Fantasy: Waiver Wire - Week 6

Find positional rankings, additional analysis, and subscribe to push notifications in the NFL Fantasy News section.

Every Monday during the season, theScore's Justin Boone runs down the recommended waiver wire pickups.

Ownership percentages are based on Yahoo leagues. FAAB bids are set off a $100 budget. Only players owned in less than 60 percent of leagues are considered.

QuarterbacksHannah Foslien / Getty Images Sport / GettyKirk Cousins, Vikings

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. PHI	41%	$1

When projecting the Vikings' offense before the season, we took account of their new run-first approach. Unfortunately, we didn't plan for Adam Thielen to use the nuclear option and voice his complaints with the offense to the media. The result was Cousins offering a verbal apology and following it up with an on-field apology, which included seven catches, 130 yards, and two touchdowns for Thielen. Minnesota will still run the ball far more than it passes most games, but it will be forced to the air in Week 6 against the pass funnel Eagles defense. So you can expect Cousins to flirt with QB1 fantasy numbers for a second straight week.

Josh Allen, Bills

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
on Bye	51%	$4

If you're looking for a Week 6 streamer, Allen isn't your guy. However, after his bye, the Bills quarterback has an incredibly soft schedule that features the Dolphins, Eagles, Redskins, Browns, and then the Dolphins again. With both a high ceiling and floor thanks to his rushing stats, fantasy managers can deploy Allen as a starter during that stretch. In his two easy matchups this season against the Giants and Bengals, Allen finished as the QB7 and QB15.

Other options: Gardner Minshew II vs. NO (23% owned), Matthew Stafford at GB (53% owned), Kyle Allen at TB (10% owned), Teddy Bridgewater at JAX (9% owned), Sam Darnold vs. DAL (13% owned)

Running backsRalph Freso / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It's a thin week for anyone in need of an immediate running back starter in fantasy. Players like Kenyan Drake vs. WAS (55% owned) and Adrian Peterson at MIA (47% owned) are available in some leagues and can be considered as matchup-dependent options, but they come with plenty of risk in bad offenses. So let's take this opportunity to identify some of the elite backups or handcuffs you should be targeting this time of year.

Chase Edmonds, Cardinals

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. ATL	2%	$7

With word that David Johnson battled a back injury during Sunday's win over the Bengals, Edmonds needs to be owned everywhere. Though Johnson played through the issue - posting 156 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches - head coach Kliff Kingsbury said his star runner will be monitored all week. Edmonds isn't the top handcuff, but he has seen his production rise in each of his last three outings, culminating in 11 touches, 86 yards, and a touchdown in Week 5. If Johnson were to sit out, Edmonds would be a fantasy RB2 with a three-down skill set in one of the league's fasted-paced offenses.

Malcolm Brown, Rams

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. SF	28%	$5

My tendency when it comes to the waiver wire is to be aggressive when there's a player you covet, especially early in the season. So, after Week 1 when Brown picked up 53 yards and two scores, I recommended bidding big to get him on your team. Sadly, his role in the offense has declined, making him more of an elite handcuff than a weekly contributor. We still don't know if Todd Gurley's knee will hold up for an entire 16-game campaign, so Brown remains a strong stash with RB1 potential.

Tony Pollard, Cowboys

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
at NYJ	23%	$5

Pollard's early-season fantasy value evaporated when Ezekiel Elliott ended his holdout before the season. The good news was that we saw enough in August to know that Pollard is more than capable of handling the load if something were to happen to Elliott. The rookie flashed his skills again while delivering his first 100-yard game in a Week 3 destruction of the Dolphins and would be a true league-winner if given starter's snaps behind the Cowboys' offensive line.

Alexander Mattison, Vikings

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. PHI	23%	$5

Dalvin Cook has been one of the MVPs of the fantasy season thus far with four 100-yard rushing games and is well on his way to a career year. Still, he's missed 17 games over his first two NFL campaigns, adding slightly more injury risk to his outlook than other top backs. Mattison has been solid while spelling Cook, racking up 189 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. The rookie would be a top-10 fantasy option if Cook were sidelined.

Rashaad Penny, Seahawks

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
at CLE	54%	$5

A hamstring injury prevented Penny from challenging for the starting role when Chris Carson nearly fumbled it away in the first few weeks. With Penny back in the lineup, Carson re-established himself as the lead back in Week 5, but ball security or health issues could open the door for Penny again at some point. Even as the team's No. 2 back, he's amassed at least 49 yards from scrimmage in two of his three games this season, leaving you to wonder what kind of damage he could do with a more robust workload.

Other options: Jon Hilliman at NE (0% owned), Giovani Bernard at BAL (11% owned), Ito Smith at ARI (14% owned), Darrel Williams vs. HOU (45% owned), Jordan Wilkins on Bye (6% owned), Gus Edwards vs. CIN (7% owned), Ryquell Armstead vs. NO (2% owned), Ty Johnson at GB (1% owned), Rex Burkhead vs. NYG (28% owned), Jamaal Williams vs. DET (11% owned), Ty Montgomery vs. DAL (5% owned), Raheem Mostert at LAR (28% owned), Justice Hill vs. CIN (9% owned), Dion Lewis at DEN (21% owned), Reggie Bonnafon at TB (0% owned), Mark Walton vs. WAS (0% owned)

Wide receiversMike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty

DK Metcalf, Dede Westbrook, and Mecole Hardman are all around the 60% ownership mark and should be owned in all leagues.

Byron Pringle, Chiefs

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. HOU	1%	$7

Remember that strategy of owning anyone associated with Patrick Mahomes? It paid off again this week when Pringle was thrust into three-wide sets after Sammy Watkins left the game with a hamstring injury on the first series. Pringle led the receiving corps by catching six of nine targets for 103 yards and a touchdown while playing 78% of the Chiefs' snaps. Tyreek Hill is nearing a return, but Pringle should be rostered in case Watkins' hamstring issue lingers.

Preston Williams/DeVante Parker, Dolphins

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. WAS	7%/9%	$5/$5

This isn't a great week to find instant impact players on the waiver wire, but you likely already knew that when you saw two Dolphins receivers listed here. Williams was one of our deep sleepers for 2019 and is starting to come on with 19 targets over the last two games since Josh Rosen took over at quarterback. Parker hasn't been far behind and had a respectable 4-70-1 line prior to Miami's Week 5 bye. If you're going to use them, this would be the game - they face a Redskins defense that's been torched by wideouts, including seven 60-plus-yard games and nine touchdowns in five weeks.

Jamison Crowder, Jets

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. DAL	44%	$5

The last time Crowder took the field with Sam Darnold, he hauled in 14 of 17 targets for 99 yards in Week 1. His starting quarterback is likely returning, so Crowder re-enters the conversation as a WR3 in fantasy. With the Jets' offensive line struggling, short passes to Crowder could be a remedy, and their second-half schedule is among the league's easiest.

Mohamed Sanu, Falcons

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
at ARI	41%	$5

Sanu is my third-favorite fantasy receiver on his team and yet he cracks the list after putting up 75 yards or a touchdown in each of the last three games. The Falcons' defense isn't getting better and will force Matt Ryan to throw a high volume of passes every week. Sanu has proven he can offer flex value and the matchup with Cardinals is enticing enough to get him in your lineup.

Other options: Diontae Johnson at LAC (34% owned), Auden Tate at BAL (22% owned), AJ Brown at DEN (23% owned), Deebo Samuel at LAR (30% owned), Dante Pettis at LAR (20% owned), Keke Coutee at KC (17% owned), Darius Slayton at NE (0% owned), Antonio Callaway vs. SEA (4% owned), Duke Williams on Bye (0% owned), Ted Ginn Jr. at JAX (7% owned), KeeSean Johnson vs. ATL (2% owned), Demaryius Thomas vs. DAL (3% owned)

Tight endsAl Bello / Getty Images Sport / GettyChris Herndon, Jets

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. DAL	29%	$7

Tight end is the one position that does offer a variety of options this week. Herndon has been a recommended pickup here for several weeks and now he's a must-own coming off suspension. As a rookie, he was a top-seven fantasy tight end over a 10-game stretch from Week 6 to Week 16. The Jets' new coaching staff gushed about him in the offseason and he should produce another strong fantasy finish over the final 12 contests.

Hunter Henry, Chargers

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. PIT	40%	$7

Henry hasn't been ruled out for Week 6, but it's likely he sits out another game or two before making his return from a knee injury. If he's out there, he's a potential top-10 player at a position that doesn't have many reliable fantasy weapons.

Gerald Everett, Rams

Next Up	Ownership	FAAB bid
vs. SF	8%	$5

Everett's long-awaited breakout may finally be here. The 25-year-old has 12 receptions, 180 yards, and a touchdown on 19 targets over the last two games. He continuously shredded the Seahawks' defense for chunk plays last Thursday, and with receiver Brandin Cooks dealing with a concussion, Sean McVay might need to shift more looks toward his young tight end. Everett is still a streamer for now, albeit one with top-12 upside if this trend persists.

Other options: Dawson Knox on Bye (16% owned), Noah Fant vs. TEN (13% owned), Jason Witten at NYJ (54% owned), Vernon Davis at MIA (14% owned), Jordan Akins at KC (7% owned), Darren Fells at KC (0% owned)

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.