Our featured experts are always watching out for each week’s best waiver pickups, regardless of whether those additions would be better short-term or long-term adds. The wire isn’t completely barren yet, as a few potentially viable wide receivers are still waiting to find a home on your fantasy roster. Even if you believe the free-agent well has mostly dried up for running backs, quarterbacks, and tight ends though, there are still some options from those positions that could carry some streamer value in our first four-team bye week. Look below to view which largely unowned players and defenses our pundits think you should snatch from the wire.

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Featured Experts:

Elisha Twerski – FantasyPros

Greg Smith – TwoQBs

Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros

Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros

Chet Gresham – WalterFootball

Donald Gibson – FantasyPros

Andrew Seifter – FantasyPros



Q1. How much are you willing to spend (FAAB %) on your favorite waiver wire target (or two) and why do you like him?

Chris Herndon (NYJ) | Gerald Everett (LAR)

“The tight end position is a crapshoot, to say the least. When given the opportunity to pick up a quality tight end, don’t pass up on it. Herndon had fantasy relevance as a rookie, which is quite the rarity. From Week 6 and on, Herndon posted a 16-game pace of 49/662/6. If he takes the next step in this offense, he could be a mid-level TE1. On the West Coast, Everett has played more than 50 percent of the snaps in each of the last four games and has 19 targets over his last two. He’s a great add, especially if Brandin Cooks were to miss time. Both players are worth 5-9% of your FAAB budget. Chase Edmonds, Ito Smith, and Deebo Samuel are worth adding if you have available roster space. Don’t spend more than 2-5% of your budget on any of them.”

– Elisha Twerski (FantasyPros)



“If I’m hurting at tight end, which many of us are, I’d spend 20% of my FAAB on Chris Herndon. This Jets team isn’t as bad as they’ve been and when they get Herndon and Sam Darnold back, they will improve across the board. Add in that the Jets’ offensive line isn’t playing well and the connection between Darnold and Herndon was strong to end last season, I expect Darnold to use his tight end often instead of going deep to Robby Anderson. In their last six games together, Herndon caught 21 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns.”

– Chet Gresham (WalterFootball)

Jamison Crowder (WR – NYJ) | Preston Williams (WR – MIA)

“I like Crowder’s outlook once Sam Darnold returns (their connection was on brilliant display in Week 1), but Crowder’s lofty target projections will probably cost you 15 to 25 percent of your FAAB if you want to land him for sure, and that may be even more in PPR formats. I’m willing to pay that cost for Crowder’s future upside, but I might be just as happy getting Williams. The beautiful thing about chasing Williams on the waiver wire is you won’t need to commit much FAAB to get him. One to five percent of your budget should do the trick — 10 percent at most — and you’ll snag Williams’ 22 percent target share on a Dolphins team that should be forced into pass-heavy game scripts virtually every week thanks to their atrocious defense.”

– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)

Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE)

“It’s not a great week for the waiver wire, though there’s a hidden gem among the mediocrity. Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was a preseason superstar who did everything the team asked of him and then some. He seemed like someone who would need a few injuries to be fantasy relevant, and here we are. With N’Keal Harry on IR, Demaryius Thomas off the team, and Phillip Dorsett dealing with a hamstring injury, he’s getting his chance against the Giants. If you need help at wide receiver, Meyers could be a short-term solution. You should only need to use three to five percent of your budget depending on how sharp your league is. If they paid attention in preseason, you may have to spend a tad more.”

– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

DeVante Parker (WR – MIA)

“Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but my primary waiver wire target heading into Week 6 is Parker. He has at least three receptions and 56 yards in every game this year aside from a goose egg against the Patriots, but most of his appeal comes from game script. The Dolphins should be trailing and throwing often, so hopefully that means volume for Parker, who I believe is still easily the most talented receiver on the Dolphins. Spending 5-7% of available FAAB should land you Parker, though he may go for cheaper since he’s scorned so many owners in the past.”

– Donald Gibson (FantasyPros)

Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT) | Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)

“Without a clear top waiver addition this week, my recommended #1 would depend on your team’s needs and situation. If you need a wide receiver to help immediately, Johnson is my favorite addition, but he is so close to the next five or six available wideouts that I wouldn’t spend more than one percent of my FAAB on him. If you are sitting at 4-1, however, and have a roster spot to hold him, then Mattison is my preferred target as he has more league-winning upside than anyone else available. Plus, you would probably only need to usee one percent of your FAAB to acquire him.”

– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Chase Edmonds (RB – ARI)

“There’s no point in sugarcoating it — this is not an exciting week for waiver wire pickups. Barring some late-breaking injury news, there is nobody that I would burn more than five percent of my FAAB budget on. In weeks like this, I like to stash high-upside backup running backs like Edmonds, Alexander Mattison, Malcolm Brown, and Gus Edwards. All four would be RB2s at worst if their team’s respective starter went down, and each should be cheap to acquire. For now, I would prioritize Edmonds, just in case David Johnson’s back issues turn out to be more serious than expected.”

– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)

Q2. For owners renting a D/ST in Week 6, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target and why?

“The Washington Redskins are the streamer of the week — especially of the units that have less than 40 percent ownership. The Dolphins have allowed double-digit fantasy points to each D/ST they have faced thus far. The Redskins did post respectable fantasy outputs against New England and the Giants, and teams tend to play inspired in their first game for a new head coach.”

– Elisha Twerski (FantasyPros)

“Washington’s defense is abysmal without question. There is a reason they are available in over 90% of leagues, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be a top-10 unit versus Miami next week. This week is so void of strong streaming options at the position that you can and should scoop up Washington if you need a D/ST just for Week 5.”

– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“The real question is why the Panthers are actually under 40 percent owned? They are second to only the Patriots with 20 sacks through five games. We’ve all gone along the Jameis Winston rollercoaster, right? He’s been sacked at least twice in every game and if you pressure him, you can force turnovers, as the Bucs’ offense had turned the ball over six times through four games before going turnover-less against the Saints. It’s also their second meeting of the season, which means they’re a bit more understanding of what Bruce Arians’ offense is trying to do.”

– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“The Pittsburgh Steelers are this week’s best rental option at 27 percent ownership. They are averaging 3.8 sacks and 2.6 turnovers per game through five weeks. In Week 6, they go on the road to face the Chargers, but the crowd in Los Angeles will make it feel like a Pittsburgh home game. If we ignore their game against Miami’s nonexistent defense in Week 4, the Chargers have allowed an average of 8.5 fantasy points to opposing defenses. That’s a really solid floor for the Steelers.”

– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)

“When two of the worst teams in the league meet, there is likely to be some ugly football and I expect a dumpster truck collision in Miami when Washington comes to town. Either defense could hold value this week, but I’ll give Miami, coming off their bye and playing at home, the reluctant nod. Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, or Dwayne Haskins starting for a team that has given up and has a skeleton crew on the offensive line does not instill hope in their ability to move the ball without turning it over.”

– Chet Gresham (WalterFootball)

“I’m a little surprised that the Packers’ defense is still available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues after their strong start to the season. The Lions are far from a dream matchup, but they’re hardly a shy-away opponent, either. The fact that Green Bay will be playing at home and on primetime (Monday night) adds to the appeal, as the crowd should generate a lot of noise, making things tougher for Matthew Stafford and co.”

– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)

“The Broncos D/ST is easily the preferred D/ST streaming option for me in Week 6. Coming off a road game where they held the Chargers to 13 points, they now get the Titans at home. I think the Titans quietly have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, and the Broncos will expose that this week.”

– Donald Gibson (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for naming their top waiver targets. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.



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