We're officially into the heart of the NFL season, which means bye weeks are in full swing. It's not the bye week Armageddon that we'll see in Weeks 12 and 14, but several teams with fantasy-relevant players are on bye in Week 6. If your fantasy roster relies on players from the Chiefs, Rams, Dolphins, or Vikings, you'll have to look for alternate options this week.
If you are dealing with several players on their bye week, chances are you'll have to head to the waiver wire to find a replacement. It's less than ideal, but starter-level production can be found on waivers if you identify strong matchups and players with elevated opportunity within their offense.
Last week we provided names like Josh Downs, Trey Sermon, and Tucker Kraft as strong waiver pickups. All three of these players went on to have quality performances in Week 5. We'll be looking to provide another batch of candidates as you prepare to file waiver claims this week.
WEEK 6 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers
Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 6: Tank Bigsby, Josh Downs, Darnell Mooney among best adds.
Roster percentages representative of Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (22% Rostered)
Tank Bigsby has simply been the best running back in Jacksonville this season. He's now the Jaguars' leading rusher despite having 19 fewer carries than Travis Etienne. Bigsby has cleared 70 rushing yards in three games; Etienne has done that just once. It was only a matter of time before Bigsby began to take a bigger piece of the backfield work. In Week 5, Bigsby out-snapped Etienne (23 vs. 22) and saw more opportunities (14 vs. 13). As long as Bigsby continues to produce, he'll chip away at Etienne's role.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (40% Rostered)
Week 5 marked the second consecutive game where Josh Downs was a team leader in targets. He saw 12 targets for a 27-percent target share. Downs has been impressive out of the slot, winning on his routes with ease. He's been open quite often, making it easy for Joe Flacco to find him. Downs is a priority pickup even if his fantasy outlook takes a hit when Anthony Richardson returns.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons (47% Rostered)
It's time for fantasy managers to come to terms with the fact that Darnell Mooney is a fantasy-relevant receiver and a big piece of the Falcons' passing attack. Through five games, Mooney has accounted for 22 percent of targets and 37 percent of the air yards dished out by Kirk Cousins. He is just narrowly behind Drake London for the team lead in total targets and yards. His usage is very encouraging and should be enough for him to be rostered in well over 50 percent of leagues.
Who are the top quarterback waiver wire targets?
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (51% Rostered)
After looking like a shell of his former self in Week 1, Kirk Cousins has completely flipped the switch and is back to slinging the rock all over the field. Cousins became the 27th quarterback to throw for 500 yards in a single game on Thursday night against the Buccaneers. It would require your team to be in a tough spot at QB to start Cousins in Week 6, but he's worth a bench stash.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots (3% Rostered)
There's no official announcement, but reports indicate that Drake Maye is in line to become the Patriots' starter in Week 6. It's become quite clear that Maye is the only hope for New England to put any sort of legitimate product out on the field. He is worth a stash on benches for teams that are in a tough spot at quarterback given his potential rushing upside.
Who are the other top running back waiver wire targets?
Trey Sermon, Indianapolis Colts (52% Rostered)
Trey Sermon was more than a serviceable fantasy option in relief of Jonathan Taylor last week. He dominated the backfield touches (16 of 24 opportunities) and punched in a touchdown on his way to 18.3 PPR points. Taylor is nursing a high-ankle sprain which regularly leads to multi-week absences. If Taylor misses Week 6, Sermon is a plug-and-play RB once again.
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings (28% Rostered)
Ty Chandler is another running back who stands to benefit from an injury to the starter ahead of him. Vikings' RB1 Aaron Jones left the game on Sunday and did not return after suffering a hip injury. After Jones left the game, it was almost all Chandler out of the Minnesota backfield. Chandler saw 15 total opportunities in this game, while Myles Gaskin and C.J. Ham combined for five. The Vikings are on a bye this week, but Chandler enters fantasy-relevant territory if Jones is forced to miss additional time.
Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants (23% Rostered)
With Devin Singletary on the sideline, rookie Tyrone Tracy was asked to step up in a big way last week. Tracy surely impressed Brian Daboll and the Giants' coaching staff with his play. He turned 19 touches into 130 yards from scrimmage and 14 PPR points. If Singletary misses another week, Tracy has a place in starting lineups. Even if Singletary returns, Tracy proved to be an explosive talent who is worth a stash on benches.
Who are the other top wide receiver waiver wire targets?
Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys (7% Rostered)
In the wake of veteran receiver Brandin Cooks being placed on IR, Jalen Tolbert was thrust into the WR2 role in Dallas. He took this opportunity and ran with it, leading the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. Tolbert also secured a victory for the Cowboys with a game-winning touchdown on 4th and goal with less than a minute remaining in the game. Tolbert is the No. 3 option in a high-volume passing attack and deserves to be rostered in 12-team leagues.
Jordan Whittington, Los Angeles Rams (15% Rostered)
Jordan Whittington once again functioned as Matthew Stafford's WR1 with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp banged up. He was tied with Tutu Atwell for the target lead at wide receiver and led the team with 89 receiving yards. Whittington has now finished as a WR3 or better in both weeks where he has been given a full-time role. His overall volume will take a hit when Kupp returns in Week 7 (Rams on bye in Week 6), but Whittington will maintain a place in the offense.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants (3% Rostered)
Darius Slayton was the primary beneficiary of Malik Nabers' absence in Week 5. He ultimately led the Giants with 122 receiving yards and found the end zone in the process. Even with Nabers likely returning, Slayton has a chance to maintain a meaningful role in the offense. Slayton maintained a 75 percent route participation with Nabers on the field, and his performance this week could be enough to lead to a bump to his target share. Slayton is worth a stash in the deepest of leagues and can function as a boom-bust bye week fill-in.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (20% Rostered)
Along with Slayton, Alec Pierce can serve as a boom-bust flex option that can be used on teams with thin rosters. For the most part, Pierce is out there doing cardio. He runs a lot of routes, but isn't targeted at a high rate. Pierce was able to put up 22.4 fantasy points this week in a game where he saw just three targets. If he's able to connect on a deep target, he can provide the spike week that can lift your fantasy team to victory.
Who are the other top tight end waiver wire targets?
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (30% Rostered)
A trailing game script led to a pass-heavy offensive approach for the Jets. Tyler Conklin made the most of Aaron Rodgers' 54 pass attempts and saw the ball thrown his way eight times. He turned his looks into six receptions for 55 yards. For the most part, Conklin will have a hard time returning value as a starter unless the Jets are forced to throw at a high rate. In a Week 6 matchup against the Bills, this could be a game script that lifts Conklin to a top-12 finish at TE.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins (5% Rostered)
Jonnu Smith has now compiled his way to multiple weeks with double-digit fantasy production. In those two games, he's racked up 11 receptions for 22.4 PPR points. The only issue is there's no real clarity as to when Smith will assume a high-volume role. Along with his two games with 11-plus points, Smith has three games with less than four points. Picking up Smith is reserved for teams that have their TE on bye and a league where the waiver wire is barren.
Who are the top defense waiver wire targets and streamers?
Cincinnati Bengals (14% Rostered)
Yes, the Bengals' defense has been atrocious this season, giving up 26-plus points in four of their five games this season. A matchup with Daniel Jones and the New York Giants presents an opportunity for Cincinnati's defensive unit to get back on track. Malik Nabers has been electrifying in his first four games, but he can't support an offense on his own. The G-Men have scored 20-plus points just twice and failed to score an offensive touchdown in two games. The Bengals can certainly have their way with the Giants on the defensive side of the ball this week.
Houston Texans (41% Rostered)
Finding a defensive streamer is all about targeting favorable matchups. The Texans have just that in Week 6; they'll face off against an inept New England offense. There really just isn't a single redeeming quality of this offensive unit. The offensive line couldn't block a group of DIII pass rushers, there's no true WR1, Rhamondre Stevenson can't hang on to the ball, and Jacoby Brissett is out there trying his best. Houston already proved that they can succeed against a team with a struggling offensive line and QB when they scored 15 fantasy points against the Bears in Week 2. Similar results should be in store this week.
