Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Sam Howell, Commanders (34% Rostered): Some people like what they see when they watch Howell, while others, like me, see diet Baker Mayfield as his tenure with the Browns came to a close. Regardless, even when he’s looking like hell’s hottest garbage, he’s ending games with fantasy relevant stat lines. Howell has broken the 280-yard mark three out of five times this season, and hasn’t had any big games on the ground yet which is part of his profile. Make no mistake, some teams are hurting at QB and Howell has been a very respectable option.

Joshua Dobbs, Cardinals (21% Rostered): Just as I kind of bought in, Dobbs laid an egg. Listen, nobody said he was a savior, he’s just an overall decent QB who can run a little bit and be competent with the surprisingly solid receiving options he has. His upcoming slate against the Rams and Seahawks are friendly, so he should deliver moderate production that can keep you alive in a matchup.

Running Backs

Tyjae Spears, Titans (26% Rostered): Spears continues to see a lot of snaps, being on the field for 50%+ of the Titans’ plays for the fourth time in five games. Spears is still a very clear No. 2 behind Derrick Henry, and he’s not threatening him the same way, say, Jaylen Warren is threatening Najee Harris, but Spears definitely has a standalone role here and is the preferred back when the Titans have to throw. Because this team doesn’t have a potent offense, they will find themselves behind often, and that opens up chances for Spears to produce. So far, he hasn’t been worth starting most games, but he can be played out of desperation, and he can easily be a high-end RB2 if Henry gets hurt. Henry managers need to get Spears on their roster, and other managers won’t find a better speculative add right now.

Justice Hill, Ravens (28% Rostered): Nobody wants to play Ravens RBs right now, but not everyone has a choice. As the injury bug flies around the entire league plucking important players off everyone’s fantasy rosters, a player like Hill starts to look like a small little spring in the desert. Hill’s been moderately efficient in limited opportunity, but he has scored three touchdowns in four games. Gus Edwards is built like a goal line hammer, but the Ravens aren’t afraid to utilize Hill either when they get in close. Playing Hill is praying for a big play or a TD, because his current volume doesn’t offer much upside. But at least Hill gets chances to deliver on those big strikes.

D'Onta Foreman, Bears (7% Rostered): Foreman’s been a healthy scratch for several weeks, but Khalil Herbert’s going to miss time, and Roschon Johnson is currently in concussion protocol. For at least one week, Foreman should be the guy for the Bears. He didn’t show much in Week 1, and hasn’t played since, but volume will be his friend against Minnesota’s middle of the pack run defense. Of course, if Johnson is cleared for action, Foreman is a candidate to go right back to the waiver wire, but as a one-week fix Foreman should be a stronger play than either Spears or Hill if Johnson sits out.

Roschon Johnson, Bears (41% Rostered): Johnson isn’t nearly the playmaker Khalil Herbert is, but when he returns to action he’s going to be a volume hog while Herbert nurses his ankle sprain. It’s unfortunate he can’t get a chance to go against the Vikings, but his injury status might make him a cheap, sneaky add for the next few weeks. Once he’s back, he will relegate Foreman to mop up duty.

Antonio Gibson, Commanders (49% Rostered): Gibson’s year has been beyond weird. He’s on the field more than you’d think, but he’s just not being utilized despite his game breaking ability. Against the Bears, Gibson was on the field for 54% of snaps but carried the ball zero times, and catching four passes for 64 yards. Brian Robinson is a good back, but Gibson offers excellent contrast to his style, and should be given more opportunity. Fumbles have placed him in the doghouse, but he’ll be free to add right now, and if an injury struck Robinson, Gibson will have big games.

Salvon Ahmed, Dolphins (9% Rostered): The De’Von Achane ride has been closed for maintenance, which sucks. But that’s good news for Ahmed until Jeff Wilson comes back. Ahmed had carved out a little role for himself in this offense that can pay dividends even with limited volume. He’s not going to offer anything close to what Achane gave us, but with bye weeks hitting, he can be played.

Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (47% Rostered): Gainwell’s injury opened the door for D’Andre Swift, and Swift sprinted through it and bolted it shut. With that said, Rashaad Penny is MIA, so as a handcuff Gainwell still has value. Should Swift get hurt, which he has consistently throughout his career, Gainwell walks right back into a starting role behind the best offensive line in football.

Kareem Hunt, Browns (42% Rostered): Hunt’s role has been minimal since rejoining the Browns, but he remains a clear handcuff for Jerome Ford with dual threat upside if he sees an increase in touches.

Wide Receivers

Josh Reynolds, Lions (41% Rostered): Reynolds might get phased out by Jameson Williams, but it hasn’t happened yet. While we wait for that, Reynolds continues to see consistent targets – 5++ in four of five games – and he’s scored three touchdowns while averaging 18.2 yards per catch. Sure his play style leads to volatile output, but he offers big upside when he connects.

Rashee Rice, Chiefs (39% Rostered): The hunt continues for a reliable Chiefs WR! Rice isn’t necessarily a player anyone needs to rush to use in their lineup, but he’s seen 5+ targets in four of five games and scored twice. He’s graded out right now as the No. 11 receiver in the NFL per PFF, blowing away his fellow receivers. KC definitely has a quality player in Rice, but the question now is whether Patrick Mahomes spreads the ball around too much for him to become a fixture in lineups.

Josh Downs, Colts (9% Rostered): Downs is very involved for the Colts, and switching to Gardner Minshew for a few weeks raises his floor. Downs is a short route king right now, with an ADOT of 6.8 yards, but he can be impressive after the catch, averaging 16.3 yards per reception over the last two games. He’s a rookie, so the floor is low from week to week, but he can definitely spike, especially in half and full-PPR formats.

Curtis Samuel, Commanders (17% Rostered): Samuel was a forgotten man this offseason while everyone got hype for Jahan Dotson and Terry McLaurin, but he’s scored in each of the past two weeks and drawn 5+ targets in three of five games. Samuel is still not much more than a FLEX play, but that’s more than many expected from him in 2023, and his snap rates indicate he’s very important to this offense.

Robert Woods, Texans (18% Rostered): Woods has been a bit of a target hound in one of the NFL’s most surprising, pass-happy offenses. Woods has seen 6+ targets in every game this season, and should be in line for a big workload this week if rookie Tank Dell can’t make it out of concussion protocol. Woods’ big target share hasn’t really translated to big production, so keep expectations in check, but he’s a pretty sure bet to, at minimum, get you a few points.

Tight Ends

Logan Thomas, Commanders (16% Rostered): Thomas saw a major spike in targets on Thursday vs. the Bears, turning 11 of them into nine catches for 77 yards and a TD. I wouldn’t expect that to continue, but he has scored twice in the last three games, placing him firmly into a big category of TEs that can be played in the hopes of falling in the end zone.

Gerald Everett, Chargers (25% Rostered): Everett has had a quiet season so far and seen his TD opportunities get eaten by Donald Parham Jr. But Parham has an injured wrist, so if he is not able to play this week, Everett has some upside as the clear TE1 for one of the more high-octane offenses in football. It’s not pretty, but not many managers are having a good time at TE this year.

Possibly Available

Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams (57% Rostered)

Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Broncos (59% Rostered)

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks (52% Rostered)

Joshua Palmer, WR, Chargers (53% Rostered)

Zach Ertz, TE, Cardinals (50% Rostered)

David Njoku, Browns (59% Rostered)

Drop Candidates – HODL or Say Goodbye?

Jordan Love, QB, Packers (82% Rostered): Say Goodbye. The TD efficiency magic seems gone, and he’s not a runner. Pure streaming option.

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys (89% Rostered): HODL. San Francisco can make anyone look awful, this is still a talented offense.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (66% Rostered): HODL. He’s just a handcuff at this point, but a solid one. I’d rather roster Spears or Gainwell, but hard to drop players with clear paths to opportunity.

AJ Dillon, RB, Packers (69% Rostered): HODL. It’s still gross to watch, but he just got 20 carries with Aaron Jones out. Can’t let that hit waivers.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Broncos (84% Rostered): HODL. He’s on thin ice, because this offense sucks.

Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots (72% Rostered): Say Goodbye. Sure, most TEs are TD or bust lately, but this offense ain’t offering much TD opportunity.

Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams (75% Rostered): Say Goodbye. Kupp is back, and he and Puka Nacua are monopolizing allll the targets.