We are over a month into the fantasy football season, which means we have a solid idea of our teams’ strengths and weaknesses. It’s time to improve our rosters.
Let’s 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.
Note: I have eliminated FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced them with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
Week 6 QB Waiver Wire Targets
Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons (51%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5] The Falcons’ starting QB is slightly over the availability threshold but close enough that he’s worth discussing. Kirk Cousins was legitimately awful in Week 1, so many asked when Michael Penix Jr. would take over. As it turns out, it was Cousins not fully trusting his injured Achilles. Cousins is not done just yet.
Cousins posted 35 fantasy points last week, which is almost impossible for a stationary quarterback. He threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
It’s safe to say that will be Cousins’ best game of the season…and his career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t continue to be useful. As a reminder, Cousins has averaged at least 18 ppg yearly since 2015. He’s consistently finished on the QB1/2 border. There’s no reason to think, with weapons like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Darnell Mooney, that he can’t be that guy again.
With a soft matchup against the Panthers this week, at worst, Cousins is a top streaming option. If he plays well again, you just may be able to hang onto him and start him every week.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (9%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0] We must give Daniel Jones his due. What he accomplished against the Seahawks last week without Malik Nabers was impressive. Jones threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he was more mobile than he’d been all season, carrying the ball 11 times for 38 yards.
Jones has quietly been very useful. He’s scored 18+ fantasy points in three of his last four starts. Jones should get Nabers back this week for a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals have been awful defensively. They allowed Lamar Jackson to throw for 348 yards and four touchdowns against him. Two weeks ago, Jayden Daniels threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns while adding 39 yards and a third score on the ground. Jones is the exact type of QB they have the most trouble with.
Outside of a Week 8 trip to Pittsburgh, Jones has a pretty nice schedule coming up (vs. CIN, at PIT, vs. WAS, at CAR). If your team is floundering at quarterback, Jones might be the solution you never knew you needed.
Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts (7%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0] Joe Flacco started with Anthony Richardson out due to an oblique injury. Reportedly, the Colts are hopeful Richardson will be able to go in Week 6, which would render this pickup moot. But if Richardson can’t go, Flacco is a legitimate streaming option.
Going back to last season, Flacco has been a QB1 every time he’s made a spot start. In Week 5, it was no different. He threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns, scoring 26.5 fantasy points. Grab the old veteran if you need a spot starter.
Week 6 RB Waiver Wire Targets
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings (28%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 8.5] This isn’t a super-high-priority add because the Vikings are on bye next week. But Aaron Jones left the London game with a hip injury. Ty Chandler was the clear lead back, as expected.
He played 46 snaps to Myles Gaskin’s five. If Jones can’t return after the bye, it will be Chandler’s show. He needs to be added to all leagues.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants (23%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 8.0] It is staggering that Tyrone Tracy Jr. is available in this many leagues when we knew he was starting this week. Devin Singletary was playing reasonably well, but he’s a journeyman veteran. Tracy is the black box rookie. We don’t know how good he is. At least, we didn’t. We have a pretty good idea now.
Tracy ran the ball 18 times for 129 yards against the Seahawks. He was pulled on passing downs for Eric Gray, but that’s okay if Tracy is this efficient.
Excellent run here by Tyrone Tracy! So much upside with him, excited to see him get more chances #NYG pic.twitter.com/uuwJe3FZrT
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) October 6, 2024
Singletary is likely to return next week, but I’m not so sure Tracy hasn’t already forced a timeshare. He needs to be rostered because if he takes this job, evidently, he can be a weekly RB2.
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (22%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 7.0] Travis Etienne Jr. was still the lead back for the Jaguars…but he’s not the most talented back on the team. That title belongs to Tank Bigsby, who has outplayed Etienne all season.
TANK BIGSBY STIFF ARMS HIS WAY TO A 65-YARD TD.
📺: #INDvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/oVugPI0X5s— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
Bigsby carried the ball 13 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns while adding a 28-yard reception. He’s unlikely to be this efficient all the time, but two things are clear:
- Bigsby is seeing enough work for standalone RB3 value. He can be an injury/bye-week filler.
- If Etienne ever went down, Bigsby would push RB1 status. At worst, he’s an elite handcuff and needs to be rostered.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (17%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0] No, Blake Corum is not the Rams’ RB1. Nothing happened to Kyren Williams. This isn’t even an urgent move. But this is a savvy move.
Most fantasy managers dropped Corum after barely seeing the field over the first month of the season — completely understandable. He was dropped in many of my deep leagues as well. But it’s time to pick him back up.
Corum only had six touches against the Packers, but he scored 4.3 fantasy points. He is not startable, but he finally played ahead of Ronnie Rivers. His usage convinced me that if Williams goes down, Corum will be the lead back, not Rivers. Williams’ backup needs to be rostered.
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins (8%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0] It appears many fantasy managers gave up on Jaylen Wright following his minimal usage to open the season. It’s hard to blame them.
Raheem Mostert returned this week and was the RB1. But this was Wright’s heaviest usage of the season. He carried the ball 13 times for 86 yards, displaying his explosiveness even while playing in a Tyler Huntley-led offense.
We don’t know how long De’Von Achane will be out. With the Dolphins on bye next week, it’s possible he doesn’t even miss a game. But we don’t have the luxury of waiting to see what happens. Add Wright now and see what things look like when the dust settles.
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans (3%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0] It’s a trio of Texan running backs on the Week 6 waiver wire. Dameon Pierce returned to a limited practice on Friday. Maybe he’s closing in on a return.
Based on the performance of the Texans’ backs in Mixon’s absence, I’m thoroughly convinced Pierce will be the lead back if he is able to go and Mixon is not. And he may be the cheapest of the three to acquire.
Dare Ogunbowale, Houston Texans (1%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0] I have no idea what’s going on with Joe Mixon. Last week, he looked close to returning. This week, he didn’t practice at all and doesn’t appear anywhere near a return. When Mixon is back, Dare Ogunbowale’s value will disappear. But right now, he’s the best back on the Texans.
Ogunbowale carried the ball 15 times for an ineffective 30 yards but caught six passes for 57 yards. Next week’s game against the Patriots does not project as a heavy-Ogunbowale game, but he should see enough volume to be a viable RB3.
Cam Akers, Houston Texans (35%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0] The Texans had seen enough from Cam Akers to know he’s not their best option. When Mixon and Dameon Pierce return, Akers will likely be a healthy inactive. But he did score a nice touchdown. He’s worth mentioning, but I would not be picking him up.
Week 6 WR Waiver Wire Targets
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons (47%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 7.5] Given Darnell Mooney’s usage over the first month of the season, it’s surprising to see him under the 50% threshold. Although he certainly had not only the best game of his season but also the best game of his career, Mooney is the clear WR2 for the Falcons and deserves a spot on more rosters.
Mooney scored 14.6, 17.8, and 31.5 fantasy points in three of his first five games. Those are very usable numbers.
Kirk Cousins will never attempt 58 passes in a single game again. So, Mooney’s 16 targets aren’t exactly a data point based on the total number. It’s the fact that those 16 targets accounted for a 27.5% target share that’s quite appealing. He’s an every-week WR3. Pick him up.
Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys (8%)
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (7%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 7.0] It appears the answer to who will take the Rashee Rice role is old friend JuJu Smith-Schuster. The veteran WR looked completely cooked last season, averaging 5.6 fantasy points per game. Heading into his eighth season, there was no reason to think he had anything left.
At the same time, perhaps part of the problem last year was his knee injury and playing for the Patriots. It’s funny how going from a coach who the game has passed by and Mac Jones to Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes can change things. Also, despite this being his eighth year in the league, somehow, JuJu isn’t even 28 years old yet.
Perhaps there’s still some more meat on the proverbial bone. Based on what we saw Monday night, it appears there is.
Smith-Schuster led the game with seven receptions for 130 yards. He only played 67% of the snaps, but that’s always been a thing in Reid’s offenses. The most important fact is the 29 routes. Mahomes attempted 39 passes. A 74% route participation rate is not bad.
Likely, Smith-Schuster doesn’t have a game this good again. But Mahomes needs someone reliable other than Travis Kelce. Xavier Worthy’s role is not going to change. Even though the Chiefs are on bye this week, JuJu is worth a speculative add on the chance he can be a weekly WR3, just like he was during his last stint with the Chiefs two years ago.
[Aggressiveness Rating: 7.0] In the absence of Brandin Cooks, Tolbert operated as the clear WR2. He outplayed CeeDee Lamb, catching seven of 10 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown.
This week, things should be much more open in a home date against the Detroit Lions. Dan Campbell’s team poses much more of an offensive threat, creating a better game environment. Dak Prescott can’t throw every pass to Lamb and Jake Ferguson. Tolbert has three games of 13+ fantasy points already.
The Lions entered Week 4, allowing wide receivers the 10th-most fantasy points per game. Expect Prescott and the entire Cowboys offense to perform much better. If Tolbert could be a WR1 against the Steelers, he may be emerging into a viable weekly WR3. He’s not only a great spot start in Week 6, but someone fantasy managers should add to keep.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (40%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 6.0] Josh Downs will be less exciting when Anthony Richardson returns. But he’s clearly good at football and needs to be on more rosters.
Downs was targeted 12 times by Joe Flacco. This is one week after earning nine targets. He caught nine passes for 69 yards. He’s the clear WR2 and has out-targeted Downs since Flacco took over. I’m cautiously optimistic he will be fine even when Richardson returns.
Ray-Ray McCloud, Atlanta Falcons (7%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0] If the Falcons are going to be this pass-heavy, they can sustain three fantasy-relevant WRs. Ray-Ray McCloud is firmly in third behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney. But in a season where fantasy rosters are ravaged by injuries, 6-66 is good here.
McCloud has now hit double-digit fantasy points in two straight games. He’s seen at least seven targets in three games this season. By no means is he a must-add, but he’s worth mentioning for those in dire straits.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants (3%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0] I spot-started Darius Slayton in a deep league where I had five starting players injured or on bye. I certainly did not expect eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown.
This is what Slayton does. Every so often, he pops a big game. I happened to catch it if you didn’t, don’t go point-chasing in this instance.
Slayton’s role was increased due to Malik Nabers not playing. Once Nabers returns, Slayton will return to his WR3 role behind Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson. Feel free to leave Slayton on the waiver wire unless we get word that Nabers will likely miss another game.
Jordan Whittington, Los Angeles Rams (15%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0] For the second straight game, Jordan Whittington hit double-digit fantasy points. He’s now seen 18 targets over the past two weeks. That forces me to include him in the waiver column.
Like Slayton, though, Whittington is not a high-priority pickup. The Rams are on bye next week, and Cooper Kupp is expected back in Week 7, with Puka Nacua not too far behind him.
Additionally, Whittington left the game late in the fourth quarter with an injury. Fantasy managers who add Whittington will need to sit on him for two weeks and likely won’t be able to use him.
Pass.
Week 6 TE Waiver Wire Targets
Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams (28%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0] This was the first time all season Colby Parkinson reached double-digit fantasy points. It may not happen every week, but Parkinson’s role is extremely secure.
What makes Parkinson appealing is his floor. He’s scored 5+ fantasy points in four out of five games this season. That may not seem like much but ask Mark Andrews managers how they’d feel about a guaranteed five points every week.
Parkinson saw 13 targets against the Packers, catching seven for 52 yards. That is perfectly fine at fantasy’s worst position.
With the Rams on bye next week, you don’t have to go overboard trying to grab Parkinson. But if you need a tight end and can afford to hold him, he’s a solid back-end TE1.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (30%)
[Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0] Here are Tyler Conklin’s target totals over the past three weeks: 9, 8, 6. There’s something here. Aaron Rodgers has looked for the veteran tight end frequently.
Conklin has now hit double-digit fantasy points in two of his last three games. At a barren tight-end position, Conklin’s volume and production are certainly something fantasy managers can work with.