Below, you'll find some wide receivers that you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 6.
Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.
Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 6 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 50% rostered or below.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Wide Receivers Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots - 47% rostered
Meyers missed the last two games, so you might have forgotten that in Week 2, he had 13 targets, catching nine passes for 95 yards. When he returned on Sunday, there was a different quarterback throwing the football, but the result was the same, as Meyers led the team in targets with eight, catching seven of 111 yards and a touchdown. He's the No. 1 receiver in New England by a pretty good margin. Pick him up if he's still on your waiver wire.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers - 55% rostered
With Kenny Pickett at quarterback, the Steelers finished with 327 passing yards (and no touchdowns.) Garbage time helped, but the Steelers showed that they'll throw more with Pickett under center. Pickens saw eight of Pickett's targets, catching six passes for 83 yards. He's now been targeted seven or more times in three straight games and should be considered a WR4 with upside going forward.
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions - 31% rostered
Amon-Ra St. Brown returned this week, but he was fairly quiet. D.J. Chark missed the game, so it was Josh Reynolds who saw heavy usage again. He was targeted 10 times, catching six passes for 92 yards. Reynolds now has three consecutive games with at least eight targets and 80 yards. Even when Chark is back, Reynolds has done enough to be the No. 2 receiver for the Lions. He's got a bye next week, but I expect him to have a pretty key role post-bye week.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts - 8% rostered
It looks like last week wasn't a fluke. Pierce now has three games in a row with 60-plus receiving yards, including back-to-back games with 80. The rookie earned a career-high nine targets this week, which led the Colts. He really expanded his route tree this week, getting more work in the short passing game. With how things are trending, Pierce is playable in 12-team leagues as a WR3/4.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers - 46% rostered
Pickens is a better player than Claypool with more upside, but that doesn't mean Claypool isn't worth a roster spot. He was targeted a season-high nine times this week, catching five passes for 50 yards. Claypool's best game of the year coming in Kenny Pickett's first start is definitely noteworthy. He's not necessarily someone you feel comfortable starting, but there's a chance he can be a WR4 play ROS.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals - 18% rostered
After missing the first three weeks and then catching just three passes for 11 yards in his return last week, Moore finally had the kind of game that fantasy managers were hoping for, as he was targeted eight times, catching seven passes for 68 yards. Of course, the fact that he's just now doing this when DeAndre Hopkins will be back soon isn't great, but he could be a really solid flex play next week against the Seahawks, who've allowed 45 and 39 points the last two weeks.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars - 27% rostered
After missing Week 4 as a late scratch, Jones returned from his ankle injury on Sunday and was targeted eight times. Unfortunately for his fantasy managers, those eight targets converted into just three catches for 12 yards as the Jaguars' offense as a whole struggled throughout the game. That was probably a one-week blip from this offense. If so, Jones and his current usage make him a potential flex play against the Colts next week.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans - 22% rostered
Collins would probably be a little higher on this list if the Texans weren't on a bye next week. He led the team in receiving yards for the second week in a row and while his value is capped by a lack of touchdown upside, he's been the guy who quarterback Davis Mills has looked for down the field. Not having more than four catches in a game really limits his appeal in full PPR, though.
Wide Receiver Deeper League Waiver Wire Pickups
Dyami Brown, Washington Commanders - 0% rostered
In a 12-team league, I'm not ready to take a chance on Brown, but if I'm in a 14-team or deeper league where the pickings are slim, he's probably going to be my top target. Brown was targeted four times, equaling his season total coming into this one. He caught two of them, with both going for touchdowns. Once Jahan Dotson is back, Brown probably won't see the field, but he's an intriguing upside play until Dotson returns since Washington likes to target their ancillary receivers down the field.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers - 3% rostered
Randall Cobb hadn't been targeted more than four times all season before Sunday in London when he was at 13 targets. He caught seven of those for 99 yards. This is probably the best game we see from Cobb this year, but considering the rest of this receiving corps is also full of question marks, you might as well bet on the upside here in a deep league, just in case this is a sign that Cobb's role is growing.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns - 10% rostered
I continue to believe that Peoples-Jones is the ideal player for a 14-team league. His upside is way too low to consider him in shallower leagues, but he's able to give you some solid contributions. He's had three games this year with at least 50 yards receiving and while he hasn't found the end zone, he's proven that he can command targets in this offense, though it is worth noting he was very quiet in Weeks 2 and 3.
Marvin Jones Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars - 5% rostered
Jones surprisingly led the Jaguars in targets while Christian Kirk saw just three of them. Weird game? Probably. Jones was targeted just one time in Week 4. This week, that number jumped to 11, with Jones pulling in seven for 104 yards. This was probably just a case of the Texans' defense walling off Kirk and letting Jones have his, but...IDK, it's hard to ignore 11 targets!
K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings - 6% rostered
Osborn had five catches for 41 yards. He's been really hit-or-miss this season, but two of the last three games have seen him get pretty good volume. This isn't an exciting pickup, but he's someone who can fill in during bye weeks when the matchups are good.
Ben Skowronek, Los Angeles Rams - 1% rostered
I really don't know how seriously to take this whole Ben Skowronek thing. He's had just one "good" game before Sunday—four catches for 66 yards in Week 3—but he's just seemed to always...well, be there, and this week, he was "there" to the tune of eight targets. He caught six of them for 41 yards. If Allen Robinson II keeps struggling as he has been, Skowronek really could be the third option in this passing game behind Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants - 0% rostered
On a day when the Giants were without Kadarius Toney, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Kenny Golladay, Slayton led the team in targets with seven, catching six of them for 79 yards. Is it just our yearly reminder that Slayton exists? Probably, considering he only had two targets all season before this game. But if the Giants stay banged up, Slayton has some interesting fantasy appeal.
Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills - 2% rostered
Gabriel Davis and his 171 receiving yards were the stars of the show for the Bills, but Shakir played well too, catching three passes for 75 yards and a score. He was targeted five times. The rookie was only on the field this much because Isaiah McKenzie was out, but he's shown that he can be an emergency flex play in a deep league if McKenzie misses any more time. That's not a great role to be in, but there are worse things.
Shi Smith, Carolina Panthers - 0% rostered
It's hard to really like anyone in this Panthers offense outside of running back Christian McCaffrey, but Smith did lead the team in receiving yards this week with 69. He was targeted five times, catching four of them. With how bad the Panthers have been at pushing the ball down the field, Robbie Anderson has been rendered pretty useless, opening up room for more snaps for someone like Smith, who Baker Mayfield showed a good connection with in the preseason.
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