Fantasy Football 2024 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 rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Immediately Useful
Darnell Mooney, WR, Falcons (48% Rostered): Mooney tops the list of waiver wire options, because he has proven himself to be locked in as the No. 2 target for Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, and Cousins appears to be back to his old, gunslinging self. Long a boom or bust deep threat, Mooney is now a player for whom touches are designed. In his last three games, Mooney was targeted eight, six and 16 times. He was over 55 yards in all three of them, and vs. Tampa Bay in a shootout he went off for nine catches, 105 yards and two touchdowns. Mooney’s not a superstar, but if he’s going to see heavy targets, he becomes a high-floor FLEX with a pretty high ceiling. When byes are hitting, and injuries begin piling up, guys like him are very, very nice to have as a fill in.
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Chiefs (7% Rostered): Smith-Schuster might feel like a gross add, but he is going to be productive. The last time we saw a fantasy relevant Juju was in 2021, when he held the ever valuable slot role for the Kansas City Chiefs. With Rashee Rice gone, Juju is right back in that role. While he’s not going to give you the long breakaway plays Rice gave us all, the target share will be tops among Chiefs WRs. On Monday night he popped for seven grabs and 130 yards. That’s the high end of what he can do, but he’ll have heavy volume for as long as Rice is out, which looks like the entire season to my untrained eye.
Josh Downs, WR, Colts (40% Rostered): Downs is a player I like a lot more when Joe Flacco is under center for the Colts, but he’s talented enough that even when Anthony Richardson is playing, he can still be valuable. Downs’ game is much more about precision, route running, and being open, and therefore Richardson’s erratic accuracy isn’t a perfect match. But still, Downs is proving himself to be a very tough cover. He’s caught 17 passes in the last two games, mostly with Flacco, for 151 yards and a score. The volume of targets will decrease when Richardson comes back, but he'll still be a guy you can throw in the FLEX.
Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings (28% Rostered): We’re here. Aaron Jones went down early in the London game Sunday and Chandler logged 14 carries and drew two targets. His output was nothing special against a very tough Jets front, but if Jones misses time, Chandler is in for a big, big workload. The Vikings are off next week, so Jones could heal up and not miss anymore games. If that happens, then he will go back to being a handcuff. But the bye week may lower the price on him, and you could still get a short-term starter on the cheap.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars (23% Rostered): Bigsby erupted this week, smoking the Colts for 101 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and adding in a 28-yard reception. He also played 40% of the snaps, sending out a bright flare that this really is becoming a timeshare. Not only that, he’s looking like the more well-rounded back between he and Travis Etienne; while Etienne is still an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield, Jacksonville has long wanted to reduce his workload so he can maintain his explosiveness and stay out of the trainer’s room. Bigsby is making that dream a reality, and he has true standalone value now.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Bears (20% Rostered): Johnson has emerged as Chicago’s preferred option on the goal line, which will frustrate D’Andre Swift managers, but has really been the story of Swift’s NFL career. Swift is still the primary back, and you’re still basically relying on Johnson to score TDs in order to return fantasy value. But Chicago may be turning a corner offensively, so pieces of this offense have value. Johnson is a very ancillary piece, but in a pinch he might get you into the painted area.
Jordan Whittington, WR, Rams (15% Rostered): Whittington took some time to show why he was such a hyped player late in the preseason, but he’s drawn 18 targets in the past two games and gone for 62 and 89 yards, capably filling in while Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp nurse injuries. With the injuries along Los Angeles’ offensive line, it’s hard for this offense to cook. Whittington is not going to be a league winner the way Puka was, but he’s a safe plug in for as long as both WRs are out, and he’ll stay relevant even if Kupp returns as planned after their bye.
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys (7% Rostered): Tolbert looks like the answer to “who will be Dallas’ No. 2 receiver this year?” With Brandin Cooks on IR, Tolbert has emerged as the real deal, while guys like KaVontae Turpin are being used as gadget players with designed touches. The Dallas offense isn’t what it was a year ago thanks to their woeful running game, but that only means more targets for Tolbert. The efficiency will be down across the board, but the volume makes him a definite player to invest in.
Alec Pierce, WR, Colts (20% Rostered): Pierce’s projections don’t change for me with Flacco or Richardson under center, because he does one thing. Pierce runs real fast down the field and eats up yardage in chunks. That’s a shaky asset for fantasy managers, because there’s no floor when that’s all you do. He’s a goose egg risk in every game, but he’s now scored thrice in five games and gone over 125 yards twice. If you need ceiling, this man gives you ceiling. Just don’t cry you weren’t warned when games like Week 4 (one reception, nine yards) occur.
Allen Lazard, WR, Jets (36% Rostered): Lazard’s stats are incredible in that they tell a very different story than your eyes. But hey, who cares about how he actually plays from snap to snap right? We’re talking fantasy, and right now Aaron Rodgers insists on throwing Lazard the ball and getting him in the end zone. Lazard leads the Jets in touchdowns (4), and is 34 targets are second only to Garrett Wilson. With the running game stuck in the mud, Rodgers is winging it, and he’s looking Lazard’s way a ton making him a playable FLEX.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets (48% Rostered): It’s grim on waivers right now if you need a QB, as most managers have made their bye week plans. Rodgers is under the 50% threshold, and while most weeks his stats have been underwhelming, he’s throwing a lot, and the defenses have been brutal. It isn’t getting easier the next two weeks with Buffalo and Pittsburgh on the docket, but his connection with Wilson improved vs. the Vikings and that’s encouraging.
Tyler Conklin, TE, Jets (30% Rostered): Like QB, TE is a gruesome position to find help. Conklin is not a special player by any means, but he’s become a reliable safety valve for Rodgers, drawing 6+ targets in each of the last three games and going for over 50 yards twice. At this position, that’s seriously just fine.
Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders (31% Rostered): Like Conklin, Ertz is out here running routes and just soaking up check downs. For Ertz though, he’s in a better offense with a QB that’s playing at a much higher level. The downside is that Ertz is currently even less explosive than Conklin is, and the Commanders are going downfield far more than the Jets are, leaving Ertz fewer looks. But if you’re desperate, Ertz will be on the field running patterns and he’s unlikely to goose.
Joe Flacco, QB, Colts (8% Rostered): Flacco is one of the most confounding players in recent memory, just going HAM every chance he gets as one of the oldest players in the league. He’s even better now than in some of his prime seasons as a fantasy option, and he put up huge numbers in a loss this week. He’s a boon to all the Colts pass-catchers, and a legit decent option in weekly leagues. He’d be far more appealing than Rodgers if I could count on him to be the starter, but Richardson’s status will probably go to game time. Fantasy managers will have to decide what they want to do before then in all likelihood, and even with this week unclear, the Colts will go back to Richardson sooner rather than later.
Speculative/Deep Cuts
Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals (13% Rostered): Wilson flashed again this week, putting up five catches for 78 yards vs. a strong 49ers dafense. The talent is so clearly there with Wilson, and the offense is pretty damn good. Consistency is all that is holding him back, as he’s behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride in the target pecking order, but in any given week he can go off. If you have space to stash players, Wilson is definitely someone who can emerge as the season goes on as a breakout.
Braelon Allen, RB, Jets (47% Rostered): Allen’s been quiet of late, but he is still hovering in the high-20s to mid-30s in snap rate for the Jets, and he has playmaking potential when he touches the rock. He has standalone value, even if his ceiling is pretty low while Breece Hall’s healthy, and he’s an obvious, sure handcuff in the event of injury. You’d rather not play him though if you can avoid it.
Justice Hill, RB, Ravens (31% Rostered): Hill’s value is certainly capped with Derrick Henry having one of his best seasons in an offense seemingly built for him to thrive, but Hill has a pretty steady role on this offense. He’s the trusty passing downs guy who will get a few handoffs at times to spell the big man, and when times get tough with injuries and byes that has its place in a FLEX spot. Hill has popped for six receptions twice this year, so any time the Ravens find themselves behind, he can get some stuff done.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (26% Rostered): Allgeier continues to get close to 40% of snaps for Atlanta, eating into Bijan Robinson’s reps, but not getting quite enough opportunity to be very useful on his own. It’s a frustrating setup, but Bijan managers should make it their beeswax to get Allgeier on their team. If one goes down, it means a big boost to the other’s fantasy value.
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (13% Rostered): Wilson is getting work even with Josh Jacobs healthy, but not doing much with it. His standalone value is not much, but he remains the clear handcuff for Jacobs, so at the very least Jacobs managers should try to lock him up for cheap.
Tyrone Tracy, RB, Giants (23% Rostered): Tracy was a fairy heavily added player last week amid news that Devin Singletary would miss time, and he showed why he was a popular late-round sneaky pick in the preseason. He got a healthy 18 carries and wound up with 129 yards on the ground in a game where Malik Nabers was out and the entire world was ready to stop the Giants’ running game. Will he continue to see a good share of work when Singletary returns? He earned that with his play Sunday, but that’s a complete unknown. In a low-scoring offense, having a platoon back isn’t that sexy, but we’ve now seen his upside flashed and he’s interesting.
Cam Akers, RB, Texans (35 % Rostered): Akers looks cooked, but he’s scored twice in Joe Mixon’s absence, and can be played for as long as Mixon is out. Once Mixon returns though, Akers isn’t someone I’d hang on to.
Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Patriots (8% Rostered): Polk’s done nothing this year in a putrid New England passing offense, but I am including him anyway as someone to at least monitor because he’s seen 13 targets in the past two games, and seen his snap count go to 83% in Week 4, and 100% in Week 5. He’s talented enough that if this trend continues, the targets will keep increasing, and he will wind up with a major share of the Patriots’ small pie. That doesn’t make him a fantasy star, but it will make him relevant as the season progresses, especially if the Pats switch to Drake Maye and he adds explosiveness to the aerial attack. He costs nothing now, so he makes sense for a team with a good record and not too many injuries to stash and see.