Fantasy Football 2019 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 owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, Vikings (41% Owned): Cousins and the Vikings heard their wailing wide receivers and heeded the call. It wasn’t the high-volume effort I thought it might be, but Cousins ripped the Giants apart for 306 yards and two touchdowns. The volume being as it was, Cousins can’t be trusted as a weekly play, but he has three nice matchups coming up – home for Philadelphia, at Detroit, home for Washington – that can serve you well. Unless you have a rock solid QB to plug in, chances are Cousins is going to be a QB1 for the next three weeks.

Gardner Minshew, Jaguars (23% Owned): Minshew is the new hotness, and he might be for real. He threw for 374 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers this week, and hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 1. He’s completing nearly 70% of his pass attempts, and he hasn’t been a dink-and-dunk guy despite his inexperience. This week’s matchup with the Saints isn’t wonderful, but he’ll follow that up with a road game at Cincinnati, and then home for the Jets. He’s not as enticing as Cousins, but a fair fallback option if you are hurting badly at the position.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, Redskins (47% Owned): Peterson has been the hottest garbage in 2019, following a shocking 1,042-yard campaign a year ago as Washington’s workhorse. It’s been tougher sledding this year, with no passing game and an emaciated defense that doesn’t allow the Redskins to ever establish the run. This recommendation is strictly a one-week play for desperate owners. Peterson will get to face the Dolphins, one of the few teams more anemic than the Redskins. Their 30th-ranked run defense will probably allow AP to get going, and their meager offense will keep the ‘Skins in an AP-friendly game script. Even with this soft matchup I don’t love the play, but he’ll be serviceable in a pinch.

Nyheim Hines, Colts (23% Owned): Hines is an emergency-type FLEX play in full-PPR leagues, especially in games where the Colts fall behind. He’s seen four or more targets in four of Indianapolis’ five games this year, and has explosive capability as a rusher, even if he sees very few rushing attempts. Hines won’t ever be an exciting play, but he’s a pretty safe bet in any given week to not put up zero.

Wide Receivers

Cole Beasley, Bills (20% Owned): Beasley’s targets fell off a cliff last week, and they’re on bye in Week 6, so the likelihood of picking up Beasley for free is high. I’d suggest fantasy owners go and do that if they can handle a wasted roster spot for a week, because Beasley remains Josh Allen’s favorite target, and he will eventually start finding the end zone. His upcoming matchups with the Dolphins, Eagles and Redskins after Week 6 are all home games too, so Beasley is absolutely a name to watch. Remember, he’s seen nine or more targets in three of five games this season.

Mohamed Sanu, Falcons (41% Owned): I’ve resisted Sanu this year, but the Falcons’ passing offense is so high-volume he can’t be ignored. Sanu is never going to be a big-time receiver, but he’s seen five or more targets in every game, and exceeded 50 yards three times. Last week he only managed 42 yards, but found the end zone. He’s a very sound WR3 in deeper leagues, and he’s got some boom potential with the right matchups. Owners in shallower leagues should avoid Sanu, but if pickings are slim, he’s got a fairly high floor.

Diontae Johnson, Steelers (34% Owned): Johnson’s stock presumably takes a hit with Mason Rudolph out for a while, but he continued to see healthy targets. He hauled in five of eight passes thrown his way, although he only turned them into 27 yards vs. the Ravens. The upcoming slate is favorable for him: at the Chargers, home for Miami, so in three-WR formats he will continue to be an appealing play as that third WR with high upside. I’m lying though if I don’t admit that Pittsburgh being on their fourth QB doesn’t concern me.

A.J. Brown, Titans (23% Owned): Brown is a Terrell Owens-esque physical freak of nature, and he should be owned. It’s only safe to play him in favorable matchups at this point, because Tennessee’s passing offense is pretty tame, but his 20.8 yards per reception make him one of the highest-upside flyers you can possibly take. Brown is similar to Diontae Johnson, but with fewer targets. I'd argue, however, that Brown has more room for development this season than Johnson does.

Preston Williams, Dolphins (7% Owned): Williams is Miami’s most-targeted receiver, and now that he’s past his bye, he’s a fairly reliable back-end WR for teams that are about to struggle with bye week issues.

Tight Ends

Gerald Everett, Rams (9% Owned): The Rams have a plethora of wide receivers to throw to, as well as a supremely talented RB in Todd Gurley who is relevant in the passing game, so it’s difficult to trust Everett. With that said, he’s been targeted 19 times in the last two games, and put up 136 yards on the Seahawks, so that matters. Everett is absolutely a talented player who can be a difference maker with enough opportunity; his 136 yards last week, and 44 yards with a TD the week prior, mean he’s a player to chase for owners with TE issues. If you are one of the poor saps who invested in O.J. Howard, Eric Ebron or players of that ilk, Everett could potentially change your season.

Chris Herndon, Jets (29% Owned): Herndon is set to return next week, and if he does he can be a potentially stable TE rest of season. But pay attention to the status of Sam Darnold’s health, because without him, the only startable Jet is RB Le’Veon Bell.