Welcome to the Week 6 waiver wire watch! Consider making a waiver claim in your fantasy football leagues for the following players (available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues).
Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Okay Kirk! After passing for 864 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first month of the season, Cousins threw for a career-high 509 yards and 4 touchdowns on Thursday Night Football last week. He wasn’t quite wheeling — considering his Achilles injury just 343 days ago — but he was certainly dealing. Cousins’ comfort in Atlanta is growing. Next week, he’ll face a Panthers defense that ranks bottom three in yards per play, EPA per play and success rate against the pass.
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
Speaking of quarterbacks who are getting settled in new environments… Williams is beginning to show why he was selected with the first overall pick. He completed 20 of 29 attempts on Sunday for 304 yards, 2 touchdowns (both dimes to D.J. Moore) and a career-best 126.2 passer rating. Granted, it did come against the Panthers, but Williams gets a Jaguars defense that’s just as bad in Week 6. Chicago’s signal-caller has also rushed 5 times in four of his first five games. Snag Williams off waivers now before he truly breaks out.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Like Cousins, Allgeier’s biggest appeal may be his upcoming matchup against the Panthers; Carolina has allowed more fantasy points to running backs than any other defense. Allgeier remains the no. 2 back in Atlanta behind Bijan Robinson, but with about 8 touches per game so far this season, he holds fantasy value this week as a viable plug-and-play and in future weeks as a high-end handcuff.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Bigsby is crushing just about every metric available after muscling his way to 101 yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday. His 8.0 yards per carry this season leads all NFL players, and his 4.19 rushing yards over expected per attempt is nearly twice that of any other back. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Travis Etienne is still their guy and Bigsby got increased touches partly due to an Etienne shoulder injury. Still, as last week’s column suggested, Bigsby is worth a stash in case he continues to see more volume.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants
The fifth-round rookie made the most of his first career start on Sunday. Tracy Jr., a former wide receiver, registered 18 carries for 129 yards sans Devin Singletary. This backfield situation is worth monitoring if Singletary continues missing time and Tracy Jr. continues making an impact. Their teammate Wan’Dale Robinson is also worth mentioning, considering he’s tied for third in the NFL with 47 targets.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
This is now the third appearance in this column for Downs, who continues to be underrated by fantasy managers after starting the season with an ankle injury. In the past two weeks, though, Downs has caught 17 of 21 targets for 151 yards and a score. He’s arguably the best pass-catcher in Indianapolis (yeah, I went there) and could get another boost in production once Anthony Richardson returns from his oblique injury.
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys
After Brandin Cooks landed on injured reserve, Tolbert took advantage by catching 7 of a team-high 10 targets for 87 yards and the game-winning touchdown on Sunday Night Football. He shouldn’t be expected to post 20-plus PPR points every week, of course, but Tolbert is an intriguing option considering Dallas’ pass-first approach and all the attention that CeeDee Lamb demands.
Houston Texans D/ST
The Texans are the first defense to be featured in this column. It’s usually not worth using a waiver claim on the position yet this opportunity is hard to pass. Houston D/ST should be available in most leagues after they hosted the Bills on Sunday — but next week, the Texans will see a Patriots offense rumored to have quarterback changes coming soon. The Pats have scored 10, 13, and 3 points in its past three games.
