Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early pickups to consider going into Week 6

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Early Week 6 Pickups

Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (11% rostered on Yahoo)

Jaxson Dart might be good. And if that’s the case, he’ll need a favorite target. Because WR Malik Nabers is done for the season, we weren’t quite sure who would emerge as the top target for Dart in this offense. After about two games, it might be Theo Johnson. The young tight end was being touted a bit going into this season as a sleeper at his position. Through three games with Russell Wilson, Johnson had six catches on 10 targets for 49 yards and no scores. The past two weeks with Dart, however, Johnson has seven catches on nine targets for 34 yards and three touchdowns.

This TD pace isn’t sustainable but the red-zone usage at such a volatile position like tight end makes Johnson a very appealing add. One issue working against him is the Giants’ upcoming schedule, which includes two games against the Eagles with the Broncos’ tough defense sandwiched in between. For that reason, Johnson feels more like a good depth add in case he keeps this up.

If you need a more reliable option in deeper leagues, Jets TE Mason Taylor (13% rostered) had another strong week with a 6-45-0 line on nine targets. He’s improved in each game and is looking more and more like the second option for Justin Fields in the passing game behind Garrett Wilson.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, 49ers (4% rostered)

The 49ers pulled off a miracle win over the Rams on TNF this week with QB Brock Purdy and WRs Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings both sidelined. That thrust Bourne into the role as the top wideout and he didn’t disappoint with Mac Jones under center.

Bourne caught 10 of 11 targets for 142 yards to finish with 19.2 fantasy points. It was an elite PPR performance for Bourne, who has been more of a depth journeyman most of his NFL career. If the injuries persist, Bourne will have value as a FLEX in PPR formats.

Ryan Flournoy, WR, Cowboys (0% rostered)

The Cowboys were missing both CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin in their win over the Jets on Sunday. As a result, Flournoy was involved heavily in the passing game, finishing with a game-high 114 receiving yards on six catches (nine targets). Those 15.4 fantasy points were a solid output, though it doesn’t look like anyone took advantage. So we’ll have to look ahead to next week. There’s a chance Lamb and Turpin get healthy and return, but if injuries persist, Flournoy isn’t a bad add in deeper PPR formats as a FLEX. Turpin and Jalen Tolbert have had issues with consistency and TE Jake Ferguson was banged up toward the end of the Week 5 game.

Players from teams coming off the bye

The Packers, Steelers, Bears and Falcons will be coming off their bye weeks and back in action in Week 6. Here are some players to look to add off the waiver wire who may have been dropped or overlooked.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers (50% rostered): If you forgot, Doubs had a 3-TD catch performance in Week 4 prior to the bye. He’s still available in plenty of leagues and is the most reliable WR for Green Bay until Jayden Reed and Christian Watson are back from injury.

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers (36% rostered): Gainwell would have been an appealing add had it not been for the untimely bye week. He had 25 touches for over 100 yards and a pair of scores vs. the Vikings in Dublin in Week 4. Jaylen Warren may be back in Week 6 but expect Gainwell to still get touches and be a high-upside backup to stash.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (31% rostered): Allgeier had 16 carries for 51 yards and a score for 11.1 fantasy points in Week 4. He should be rostered in more leagues as a premier backup RB who isn’t a bad FLEX play in deeper leagues if he continues to see this type of usage. Allegeier has 10+ touches in three of four games; the lone outlier being the 30-0 loss to the Panthers.