Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early Must-Adds For Week 6

Here are your must-adds off the waiver wire in your fantasy football league as we look toward Week 6.

Week 5 on the NFL schedule is winding down, with Sunday and Monday night games to be completed. But let’s look ahead to Week 6’s fantasy football waiver wire.

The Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins are on bye in Week 6.

Here are your early must-adds off the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 6.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Bigsby had 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns (19 and 65 yards) on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, along with one catch for 28 yards. Travis Etienne, meanwhile, had six carries for 17 yards along with six catches for 43 yards in the game.

However skewed by big plays, on Sunday and before, Bigsby has simply been a more dynamic runner than Etienne so far this season. In all three games where he has had a least a 25 percent snap share, as low a bar as that is, he has at least seven carries and topped 70 rushing yards. Late in Sunday’s game, Bigsby played 11 snaps to Etienne’s two (h/t to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus).

Etienne briefly left Week 4 with a shoulder injury, so it’s possible that impacted him on Sunday and it may continue to. Regardless, Bigsby has made it clear he deserves a big chunk of the Jaguars’ backfield work. He should be added in any fantasy league he's available in.

ESPN Ownership: 9.5%
Yahoo! Ownership: 22%

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

Jones went 23-for-34 for 257 yards and two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, along with 38 yards on 11 carries. He has multiple touchdown passes, more than 18 fantasy points and zero turnovers in three of his last four games, and he had 281 passing yards in the other. He also did what he did on Sunday without Malik Nabers (concussion).

Four of the Giants’ next five opponents (Cincinnati Bengals-Week 6, Philadelphia Eagles-Week 7, Washington Commanders-Week 9, Carolina Panthers-Week 10) entered Week 5 in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks (Yahoo! scoring). If the Bengals hadn’t faced the New England Patriots and Jacoby Brissett in Week 1, they’d be far worse.

ESPN Ownership: 13.9%
Yahoo! Ownership: 9%

Bucky Irving, RB. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A late fumble was the headline from his Week 4 performance, but Irving had nine carries for 44 yards and two catches (on two targets) for 12 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. Rachaad White had one more carry, but take away White’s 56-yard run and he had 16 yards on his other nine carries. White had three catches in the game, but for minus-six yards.

On the strength of that long run, White led the Buccaneers in rushing for the first time this season last Thursday night. Irving is encroaching on his snap share overall and across all situations (h/t to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus), while being the better runner.

Todd Bowles is the kind of head coach who might put a player in the doghouse for a fumble, especially a rookie. But coaches also shouldn’t be in the business of taking good players off the field for one mistake.

The hesitancy to add Irving in fantasy because he’s part of a backfield committee persists. So he’s back in this space this week.

ESPN Ownership: 57.4%
Yahoo! Ownership: 57%

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

With Anthony Richardson (oblique) out Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the “Joe Flacco Effect” was in full effect for Downs (nine catches for 69 yards). With Flacco under center for most of the last two games, Downs has 17 receptions on 21 targets.

Should Richardson be ready to go for Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans, that’s not a death knell for Downs’ production and fantasy appeal. During training camp, before Downs suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for the first two games of the season, the two were building noticeable rapport.

Downs was added in a big chunk of leagues between Week 4 and Week 5. But there’s still ample room to add him, and especially in PPR formats he’s a must-add again this week.

ESPN Ownership: 34.8%
Yahoo! Ownership: 40%

Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Antonio Pierce’s profession he had earned more work met Zamir White (groin) being out, and Mattison had 61 total yards on 17 touches to lead the Raiders’ backfield on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

White has surfaced as a legit candidate to be dropped in fantasy leagues early this season, as Mattison was simply better. While Las Vegas’ offense was not good on Sunday, and a switch to Aidan O’Connell starting under center could be coming, Mattison stands to maintain a notable role-if not clearly the lead back role over White. Ameer Abdullah got a lot of work late and scored a touchdown when the Broncos were comfortably ahead, but he’s a non-entity for fantasy in most situations.

Mattison’s ownership rates are trending up, but there’s still plenty of room to add him in 12-team leagues.

ESPN Ownership: 40.1%
Yahoo! Ownership: 51%

Tyler Conklin, TE, New York Jets

There were some potential red flags (negative game script, less usage in “12” personnel, h/t to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus), but Conklin had six receptions for 55 yards on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. He has at least six targets and at least four catches in three straight games, with over 50 yards in two of them.

Two out of three games with double-digit PPR points is plenty enough to put someone on the radar at tight end. The target tree in the Jets’ passing game is heavily concentrated, with Conklin only clearly below Garrett Wilson right now. If the Jets trade for Davante Adams, that would obviously be a big change to that equation.

Conklin’s upcoming matchups aren’t overly favorable (Buffalo Bills-Week 6, Pittsburgh Steelers-Week 7, New England Patriots-Week 8, Houston Texans-Week 9), though he did have a nice outing against New England in Week 3 (five catches for 93 yards).

Any fantasy manager who is struggling to find a viable tight end, and there are plenty out there, should have Conklin on their radar. A Week 12 bye means he can be a multi-week solution.

ESPN Ownership: 37.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 30%

Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears

D’Andre Swift had 120 total yards (21 carries for 73 yards) and a touchdown on the ground Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. But Johnson also got to double-digit carries (10, rooted in game situation in a 36-10 win), with two one-yard rushing touchdowns in the game.

Even clearly playing behind Swift, Johnson has scored in back-to-back games with at least seven carries in three straight. He has clearly locked down the role as the Bears’ No. 2 back, so if something happened to Swift (or his inconsistency resurfaced), Johnson would likely step into the lead role.

It’ll be hard to bank on Johnson has more than a touchdown-dependent flex as long as Swift is healthy. But to navigate bye weeks and injuries, there’s definite value here in all leagues with at least 12 teams.

ESPN Ownership: 11.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 20%

Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings

A hip injury eventually sidelined Aaron Jones for the duration of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, leaving Chandler as the Vikings’ clear lead back (16 touches in the game).

The Vikings have a bye in Week 6, coming off a game in London, which may allow Jones to be good to go when they are back in action in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. But he has not exactly been a picture of durability the last season-plus, and he’ll turn 30 in December.

If pretty speculatively right now based on Jones’ health question, but on the idea he can be useful after Minnesota’s bye, Chandler is a worthy bench stash in 12-team leagues heading into Week 6.

ESPN Ownership: 35%
Yahoo! Ownership: 28%

Honorable Mention: Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants (monitor Devin Singletary’s health)