Welcome to Week 6’s early fantasy football waiver wire recommendations. Because the first week of byes means fewer morning games, we have fewer options than usual to pick from this week. Thankfully, there are still some interesting players to consider whose stocks are already on the up as we enter the afternoon games. Let’s dive right in.
Early Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups
Kendrick Bourne (WR – SF) | 3.9% Rostered
Kendrick Bourne probably isn’t going to last as a fantasy-relevant option. Ricky Pearsall and/or Jauan Jennings could be back as soon as next week. They will both slot comfortably back in ahead of the former Patriots on the 49ers’ wide receiver depth chart.
With that said, we simply have to acknowledge Bourne’s 10-catch, 142-yard performance on Thursday. He’s clearly capable of stepping up when necessary in this Kyle Shanahan system. Especially if at least one of Jennings or Pearsall misses another week, Bourne is worth adding heading into Week 6.
Rico Dowdle (RB – CAR) | 44.4% Rostered
With Chuba Hubbard out with a calf injury, Rico Dowdle filled in as the Panthers’ No. 1 RB. He delivered. The former Cowboys back racked up 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, plus three receptions for 28 yards through the air. Once we do the math, he had an unsurprisingly massive 30.9 half-PPR points.
Of course, this will probably be Dowdle’s biggest game of the season. Even if Hubbard misses more time, the Panthers only get to play the Dolphins’ terrible defense once. Still, a performance like this can’t be ignored. At worst, Dowdle is a playable option while Hubbard is out and will remain involved when Hubbard returns. At best, he could have just won the Panthers’ starting running back job, which would give him clear fantasy relevance for the rest of the season.
Darren Waller (TE – MIA) | 57.8% Rostered
Darren Waller scored twice in his Dolphins debut last week, but his role was still extremely limited. This week, that was no longer the case. He ran 27 routes on 40 of Tua Tagovailoa‘s dropbacks and finished with five catches on five targets for 78 yards and his third touchdown in two games.
We saw last year that Jonnu Smith, a similar athletic receiving-first tight end, became an elite TE1 in this offense. If this week is anything to go by, Waller could do the same. He is a must-add in all formats at this point.
Ryan Flournoy (WR – DAL) | 0.7% Rostered
With CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin both sidelined by injuries, the 2024 sixth-rounder stepped up in a major way today for the Cowboys. Technically, Ryan Flournoy was the Cowboys’ third receiver in this one, running nine fewer routes than both George Pickens and Jalen Tolbert.
Flourney made the most of those routes, though, catching six of his nine targets for 114 yards. He also filled in for some of Turpin’s usual gadget work, adding 10 yards on two carries. Put it all together, and he scored a solid 15.4 half-PPR points. That’s enough to at least earn him a mention in this column.
Unfortunately, Flournoy is still only a player to add in deep leagues. Right now, he’s still the Cowboys’ No. 3 WR. Going forward, Turpin could be back as early as next week, and Lamb will eventually return as well. This performance may earn Flournoy some more reps, but it’s very unlikely he ever becomes a viable weekly option in most formats.
Michael Carter (RB – ARI) | 44.9% Rostered
At the time of writing, the Cardinals have only played five minutes in their matchup with the Titans. However, in that time, Michael Carter already scored 8.1 fantasy points. He has three carries for seven yards and a goal-line score, plus a catch on his only target for nine receiving yards. Most importantly, he is the Cardinals’ clear No. 1 RB.
This isn’t surprising, as all reports leading into the game were that the former Jet would take over for Trey Benson (who is on injured reserve with a knee injury), while Emari Demercado remained in his passing-down role. Not every matchup will be as soft as the Titans, but Carter should still be rostered in all formats as the Cardinals’ top back for the foreseeable future.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
