Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Pickups for Week 6

I do a bunch of terrestrial radio hits throughout a given year and one of the most frequent questions I'll get asked is some variation of "what are standard ways to be better at fantasy football?" I'll typically talk about studying and understanding the scoring nuances of a league, or churning through the bottom of your roster to make sure you're always capitalizing on potential breakout opportunities. But one of the hidden things that is incredibly important throughout a fantasy season is just reviewing the transaction feed after chaotic weeks, much like last week. I can't guarantee that your favorite fantasy expert had to deal with the type of baloney that I'll share below, but I can guarantee that we're going to see significant value on waivers in the coming weeks especially with a six-team bye coming down the pike Week 8. 

Most of my recommendations this week are players we already discussed in past articles. Just be dutiful in checking who was dropped — last week and the weeks to come — to make sure you're using every advantage to your disposal.

Looking to upgrade your roster? Check out our trade analyzer and stay in the know with breaking news that drives every deal.

For the audio and video component of the article, I also went through a fully developed list on the RotoWire YouTube channel that you can view below.

Teams with Week 6 Bye: Vikings and Texans

Quarterback

Bryce Young, Panthers - Death, taxes and play fantasy quarterbacks against the Cowboys. Justin Fields needed all four quarterbacks to make good on a top-5 fantasy-scoring day, but that's effectively the Young experience anyway. I felt much more confident in Tua Tagovailoa as a streaming QB candidate last week, but I'll close my eyes and just trust the process with Carolina, which could be getting back Jalen Coker (quadriceps) in the near future. FAAB: 3 percent if you need a streamer this week

Running Back

Kimani Vidal + Hassan Haskins, Chargers - The newest report suggests Omarion Hampton could miss some time after sustaining an ankle injury that required the rookie to wear a boot leaving the stadium Sunday. I strongly believe if Los Angeles is without its rookie for multiple weeks it will trade for a starting running back (Breece Hall or Jerome Ford come to mind), but until that point Vidal is probably the more impactful backup to target. Haskins has utility as a worse-ish version of Gus Edwards from last year, but Vidal at least is bit more explosive and can be at minimum a useful enough option out of the backfield. FAAB: If LAC doesn't trade for RB, 7 percent of budget on Vidal. Priority pickup of Haskins if you have roster spaces to spare

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Michael Carter, Cardinals - With the news midweek that Trey Benson (knee) would be out at least a month, there was a scramble to pick up all shares of the Cardinals' backfield. Carter ended up being the biggest winner with a whopping 23 touches in the loss Sunday to the Titans, and probably is solidified in his role thanks to Emari Demercado's comically dumb fumble that, of course, cost me in multiple leagues. I think Demercado still plays marginally despite the egregious error, but if Carter just does everything better, including pass blocking, there's no real reason the Cardinals need to force anything else. FAAB: Top pickup (40 percent of budget) if somehow available

Kendre Miller, Saints - Miller is only rostered in 30 percent of leagues, a number that really should be closer to the 50 percent threshold, which is the maximum for this article. I'm just going to re-link what I wrote last week if you want a greater detailed breakdown, but the Cliffs Notes version is that Alvin Kamara is not a realistic trade candidate due to his contract and New Orleans' salary situation. You should value Miller like an obvious backup, not as a player set to elevate to a higher role soon. FAAB: Roster if he's somehow available

Isaiah Davis, Jets - Another repeat from last week, and I'd again direct you to the analysis above for a larger breakdown. With Braelon Allen (knee) out for quite possibly the entire season, Davis is in a much better spot to elevate to a larger workload if the Jets trade Breece Hall. FAAB: 6 percent if available

Wide Receiver

Kendrick Bourne, 49ers - I foolishly thought Demarcus Robinson would be in for a larger game against his former team Thursday at the Rams, but Bourne returned after a four-year hiatus from Kyle Shanahan and immediately filled the void vacated by Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (everything). Complicating matters is that there's no clear idea who, if any, of the 49ers will be healthy come the Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers, and that includes Mac Jones, who seemed to gut through a legitimate knee injury during the primetime game. George Kittle (hamstring) is probably a week away from returning, so if everything maintains the status quo from last week, Bourne could have WR2 upside once again. But good luck guessing how that will develop throughout the week. FAAB: 3 percent if you need a starter. Post waiver processing pickup otherwise

Jalin Hyatt, Giants - Darius Slayton had an opportunity for a larger fantasy day if not for some Jaxson Dart follies, but the veteran left the game late with a hamstring injury. Enter Hyatt, a 2023 third-round pick from Tennessee who has largely been a disappointment since joining the Giants. There was already some talk about Hyatt emerging as a key piece with Malik Nabers (ACL) done for the year, but that certainly didn't transpire Sunday. Plays like this won't do him any favors either. FAAB: Post waiver processing pickup

If Slayton misses time, Hyatt will play enough by default to be in consideration for deeper leagues. But much like the player below, opportunity does not guarantee production this year.

Ryan Flournoy, Cowboys - No CeeDee Lamb (ankle) or KaVontae Turpin (foot) should have allowed for a big day for Jalen Tolbert. But the Joe Bartel stink was all over that play, meaning Tolbert saw just one single target despite playing 45 offensive snaps. Instead it was Flournoy, a 2024 sixth-round pick, who built off a solid second half against the Packers and emerged as the team's secondary target behind Jake Ferguson (and at times George Pickens). There's something to be said about the second-year wide receiver clearly having a rapport with Dak Prescott, but I'm nervous it won't be sustainable. With Lamb probably out another two weeks I think I'd rather pick up Flournoy over Bourne, but both feel like desperate plays. FAAB: 2 percent if you need a starter

Tight End

Mason Taylor, Jets - Look, this week's article should just be an advertisement about how great I do updating players throughout the week. Once again Taylor was a player I featured in a later update, but I'll just circle back and reinforce that we're talking about one of the better unheralded rookie tight ends in recent memory. Only rostered in 13 percent of leagues, the LSU product obviously benefited from junk-time production at the end of the game, but the good news is that I doubt that changes. Someone needed to step up as New York's second pass catcher opposite Garrett Wilson. You're looking at the new normal now. FAAB: 9 percent of budget

Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, Giants - I think there's reason to assume Bellinger, who led the team in receiving yards Sunday, can repeat something similar with this banged-up offensive line and assortment of Giants pass catchers. That Johnson tied for the team lead in targets (seven) and scored two short touchdowns also matters too. I just frankly would do whatever I could to not be desperate enough to player either. The next month of games for the Giants will be brutal, and I'm concerned the volume will be either be inconsistent, or too volatile, to accurately predict. FAAB: Johnson post waiver processing if you need a starter, Bellinger only pick up in deep formats