Week 6 Waiver Wire – NFL Fantasy Football

DFS Army’s Gthom goes over the waiver wire targets for this week. These waiver wire targets are normally available in 50-percent of ESPN leagues.

Follow Gthom on the cesspool they call X, or Twitter, or whatever it’s called @GarettThomas.

 

QUARTERBACKS

 

Kirk Cousins (ATL) – 45% Ownership

With several key quarterbacks on bye in Week 6, Kirk Cousins stands out as the best streaming option. After an incredible performance where he went 42-of-58 for 509 passing yards and five touchdowns, Cousins needs no introduction.

Meanwhile, the Falcons will face the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed an average of 19.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks—one of the worst marks in the NFL. The Panthers also allowed Caleb Williams to put up 23.5 fantasy points in Week 5, his best fantasy performance of the 2024 season.

Cousins is a clear choice if you need help at the quarterback position in Week 6.

Jared Goff (DET) – 45% Ownership

After being on BYE during Week 5, some managers may have been forced to drop Jared Goff due to his slow start in three of his four games this season. Goff has averaged just 16.5 fantasy points per game, ranking 17th in the NFL, largely thanks to his Week 4 performance against Atlanta. In that game, he finished 18-of-18 for 292 passing yards, two touchdowns and 26.2 fantasy points.

Goff will face a banged-up Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 6, who is coming off an impressive effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5. The Cowboys are allowing an average of 17.7 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, ranking 14th in the NFL.

However, Goff carries some risks: he has only popped-off for one game this season. Another risk is that Dallas has struggled against opposing rushing attacks, which could lead Detroit to rely more on their power football. Additionally, the former top pick of the 2016 NFL Draft has a reputation for underperforming on the road.

Caleb Williams (CHI) – 45% Ownership

After a slow start in his first two weeks, Caleb Williams has improved over the last three games. Most recently, against the Panthers, Williams completed 20-of-29 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, adding 5 carries for 34 yards on the ground. The 2024 first-overall draft pick scored a season-high 23.5 fantasy points.

Williams has now entered the streaming conversation heading into Week 6. The Bears will host the Jaguars, who allow a league-worst 23.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks—a number that jumps to 27.9 points per game over their last three. In Week 5, Joe Flacco managed to throw for 359 yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars.

While Williams isn’t the safest streaming option, he’s a player you can start with some confidence.

 

RUNNING BACKS

 

Tank Bigsby (JAC) – 9.5% Ownership

It’s time to keep Tank Bigsby on rosters for the remainder of the season. He has outperformed starter Travis Etienne in consecutive weeks and currently boasts an elite 8.19 yards-per-carry average on a limited sample size.

Bigsby finished Week 5 against the Colts with 13 carries for 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns, adding one reception for 28 yards on his only target. His highlight play was a 65-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars remain a desperate team, with a desperate coach, starving for wins. While Bigsby may never command the entire backfield, if he takes over early-down work and goal-line duties, his value would increase significantly. Any injuries to his teammate Etienne would also boost his usage.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG) – 18% Ownership

In a spot start on the road, Tracy finished with 18 carries for 129 yards and added 1 reception for 1 yard, good for 14 PPR points. The rookie from Purdue took on the primary workload against the Seahawks thanks to Devin Singletary’s groin injury leading up to the game. If Tracy continues to show this level of efficiency, he has a chance to eat into Singletary’s usage.

Tracy likely becomes the top streaming option if Singletary misses Week 6—though Singletary did get in a limited practice on Friday leading into Week 5. If Singletary returns in any capacity against the Bengals, Tracy cannot be played with confidence.

Trey Sermon (IND) – 50% Ownership

Despite being in a negative game script throughout his Week 5 contest, Sermon led the Colts’ backfield and scored 18.3 PPR points. The former third-round pick finished with 10 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, adding six receptions for 25 yards. Sermon’s involvement in the passing game surprised many fantasy managers, but it suggests that the former Ohio State standout may offer a decent floor if he remains the starter moving forward.

With Jonathan Taylor unable to practice leading into Week 5, there’s a chance he could miss Week 6 as well. If Taylor remains sidelined, Sermon will be a low-end FLEX option against the Titans, who allow 4.2 yards per carry and 20.5 PPR points per game to running backs.

Ty Chandler (MIN) – 35% Ownership

It’s likely that Aaron Jones will return after the Packers’ Week 6 BYE, but if it’s announced that Jones will miss, Chandler needs to be on your roster; the Vikings backup running back would immediately become a plug-and-play RB2, with upside. The challenge for managers is that they’ll need to hold Chandler through his BYE week, and they still might not get the chance to play him if Jones returns.

After Jones left his Week 5 contest, Chandler finished with 14 carries for 30 rushing yards and added nine receiving yards on two catches from two targets. These stats resulted in 5.9 PPR points against a tough New York Jets defense.

If Chandler starts in Week 7, he will face the Detroit Lions, who are stifling opposing running backs. They allow just 17.6 PPR points per contest—the third-lowest in the NFL. Chandler would still be a worthy RB2 despite the tough matchup, but Jones must be inactive.

Alexander Mattison (LV) – 10% Ownership

With a tough Week 6 matchup against the Steelers, Alexander Mattison becomes an assumed volume player to consider. Not only did his head coach confirm that Mattison would see more usage, but fellow running back Zamir White also missed Week 5 due to injury. These factors allowed Mattison to finish with 15 carries for 38 yards (2.53 YPC) and add 2 receptions for 23 yards on 3 targets.

The big surprise was that Mattison did not get the goal-line touchdown, as teammate Ameer Abdullah did instead. Abdullah also carried the ball for an efficient 42 yards on five carries and added three receptions for nine yards.

The key takeaway is the volume Mattison received. Was this truly his workload for the near future, or was it a result of his teammate being injured—who was already trending toward less usage? Either way, Mattison can be FLEX’d in Week 6 against a tough Steelers defense. Managers need to be aware that the Raiders’ rushing attack is struggling, and the coaching staff seems to favor a “hot hand” approach, which could limit both Mattison’s floor and ceiling.

Roschon Johnson (CHI) – 11% Ownership

Over the last three weeks, he has averaged 11.1 PPR points per game, largely boosted by three touchdowns. With BYE-week management in full swing, Johnson could be a desperation FLEX play against the Jaguars in Week 6. The Jags have allowed four rushing touchdowns this season and are giving up 27.4 PPR points per game to the running back position,10th worst in the NFL (before Monday Night Football).

Although he has averaged 10 opportunities per game over the last three weeks, his floor is nearly zero if he doesn’t score a touchdown. Johnson does seem to be part of the Bears’ offense moving forward, and they’ve performed much better in recent weeks.

Jaylen Wright (MIA) – 8% Ownership

Wright became more involved after starter De’Von Achane left with concussion symptoms. Under the new protocol rules, concussions typically result in the player missing the next game. However, with the Dolphins on BYE in Week 6, Achane will likely be ready to return in Week 7.

If Achane were to miss Week 7, Wright becomes an intriguing deep-FLEX option. After Achane’s exit, Wright was part of a running back committee and finished with an efficient 13 carries for 86 yards (6.62 YPC).

Miami’s next opponent will be the Colts, who are allowing 26.7 PPR points per game to the running back position, the 8th worst in the NFL (pre-Monday Night Football). Indianapolis has struggled so far in 2024, which bodes well for Miami’s run-heavy focus as they are likely to rely on it with their starting quarterback still returning from injury.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

 

Jalen Tolbert (DAL) – 8% Ownership

Tolbert is no surprise landing on this list. For starters, he has been trending up in the Dallas pecking order. Leading into Week 5, fantasy managers learned that starting wide receiver Brandin Cooks contracted an infection, which ruled him out against the Steelers and landed him on injured reserve. So, it was no surprise when Tolbert finished with 7 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown against an always-tough Steelers defense.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys go on BYE after Week 6, but before that, they will face the Detroit Lions. The Lions are once again one of the worst teams at defending the receiver position for fantasy purposes. Through four games, they are allowing 48.3 PPR points per game to wide receivers, 2nd worst in the NFL (pre-Monday Night Football).

Tolbert will continue as the WR2 in this Dallas offense, which attempts the second-most passes per game in the NFL (38.8). His 13.2 average depth of target ranks 15th in the league, and he is currently the WR29 overall in fantasy, despite being buried on the depth chart for four weeks.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (KC) – 4% Ownership

Smith-Schuster felt like a blast from the past on Monday Night Football against the Saints. He finished with 7 receptions for 133 yards on 9 targets, totaling 20 PPR points. While Smith-Schuster deserves credit, the Chiefs are heading into their Week 6 BYE, making him a difficult hold. It’s also hard to imagine the Chiefs not adding another receiver to their current group.

Smith-Schuster’s best days are likely behind him. However, it’s impossible to ignore his usage in Week 5, which makes him a player worth stashing for Week 7 when the Chiefs travel to face the 49ers.

Josh Downs (IND) – 35% Ownership

Downs has quickly reestablished himself as a solid fantasy player with Joe Flacco leading the Colts’ offense. Over the last two weeks, he has amassed 21 targets, 17 receptions, 151 receiving yards, and one touchdown. His respective fantasy finishes during that time were 22.2 and 15.9 PPR points.

It’s hard not to love everything about Downs of late. He commands an elite target rate of 35.9% and a target share of 28.6%, translating to 0.70 fantasy points per route run, 6th best in the NFL. However, his projected starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson—who has been injured during Downs’ hot streak—has a true completion percentage of 57.4% (33rd) and a true passer rating of 67.9 (31st).

The quarterback situation is a major concern. If Richardson returns as the starter, which is likely if he’s healthy, Downs drops several tiers compared to when Flacco is at the helm. Regardless of the quarterback, Downs should be rostered in every league moving forward.

Allen Lazard (NYJ) – 38% Ownership

Just another dude who has been getting it done, he has seen consecutive weeks with eight or more targets. When you check your box score on Sunday afternoon, whether Lazard catches a touchdown will likely sway your opinion of his performance. The good news is that he’s commanding a 33.3% red zone target share and has four touchdowns.

He may take a step back if his teammate Mike Williams steals some snaps, but there are no signs of that happening now. Lazard is a strong FLEX or WR3 option during the BYE weeks.

Quentin Johnston (LAC) – 34% Ownership

One of the early waiver wire darlings of 2024 has already found himself back on the chopping block. Unfortunately, Johnston’s role does not project fantasy success. One of the biggest issues is that he and two other receivers are splitting around 75% of the snaps, meaning no receiver is a true WR1 based on the analysis of snap counts. What exacerbates this issue is that his team attempts 23.3 passes per game, the lowest in the NFL. This lack of opportunity will continue to hinder Johnston’s floor and ceiling.

But what if Johnston becomes more of a focal point coming out of the BYE week? He has been efficient with his touches this season. Plus, the Chargers invested in this kid by using a first-round pick on him—granted, it was under the old coaching staff. The point is you can’t ignore a player with three touchdowns in four games, especially from a team that needs a WR1 to emerge.

Heading into Week 6, Johnston is a player to bench against the Denver Broncos’ stellar defense; but if he scores another touchdown, he will be tough to acquire heading into Week 7 when he faces the Cardinals—a much juicer matchup for receivers.

DeMario Douglas (NE) – 23% Ownership

Douglas is a full PPR-type player who can get it done for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. Over the last three games, he has seen at least nine targets on two occasions. In the weeks when he has at least nine targets, he has scored 11 or more fantasy points. Additionally, last season, we saw Douglas record four double-digit fantasy scores in five games.

The second-year player from Liberty will face off against Houston in Week 6 and Jacksonville the following week, both of which are quality matchups for fantasy receivers. The problem is that Douglas doesn’t score touchdowns, and New England ranks dead last in completion percentage and second-to-last in yards per pass.

Rashod Bateman (BAL) – 4.5% Ownership

Starting Baltimore receivers, especially those that are not the target leaders, is a recipe for a bad fantasy week. However, Bateman’s Week 6 matchup makes him an intriguing streaming option.

Against the Bengals in Week 5, Bateman finished with 4 receptions (8 targets) for 58 yards with one touchdown. That contest ended with a score of 41-38. While that score will be nearly impossible to duplicate, facing the Commanders is interesting because it feels like if anyone can do it, it’s them. This notion is justified by the massive 52.5 over-under for this game.

Fantasy managers are hoping for another game that forces Lamar Jackson to throw the football. In that scenario, Bateman likely ends up with a stat line similar to his game against the Bengals. The Commanders have also allowed 41.6 PPR points through five games, 7^th most in the NFL (pre-Monday Night Football).

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

Tyler Conklin (NYJ) – 38% Ownership

Conklin posted 14.3 PPR points in Week 3 and 11.5 PPR points in Week 5. He is a steady option to fill your tight end position, especially if you have a player on BYE. While he gets peppered with a good number of targets—7.6 per game over his last three—Conklin struggles to score touchdowns. He has failed to record a single touchdown in at least 140 receptions. Standard league players should beware, but he is a viable option in PPR leagues.

Zach Ertz (WAS) – 48% Ownership

Even in a high-powered offense, Ertz struggles to score fantasy points. But have no fear—he’s on the field running routes, and he’s eligible to score points in fantasy. In fact, he has the third-highest route participation rate among tight ends.

Jokes aside, a great game should be coming for Ertz. He gets 4.8 targets per game, and all it takes is a single touchdown. Plus, his offense has been unstoppable. Washington scores 31 points per game (2nd in the NFL) and averages 3.4 touchdowns per game (3rd).

In the end, tight ends suck anyway. Ertz deserves some love.

Cade Otton – (TB) – 27% Ownership

Otton saw two games in a row with 8 or more targets, only to receive 4 targets in Week 5. The Tampa Bay tight end ranks 8th among tight ends with 25 targets and 9th in receptions. Despite not catching a touchdown, he has an 18.8% red zone target rate. To further boost confidence, Otton is averaging 9.4 PPR points over his last three games. However, Otton is just another guy at the tight end position—don’t expect much.

MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYSIS FROM DFS ARMY

Week 6 Defenses to Stream