Top Players to Add in Week 6
Author’s Note: After this week, I will be taking a two-week break from the written word because I am getting married on October 17th! I’ll miss my readers dearly, but fear not! A Waiver Wire article will still be available with a very talented guest writer in my place. Next time you read my words, I’ll be a married man.
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Michael Carter – Last week on the Start/Sit podcast, Brian and I debated who would be the back to roster from this Cardinals backfield. I was Team Emari Demercado, and I would like to say that if he hadn’t fumbled at the goal line, he would have finished with at least 14.1 points instead of 6.1. Either way, it’s clear that Michael Carter is the back to roster in the desert. Carter’s 39 snaps were double both Demarcado’s (19) and Bam Knight‘s (11). Carter got the early down work as expected, but also was on the field for 3 of the 4 goal-line opportunities. All 12 third downs were handled by Demercado, which was expected, but his role was almost entirely as a pass blocker and not a runner. He almost took one of his three carries to the house, but as you know, dropped the ball at the 1-yard line before crossing the plane, resulting in a fumble out the back of the endzone. Knight’s biggest impact came in the two-minute drill when he saw 3 of 7 snaps, and he did find the end zone, but his 4 carries are not the volume we’re looking for. All signs point to this being Carter’s backfield at the minimum until Trey Benson returns from IR. Carter is my top RB waiver target.
2. Troy Franklin – Can Bo Nix support two fantasy viable wide receivers? So far, the Magic 8-ball says, “Maybe?” Besides his WR8-worthy performance back in Week 2, Troy Franklin hasn’t finished better than WR40 this season. However, the targets look good. Franklin’s 32 targets are second on the team and barely behind WR1 Courtland Sutton‘s 37. Franklin leads the team in red zone targets with 6, double Sutton’s 3. At this point in the season, we’re panning for gold on the waivers. While someone like Kendrick Bourne looked incredible last week, he thrived due to injuries. I expect that SF will have at least 1 of the 3 injured pass catchers return this week, if not more. Not to mention, this week the Broncos face the Jets, and I expect Sutton to get the Sauce Gardner treatment. As we’re ready to drop underperformers, we’re looking for players with opportunities. Franklin has an opportunity to take a step forward and is my top WR waiver target.
3. Hassan Haskins – We saw Omarion Hampton exit the game last week with an ankle injury. It was confirmed that Hampton will be placed on IR, meaning he’ll miss at least four games. I like Hassan Haskins over Kimani Vidal, though I expect both to get used to some extent. Haskins was the primary backup before the injury. Haskins and Vidal tied for snaps, but a large chunk of Vidal’s came in garbage time. The final drive of the game, when backups Trey Lance and others took the field, Vidal was the running back. That tells me he’s on the same offense as Lance. One downside is that there is a chance the Chargers go out and acquire another running back, whether it be a trade or a practice squad signing. Either way, Haskins is steadily climbing my waiver tier list.
4. Ryan Flournoy – I mentioned above that I like Troy Franklin because I see inherent value in the player, not someone who popped off due to injuries. Ryan Flournoy is in the latter camp, but last we’ve heard, CeeDee Lamb is expected to miss three to four weeks due to his high ankle sprain. That means we have at least two weeks where a role is open on the offense. Week 4, George Pickens was the clear beneficiary of that open role, but last week, you couldn’t bake a cake without the Flour-noy. Flournoy’s 9 targets were a career high by a large margin, tripling his second-highest mark of 3. Maybe it was because Pickens was shadowed by Sauce Garnder, but Flournoy showed value. I expect Flournoy to be involved this upcoming week at Carolina and consider him a boom/bust option.
5. Rico Dowdle – Final top target is another beneficiary of a late injury. Rico Dowdle, on short notice, put up 206 yards on the ground! This was another player we talked about in the Start/Sit podcast, so make sure to give that a follow if you haven’t already. Dowdle had some great weeks with Dallas last. year and has been mainly a second fiddle in Carolina behind Cubba Hubbard. We’ll have to see what the extent of Hubbard’s injury is, but if he misses another week, Dowdle is a no-hesitation slam start in your lineup for the revenge game against Dallas next week.
Others Receiving Votes
Kendre Miller, NO (21% ESPN, 31% Yahoo) – The Saints got their first win of the season, and Kendre Miller led the backfield in carries. Coincidence?! Possibly, but what’s certain is Miller’s ever-expanding role in this offense. Even though Alvin Kamara outscored Miller for the fourth time this season, we continue to see signs of value. The key to winning fantasy football, like many things in life, is timing. We are trying to catch lightning in a bottle before it strikes. This is Miller’s second week in a row with double-digit carries. First-year head coach Kellen Moore inherited Kamara and his $9.7 million cap hit this year. As Moore looks to rebuild this team, it makes sense that they will move on from Kamara in the future, and it makes sense to see what they have in Miller. Miller has yet to find the end zone this season, but everything I see is trending in his direction. Miller continues to be a stash that should be rostered in more leagues.
Romeo Doubs, GB (45% ESPN, 50% Yahoo) – Last week, I was full-blown Juliet talking about my Romeo. Romeo Doubs was in my top 5 waiver targets last week, and I’m still very interested this week. Fresh off a bye, it’s easy to forget Doubs is coming off a three-touchdown performance in Week 4, where he led his team with 8 targets. Jayden Reed is still on IR, so that’s one less mouth to gobble up targets in the normally spread happy offense. The Packers host the Bengals this week, a team whose defense you can seemingly score at will on, before traveling to Arizona, a team that Calvin Ridley remembered how to catch against. I think Doubs is a great option until Reed comes back.
Jaxson Dart, NYG (44% ESPN, 39% Yahoo) – Jaxson Dart put up another solid performance, finishing as QB14 before MNF. He has at least 54 rushing yards in each of his two starts and nearly doubled his passing yards from last week to this one. Dart faces a formidable Philly defense this upcoming Thursday that could be a challenge, but if you’re a Lamar Jackson, Geno Smith, Carson Wentz, or C.J. Stroud manager, I like the pivot.
Theo Johnson, NYG (6% ESPN, 11% Yahoo) – Speaking of Jaxon Dart, let’s talk about his number one option. If you checked out Brian’s TE Streaming Article, you were already aware of Theo Johnson. For those who didn’t, you should start! Johnson’s 7 targets were tied for the highest on the team, his 6 catches led the team, and his 4 red zone opportunities led the team. Johnson was clearly the trusted target in the red zone, finishing his day with two touchdowns. Johnson appeared to emerge as Jaxson Dart’s favorite target and is my top TE waiver target.
Spencer Shrader, IND – It was announced while writing this article that our kicker king is out for the season. Spencer Shrader put up double-digits every week except the week he was injured. Despite missing nearly all of Week 5, he is still tied for the most points for a kicker this season. Rest up, king. Thank you for carrying us for the first four weeks of the season.
Joey Slye, TEN (2% ESPN, 3% Yahoo) – For all the Shrader riders out there who need a pivot, I’m looking at Joey Slye. Other than when the Titans were shut out in Week 4, Slye has put up double-digit performances every week. He’s 13 of 17 on field goals on the season. Of course, any faith in the Titans’ offense is a risky one, but fortune favors the bold.
Eddy Pineiro, SF (3% ESPN, 2% Yahoo) – One more option for my Shrader riders, Eddy Pineiro. San Francisco is an offense I trust. Although Jake Moody started the season as SF’s kicker, he was dropped after one week and replaced by Pineiro. From Weeks 2-5, Pineiro is the third-highest-ranked kicker. I consider both viable options to replace our fallen kicker king.
Defense Wins Championships
The Green Bay Packers (43%) are fresh off a bye and hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Jake Browning is averaging two interceptions a game and nearly three sacks a game. Although people may have the recent memory of them scoring negative three points against the Cowboys, remember they looked unstoppable against the Lions, Commanders, and Browns the first three weeks of the season. The Bengals allow the most points to opposing defenses by nearly three points. The Packers are my number one defense of the week.
The New England Patriots (26%) just beat the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo and could not be riding higher. They have an interception in four out of five weeks and average just over two sacks a game. This week, they travel south to New Orleans to face Spencer Rattler and co. Not only that, in the following weeks, the Patriots face two teams we continuously target with defenses, going to Tennessee to face the Titans and then hosting the Browns. The Patriots are my favorite short-term set-and-forget option you can pick up this week.
Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders (2%). Yes, the team that has put up negative points in two out of five weeks is on my list, because they are the lucky recipients of facing the Titans. Although the Titans scored their first win against the Cardinals last week, the Cardinals still put up 7 points, their second-highest of the season. If the Raiders ever have a chance to figure something out on defense, this is the week to do it. They are an option for streaming defense this week.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)