Wake 6 Fantasy Football Waiver Dire Pickups: Bourne, Taylor and more

Fantasy managers have had to surf the waiver wire thanks to bye-related lineup holes starting last week, with the first four teams (Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers) taking their week off.

Heading into Week 6, only two teams (Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings) will be out of action, but managers will have to find replacements for top starters like Vikings Wideout Justin Jefferson and Texans Signal-Caller CJ Stroud.

Then there are the injuries. From multiple 49ers pass-catchers to top running backs like the Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard and the Bucs’ Bucky Irving to seasonal injuries to top wideouts Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill, there are holes all over the league.

Let’s take a look at some must-add players and deep league stashes before Week 6. Roster percentage and scoring numbers Thanks to fantasy profit. Players are considered sleepers if they are rostered in 40% of leagues or less.

Quarterback

Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)

Roasted: 19%

Whether you’re dealing with injuries (Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson; San Francisco’s Brock Purdy) or bye weeks (Houston’s CJ Stroud) or both (Minnesota’s JJ McCarthy), if you need to pick up a quarterback this week, Bryce Young is by far the best option. Young is rostered in only 19% of leagues, so he’s likely available in yours. He has a tasty matchup against the Dallas Cowboys defense, which is giving up 304 passing yards per game this season, the Most in the league. Young will likely find the end zone in Week 6; Dallas has given up 12 touchdown passes, tied for second-most.

Walk back

Brashard Smith (Kansas City Chiefs)

Roasted: 17%

Brashard Smith is a stock option and sits behind Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt on the Chiefs’ depth chart. But what the Chiefs are doing on the ground hasn’t worked. Pacheco scored in the single digits (PPR formats) in all but Week 4, and in Week 5 his 37% Snap share was a season-low. Hunt, meanwhile, is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. Against this backdrop, rookie Brashard Smith has made the most of his limited opportunities, while head coach Andy Reid has said The team is looking to increase Smith’s playing time.” In Week 5, Smith had 32 yards on three receptions, demonstrating dual-threat potential. Now is the time to stick Smith on your bench so you’re ready to go if he breaks out in the Chiefs’ murky backfield.

Wide receiver

Kendrick Bourne (San Francisco 49ers)

Roasted: 4%

A deep sleeper, Bourne had a fantastic showing in Week 5, in no small part because the 49ers are out of passing options. Backup quarterback Mac Jones was without wideouts Jauan Jennings or Ricky Pearsall and tight end George Kittle is still on IR. Bourne made the most of his opportunity, catching 10 of 11 targets for 142 yards. If the 49ers are still struggling with injuries in Week 6, Bourne becomes a must-start flex option.

Tight end

Mason Taylor (New York Jets)

Roasted: 13%

Whenever you have a team that is going to play from behind quite often, you need to look at their pass-catching weapons and see who is available in your leagues. The shoe fits for Jets tight end Mason Taylor, who had nine receptions on 12 targets in Week 5, when the Jets were at some point Down 30–3. That was second only to Garrett Wilson in both snaps and routes, making Taylor a must-add on the Waiver Wire option and TE1 for Week 6 and possibly beyond.