Staying active on the waiver wire is an important way for season-long fantasy owners to improve their teams and get an edge on the competition. Shifts in opportunities for players due to injuries or performance cause value spikes that owners can take advantage of to fill in roster holes to build a championship lineup.
Each week, we will discuss waiver wire targets at each position to consider for both the week ahead and the rest of the fantasy season.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds
* Current roster % in home leagues is noted in parentheses (from Sleeper)
Kirk Cousins, QB (Atlanta Falcons) (41%)
What a performance on Thursday night for Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons. The offense finally unlocked his arm in a shootout against the Buccaneers. He set the franchise record with 509 passing yards on 42-58 passing. He added four touchdowns to finish near the incredible 50-point fantasy threshold in most leagues.
Furthermore, the Falcons will lick their lips in Week 6 for a matchup with the lowly Carolina Panthers that just allowed rookie Caleb Williams to throw for more than 300 yards in a Bears trouncing.
Cousins has struggled with mobility at times this season after recovering from an Achilles injury that ended his Vikings career last season. He seems to have found a No. 1 receiver in Drake London and enough complementary weapons in Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts, and Ray-Ray McCloud to generate some offensive production.
Looking for more fantasy football content? Make sure to check out Sean Koerner’s and Chris Raybon’s weekly fantasy football rankings by subscribing to FantasyLabs’ 2024 fantasy football kit to see how other waiver wire candidates look this week.
Rico Dowdle, RB (Dallas Cowboys) (63%)
Rico Dowdle may have separated himself from the competition in the Dallas backfield this week with his coming-out party against the Steelers. The 26-year-old saw 20 rushing attempts and turned those into 87 rushing yards in addition to two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.
He earned a 50% snap share for the Cowboys, his highest rate of the season, as backfield mate Ezekiel Elliott received just seven total touches for 17 yards. The 4.35 yards/carry is not elite, but the below workload is worth a lot for fantasy owners.
The Cowboys will need to put up points against the Lions this week with a high expected total. If you can find Dowdle available in your league, he is a potential long-term starting running back with decent fantasy upside.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (Kansas City Chiefs) (6%)
We wondered what the Chiefs passing attack would look like without Rashee Rice in the mix. The oft-forgotten Juju Smith-Schuster emerged as the leading receiver against the Saints on Monday night with seven catches for 130 yards.
The lone target he didn’t catch was a drop in the end zone that turned into a Saints interception. Patrick Mahomes had enough confidence in the veteran to go right back to him for a long reception on the ensuing possession.
Travis Kelce led the team with 10 targets, but Smith-Schuster outpaced the other receivers, with Xavier Worthy notching six targets and three catches for 25 yards. The game plan may be a week-by-week variable for the receiving corps, but this performance warrants a much higher roster percentage for Smith-Schuster with the potential of a lot of fantasy value if he can sustain consistent production.
Tyler Conklin, TE (New York Jets) (29%)
The waiver wire for tight ends does not incite much hope for fantasy owners looking to replace a starting option. Targets are the name of the game at the position, and at least Tyler Conklin is getting those. He has six, eight, and nine targets from Aaron Rodgers over the last three weeks.
Without a touchdown on the season, Conklin still finished as TE4 in Week 3 with five catches for 93 yards. He is TE15 in Week 5 with six catches for 55 yards against the Vikings. If Conklin manages to find the end zone this week against the Bills, he has a shot at a top-5 finish at the position.
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Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST (21%)
Let’s be clear: the Philadelphia Eagles defense has not looked good on the field or on the fantasy scoreboard so far in 2024. What is the recipe for them to turn things around? A bye week to get healthy followed by a home game against Deshaun Watson and the hapless Browns offense.
The Eagles have just six sacks on the season and have forced just two turnovers. Expect those numbers to turn around over the next two games against Cleveland and the New York Giants. Jordan Davis remains one of the most disruptive defensive players in football, but they need a lot more production out of the likes of Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, and Josh Sweat.
