NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire: Top Pickups at Each Position

NFL Week 6 is upon us, which means it’s time to scour the fantasy football waiver for the top pickups of the week ahead of Wednesday.

Whether you’re looking to replace a top player who sustained an unfortunate injury or eyeing darkhorse players who have popped out of nowhere through the first few games of the season, fantasy football experts Sean Koerner and Chris Raybon have you covered with their best Week 6 waiver wire adds.

NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Breakdown

As usual, the duo hopped on the Fantasy Flex pod on Tuesday and discussed all things related to Week 6 waiver candidates. Among the players highlighted are a few difference-makers available in over 60% of leagues! Find out more below.

Make sure to check their weekly fantasy football rankings by subscribing to FantasyLabs’ 2024 fantasy football kit to see how other waiver wire candidates look this week.

NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Adds

* Availability in home leagues is noted in parentheses.

Quarterback

Caleb Williams, Bears (40-45%)

He’s getting better and better every week, looking more comfortable

He was due for some positive regression on his downfield passing (that was one of his strengths in college), connected on 2-3 passes 20+ yards downfield. Didn’t have to be that aggressive, considering they got up big early against the Panthers

Also helps that he now has all of his pass catchers at full health (Keenan Allen missed 2 games, and Rome Odunze was playing through a knee injury over that stretch as well)

Flashed his rushing upside with his 2nd 30+ yard rush game of the season

Has a great matchup this week against the pass-funnel Jaguars, who are 32nd in DVOA against the pass, 11th vs. the run

Opens the week as my QB11 but has the upside to provide low-end QB1 numbers rest of the season as well

Running Back

Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants (68%)

He was amazing in his spot start last week, ran for 129 yards

It’s unclear if Devin Singletary will return this week; he would probably offer low-end RB2 value if he misses again

More importantly, there is a chance this Giants RB situation is pretty fluid, and Tracy becomes the lead back, even when Singletary is healthy

So he’s more appealing than your usual 1-2 week rental

There’s also a chance this becomes more of a split backfield (this offense isn’t capable of having two backs offer value at the same time)

Tank Bigsby, Jaguars (76%)

Continues to outplay Travis Etienne

I predicted that could happen last year, so this isn’t too big of a surprise

ETN has apparently been dealing with a shoulder injury, so that could be playing into it

Bigsby was already one of the top handcuffs in the league (offer RB2 value if ETN misses time) and should already be rostered in most leagues

But his value is skyrocketing because he could become the lead back even if ETN stays healthy

The ideal blend in the type of RB I like to add off waivers, stash

The problem is he is probably going to be costly this week, which is why he should have already been rostered

Blake Corum, Rams (83%)

Corum apparently leapfrogged Ronnie Rivers to be the main backup

With Sean McVay that could easily change at any moment

It’s clear Kyren Williams will be the workhorse back as long as he’s healthy

It might seem like Corum is a bust at this point, but it’s not like we were banking on playing him yet

He is simply a Kyren injury away from potentially offering RB2+ value

It’s a LONG season, and it’s not common for a back to see 20+ touches a week (like Kyren) and play all 17 games. He might, but there’s also a decent chance we still see Corum get a few spot starts as an RB2+

Still, stash him if you can afford the roster space

Wide Receiver

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs (93%)

I thought there was a decent chance he would take over the Rashee Rice role (as much as possible)

Sure enough, he did and went off for 7/130/0

He’s certainly past his prime, but he is in the ideal situation, and that’s all that matters

KC doesn’t play this week, so maybe that prevents him from requiring too much FAAB

There is still a chance KC brings in another WR that would hurt his value going forward, so be careful

Josh Downs, Colts (59%)

Downs is an excellent slot WR and is going to see a huge boost any time Joe Flacco is under center

Unclear if Anthony Richardson will return this week, but it does have a big impact on his projection

Considering how AR seems very injury-prone, we could see a few more Flacco starts this season

He’s worth having to potentially use in the right spots

The worst case scenario is he can still post WR3/Flex numbers even with AR under center

They should probably have AR throw more high-percentage looks his way going forward

He has a wide range of outcomes but should be rostered

Xavier Hutchinson, Texans (100%)

A dart throw in deeper leagues

Unclear exactly how Houston will handle Nico Collins being out

But Hutchinson has a path to take up most of his snaps while splitting with Robert Woods/John Metchie more than Nico would

I thought Hutch was a sneaky pick in the 6th round last year (he was Brock Purdy’s top target at Iowa State), and part of the reason they felt comfortable letting Noah Brown go

Worth an add in very deep leagues

Tight End

Tucker Kraft, Packers (37%)

I mentioned in my Tiers piece last week that he was a must-add, considering he has potential “league winning” upside given the state of the TE position and the fact he is the clear lead TE

Another big game (4/88/2) last week, so the window will be closed to add him after waivers run tonight

TE6 to open the week

Taysom Hill, Saints (62%)

Dropped in quite a few leagues since he’s been missing time

Dealing with a rib injury, unclear if he will play

Assuming he will return this week, could be a huge part of the game plan if Derek Carr is out (trending that way)

The offense didn’t look as explosive without him in the lineup, which helps his long-term value

He has a WIDE range of outcomes, but at a position like TE, it makes sense to roll the dice on the occasional dud for his massive upside since most TEs are pretty inconsistent/lower scoring anyway… especially this year

Defense

Houston Texans (57%)

Open the week as my DEF1

Again, this doesn’t mean they are a lock to be the top defense or even top 5 this week; that usually takes a fluky play or two

But based on the more predictive metrics like points allowed/sacks, they should offer a high floor this week

They have the highest pressure rate and should be able to get a few sacks

Kicker

Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers (84%)

I still think he’s one of the more underrated kickers

He’s made all 10 of his FGs, including 5 from 50+

He’s now 29-34 (85%) from 50+ in his career

He’s essentially Matt Prater East

They will be playing in a dome in NO, which only helps, and they might be without Derek Carr, so more likely a positive game script; they may be more willing to settle for field goals or attempt longer ones