Latest / Upper Hand Fantasy / 2026 Week 6 Waiver Wire: A Rookie Breakout, a Backfield Takeover and the Streaming Quarterbacks

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2026 Week 6 Waiver Wire: A Rookie Breakout, a Backfield Takeover and the Streaming Quarterbacks · Upper Hand Fantasy

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Week six waivers.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: My number one ad this week is a rookie receiver who might have just broke out, who you could potentially use all season long.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: We've also got a running back who completely took over his backfield on Sunday, a couple of tight ends who keep getting targets, some stashes, some streaming quarterbacks at the end.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get right into it.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: My first priority pickup of the week is not a running back, actually.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually Jeremy Bernard.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: So not all the pickups are terrible this week.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: It is a relatively terrible waiver wire week, but there are some key pickups.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think Jeremy Bernard is actually a very good pickup this week.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Someone I'm prioritizing for sure.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: With Michael Pittman's sideline on Sunday, he led the Steelers with a 29% target share on a career high, just a few games in, obviously, 94% rap participation.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: And this isn't just a one-off either.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: The other time Pittman missed a game, that was back in week two.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Bernard had a near full-time role.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was like a 79-80% rap participation.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: He saw a 22% target share, and that was his second game of his career.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: So already proving to be a target earner when he's on the field.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: So Pittman's on IR for at least another three games.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Roman Wilson's likely out for a few weeks, too.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: The Steelers rank third in pass rate.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we could see that volume go Bernard's way, even in games where DK Metcalf is getting his too.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: I think you can grab Bernard and literally start him every week while these guys are out.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: But also, he comes with a potential upside of him continuing to produce with this newfound opportunity.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then it becomes the rest of season intermediate option for Rodgers that Michael Pittman was supposed to be this year.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Who knows where that foot injury is going to go?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm willing to go up to you know 10% of my fab here if you don't really need him.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: But if you need a wide receiver and you want to take a bet on someone who's two for two in terms of taking advantage of his opportunities so far in his career, I'm fine going a little higher, maybe 15%.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think the next one is obviously Woody Marks.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, if you need a running back, I think Marks is your guy this week.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: David Montgomery went down early with a groin injury.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Marks took over completely.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: He had every carry for the Texans against the Titans the rest of the way.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Marks was already running more routes than Monty coming into the game.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now Monty likely missing at least a week, maybe two before Houston's bye.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: So now Marx is going to get the carries on top of that receiver work that he was getting.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: He's actually been the guy at the goal line, believe it or not, since week three.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: He has two goal line carries in that span.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Monty actually had zero.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so far this year, he's actually been pretty good with his opportunities.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Among 35 backs with 40 plus carries, he's top 12 in explosive run rate, top six in miss tackles, force per attempt.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Houston seems to trust him and he should get enough work to come through.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: The dual threat is what should be attractive here.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: He has a lot of outs to come through for fantasy with the opportunity.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, he doesn't disappoint us like he did when he took over the backfield last year.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you had him, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I'm willing to go up to 20% of my fab if I really need a running back.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: But if you desperately need to win this bid in a competitive league, you'll probably have to go higher, maybe 30-35%.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like hopefully you won't have to.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't want to, you know, just for like a two-week rental here.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: But I get it.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Times are hard.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Next up is Damian Pierce.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Once Will Shipley left the game with his foot injury, Pierce played all 35 snaps.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: He ran a route on 18 of 27 dropbacks, which is very high.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: He took all eight backfield carries.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: He was the Bell Cow.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, those routes that he ran, they were inflated because Shipley is really that receiving back.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: He was the only one active.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I think we have to expect that to come down next week, assuming Saquon misses again, with Jaden Blue probably getting promoted from the practice squad and taking those passing downs to complement him.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: The early down work, though, the goal line work should be Pierce's until Saquon's back, or maybe he just goes to it's it's so crazy that Shipley got like the goal line work when Saquon was right there the entire time, like not last week, but before that, and Jalen Hurts didn't do a tush push.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really understand, but there is a chance Saquon's back this week.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh keep that in mind when you spend your fab.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: If he isn't back, Pierce gets a Panthers defense, allowing the third most fantasy points per game to the running back position.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we get a little Damian Pierce resurgence.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: I go up to 10% if I desperately need a running back, but I really don't want to.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Britton Strange is next up.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'll be honest, I thought his big game a couple weeks ago was just the Bengals being the Bengals.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: They've been letting every tight end eat.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: But now it's back to back, eight target, seven catch games.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: He looks like Trevor Lawrence's number two target behind Parker Washington.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: He's top eight among all tight ends in target share and air yard share this season.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: And over the last three games, his team leading 25% target share ranks third among tight ends, behind only Isaiah Likely and Brock Barrers.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty good company.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're struggling at tight end with a guy like Jake Ferguson or even Colson Lovelin, Strange could end up being more dependable than both of them.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'd go up to maybe five bucks or so.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Marshawn Lloyd, he finally had a solid game, two touchdowns and his best performance of the season against the Bears.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: With Chris Brooks on IR, the early down roll belonged to Lloyd for the most part.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Pierre Strong mixing in a little bit, but he handled the passing downs.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: So now that this is a two-man backfield, Lloyd becomes a bit more valuable and startable in the pinchiest of pinches.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: He also took the long goal line carry for the Packers on Sunday.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: He actually had at least one rush attempt inside the five in each of the last three games.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So he is getting the first crack there, which is good.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: He gets the Cowboys in week six, too, who've given up the fourth most touchdowns to running backs.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: He's still just a flex play at best, but if you're desperate at running back, there are definitely worse options out there.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'd spend a few bucks, maybe five or six dollars at most.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: If Kamara ends up sitting because the back injury isn't sitting well, Miller would be the one that I want.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: I try to get him for a zero dollar bid if I can.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Raheem Sanders is next up.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Quinsha Juggins is in a boot right now.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Apparently, he's day-to-day with an ankle injury, so it might not be that bad.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Probably low ankle sprain, uh, just stabilizing that ankle with the boot.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: But just in case if preseason was any indication, Raheem Sanders is likely the direct backup.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: If you were planning on starting Judgins this week or you can't get any of the other running backs, this is kind of that chief fallback option in case Judgins can't go this week.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then you got Dylan Sampson, right, who was normally that handcuff.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like we all thought that he might be the direct handcuff to Judgins early on, but it looks like he might stay in more of a receiving role when he comes off of IR, which could be this week.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Wouldn't spend anything on him at all.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you really need a wide receiver to start this week as a streamer, Keenan Allen's giving you a decent floor and full PPR.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: He's not exciting, but if you're desperate, he's a warm body who'll catch some balls.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't bid anything on him though.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite streaming tight ends this week that you can pick up off waivers pretty easily is Pat Fryermouth.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't land strange, I think Fryermouth is a solid streamer.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: His route participation has climbed to 78% in week four, 79% in week five, and that turned into a 21% target share on Sunday.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: So he also leads this team with 30% of the end zone targets for the year.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe three or four bucks should get the job done.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for a streaming quarterback, I got a few.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Rodgers is number one with Joe Burrow and Jared Goff both on by.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people are gonna need a fill-in this week.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Rodgers has thrown three touchdowns in each of the last three games.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: If Bernard keeps rolling, that's Jeremy Bernard, your number one waiver wire pickup this week.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna help him too, right?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe three or four bucks on Aaron Rodgers.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then Jameis Winston, three touchdowns in each of the last two weeks as well.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: He gets the Saints this week.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: This could turn into a game where both offenses put up points.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh maybe two bucks if you need a streamer there.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then you got Kirk Cousins.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: He couldn't come through in a tough matchup against the Patriots.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that offense was just on fire on the other side.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: They just couldn't keep up.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: But he can come through at home against the Bills this week.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, real quick, here are some names that are on the waiver wire that you might consider who I'm passing on.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Roshan Johnson is number one.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: DeAndre Swift's the guy while Manangai is out.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Roshan has had his chances before and never really came through.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Samaj Piran, we know who Piran is.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: He'll probably fade away, and the Bengals are on bye anyway.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Kamani Videl, he's had seven and nine touches the last two weeks, and he's competing with two backs, so there's no real contingent upside there.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's pretty much a roster clogger.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I think Kendrick Bourne, you know, eight targets.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: That was only a 16% target share.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Michael Wilson will bounce back.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Bourne could just turn right back into a pumpkin.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in 14 team leagues where, you know, there's hardly anything on the waiver wire, sure.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's fine as depth when you really need him in a pinch, only in PPR leagues.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then Dontavian Wakes and Darius Cooper.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think Devontae Smith could be back this week.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Dallas Goddard already soaked up a 25% target share on limited snaps in his first game back.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Cooper's obviously been a touchdown machine on two or three catches a week.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, he also had two duds as well, two two two donuts, right?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So you can find this type of receiver on waivers almost every week.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, if Devontae Smith is out, maybe you pick him up in a pinch.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I'm not rostering him for the entire week.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that's gonna do it for this week.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: There's some real running back help out there, a receiver who I think could stick.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, hopefully this helped.
• 7:57
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• 7:58
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• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: It helps a ton.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you guys.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you in the next one.