We are finally starting to get into the thick of it; with both injuries and byes starting to pile up, the waiver wire becomes more important in the middle weeks of the season.
Focus on what your team needs and add as much depth to your bench as possible. Don’t forget if you miss out on your waiver wire pickup of the week; you can always look at the trade market to help plug holes on your roster. You will also start to see some very good players hit the waiver due to injury or a lack of roster space.
Week 11 fantasy advice: Player rankings | Players to add | WRs to start
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Week 6 players to add
Pickup of the week – K.J. Osborn (WR, MIN)
Osborn becomes a very intriguing fantasy piece with the news of Justin Jefferson going to the IR. The Vikings throw at one of the highest rates in the NFL and will need to replace all of those Jefferson targets. While T.J. Hockinson and Jordan Addison will pick up some of those, Osborn will also get a lot of looks.
With a juicy matchup with the Bears this week, Osborn becomes a high-end flex play with upside. Add in that he should be usable until Jefferson is back, and K.J. should be at the top of most people’s waiver-wire wish lists.
Week 6 waiver wire: Quarterbacks
Top pick – Brock Purdy: Another week, another 20-point game from Brock Purdy. He has been heating up the last couple of weeks and seems to be really finding his groove. With all of Purdy’s weapons, he’s become a borderline QB1 for the rest of the season.
Next – Geno Smith: Geno has not gotten off to the start most have hoped, but coming off a bye, the Seahawks can figure some things out. Smith has too good of WR weapons not to improve, and the hope is that he can recapture some of last season’s magic. He doesn’t have the easiest schedule coming up, but with his weapons, he should still be startable.
Stash – Joshua Dobbs: If you need a bye-week replacement, you can do worse than Dobbs. Dobbs has had at least 40 yards rushing in his last 3 games, giving him a nice fantasy floor. While he had a rough game against the Bengals, his schedule gets better in the next two weeks against the Rams and Seahawks. If you’re desperate, pick up Dobbs and hope he can use his legs to get you some fantasy points.
Check to see if available – C.J. Stroud is still owned in fewer leagues than Jordan Love; pick him up! Jared Goff had his best game of the season last week, but he will be away this week against the Buccaneers (Goff plays a lot better at home than on the road, though).
Week 6 waiver wire: Running backs
Top pick – D’Onta Foreman: D’Onta looks like he will go from afterthought to fantasy gold, at least if Roschon Johnson is out this week with his concussion.
Foreman will have the backfield all to himself as Khalil Herbert will also be out with an ankle sprain for a few weeks. If both are out, then Foreman is a must-start this week against a terrible Vikings defense. Even if Roschon returns this week, Foreman should still split carries with him, making him a viable flex play. Grab Foreman with hopes he has the backfield to himself but knowing he could be sharing.
Next – Emari Demercado: With James Connor looking to miss some time, it appears Emari will take over the lead back roll in Arizona. He looked good in relief, going 10 carries for 45 yards and also finding the endzone. He has the Rams this week, which isn’t the easiest matchup, but if you need a bye-week RB start, Emari should come through.
Stash – Jeff Wilson: With Devon Achane set to miss some time with a knee injury, it would appear to be an ideal time to activate Jeff Wilson to the active roster. Getting any piece of this Dolphins offense can be the spark your fantasy team needs. If he’s on your waivers, stash him to see when he gets activated.
Check to see if available/others of note – Jordan Mason looked good in relief of CMC this weekend, and he is worth stashing as long as Elijah Mitchell is out. Chuba Hubbard once again outsnapped Miles Sanders, worth adding in deeper leagues.
Week 6 waiver wire: Wide receivers
Top pick – Rashee Rice: After finding the endzone again this weekend, it looks increasingly like Rice is becoming the Chiefs WR to roster. With Travis Kelce also potentially banged up, the Chiefs may start relying more on the young WR to pick up more of the slack. Grab him now, as his arrow will continue to go up throughout the season.
Next – Rondale Moore: This is a very sneaky add this week if you need WR help. Moore has been getting more and more snaps at running back for Arizona, and with James Connor out, I expect them to lean into this a lot more. Rondale has never really found his footing in the NFL yet, so this hybrid WR/RB role might be perfect for him. If you are desperate for a flex, I think Rondale can surprise some people this week.
Stash – Diontae Johnson: should be back by Week 7; if you have an IR slot to stash him, you should do so.
Check to see if available/others of note – Josh Downs has a nice rapport going with Gardner Minshew; he’s worth rostering as Minshew should start the next couple of games with Anthony Richardson out. If Amon-Ra St. Brown is out for the Lions again, then Josh Reynolds becomes a sneaky start. He had a nice touchdown catch last week and a nice connection with Goff. Wan’Dale Robinson looks like the best WR on the Giants (not saying much), but as Hollywood Brown has proven on the Cardinals, you can succeed on a bad offense if you get a large target share. Robinson seems to be the only Giants WR that can get open consistently, so I think his targets will continue to increase. Even if Daniel Jones is out, I think Wan’Dale can still succeed with Tyrod Taylor, who loves locking onto his possession WRs on short routes.
Week 6 waiver wire: Tight ends
Top pick – Logan Thomas: Thomas made the “others” section last week, but he gets top billing this week. He looked like Sam Howell’s go-to receiver on Thursday, tallying 9 catches for 77 yards and a TD. Logan Thomas looks like the perfect bye-week replacement, or maybe more if you’re really desperate.
Next – Jonnu Smith: Finally, the Atlanta Falcons have a fantasy tight end you can play, and it’s………Jonnu Smith? With at least 6 targets in each game since Week 2, it’s easy to see that Atlanta wants to manufacture ways to get Jonnu the ball. No matter why, it appears Jonnu fits what the Falcons want to do at TE better than Pitts does (Even though Pitts also had a good game this week). Jonnu has played his way into being a sneaky top-12 TE, and he is worth grabbing to see if he can continue his reliable play.
Stash – Dalton Kincaid: Still waiting for that breakout Kincaid week, most managers have or will drop Dalton to waivers in your league. With more and more teams trying to stop Josh Allen by taking away the deep ball, the Bills should use their skilled TEs more on shorter routes over the middle. If you have the room to stash him, Kincaid could be that second-half breakout player who helps you win a fantasy trophy. While he could be fool’s gold all season, I expect Kincaid to look more like Sam LaPorta by the end of the year.
Check to see if available/others of note – Kincaid’s running mate Dawson Knox had 6 targets and is always a threat to score in the high-powered Bills offense. Dalton Schultz looks to have the trust of CJ Stroud now with two big weeks in a row; the Texans passing offense is much better than expected, too. After putting up a goose egg, Hunter Henry might get dropped in your league; it is worth stashing as he is still the best receiving option in New England.
Week 6 waiver wire: Defense/Special Teams
Top pick – Dolphins D/ST: Hopefully, you grabbed the Dolphins last week and played them against the hapless Giants offense. Now they get to follow that up with a winless Panthers team that is relying on a post-prime Adam Theilen to carry them. Expect the Dolphins to get up big early and force some turnovers against the young rookie QB.
Next – Chiefs D/ST: Getting the Broncos on a short week at home coming off a devastating loss is a really nice match-up spot for this surprise top-level Chiefs D. Expect Chris Jones to wreak havoc against an atrocious Denver offensive line.
Stash – Commanders D/ST: Looking ahead to Week 7, there are a couple of nice matchups to look at here (I also considered the Packers D/ST against the Broncos), but the one I like the most is the Commanders who get the lowly Giants. While the Bears beat the Commanders badly last Thursday, I don’t think the Giants have the same firepower (they don’t have anyone in DJ Moore’s league) to create the big plays to beat Washington. I think this D-Line will piece apart the Giants, especially if Daniel Jones is out.
Check to see if available – Rams D/ST: they get an Arizona team that has been turnover-prone recently, plus it’s easy to trust a defense led by Aaron Donald.
Week 6 waiver wire: Kickers
Top pick – Jake Elliot: Always my favorite kicker
Stash – Don’t ever stash a kicker, ever.
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