We have reached the portion of the fantasy football season where injuries and bye weeks are wreaking havoc on rosters. It’s time to improve our teams. Let’s take a look at the top Week 6 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
I eliminated FAAB recommendations last year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced them with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should pursue the player on a scale of 1-10.
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
Rostered: 39%
It was an afternoon to forget for the New York Giants, who couldn’t stop turning the ball over in an unfortunate loss to the New Orleans Saints. Jaxson Dart made some plays but was mostly underwhelming, throwing for 202 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Yet, amidst what should’ve been a rough week for fantasy, Dart still managed 17.5 fantasy points. How? He ran for 55 yards, marking his second consecutive game with 50+ on the ground.
Dart’s mobility gives him a high weekly floor. If he can limit turnovers, two touchdowns a week should easily get him over 20 fantasy points. He’s a borderline QB1 for the rest of the season.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Mac Jones, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: 4%
Brock Purdy aggravated his turf toe issue last week. He missed last week’s game and is expected to miss more time. In his stead, Mac Jones started and led the San Francisco 49ers to a road upset on a short week with no receivers over division rival Los Angeles Rams.
Jones threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second game in three starts with 20+ fantasy points. In the third start, he still posted a respectable 14.8 points.
If you need a spot starter in Week 6, Jones might be your guy. He gets a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has been a pass funnel this year. The Bucs are also likely to force the 49ers to score points. Hopefully, Jones can get some of his pass catchers back next week, too.
Aggressiveness Rating: Weekly streamer
Michael Carter, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 38%
Michael Carter was telling the truth when he said he was starting. The veteran running back paced the Arizona Cardinals’ backfield. Carter carried the ball 18 times for 51 yards and a touchdown. He also added five receptions for another 22 yards.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon said he would go with a hot hand approach. That didn’t really appear to be the case. Carter was the guy, and every so often, Bam Knight got a drive. He actually punched in a short touchdown himself.
Trey Benson is out at least another 3-5 weeks. Carter is clearly the best fantasy option in this backfield. He needs to be universally rostered.
Aggressiveness Rating: 8.0
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
Rostered: 31%
The New Orleans Saints continue to give Kendre Miller meaningful touches each week. He now has touch counts of 11, 11, and nine over his past three contests.
Miller hasn’t done enough to be usable in fantasy with his touches. However, it is encouraging that he is seeing regular usage. There’s enough here for a desperation start to cover bye weeks and injuries.
Most importantly, if Alvin Kamara were to go down, or perhaps get traded, Miller would undoubtedly be the lead back and see in the ballpark of 15+ touches per game. As we approach the midpoint of the season, players of this type, who are one injury away from being rostered, should be considered.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins, RBs, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered: 0%
If you came here looking for clarity on which Chargers’ backup running back to claim, I take no pleasure in reporting I don’t have an answer for you. The reality is no one does. We simply do not know.
Entering this season, the expectation was that Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman would go with their usual run-heavy approach. That’s always been Harbaugh’s coaching philosophy. Instead, it’s been the opposite.
The Chargers lead the NFL with a 65% neutral game script pass rate. With Hampton out, it’s hard to imagine them deciding that’s too much. If anything, they are likely to lean on Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Keenan Allen even more. Those are their best players, and it wouldn’t make sense to take the ball away from them to give it to Kimani Vidal or Hassan Haskins.
At the same time, the Chargers will call run plays. Someone has to get the ball when they do. Unfortunately, the answer to who it will be is likely “both.”
It’s a very, very small sample size. But after Hampton left the game, Haskins saw six touches and Vidal five. It was a pretty even split. That is what fantasy managers should expect over the next couple of weeks for as long as Hampton is out.
Both Haskins and Vidal are worth waiver claims. We’ve seen a rash of injuries devastate fantasy rosters. We have bye weeks. Fantasy managers need bodies. Both Chargers’ backs are not going to get you zero. But they’re also not likely to hit double-digits unless one of them finds the end zone. Your guess is as good as mine as to who that will be.
Given the fact that Hampton may be out for a lengthy amount of time, it seems very plausible that the Chargers will look outside their current roster for an answer. I would not spend significant waiver capital on either.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Kendrick Bourne, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: 4%
The time to add Kendrick Bourne was probably last week. By no means is Bourne a long-term solution for fantasy managers. He is 30 years old and has never been consistently productive in his career.
Last week, Bourne caught 10 passes for 142 yards. It was the best game of his career and largely a product of circumstance.
The San Francisco 49ers were without George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings. Bourne was the last man standing. It just happened to work out.
Both Pearsall and Jennings are tentatively expected to return this week. If even one returns, Bourne will not be startable.
The value in Bourne is that we now know he can produce if he’s the top receiver. How often will that happen? Given the 49ers’ injury issues, it is likely to happen again. If you have a roster spot available, there are worse players you can stash. But Bourne is not a priority add.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Ryan Flournoy, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Rostered: 0%
Easily the most out-of-nowhere blow-up game of the week, Ryan Flournoy popped off for 114 yards on six receptions. With KaVontae Turpin out, Jalen Tolbert was the presumptive next man up. Instead, Flournoy came out of nowhere to end up as the most productive wide receiver in the game.
When a wide receiver sees nine targets and goes for over 100 yards, fantasy managers take notice. With that said, it’s hard to buy this as real. This was a weird game script where the New York Jets put up absolutely no resistance.
CeeDee Lamb is expected to return in a week or two from his ankle sprain. George Pickens remains the clear top option in the interim. His having only two receptions feels very fluky.
If you want to throw a few bucks at Flournoy, by all means, take the chance. I do not think he is worth it.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered: 47%
At this point, it’s quite clear Josh Downs is never going to be an every-down player. Michael Pittman Jr. is the WR1. Alec Pierce typically serves as the starting Z receiver. With him out due to a concussion, Adonai Mitchell got the first crack at the role. After he was demoted due to his bonehead fumble on a walk-in touchdown last week, Ashton Dulin took over the role.
Downs is still a talented player. He’s produced big games before. But in what was his best game of the season, he caught a mere six passes for 54 yards. Everything was underneath.
There’s really no upside with Downs. He can be useful in the right game environment, but it’s hard to envision him ever having a full game with heavy usage. He played 50% of the snaps against the Colts. Downs is not a priority pickup.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.5
Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Rostered: 46%
Tre Tucker’s 8-145-3 explosion feels so long ago. He’s now alternated double-digit fantasy points with total duds all season. At the very least, if you need to start Tucker, there’s at least the potential for him to produce WR3-caliber numbers.
Tucker had another serviceable outing on Sunday, catching four passes for 62 yards, while adding a nine-yard rush. It’s just going to be very hard for anyone on the Las Vegas Raiders to produce consistently, which is why Geno Smith is playing this poorly.
If you want to add Tucker because you need someone to step in for a game, you can do worse. But he is not someone who needs to be picked up.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Theo Johnson, TE, New York Giants
Rostered: 11%
After Malik Nabers went down, we have a favorite for the top beneficiary. Theo Johnson caught six passes for 33 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnson channeled his inner Jake Ferguson as the ultimate PPR scam. He was inefficient, but effective, which is perfectly fine for fantasy managers.
The rookie played 72% of the snaps and ran a route on 76% of Jaxson Dart’s dropbacks. That is plenty good usage. Johnson can absolutely be started weekly in a post-Nabers Giants offense.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Mason Taylor, TE, New York Jets
Rostered: 13%
Last week, Mason Taylor showed signs of breaking out. This week, he fully broke out.
The New York Jets’ rookie tight end caught nine of 12 targets for 67 yards. He also tacked on a two-point conversion.
Taylor benefited from extreme negative game script and the Dallas Cowboys’ playing soft coverage in the second half. But he played 84% of the snaps and ran a route on 83% of Justin Fields’ dropbacks. The Jets’ TE1 job is his, and he should only get better as the season progresses.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
A.J. Barner, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered: 2%
Rookie Elijah Arroyo is not threatening A.J. Barner. This is his job. Barner has now hit double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four contests. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught all seven of his targets for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
This will almost certainly go down as his best game of the season. But more importantly, Sam Darnold is playing exceptionally well, his backbreaking game-losing interception notwithstanding. The only sure thing in this passing game is Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
There are a lot of tight ends worth adding this week. If you get locked out on the superior options, Barner is a fine backup plan.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 48%
Fantasy managers finally give up on Evan Engram, so, of course, he scores a touchdown. But that’s all it was. Evan Engram remains a non-factor in the Denver Broncos’ offense.
He did set season highs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Engram caught four passes for 33 yards and his first score. Had he not found the end zone, no one would have even considered him as a waiver wire pickup.
Engram is still not running nearly enough routes. Do not add him.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
