Fantasy Football 2020 Week 6 Waiver Wire 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 (32% Owned): Cousins was serviceable in primetime against the Seahawks, putting up 239 yards and two scores in a game where Minnesota’s running game was utterly dominant even after losing Dalvin Cook. While Cousins’ blowup games are more of an anomaly with the running game in such good form, he still has a high-end receiving corps of Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson at his disposal, and their defense is poor enough to force them into some pass-heavy game scripts. Cousins will be a borderline QB1 entering Week 6 because of his matchup with the Falcons, but he also has potentially fruitful matchups in Weeks 8 and 9 vs. the Packers and Lions.

Andy Dalton, Cowboys (3% Owned): Dalton entered the game this week against a bad defense with a stud corps of skill position players and got the job done, completing nine of 11 passes for 111 yards. Dalton is not a star, but he could put up some pretty big passing numbers in this offense just by virtue of having the deepest and most talented crew of receivers in the NFL, as well as arguably the best RB. Dallas’ upcoming matchups are vs. Arizona, at Washington and at Philadelphia, so Dalton should absolutely be playable for the next few weeks.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins (21% Owned): Fitzpatrick has topped 300 passing yards in back-to-back games, forcing those calling for Tua Tagovailoa to pipe down a tad. Now, fair warning: whenever we start actually expecting things from Fitzpatrick, he tends to melt down. Still, if you need a QB, or are sick of watching veterans like Matt Ryan or maybe Philip Rivers just not produce, he can be plugged in and he at least has the potential for a big game.

Running Backs

Justin Jackson, Chargers (43% Owned): Jackson assumed the Austin Ekeler role for a Chargers offense that has become quite high-powered with rookie Justin Herbert at the helm, and he had the fantasy-friendly end of a 60/40 timehsare with Joshua Kelley. Jackson had 15 carries to Kelley’s 11, outgaining him 75 to 29 on the ground, and he saw six targets to Kelley’s one. Their usage could flip depending on game script, but Jackson will clearly be involved regardless of game script to some extent, and looked like the far more explosive option. Based on this game, Jackson is the preferred Chargers RB until Ekeler heals up.

Alexander Mattison, Vikings (40% Owned): Hopefully all you Dalvin Cook owners listened to me preseason and handcuffed him with Mattison, because he’s about to be expensive AF on waivers. We don’t know the extent of Cook’s groin injury, but if we don’t have clarity before waivers go through, then you’ve got to pony up for Mattison because the Vikings are one of the most determined teams in the league to beat you on the ground. Seattle entered Sunday night ranked 6th against the run per Football Outsiders, and Mattison gashed them for 112 yards without even starting the game. He’s the real deal.

D’Ernest Johnson, Browns (42% Owned): Johnson ran well behind Kareem Hunt, and solidified the Browns approach while Nick Chubb is sidelined. While Hunt and Chubb were on fairly equal footing, with Chubb getting a slight edge in carries and Hunt taking over based on game script, Hunt is going to operate as a bell cow with Johnson spelling him. In Cleveland, that might still be okay in a pinch. Johnson averaged four yards per carry in this game, and would become a very valuable asset if Hunt ever misses time. If he’s still on your waivers, he’s worth an add if your team is relatively healthy.

Matt Breida, Dolphins (25% Owned): I’ve been humbled by the consistency of Myles Gaskin’s touches in this offense, but Breida did gain some value by earning nine carries in a game where Jordan Howard was a healthy scratch. While Breida only managed 28 yards on nine carries, he did take his lone reception 31 yards, and appears to be settling into the lesser half of this time share. Breida is a speculative add based on the talent he flashed in San Francisco, and as a bet on him earning workhorse carries if Gaskin suffers an injury. It’s not the highest-upside bet, but RB waivers are pretty thin these days.

Wide Receivers

Chase Claypool, Steelers (16% Owned): Well then. Claypool was on this list last week, and now he tops it, emphatically. Claypool went bananas this week, hanging four touchdowns (three receiving) on the Eagles, as well as 110 yards on 11 targets. It was the second time in Pittsburgh’s last two games Diontae Johnson left with an injury, and Claypool looks like he might already be the Steelers’ best receiver. His size and ability to make big catches down the field are reminiscent of Mike Evans, who has been elite for years now. He’s by far the most desirable add on this list, and should be the top priority for all teams, regardless of situation.

Brandin Cooks, Texans (43% Owned): Cooks was rage dropped after putting up a doughnut in Week 4, which was a mistake. He’s been inconsistent in 2020, and clearly behind Will Fuller in the Houston pecking order, but Cooks has been a remarkably consistent producer on the whole for several years. With Bill O’Brien gone, we could see the offense revolve more around QB Deshaun Watson, and less around new RB David Johnson, which in turn should mean consistent targets for Cooks. His glory days are gone, but he should be rostered in all but the shallowest of leagues. His 161-yard, one-TD explosion this Sunday is all you need to see.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers (34% Owned): Valdes-Scantling is a sneaky value who probably had to be dropped in a lot of leagues because he was on bye, and to accommodate injuries/COVID concerns. While he is inconsistent, with Allen Lazard on IR Valdes-Scantling is a fairly clear-cut WR2 for the Packers right now. That hasn’t been worth much in recent years, but the resurgence of Aaron Rodgers means that his WR2 can be started in any game, regardless of matchup. This doesn’t make him a must-start, but with Lazard on the shelf he’s a safe bet to avoid a goose egg and he possesses WR2 upside in any given game.

Mecole Hardman, Chiefs (40% Owned): Hardman is a big play waiting to happen, even if his usage is still frustratingly low. He’s approached 70% of snaps twice this season, and had scored in back-to-back weeks before being held out of the end zone vs. Las Vegas. Hardman did turn two receptions into 50 yards,  and both touchdowns came in games in which he saw at least four targets. He had already supplanted DeMarcus Robinson, and with Sammy Watkins leaving the game with a hamstring injury, it might finally be time for Hardman to get the playing time he’s earned. If Mahomes treats him like the nuclear weapon he is, Hardman will break out. If Watkins misses games, I believe this will be Hardman’s time to shine.

Henry Ruggs III, Raiders (44% Owned): Ruggs showed us the reason he was drafted first among receivers in the historic 2020 class. His track star speed was on display, as he turned two catches into a 118-yard, one-TD fantasy day. He is averaging 29.5 yards per reception in three games played. Obviously, that’s not a sustainable number, but it does show what he can do with limited opportunity. Ruggs isn’t the  most reliable option, but he’s got week-winning potential, and can be deployed on rosters that are stable elsewhere.

Christian Kirk, Cardinals (34% Owned): Kirk is re-establishing himself in this offense, scoring a touchdown vs. Carolina, and hauling in five passes for 78 yards last week against the Jets. Kirk gets to feast on Dallas’ atrocious defense this week, followed by Seattle and Miami in Weeks 7 and 8, respectively. It’s possible DeAndre Hopkins monopolizes all the targets, but Kirk has the explosiveness to do his own damage. Kirk shouldn’t cost much, and should be very useful for teams in need.

Golden Tate, Giants (37% Owned): Tate was serviceable against Dallas this week, although his safety rating has to be dinged based on how bad Daniel Jones looks. Washington had a Top 3 pass defense entering Week 5, so it might not be the greatest week to roll with Tate, but if you’re desperate he’s a lock for five or more targets. The issue is the quality of those targets, as he hasn’t broken 50 yards or scored a TD this year.

Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham, Bears (40% Owned): It’s official, Graham needs to be owned. While he is still touchdown dependent, it’s not because those are his only targets. Graham has been targeted 20 times in the last three games, including 10 in Week 3 alone. He’s already scored four touchdowns this season, and looks to be the primary target in the end zone for Nick Foles, even over Allen Robinson. He’ll still give you duds, but you can do much worse than Graham at TE.