Ivan Herrera 
As Week 5 of the NFL season has come and gone, fantasy football managers are already looking to make adjustments to their rosters. Injuries, surprising performances, and emerging talents often prompt the need for some shrewd waiver wire pickups. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 Week 6 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, along with a few honorable mentions to keep an eye on. This week’s edition of Waiver Wire Pickups will feature a couple familiar names as well as a couple of TEs.
1. Emari Demercado, RB, Arizona Cardinals (Rostered%:.4 ESPN, 2 Sleeper, 4 Yahoo)
The UDFA rookie is the RB3 at Arizona, and thanks to injuries, he looks to be the starter going into week six. After James Conner went down with an injury, Demercado ran the ball ten times for 48 yards and a touchdown, as well as one reception for 12 yards. The Cardinals were down to the Bengals in the second half, so Demercado didn’t get too many touches. In college, Demercado backed up fellow rookie Kendre Miller at TCU, and he showed that whenever he can touch the ball, he can help his team. Demercado is high on my list of waiver wire pickups and will top the list if Conner and Ingram are ruled out prior to Wednesday.
2. Curtis Samuel, WR, Washington Commanders (Rostered%: 14.7 ESPN, 28 Sleeper, 18 Yahoo)
Samuel has had a great two weeks after struggling in weeks two and three. Over the past two weeks, he has had 15 targets for 13 receptions, 116 yards, and a touchdown. Last week against the Bears, Samuel finished second in targets, only behind the player I’ll touch on in the number four spot. Through five weeks, he has outtargeted at least one of Terry McLaurin or Jahan Dotson in every game this season. He is a great plug-and-play player, as he will continue to get targets as Washington has been in close games all year.
3. Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos (Rostered%: 48.3 ESPN, 55 Sleeper, 59 Yahoo)
He was mentioned in the honorable mention last week, but he showed he is a real threat in the Broncos’s loss to the Jets on Sunday. He outtouched starter Samaje Perine 12 to 10. McLaughlin finished the game with 89 total yards and a score. Even when Williams comes back from injury, it looks like McLaughlin will serve as his backup, as he is having a better season than Perine.
4. Logan Thomas, TE, Washington Commanders (Rostered%: 8.1 ESPN, 20 Sleeper, 17 Yahoo)
The second player on this list that was featured in honorable mentions last week, Thomas, becomes a great waiver wire pickup heading into week six. Against the Bears on Thursday night, Thomas caught nine of his 11 targets for 77 yards and scored a touchdown. He has been inconsistent in his four appearances this season, with eight and 11 in two games and three in each of the other two. But with Washington struggling this season with a young QB, I expect Thomas to see more days like the eight and 11 games because young QBs love the security of throwing to a TE.
5. Gardner Minshew, QB, Indianapolis Colts (Rostered%:.5 ESPN, 4 Sleeper, 1 Yahoo)
With rookie Richardson being diagnosed with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain, veteran Minshew steps in to become the Colts starting QB. Minshew was the starter in week three when Richardson was ruled out prior to their game against Baltimore. In that game, Minshew completed 27 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown. He was careful with the ball, as he did not have a turnover. In SuperFlex leagues, Minshew is a solid QB2 option since he has WRs like Pittman and Downs who are good. In standard single QB leagues, Minshew is a good player to plug in if you have an injured QB or your starter is on a bye. He gets a good matchup against Jacksonville this week, so if you have Jordan Love or Kenny Pickett, Minshew is a solid plug-in option.
6. Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Rostered %: 10.9 ESPN, 27 Sleeper, 9 Yahoo)
Downs had a bounceback game after having his worst performance of his rookie season against the Rams. This past Sunday against the Titans, Downs had a career high in receptions (6) and yards (97) but has yet to score his first career touchdown. With Minshew taking the starting spot and Richardson looking to be missing multiple weeks, Downs should see more production as Minshew will throw more than Richardson did. He is still available in multiple leagues and should be picked up as a solid Flex option as his role increases with the offense.
7. Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers (Rostered%: 23.3 ESPN, 31 Sleeper, 25 Yahoo)
Musgrave is a stash play for week six, as the Green Bay Packers have a bye this week. In two of GB’s last three games, Musgrave has had at least seven targets and six catches. Like I mentioned, he is a stash play this week since they are on a bye, but weeks seven through nine, he gets great matchups against Denver, Minnesota, and LAR, who are all bad teams against TEs. Musgrave is a good TE1 any given week, as outside TEs like Kelce, Andrews, Kittle, and Hockenson all have more rollercoaster stat lines.
8. Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, Miami Dolphins (Rostered%: 29.7 ESPN, 24 Sleeper, 27 Yahoo)
Wilson has been on the IR since the start of the season, dealing with a rib injury. He was eligible to return this past weekend, but with Achane and Mostert being great 1-2 punches, he was not activated. But that looks to be changing this week, as Achane has been ruled out for multiple weeks, which opens up a spot in Miami’s backfield. Salvon Ahmed is also with the Dolphins, but Wilson should be the one that takes Achane’s spot, as he is comfortable with McDaniel’s offense from their time in San Francisco. He will be a stash play for this weekend as we see what his role will be, but he could be a solid RB2 option in fantasy next week if he gets the workload Achane was getting.
9. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Chicago Bears (Rostered%: 5.2 ESPN, 14 Sleeper, 7 Yahoo)
Foreman has been a healthy scratch since Week 1. But that looks to be changing as starter Herbert is out for a few weeks and backup Roschon Johnson is in concussion protocol. Foreman gets a decent matchup against the Vikings this week, but in weeks eight and nine, he has very favorable matchups. Even if backup Johnson returns this week or next, Foreman should still get a solid workload as Johnson hasn’t had great success so far.
10. KJ Osborn, WR, Minnesota Vikings (Rostered%: 21.6 ESPN, 17 Sleeper, 12 Yahoo)
With Justin Jefferson being placed on the IR, Osborn elevates to the WR1 spot for the Vikings. Through five games this season, Osborn has averaged 5.2 targets per game. Jefferson accounted for 10.6 targets per game, so those will end up being split between Osborn and rookie Addison. While Addison will also see an uptick in targets, Osborn should be the one who gets a lot more of the shorter targets, while Addison will see some deeper shots. Osborn is a WR2 in all fantasy leagues for the next four weeks that Jefferson will be out.
Honorable Mentions:
- Dalton Schultz,Houston Texans , (Rostered%: 52.4 ESPN, 44 Sleeper, 36 Yahoo)
- Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans ,(Rostered%: 25.6 ESPN, 37 Sleeper, 27 Yahoo)
- AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers , (Rostered%: 67.9 ESPN, 70 Sleeper, 68 Yahoo)
In the world of fantasy football, being proactive on the waiver wire can often be the difference between success and failure. These Week 6 waiver wire pickups, along with the honorable mentions, should help you strengthen your roster as the season progresses. Make sure to prioritize your team’s specific needs and potential long-term upside when making your choices.
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