active labor dispute with 18 casino properties across the Las Vegas Strip,” the union’s press release said, indicating that it can call a strike at “any date or time.”

The union is singling out MGM and Caesars properties first because it demands new language in its contracts’ no-strike clauses that allows the union to strike against non-union restaurants on union properties. This is not an issue at Wynn.

Other key proposals include substantial wage and benefit increases, expanded safety and technology language, and reduced workload for guest room attendants.

 

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Questionable MGM Hack Fraud Claims Spread as Lawyers Troll for Victims

On Oct. 5, MGM Resorts International revealed that hackers were able to access the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and driver’s license and passport numbers, from “some customers who transacted with us prior to March 2019.”

Digital security watchdogs have now identified the hackers behind the MGM and recent Caesars cyber attacks as the groups’ Scattered Spider, Muddled Libra, and UNC3944. (Image: iStock/Getty)

However, according to a letter sent to customers by company CEO Bill Hornbuckle, the company has “no evidence that the criminal actors have used this data to commit identity theft or account fraud” and “does not believe customer passwords, bank account numbers, or payment card information” were leaked.

This contradicted a claim that widely circulated on social media two days earlier. A statement, purportedly posted by a Pat Ellis to the MGM Rewards Facebook group, claimed that “the hackers have now begun draining the BetMGM accounts and access your tax documents.”

The claim continued: “My balance was wiped out in front of my eyes, the phone number was changed to the hackers’ number, and the money was sent to an unknown Visa card.”

The poster claimed to have been informed by MGM “that they will not do anything to assist in the recovery of any funds or information regarding the thieves.”

Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Casino.org joined the MGM Rewards Facebook group on Oct. 4 and attempted to locate the post, but it did not exist. If the post had been published there, it was probably deleted by a group administrator. However, this is not evidence of the claim’s validity. Casino.org searched for and found no similar claims before we were banned from the group within 10 minutes of posting a solicitation for other claims.

Claims are widespread from social media users complaining that they can’t access their BetMGM accounts, but Casino.org identified only five similar claims of theft and fraud. Attempts were made to contact all these claimants, but none responded to our requests for an interview by late Friday.

Though this does not prove that the claims are all false, it supports MGM’s story and strongly suggests that these alleged victims may be scammers themselves.

Lawyers Gonna Lawyer

Whether these claims are true or not, one thing is for certain: Attorneys will use almost any opportunity to troll for plaintiffs.

According to Wall Street Journal sources, MGM expects its third-quarter earnings to be down $100 million due to its Sept. 10 ransomware attack, which the casino giant chose not to pay. Caesars Entertainment admitted suffering a similar attack sometime before Sept. 7 that it did pay — reportedly to the tune of $15 million.

The L.A.-based law firm of J&Y, run by attorneys Jason Javaheri and Yosef Yahoudai, posted this advertisement on Facebook. (Image: Casino.org screengrab via Facebook)

Up to nine lawsuits have already been filed by customers of the two casino giants. But none of the suits demands compensation from MGM and Caesars for acts of fraud or theft already suffered.

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Casino Crime Roundup: Rapid City Casino Robbed at Knifepoint

Rapid City, S.D. police officers are continuing to search for the knife-wielding bandit who robbed a local gaming property on Wednesday.

Sign for 777 Casino in Rapid City
A sign for 777 Casino in Rapid City. The South Dakota casino was robbed once again. (Image: KNBN)

The brazen holdup took place at 777 Casino on West Main Street at about 8 a.m., according to Rapid City TV station KNBN.

The sole robber ordered a casino employee to turn over money. The worker gave him the cash and the suspect fled.

The suspect was believed to be Hispanic or Native American and about 5’4″ tall. He was wearing a red, white, and blue mask, a grey sweatshirt, and dark pants.

Police didn’t reveal how much money was stolen and no one was injured during the robbery.

Late this week, police have yet to identify a suspect

The same casino has been previously robbed, including one holdup that took place last Christmas Eve. That suspect fled with an undetermined amount of cash.

Shooting Near Oklahoma Casino

A fight between brothers led to shots being fired outside of the Gold Mountain Casino in Ardmore, Okla. on Tuesday morning.

Ten officers from the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department responded to the Oklahoma crime scene, according to Texas TV station KXII.

No one was injured during the struggle and confrontation.

An unnamed suspect was apprehended by police, who also seized a firearm.

A nearby educational institution, Southern Tech, was placed in lockdown while the incident unfolded. The casino apparently remained open during the incident.

Illegal Gambling Leads to Five Arrests

Five suspects were arraigned in court recently after numerous gaming machines were seized during raids of storefront operations last year in Michigan.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) revealed the arrests after investigations into activities at The State Road Spot in Davison, Mich., and The Bristol Spot in Burton, Mich. Both are located in Genesee County.

Authorities seized 100 illegal gambling devices during the raids. Also seized was more than $29K in cash and 62 gift cards.

The Davison gambling den had 65 gaming devices, including 54 computer towers and 11 gambling machines. The Burton gambling den had 23 computer towers along with 12 gambling machines and other devices.

The raids both took place on April 27, 2022

Two suspects, Joseph Toporek and Mary Larkin, each are facing eight charges. They include:

  • Three counts of running a gambling operation without a license
  • Three counts of using computers to commit a crime
  • Maintaining a gambling house for gain
  • Keeping a gambling house

The other suspects, Shaun Bellah Sr., Shaun Bellah II, and Ghazwan Brikho, are each facing 10 charges, including:

  • Five counts of conducting a criminal enterprise
  • Conspiracy to conduct a criminal enterprise
  • Running a gambling operation without a license
  • Using computers to commit a crime
  • Maintaining a gambling house for gain
  • Keeping a gambling house

Each of the suspects was arraigned during August and September in Genesee County District Court. The suspects were released from custody on personal recognizance bonds.

The investigation was launched after the MGCB received a tip about illegal activity going on in Burton. Officials learned about gambling going on in the second location as part of the continuing investigation.

Accountability is crucial when it comes to upholding justice and ensuring a fair and honest gaming environment in the state of Michigan,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said in a recent statement.

“While the Michigan Gaming Control Board will continue to hold those who choose to circumvent the law accountable for their actions, we also acknowledge the importance of fairness, equality, and the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.”

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Hacksaw Gaming Strengthens Position in Italian Market through Partnership with NetBet Italy

Hacksaw Gaming partnered with NetBet Italy. Two renowned companies signed a content agreement that will allow the popular online casino games supplier to expand across the Italian market.

Strengthening position

hacksaw-gaming-strikes-content-agreement-with-netbet-italyThe impressive Hacksaw Gaming portfolio will be available through the Italian operator. Among others, the offering will see some of the most popular Hacksaw’s slot releases, such as Wanted Dead or a Wild, Hand of Anubis, Gladiator Legends, and Tosh Video Club, as well as other hit games such as Dare2Win gamesMines, Coins, and Boxes. But this is only the beginning, and it’s expected that more provider’s games will be launched in the Italian market soon as the partnership strengthens and develops.

This partnership strengthens Hacksaw’s position in the Italian market since NetBet Italy is the eleventh company. Earlier this year, the company got full regulatory approval to expand in this key European market.

As European Gaming reports, Marcus Cordes, Hacksaw Gaming CEO, said: “This significant announcement demonstrates our commitment to expanding our business across regulated markets, and in particular in Italy, which continues to grow at lightspeed. Furthermore, we’re constantly looking to team up with industry players of the highest pedigree. Netbet.IT is yet another household name that needs no introduction – an operator that shares our passion for excellence and delivering market-leading products and services.”

Claudia Georgevici, NetBet Italy’s PR Manager, added: “We are thrilled to join forces with Hacksaw. Their commitment to excellence and their portfolio of exciting games perfectly aligns with our goal of providing our players with the best entertainment environment.”

Successful companies

Hacksaw Gaming was founded in Malta, where its main headquarters remained. However, the company rapidly expanded through all key European markets, including the UK, Greece, Italy, and the Isle of Man. It possesses the licenses for all of these markets.

On the other hand, NetBet Italy is a leading operator in the country. It offers a wide range of casino games, including slots, betting, live betting, casino, and live casino offerings. The company was founded in 2008, and its portfolio currently includes more than 1,000 thrilling slot releases.

The company has incredible customer support, which can be reached via email, website, or phone, and they’ll be able to help in no time. On top of that, the company has a very strict, responsible gaming policy, always keeping the safety and security of its players in mind, so the customers are protected all the time while using NetBet Italy’s services and enjoy the range of thrilling casino games.

Source: Miller, George. “Hacksaw Gaming Strikes Content Agreement with NetBet Italy”. European Gaming. October 3, 2023.

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