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Andy breaks down his must add fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.
RotoBaller drops our top fantasy football Week 6 waiver wire pickups for the 2026 season for RB, WR, TE, and QB. In this week's edition, we will look at two running backs who could sit atop their depth charts for upcoming weeks (and potentially longer) and spotlight a rookie wideout with a clear path to taking over his team's No. 2 role.
This week's must-add fantasy football free agents are hand-picked to ensure you make the right picks to prepare you for the fantasy football championship. These are waiver wire winners heading into Week 6 for running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks. Win more in 2026 with RotoBaller!
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2026 Fantasy Football: Week 6 Waiver Wire Adds
All Players are rostered in 60% or less in all Yahoo Leagues
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
The priority running back add this week is Woody Marks. With David Montgomery now week-to-week with a high ankle injury, Marks is poised to lead the backfield for at least the next few weeks. Even when Montgomery was on the field, Marks' fantasy value slowly climbed, and the second-year back is primed to hold borderline RB2 upside.
In Weeks 3 and 4, Marks found the end zone in each contest and would eclipse the double-digit PPR mark for the first time in Week 5, after leading the backfield for much of the contest with Montgomery exiting early. Marks logged 15 carries for 62 yards and caught all four targets for 23 yards.
As a rookie, Marks posted a modest 3.6 YPC but was involved in the passing attack. With a clear path to a three-down role, Marks is one of the few waiver-wire pickups with not only long-term upside but also the ability to start immediately.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles running back room suffered another injury as Will Shipley sustained a partial tear of his plantar fascia, which will sideline him for several weeks. While Saquon Barkley (hamstring) hopes to return this weekend, veteran Dameon Pierce stands alone at the top of the backfield for now, making him a top waiver wire target.
In relief of Shipley, Pierce was not very impressive, taking 11 carries for just 14 yards and catching two of five targets for -2 yards. In fact, Pierce's last fantasy-relevant production came in the first two seasons of his NFL career, primarily his debut season, when he ran for 939 yards and two touchdowns.
Even if his floor is low, a starting running back on an NFL team is worth picking up. If Barkley's injury lingers, Pierce could have viable short-term FLEX value.
Emmett Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
The final running back we will spotlight is a top stash option. While Emmett Johnson's short-term value is nowhere near Marks' or Pierce's, he is still worth rostering in all standard leagues. Kenneth Walker III has dominated the snap share in Kansas City, but an injury could let Johnson emerge as a borderline top-15 option at the position.
Through four games (they had a Week 5 bye), Walker has averaged 21.8 attempts and 4.8 targets per game. While he stayed healthy in 2025, Walker appeared in only 11 games in 2024 and missed time early in his career.
While his standalone value is low, Johnson is a high-priority stash worth a bench spot.
Germie Bernard, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
The rookie wideout we will spotlight saw his stock soar due to his team context. With Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) on the IR and Roman Wilson (finger) set to miss several weeks, Germie Bernard now sits as the clear No. 2 option on the depth chart alongside DK Metcalf. In Wilson's absence on Sunday, the rookie made an impressive impact, catching six of his nine targets for 80 yards.
While the sample size is small, Bernard immediately showed confidence with Aaron Rodgers and could play a major role in this offense while Pittman and Wilson are on the shelf. He holds immediate plug-and-play FLEX upside in Week 6.
Mike McCarthy says 'football comes easy' to Germie Bernard.
"He's acclimated very well to the offense, can play all three positions, and sticks his nose in there. I've been very impressed."
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) October 12, 2026
Kendrick Bourne, WR, Arizona Cardinals
The other wideout who saw an increase in snaps this past weekend was Kendrick Bourne of the Cardinals. While Bernard benefited from an injury on the roster, Bourne has a path to the No. 2 role with Marvin Harrison Jr. now in Houston. Harrison was inactive this past Sunday (with the trade pending), which allowed Bourne to draw eight targets.
He caught five for 70 yards. This marked the second time this season a quarterback drew eight targets and tallied at least 70 yards. While Michael Wilson is the unquestioned WR1 in the room and TE Trey McBride sees a massive target share, Bourne could still carve out a viable role and earn weekly FLEX consideration, especially if this team finds itself in high-scoring affairs.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
This week's tight end to consider targeting is Brenton Strange. As Brian Thomas Jr.'s role continues to decline, Strange's target share keeps increasing. In Sunday's win over the Eagles, Strange drew at least eight targets for the second straight week and caught seven for 68 yards.
This was also the second straight week Strange caught seven or more passes. Before this surge, Strange drew just 3.3 targets per game (Weeks 1 through 3) and caught just 2.3 per game. While his floor is lower, the recent usage uptick is an excellent sign for those needing a potential low-end TE1.
Trevor Lawrence finds Brenton Strange to get into the redzone
@PHIvsJAX on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/gW36n178qD— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Kirk Cousins, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Kirk Cousins has been a QB1 for much of the 2026 season. Through Weeks 1 through 4, Cousins averaged 256.5 passing yards per game with an 11:4 TD:INT. However, he took a step back this past Sunday in their loss to the Patriots. Cousins threw just one passing score, for 243 yards with one score, to turn in his worst effort of the campaign.
While many may see this as a reason to cut ties, savvy managers should take advantage of his dropping rostership rate and pick him ahead of potential shootout in Week 6. This coming week, the Raiders will face the Buffalo Bills, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season.
Cousins averaged over 23.0 PPR points per game through the first four weeks and should return to that level in a far more favorable matchup.
On Monday, Matthew Stafford threw for 383 yards against the Buffalo secondary.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Woody Marks, Germie Bernard, Emmett Johnson, Dameon Pierce, Kendrick Bourne, Brenton Strange, Kirk Cousins. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Woody Marks, Germie Bernard, Emmett Johnson, Dameon Pierce, Kendrick Bourne, Brenton Strange, Kirk Cousins. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the results and recommendations.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Woody Marks, Germie Bernard, Emmett Johnson, Dameon Pierce, Kendrick Bourne, Brenton Strange, Kirk Cousins:
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