Fantasy football Week 6: Add and drop

Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free-agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you have questions throughout the week.

Here’s my NFL Week 6 waiver wire cheat sheet for all league sizes and formats, with players you need to add, drop and stream in your fantasy football league:

ADD

— QB Kirk Cousins, Falcons (ESPN: 45%; Yahoo: 51%): Cousins won’t throw for 500 yards and four touchdowns every week, but he’s a proven commodity in fantasy. He’s finished as the overall QB11 or higher in six of the last nine seasons, and was the overall QB6 before tearing his Achilles in Week 8 last year with the Vikings. He’s surrounded by plenty of offensive weaponry in Atlanta, including an above average offensive line.

— RB Tank Bigsby, Jaguars (ESPN: 10%; Yahoo: 23%): Bigsby finished with 129 total yards and two TDs against the Colts, carrying the ball 13 times compared to Travis Etienne’s six — Etienne was more involved in the passing game. The former Auburn standout is averaging 8.0 yards per carry this season and looks like the more explosive option in Jacksonville’s backfield.

— WR Jakobi Meyers, Raiders (ESPN: 66%; Yahoo: 54%): It seems like it’s a forgone conclusion Davante Adams will be traded soon. If Adams gets moved, Meyers becomes Las Vegas’ top option at receiver. He’s seen at least nine targets in three straight games, with at least five receptions or a TD in all three.

— Tre Tucker, Raiders (ESPN: 17%; Yahoo: 18%): Tucker is the overall WR18 in standard formats (WR24 in PPR) since Week 3, and would see an increased target share going forward without Adams.

— TE Cade Otton, Buccaneers (ESPN: 17%; Yahoo: 37%): Otton is the overall TE16 in standard formats (TE9 in PPR) since Week 3. The position has been a dumpster fire this season with only one tight end averaging double-digit points in standard formats (George Kittle). There’s only seven tight ends averaging at least 10 points in PPR. Otton practically never leaves the field, and runs more routes than almost anyone else at the position. That’s usually half the battle in fantasy.

— WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs (ESPN: 4%; Yahoo: 6%): The champs leaned on Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce on Monday night against the Saints with Rashee Rice potentially done for the season. Smith-Schuster had a 20.5% target share with seven receptions and a team-high 130 yards. Smith-Schuster was actually Kansas City’s leading wide receiver in 2022 with 78 receptions for 933 yards and three TDs. When asked about Smith-Schuster last week, Andy Reid said, “Pat (Mahomes) has got a lot of trust in him.” Mahomes proved it after a ball bounced off of JuJu’s hands in the end zone, directly to defensive lineman Khalen Saunders late in the third quarter. Saunders returned the interception further than you’d expect most men his size to, setting up New Orleans for a TD that would narrow the Chiefs’ advantage to three points. On the next drive, Mahomes found Smith-Schuster on a crosser in the middle of the field for a 50-yard gain that helped set up a Xavier Worthy TD.

— BONUS: QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (ESPN: 33%; Yahoo: 54%): Lawrence completed 28 of 34 passes for 371 yards and two TDs against the Colts in Jacksonville’s first victory of the season. Lawrence could be a serviceable streaming option on a weekly basis with the emergence of Brian Thomas Jr. and Evan Engram’s return on the horizon.

— BONUS: WR Josh Downs, Colts (ESPN: 35%; Yahoo: 40%): Downs is the overall WR37 in standard formats (WR22 in PPR) since he returned from injury in Week 3. In competitive games, or any game where Indy is expected to play from behind, Downs should see enough targets to maintain flex appeal on a weekly basis (regardless of who is at QB).

— BONUS: TE Dalton Schultz, Texans (ESPN: 54%; Yahoo: 64%): Nico Collins is considered week-to-week with the hamstring injury he suffered against the Bills before halftime. Collins has a history of soft tissue injuries, so Houston might want to be cautious with his return. All of Schultz’s targets (six) against Buffalo came during the third and fourth quarters, with four of them coming on third downs. It wouldn’t surprise me if Schultz is C.J. Stroud’s safety blanket while Collins is out. He was a top-12 option in both standard and PPR formats last season. Xavier Hutchinson (ESPN:

— BONUS: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants (ESPN: 18%; Yahoo: 23%): Devin Singletary missed Week 5 due to a groin injury. Tracy stepped in on early downs, while Eric Gray played the third-down snaps and most of the goal-line snaps. Tracy finished with 129 yards on 18 carries in an upset win at Seattle, but I was a little surprised he wasn’t utilized more on third down, considering he was a converted wide receiver in college. Tracy looked more than capable of handling higher usage even after Singletary returns.

— BONUS: RB Jaylen Wright, Dolphins (ESPN: 8%; Yahoo: 8%): Miami had all of its running backs healthy for almost a full quarter after Raheem Mostert (chest) returned against the Patriots on Sunday. Then De’Von Achane suffered a concussion late in the first quarter and didn’t return. The rookie Wright ended up leading the Dolphins in rushing with 86 yards on 13 carries, while Mostert wasn’t far behind with 80 yards on 19 attempts. Miami is off this week, so I’m anticipating Achane being fine for a Week 7 matchup with the Colts, but there’s a chance Wright will eventually be the last man standing in this backfield. Achane is listed at 5-9, 188 pounds, but he must’ve been wearing a flak jacket when the Dolphins weighed him, while veterans Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. both have extensive injury histories.

— BONUS: RB Ty Chandler, Vikings (ESPN: 35%; Yahoo: 28%): Aaron Jones suffered a hip injury against the Jets in London and was ruled out during halftime. Minnesota is off this week so maybe Jones won’t miss time, but Chandler needs to be rostered just in case the injury is worse than it seems (especially if you already have Jones).

— BONUS: TE Tyler Conklin, Jets (ESPN: 37%; Yahoo: 30%): Conklin continues to be one of the top streaming options at tight end, unless Aaron Rodgers (ankle) is out. Conklin has 15 receptions on a respectable 23 targets the last three games.

— BONUS: RB Trey Sermon, Colts (ESPN: 50%; Yahoo: 52%): It sounds like Indianapolis could get both Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson back this week, but if Taylor’s high-ankle sprain isn’t ready (the team called it “mild” last week), Sermon proved he could contribute for your fantasy team with 63 total yards, six receptions and a TD against the Jaguars.

— BONUS: RB Roschon Johnson, Bears (ESPN: 11%; Yahoo: 20%): D’Andre Swift looked good for the second straight week, but Johnson clearly has a role in Chicago’s offense with 29 touches and three TDs in his last three games.

— BONUS: RB Blake Corum, Rams (ESPN: 20%; Yahoo: 17%): The Michigan standout has supplanted Ronnie Rivers as Kyren Williams’ primary backup. If you roster Williams, the overall RB4 across all fantasy formats, you should also invest in Corum.

— BONUS: WR Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys (ESPN: 8%; Yahoo: 8%): Tolbert is the overall WR21 in standard formats (WR24 in PPR) since Week 2, and produced seven receptions on 10 targets for 87 yards and the game-winning TD against the Steelers on Sunday night with Brandin Cooks (knee) sidelined. Cooks was placed on injured reserve last week. Tolbert will have flex appeal against the Lions this week, assuming the groin injury he sustained at the end of the game isn’t serious.

— BONUS: QB Daniel Jones, Giants (ESPN: 14%; Yahoo: 9%): Jones is the overall QB12 since Week 2, scoring at least 18 fantasy points in three of the last four games. He actually just had his best game of the season without superstar rookie receiver Malik Nabers. Jones’ next two matchups against the Bengals and Eagles are juicy and Nabers should be back to help take on fellow LSU alumni Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.

— BONUS: D/ST Texans (ESPN: 21%; Yahoo: 42%): Houston has been a better real-life defense than fantasy so far, but that should change this week. New England hasn’t surpassed 13 points since Week 2, and has only scored 26 points in its last three games. Also, the Patriots have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season.

— BONUS: D/ST Chargers (ESPN: 17%; Yahoo: 14%): The Bolts were the sixth-highest scoring defense in fantasy headed into their bye week. Now they’re healthier, well rested, and get to face a rookie QB in what should be a slobberknocker at Denver judging by how well both defenses have played this season.

— BONUS: D/ST Colts (ESPN: 11%; Yahoo: 17%): Indianapolis travels to Tennessee this week and hosts Miami in Week 7. The Titans are allowing the most fantasy points (14.5 per game) to opposing defenses this season, while the Dolphins (tied with the Browns) are allowing the second-most fantasy points (11) to opposing defenses. Sounds streamtastic to me.

DROP

— WR Rashee Rice, Chiefs: Rice is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. He reportedly only needs to have his LCL repaired, and won’t need to have his ACL reconstructed.

— RB Zamir White, Raiders: White missed Sunday’s loss at Denver with a groin injury. He hasn’t scored a TD or surpassed 50 yards this season and was expected to lose carries to Alexander Mattison against the Broncos even if he had been active.

— TE Taysom Hill, Saints: Hill missed Monday night’s game at Kansas City with fractured ribs, and could potentially miss more time going forward. I imagine it might be hard to stash someone as streaky as Hill while dealing with whatever bye week issues may arise.

— RB Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys: Elliott hasn’t surpassed six touches since Week 2 and is still rostered in 53% of leagues on ESPN and 38% of leagues on Yahoo.

— WR Jauan Jennings, 49ers: Jennings is still capable of having a big game here and there — he had 88 yards against the Patriots in Week 4 — but it’s hard to consider him anything other than a boom-or-bust option with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle all active.