Unlock Hidden Gems: Must-Add Week 6 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Breakouts

So here we are, Week 6 of the fantasy football grind, barely blinking after the first wave of bye weeks—but let’s be honest: the waiver wire is looking thinner than your leftover turkey sandwich. Only two teams riding the bench this week might make life easier on paper, but anybody hoping for a treasure trove of breakout gems? Well, that might be wishful thinking. The Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings keep the pot simmering with some useful pieces, meaning a bit of bloodsport on the waiver wire—but this week’s crop? Let’s just say you’re scavenging rather than scoring a jackpot. If you need a stopgap, though, I’ve got a handful of players to stash or start that can fill some gaps without tearing your squad apart. Ready to dig in and see who’s worth your attention before that next big wave hits? Dive on in. LEARN MORE.

Even with only two teams on bye, the waiver wire isn’t particularly strong in Week 6. But there is still value to be had for fantasy football managers.

Congratulations, you made it through the first set of bye weeks!

Whether or not you made it through unscathed, at least this will be easier for most fantasy managers to navigate with only two teams on bye.

The same is true for Week 7. After that? Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Still, the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings both have a lot of fantasy-relevant players, so there will be some competition on the waiver wire this week. And unfortunately, depending on how a few injuries break, it might not be the best week to pick up a short-term addition.

But if you’re looking for a fill-in, here are the players you should consider.

Week 6 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

RB Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers

While we generally limit our recommendations to players who are rostered in under 50% of leagues on most platforms, we have to make exceptions when there is a no-brainer add that is just over that mark. A running back who rushes for more than 200 yards fits that description.

Dowdle was poised for a big game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 due to Chuba Hubbard’s calf injury and he did not disappoint those who started him. He finished with 23 rushes for 206 yards and a touchdown, along with three receptions for 28 yards. He had six carries of 10 or more yards on the day.

It was the first time this season that Dowdle had more than 10 carries. He racked up 32.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 5, finishing as the clear RB1. In a limited role last season with the Dallas Cowboys, Dowdle totaled 1,328 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns (two rushing, three receiving), looking explosive in the process.

He finished Week 5 with 5.17 yards before contact and 3.95 yards after contact, leading the league in both among running backs with more than 10 carries.

Hubbard is still dealing with the calf injury that kept him out on Sunday, and his status for Week 6 remains in doubt. Even if he does play, not only should Dowdle be picked up in all leagues, but you should start him, especially against his former team. The Cowboys are allowing 127.4 rushing yards per game this season.

RB Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

Things aren’t going well for the Cardinals.

They just lost a stunner to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. James Conner is out for the season and his replacement, Trey Benson, is on injured reserve. That left Michael Carter, Emari Demercado and Zonovan Knight to handle the running back touches in Week 5.

Demercado had what should have been the play of the day with a 71-yard run, but he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line, turning a touchdown into a turnover.

Carter was already getting the lion’s share of the carries at that point and it’s worth noting Demercado still got some work as the back on third down after the gaffe. But Carter ended the game with 18 of the team’s 25 running back carries and is clearly getting the bulk of the early down work. He added 22 yards on five catches as well.

That’s the good news. The bad news is he averaged just 2.8 yards per carry, and Knight took one of the carries at the 1-yard line in for a score.

Carter will likely get most of the goal-line work, but Knight getting a touch near the end zone likely means the Cardinals are comfortable with him in those situations as well. Carter still had a good scoring day in PPR because of his five receptions and rushing touchdown, and he’s worth a pickup in all leagues.

But temper expectations that he’ll be an RB1 while Benson is out. He’ll need to be a lot more efficient for that to happen, and he faces a much tougher defense this week when the Cardinals play the Indianapolis Colts.

RB Hassan Haskins/Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers

Omarion Hampton is being placed on IR, which means he’ll miss at least four games. That leaves Haskins and Vidal vying for touches, including this week against a Dolphins team that just gave up 206 yards to Rico Dowdle.

It’s a nice situation if you could decipher who will be the lead back, but that’s tricky. Both got some work in the limited action after Hampton’s injury. Between the two running backs, Vidal seems more likely to get the majority of the touches, but neither is assured any type of role moving forward. The Chargers could bring in a third back to handle some duties as well.

Both can be rostered if you have an available bench spot and Vidal can be played this week if you need to swing for the fences and hope for a high-ceiling outcome. But there’s a very low floor as well with the uncertainty.

WR Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers

No NFL team has embodied “next man up” over the past couple of years than San Francisco. It happened again Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams, when Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Jordan Watkins were all unable to play and Mac Jones once again had to take over for an injured Brock Purdy.

Enter Kendrick Bourne, who caught 10 passes for 142 yards. Despite not playing in Week 1, he now ranks fourth among all 49ers players with 24 targets on the season.

Christian McCaffrey remains the axis around which everything spins in San Francisco with 52 targets, 39 receptions and 91 carries (an average of 26 touches per game). Beyond him, the 49ers have several targets up for grabs depending on the health of Jennings and Pearsall.

Both players could be back next week, which would reduce Bourne to a tertiary role. George Kittle is eligible to be back as well, although Week 7 seems like a more realistic target than Week 6.

Bourne is worth an add if two of these three players are out again (and even more of a priority for a fantasy manager with Pearsall or Jennings). But he’s a one-week solution at best unless there are further injuries.

WR Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys

Desperate times call for desperate measures and with the receiver pool being barren this week, you could do a lot worse than grab a player who got nine targets from Dak Prescott last week.

CeeDee Lamb continues to miss games with a high-ankle sprain, and when Kevontae Turpin joined him on the sidelines in Week 5, it was Flournoy who became fantasy relevant with six passes for 114 yards.

Jalen Tolbert, who had four catches for 61 yards the previous week, got just one target and didn’t record a catch. But he was still on the field for almost the entire game alongside George Pickens.

Flournoy looked shiftier in Week 5 than Tolbert ever has, so he may have played himself into a decent role in the offense even if Turpin does return this week. He’s certainly not a must-add, but could be the best short-term option available for receiver-needy fantasy managers.

WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Watson isn’t likely to play this week and will certainly get limited looks in his first few games back when he returns from his ACL tear. But if you have an open bench spot or are in a league that lets you put players who are ruled out in an IR spot, he could be worth a stash.

TE Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

In the preseason, we listed Waller as a deep sleeper who could have value. He’s making that look prophetic after two games.

Waller caught two touchdowns in his first game of the season in Week 4 and followed it up with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in Week 5.

It was clear the Dolphins would have to re-work their offense with Tyreek Hill out and rely on more short targets. Waller was more effective with those looks than Malik Washington, who had four catches for zero yards on five targets.

But Waller also factored in the deep game, as Tua Tagovailoa hit him with a deep pass over the middle of the field for a 34-yard gain.

Waller has had health issues his entire career, so he’s no sure thing. But he’s clearly worth a roster spot for players in need of a tight end and will be a borderline starter at worst for the foreseeable future.

For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.

The post Top Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups appeared first on Opta Analyst.