Welcome to the post-Week 5 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. Let’s hope all of you survived through a pretty big Bye Week blitz, as Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans and Seattle were all off.

As a result, some of these pickups may have been scooped already as fill-ins, but we’ll still give you plenty of players who are widely available. Week 6 will have only Minnesota and Tampa Bay on bye, so there’s plenty on the table here.

Let’s check in on players that are owned in roughly 40% of leagues or less, so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad. You can also check out our weekly rankings and analysis columns, with in-depth analysis for all options heading into Week 6.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about more Week 6 waiver wire recommendations, for all other positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

 

Week 6 Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups

Devontae Booker (RB, DEN) ­– 28% Owned

Booker looked good in Week 5, but the main draw is that he was used enough (six rushes, six targets) to project well moving forward into a matchup against the Chargers. The point being that San Diego’s defense just allowed both DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard (25% Owned, another nice add should Latavius Murray miss extended time) to put up solid stat lines against them. While C.J. Anderson will likely have a ball in Week 6, Booker could get his in the second half as well.

Jay Ajayi (RB, MIA) – 36% Owned

Ajayi did well to find paydirt in a rough matchup against a stout Tennessee front seven on Sunday, even though his 42 yards on 13 carries is still underwhelming. He easily out-touched the other Miami running backs, as Adam Gase and company stayed true to their word in wanting to abandon the committee approach. Ajayi and the Dolphins will face the Steelers at home next, which is another less-than-ideal matchup, but at least Ajayi appears to be the lead dog here for as long as Arian Foster is on the shelf. He seems to find that shelf often.

Kenneth Dixon (RB, BAL) – 36% Owned

Everyone saw just how difficult it can be to bounce back from a knee injury on Sunday, as Dixon was clearly running with less than 100% confidence in his right leg. He also was brought down by a large brace, though tallying -1 yards on three rushes with a six-yard catch sprinkled in isn’t likely to sit well with his owners. Don’t expect the world of him, he may not be 100% until after Baltimore’s Week 8 bye. He is not to be rostered in the hopes of immediately profiting, but is still a good stash.

James White (RB, NE) – 32% Owned

Like we said last week, don’t forget just how effective White can be with Tom Brady back in the mix. With Brady slinging the pigskin, White totaled a season-high 89 yards with 63 of them coming through the air on four receptions. The world is just that much brighter for New England with Tom Terrific there, and it doesn’t hurt that Rob Gronkowski is being utilized more now as well. Defenses simply can’t key on White that much with so many other high-priority targets to focus on. With Dion Lewis’ return nowhere in sight, White is a great bet in PPR leagues and even a decent standard league play in this high-powered offense.

Bobby Rainey (RB, NYG) – 8% Owned

The Giants don’t look particularly effective on offense and can’t get results on defense, but their loss is Rainey’s gain. Big Blue will take on the Ravens at home in Week 6, and Rainey is locked into the pass-catching down role regardless of Rashad Jennings’ status. PPR leaguers shouldn’t turn up their nose at him.

 

Week 6 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups

Cameron Meredith (WR, CHI) – 3% Owned

Meredith beasted against the Colts in Week 5, as he was clearly Brian Hoyer’s favorite target out there with all of the other Bears’ WRs banged up to some degree. Whether it’s Kevin White being out, or Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal playing through various dings and dents, Meredith is only healthy guy out there aside from Jordan Howard (including TE Zach Miller). While the plus matchup against the Colts played a role in Week 5’s blowup, Meredith -- and anyone who sees 12 targets in a week -- needs to be taken seriously moving forward.

Cole Beasley (WR, DAL) – 38% Owned

Interestingly enough, the two weeks that Dez Bryant has been inactive have seen Beasley record his two lowest target totals of the season. He has tallied only four targets in each of Dallas’ last two contests, though he’s caught seven of them for 119 yards and a TD. He’s topped 50 yards in each of the Cowboys first five games, and is clearly a trusted safety valve for Dak Prescott in this offense. Don’t count on touchdowns to come in often for him, as the intermediate crossing route that he scored on in Week 5 is his bread and butter – not the deep ball. PPR leaguers should have scooped him up long ago.

Robert Woods (WR, BUF) – 25% Owned

Rest assured, Woods is still Buffalo’s #1 receiver despite that lame Week 5 line of two catches for 26 scoreless yards. He was still targeted six times and probably should have had a long touchdown in the third quarter, but alas the throw wasn’t on the money. Let the box score’s emptiness be your opportunity to scoop him for peanuts entering a juicy Week 6 matchup against a 49ers secondary that just let Drew Stanton look like a decent starter.

Brandon LaFell (WR, CIN) – 20% Owned

Just a gentle reminder that LaFell is indeed a starting wide receiver in the NFL still. It’s not the most thrilling, but he does have the outside opportunity to turn in strong games as he did in Week 5. His 11 targets, let alone the 68 yards and two TDs, show what can happen when defenses look to take away A.J. Green and force Andy Dalton to look LaFell’s way. It also helps when Jeremy Hill goes down and Cincinnati needs to do everything through the air. No one knows how maddeningly inconsistent he can be more than Cincinnati’s Week 6 opponent, as the Bengals travel to New England next.

Adam Humphries (WR, TB) – 14% Owned* (has yet to play in Week 5, ownership down 4% last week)

Humphries, and the entire Tampa Bay offense, predictably flopped in Week 4 against a powerful Denver defense. The slot receiver only caught one ball for four yards on four targets, but Week 5 provides a Monday night matchup against a Carolina secondary that just got torched at a historical level by Atlanta. This week should be viewed as the outlier for Humphries and many of the Bucs, as his 25 targets and 18 catches from the first three games should be more indicative of life moving forward (despite the reports that Tampa wants to scale back Winston’s throwing attempts).

Jeremy Kerley (WR, SF) – 9% Owned

Kerley and his owners are probably the only ones on this planet who want to see Blaine Gabbert remain atop the 49ers’ depth chart. Kerley has racked up 45 targets through five weeks, with a season-high 13 in Week 5’s effort against the Cardinals. He has scored in each of the last two weeks as well, with momentum and trust going a long way between a quarterback and receiver, even in this terrible offense. He’s a solid PPR option and not the worst standard flex play either heading into a Week 6 matchup with the Bills before what should be a very nice opportunity against the Bucs funnel defense in Week 7.

Brice Butler (WR, DAL) – 5% Owned

The Butler did it, and then he didn’t. Unfortunately, an illegal shift penalty nullified what would’ve been a lovely early touchdown for Brice Butler and company, and all he ended up with was a two-catch, 20-yard game. If Dez Bryant cannot go again in Week 6, then Butler will get to square off against a Green Bay defense that is still hurting massively in its secondary, making for a decent spot.

 

Week 6 Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups

Brian Hoyer (QB, CHI) – 28% Owned

Hoyer fell just three yards shy of 400 yards on Sunday against the Colts, completing 33 of his 43 attempts while tossing the two TDs. Jay Cutler (20% owned) may very well be healthy come Week 6’s date against the Jaguars at home, but Hoyer has now thrown for 1,016 yards with six TDs and zero interceptions across these last three games that he’s started. Hoyer isn’t perfect, but he’s likely done enough to earn another start here against the Jaguars in Week 6.

Brock Osweiler (QB, HOU) – 32% Owned

I know, who the heck would want a QB who just got run over by the Minnesota defense? Well, Brock Lobster was never expected to have a good game on the road against the Vikings, and it really helped his availability for this upcoming Week 6 matchup against the Colts at home. Yes, that defense that just let Brian Hoyer nearly pass for 400 yards with two TDs. This will be a solid bounceback spot on Sunday night for Osweiler, DeAndre Hopkns and Will Fuller (with Lamar Miller also likely to finally score, for the record).

Colin Kaepernick (QB, SF) –11% Owned

49ers head coach Chip Kelly hesitated when asked to name a starting QB for San Francisco’s Week 6 tilt against the Bills, which everyone is taking as a sign that there’s a change in the works. Gabbert’s overall fantasy line ended up being solid thanks to 70 rushing yards and a late ground TD, his actual play as a QB was poor. He completed 18-of-31 passes for a measly 162 yards with one TD and two picks. He was also sacked seven times. For those desperate in two-QB leagues, Kaepernick is the most logical “next man up”, though there’s also the small matter of...

Christian Ponder (QB, SF) – 0% Owned

After trading in his pillaging of England for the more noble profession of panhandling in California, the 28-year-old has gathered some support in the locker room and may be pushing for some snaps should San Francisco be open to it. They’ll likely want to see Colin Kaepernick try his hand at things first, but locker room momentum is worth noting. This is only for the supremely desperate though. The last game he started was against Green Bay in Lambeau on Oct. 2, 2014 when he completed half of his 44 attempts for 222 yards, zero TDs and two picks. Like a worse Gabbert (yes, it’s possible), he salvaged things a bit with a rushing TD.

 

Week 6 Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, TB) – 37% Owned

I wonder how much of that rather high ownership level is due to inactive owners just having drafted him early in the preseason, and how many of you are really hoping that he turns into the first useful Jets tight end since Dustin Keller (rather liberal use of “useful”, I know). ASJ caught both of his Week 5 targets for 27 yards on Sunday and now the Jets will head into Arizona for Week 6 against a defense that has performed well against TEs thus far. Still, as he gets more comfortable with the Jets then he may very well wreak havoc across the middle of the field on top of being another huge red-zone option.

Jesse James (TE, PIT) – 30% Owned

James may be a rather touchdown-dependent option, but playing for Pittsburgh is about as good as it gets in terms of TDs. With three TDs in five games, James has filled in pretty well for Heath Miller as a receiver, though his blocking hasn’t exactly been the best. While that doesn’t directly hurt his fantasy stats, not being a liability helps increase the ol’ snap count. James will be fine regardless, but it’s worth noting as a little tiebreaker of sorts. The Steelers should decimate the Dolphins in Week 6, with all offensive players as a threat to put up 10+ fantasy points.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) – 2% Owned

Fiedorowicz has had a decent past two weeks now, with eight catches on 13 targets for 109 yards and one TD combined against the Titans and Vikings. Fellow tight end Ryan Griffin was forced from Week 5 with a neck injury, leaving Fiedorowicz as the lone man to enjoy operating across the middle of the field for Houston. Week 5 was about as bad a matchup as it gets against Minnesota, but now he and the Texans get to face the Colts in a soft Week 6 matchup (Zach Miller just caught seven of eight targets for 73 yards against Indy). Don’t expect as much if Griffin returns for that game, but this is a good deep-league add.

 

Week 6 Defense Waiver Wire Pickups

Jacksonville D/ST – 13% Owned

The Jags are as rested and prepared as they’re going to be, as they come off their early bye week to take on a Chicago team that is dealing with plenty of injuries, as we mentioned earlier. While their injuries have given way to some enticing waiver options, the fact still remains that the Bears are rolling out a B Squad and their defense isn’t going to put up much of a fight. Jacksonville impressed with six sacks against the Colts in Week 4, and will look to build off of that against Brian Hoyer and company.

Tennessee D/ST – 10% Owned

While it hurts me deeply to recommend any defense that is starting Perrish Cox, the Titans have a dream date on the horizon against a Browns team that has some wild curse coming down on their quarterbacks. Cody Kessler went down with a rib/chest injury early in Week 5 and did not return, which left Charlie Whitehurst a.k.a. Clipboard Jesus as the next man up. Simply put, Whitehurst is not good and any defense that faces him makes for a great defensive stream.

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