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Wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of fantasy football. NFL free agent WRs to add off waivers, and PPR sleepers for Week 6 of 2017.
Welcome back, RotoBallers. This column will highlight some Week 6 waiver wire adds for wide receivers. If these players are free agents on your league's waiver wire, then you should consider targeting them this week.
The article is split into a few different sections. Depending on your league size, and whether it's PPR, the waiver wire recommendations range from high priority to lower priority ones. I also point out a few players that can be cut.
Check here for a complete list of our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 6 for help at all the skill positions. As always, RotoBaller has you covered!
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Frontrunners for Week 6 - Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
This group consists of wide receivers that I would recommend adding if they are available on your waiver wire. Some are more viable for PPR formats, so take note of that. These players have either earned a greater workload due to injury/performance issues or have shown that they can be weekly contributors to their NFL teams. All players listed have 50% or less ownership levels across fantasy leagues.
Roger Lewis Jr., New York Giants - 2% owned (5-10% FAAB)
Roger Lewis Jr. is now the top receiver in New York. Hard as it may be to believe, every one of the Giants' top four WR suffered a foot/ankle injury in Week 5. Most prominent of those is Odell Beckham, who appears headed for surgery with a broken ankle. Dwayne Harris is out for the season with a broken foot and both Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard left the game early as well. Lewis only caught one ball against the Chargers, but it was a nice 29-yard touchdown grab near the side of the end zone. Even if Marshall and Shepard come back immediately this week, Lewis will definitely have a role and is worth owning in all leagues as part of an offense that has no choice but to rely on the pass.
Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens - 33% owned (5-7% FAAB)
Nice to meet you again, Mr. Wallace. Resurgent is a good way to describe the last two weeks for a man who caught exactly one pass in each of the first three games for a total of 21 yards. Last week it was six receptions for 55 yards and a TD (on 10 targets!). This week, a whopping 133 yards on three catches. Yes, they were all long. The Ravens seem to be waking up from their early season fog and Joe Flacco is pressing the issue downfield once again. Wallace will see volatility in his production, but he's always one play away from breaking a big gain and making your day.
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams - 49% owned (5% FAAB)
Kupp's stat line wasn't so impressive against the Seahawks (3-44-0), but that was expected. What's significant is that he tied for the team lead again in targets with eight, while Sammy Watkins caught none of his four targets. With the game on the line and a touchdown needed to win, it was Kupp who Jared Goff aimed for in the end zone. There is a clear trust factor here and Kupp should continue to bring value in PPR leagues. Just be warned that they face the Jags next week, so he isn't an automatic start if you have better options.
In The Running - Week 5 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
This group consists of wide receivers widely available on the waiver wire who aren't must-adds, but could be worth stashing or streaming if the above options are already taken.
John Brown, Arizona Cardinals - 37% owned (3-5% FAAB)
Another week, another Cardinal receiver to nab off waivers. If you can't get your Jaron Brown separated from your John Brown, don't worry. They each have value, as does J.J. Nelson, because the Cardinals simply can't run the ball and will keep chucking it at a a prolific rate. Carson Palmer already leads the league with 227 pass attempts and it won't stop now. John Brown is the most talented receiver they have outside of Larry Legend, as long as he's healthy. They face Tampa's leaky secondary in Week 6, making Brown a fine WR3.
Jermaine Kearse, New York Jets - 31% owned (3% FAAB)
Good news: Kearse hit paydirt in the fourth quarter against Cleveland, marking his third touchdown of the season. Bad news: he only pulled in four catches for 38 yards. Good news: he's the top receiver on his team with 22 catches for 220 yards. Bad news: it's the Jets. While Kearse is bound to be no higher than a flex play this season, he gets a good matchup against the Patriots this week, meaning a good chance for garbage time production.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers - 1% owned (2% FAAB)
You might be tempted to avoid anyone not named Antonio Brown on this receiving corps, but the rookie might soon jump up to WR2. He's proven more consistent than Martavis Bryant and has more touchdowns than him already. Since not appearing on the box score in Week 1, JJSS has averaged five targets per game and is actually tied with Brown for the most red zone targets on the team. There's plenty of upside to chase here, even in redraft leagues.
Dark Horses - Week 6 Wide Receivers Waiver Wire
This group consists of wide receivers who are more of a desperation play. They could serve as a bye week fill-in, short-term injury replacement or weekly lottery ticket.
Marquise Goodwin, San Francisco 49ers - 2% owned (1% FAAB)
It appeared Goodwin was sliding down the depth chart after suffering a concussion last week and giving way to Aldrick Robinson. Instead, he went off for a team-high 116 yards on 11 targets. It was the highest yardage of his career and by far best game as a Niner. Despite the loss, San Fran's offense is awake now and Goodwin makes a viable deep threat. Goodwin will be a boom-bust play each week, but sometimes that's what you need out of the flex spot.
Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys - 22% owned (1% FAAB)
Beasley showed he is actually still part of the Dallas offense, because we were starting to have doubts. He only pulled in four catches for 23 yards, but he scored twice. While it's reason for optimism, don't expect him to go on a scoring spree. They were his first touchdowns of the season and it was the fifth multi-TD game of his career. Beasley averaged a career-high 4.7 receptions per game last season with Dak Prescott under center, but has fallen down to 3.0 this year. Expect that number to regress upward soon.
DeMarcus Robinson, Kansas City Chiefs - 5% owned (0% FAAB)
The former Gator has strictly been used on gimmick plays and special teams early in his career, but he might be pressed into more action as a receiver. Chris Conley tore his Achilles Sunday night and will miss the rest of the season, while Albert Wilson also left early with a leg injury. If Wilson is out for any length of time, look for Robinson to have a role in the most dynamic offense in the league.
Also-Rans - Time To Say Goodbye
This group consists of wide receivers who don't need to be owned. They aren't necessarily must-drop players, but if you need the roster space for one of the above players, don't hesitate to cut bait in order to chase upside.
Eric Decker, Tennessee Titans - 45% owned
Another week without Corey Davis, another dud for Eric Decker (four catches, 34 yards). Obviously, having Matt Cassel at quarterback didn't help the offense, but that doesn't explain away the first four games of the season in which Decker couldn't crack 50 yards or reach the end zone. Either he isn't fitting in with this offense or he isn't the same player he used to be. Either way, he doesn't belong in any starting lineups right now.
Zay Jones, Buffalo Bills - 12% owned
This second-round pick had a golden opportunity to contribute right away, but he's going to need a lot more seasoning before he becomes a fantasy asset. With no Jordan Matthews or Charles Clay in Week 5, Jones still did next to nothing. He caught one of six targets, bringing his abysmal catch rate down to 21.7% on the season. We could be looking at Laquon Treadwell 2.0.
Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns - 9% owned
If you went out and spent anywhere between $20-$50 on Higgins after Week 2, betting on a breakout season, you may want to ask for a refund (hint: you won't get it). You rightfully shouldn't be spending time or money on any Cleveland receiver, but Higgins is proving to be a one-week wonder and fallen behind Ricardo Louis in the order for targets. Blame DeShone Kizer if you want, but even with Kevin Hogan playing QB for most of this week, Higgins only came away with seven receiving yards, giving him a total of 17 in the last three weeks combined. Just hit the drop button and pretend this never happened.
