Best fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 6

Welcome to the Week 6 waiver wire watch!

The month of October is underway and another weekend of NFL action is in the books. Every week, there’s been a wide receiver that seemingly pops up out of nowhere with a strong performance and that provides fantasy managers with plenty of opportunities to bolster the receiver depth on their respective rosters.

We’ll go over some Week 5 performers that you should consider scooping off the waiver wire ahead of Week 6 and as always, we’ll classify a waiver add as someone who is rostered in 60% of leagues at the max.

Week 6 byes: Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings

With so many offensive players injured, the 49ers had no choice but to rely on Bourne against the Rams on Thursday and he sure as heck delivered in the NFC West matchup. 10 receptions for 142 yards were his final stat line in the primetime showdown as he effectively stepped up as San Fran’s top pass-catcher while Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were sidelined for the game.

The 30-year-old veteran has 132 routes run on the season through five games and Thursday marked the first game where he actually commanded a high target share. It remains to be seen what his usage will be once their injured stars begin returning to the lineup, but at least fantasy managers know that he’s capable of turning in a start-worthy performance.

Week 6 matchup: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:25 p.m. ET

Arguably the biggest surprise performance of Sunday’s slate came in the Cowboys’ 37-22 road victory over the Jets with Flournoy stepping up for the offense. The second-year wideout came out of nowhere to lead the offense in receiving, hauling in six of nine targets for 114 yards and added an additional 10 rushing yards on the ground. He had just five receptions for 35 yards total for the year prior to Dallas’ Week 5 trip to MetLife Stadium and his numbers against the Jets actually exceeded what he put up for the entirety of his rookie campaign last season.

The Cowboy offense is proving to be one of the more explosive units in the entire league and that’s even with CeeDee Lamb being out for the last few weeks. Flournoy is one of a number of players who could have their named called on any given week and with a rostership of less than 1%, he’ll be available for the taking.

Week 6 matchup: @ Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET

The Raiders’ season is quickly circling the drain but that isn’t stopping Tucker from stepping up as one of their most reliable weapons on offense. Just two weeks after his 145-yard, three-touchdown explosion against the Commanders, he did his part with four receptions for 62 yards in Sunday’s 40-6 blowout loss to the Colts.The third-year wideout has been consistent for this Vegas team and is notably top-20 in total EPA among receivers this season. Being rostered in roughly 55% of leagues, this will most likely be the final week you could possibly find him on the waiver wire before it’s too late.

Week 6 matchup: vs. Tennessee Titans, 4:05 p.m. ET

The Texans absolutely smoked a decimated Ravens team in a 44-10 rout on Sunday and with two straight wins, they are seemingly getting their season back on track after an 0-3 start. A surprise standout from the game was the third-year wideout Hutchinson, who caught his first two career touchdown passes in the win. Both of those scores came in the red-zone and that’s something to keep in mind as the Texans begin to gain momentum on offense. With the team off on a bye this week, there will be an open lane to buy low on Hutch.

Week 6 matchup: Bye week