Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire: Darnell Mooney, Tank Bigsby and More Top Targets
Alex KayContributor IOctober 8, 2024Fantasy Football Week 6 Waiver Wire: Darnell Mooney, Tank Bigsby and More Top Targets

It may still be early in the 2024 NFL season, but fantasy managers should already be thinking about the playoffs and how to best prepare their rosters to reach them.
Making some shrewd waiver wire claims in Week 6 could be the difference between missing out on the postseason entirely and winning a championship. Having strong depth will not only help with the upcoming slew of byes—the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings will be missing in action this weekend—but also the inevitable wave of injuries that have already started to mount.
Even if your team has gotten off to a rough start, it's not too late to turn things around and go on a run. There are several standout talents widely available in free agency pools right now, players who could turn the tide of a season and contribute as weekly starters for the remainder of the year.
With that in mind, here are five waiver wire pickups who you should be targeting when you make your claims in Week 6.
Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros' PPR data taken prior to the weeks' Monday Night Football matchup. Suggested free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids are based on a $100 dollar starting budget.
QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants (9 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-2
The New York Giants are heading into a dream fantasy matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals and their sieve-like defense. Cincy has allowed opponents to put up an absurd 129 points over the past four weeks, making Daniel Jones the ideal spot starter for managers who need a quarterback to hold the line while waiting for their usual option to recover from injury or return from bye.
Jones spent his Sunday guiding the G-Men to a surprise 29-20 upset victory over the Seattle Seahawks—a team that boasted the league's top defense heading into Week 5. Despite rising star Malik Nabers' absence from New York's lineup, Jones still had his best fantasy performance of 2024. He completed 23-of-34 throws for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns while avoiding interceptions for the third time in four weeks.
The outing resulted in 22.1 fantasy points and a QB11 finish for Jones, who now has three top-11 showings over the past month. It's clear he's becoming more comfortable within New York's offense and seems to be back to full strength after rehabilitating the knee injury that cut his 2023 campaign short.
While it's still a bit risky to consider Jones a high-end long-term starter, those without a great option under center shouldn't hesitate to roster the Giants passer nor deploy him against a Bengals foe that just allowed Lamar Jackson to log a QB3 finish after torching their defense for 33.4 fantasy points.
RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (22 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $21-23
Tank Bigsby is going to be one of the hottest waiver pickups of the Week 6 cycle.
After the Jacksonville Jaguars' backup running back put himself on the fantasy radar last week by racking up 90 yards on a hyper-efficient seven carries, he proved he can scale that production with a sterling outing against the rival Indianapolis Colts.
Bigsby finished Week 5 as fantasy's top-scoring running back by gashing Indy's defense for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 totes.
While Bigsby's output took a slight bump due to a fumble, he still finished with a hefty 25.9 points and is now in position to take over a larger share of Jacksonville's backfield workload.
With starter Travis Etienne continuing to struggle on the ground—he's yet to post a top-20 finish and mustered just 17 yards on his six carries—Bigsby should soon become the go-to ball carrier for a Jags team that finally earned its first win of the season largely thanks to his scintillating performance.
Managers in PPR leagues won't be getting as much value out of Bigsby, who unfortunately hasn't been tasked with much receiving work during his sophomore campaign. Although he made the most of his first target of 2024 by converting into a 28-yard reception, Etienne was still the clear favorite on passing downs and turned in six catches for 43 yards on seven targets.
Regardless of his lack of passing game work, Bigsby is a force to be reckoned with on the ground. He's now averaging a league-best—amongst running backs with at least 10 carries on the year—eight yards per tote, efficiency that is simply too great to ignore and should result in him seeing the lion's share of volume in Jacksonville's backfield going forward.
RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears (20 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $9-11
The Chicago Bears offense came alive in Week 5, putting up a season-high 36 points in a blowout victory over the Carolina Panthers. While some of that production was due to their lowly opponent's ineptitude, the Bears' ground attack appears ready to thrive in the weeks ahead.
Starting RB D'Andre Swift led the way against Carolina with 73 yards and a score on 21 carries, but backup Roschon Johnson remained the coaching staff's preferred choice for short yardage and goal-line situations. He parlayed his duties into 25 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, a role and production that make him a viable fantasy option going forward.
Johnson's 14.5 fantasy points were good for a respectable RB15 finish. He's now scored three times over the past two weeks and is worth a flex spot for his touchdown-based upside alone.
While there is a chance Johnson could put up a dud due to his highly situational role, he's still a strong waiver-wire option to get managers through bye weeks and short-term injury woes. He also has some appeal as a handcuff who could see a huge uptick in volume if Swift—a player who has been sidelined for stretches during each of his four previous campaigns—misses time.
Johnson's value is further boosted by a favorable clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. The Jags have allowed six rushing scores on the ground this season, tied for the fourth-most in football, meaning there will be ample opportunity for Johnson to punch at least one more in during this London-based matchup.
WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons (48 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $8-10
This is the last call for Darnell Mooney waiver-wire claims. The Atlanta Falcons wideout is still available in more than half of all leagues, but he's set to see his roster percentage skyrocket after the best fantasy performance of his five-year career.
Mooney helped the Falcons secure a thrilling overtime victory over the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a Thursday Night Football shootout in Week 5. He matched his career high with 16 targets in the contest, converting them into nine receptions for 105 yards and two scores.
That production equated to 31.5 fantasy points and a WR3 finish for Mooney.
Mooney now heads into Week 6 as fantasy's WR15 and should only improve as he builds further rapport with quarterback Kirk Cousins during their first campaign in Atlanta together. While Drake London is the Falcons' clear-cut top target, Mooney is a potent second option and has weekly starting upside due to this position in the team's pecking order.
With a 22 percent target share in a high-upside offensive system and an average of nearly 15 points per game, Mooney deserves to be rostered in just about every fantasy format. He's not just a Week 6 waiver wire fill-in, but a potential season-long starter for many squads.
Make Mooney one of your priority waiver claims if you have any need for a receiver whatsoever. He won't be available this time next week and you can't afford to miss out on him if you aren't rock-solid at the position.
TE Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (31 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $0-2
The New York Jets may have fallen below .500 after squandering a Week 5 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, but at least tight end Tyler Conklin was one of the team's few bright spots during its trip across the pond.
Conklin has quietly become one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' favorite weapons over the last three weeks. He's seen a steady uptick in targets since his breakout TE4 finish against the New England Patriots in Week 3—a contest in which he reeled in five of his six looks for 93 yards.
While Conklin came back down to earth in Week 4 by converting just four of his eight targets into catches and gaining a meager 17 yards against the Denver Broncos, he bounced back with six catches for 55 yards on nine targets against the Vikings.
The 29-year-old veteran has garnered a 17.5 percent target share and ranks as the TE7 over the past three weeks. While he does have to compete with stars like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall for Rodgers' attention, Conklin is holding his own and has clearly earned the future Hall of Famer's trust as they try to spark an offense that ranks a middling No. 27 through five weeks.
Given the lack of quality options at the tight end position, managers who need a streaming play for Week 6—or even a potential longer-term starter—could do far worse than Conklin. He's a plus option for Gang Green's upcoming showdown against the Buffalo Bills due to the volume he's likely to see and may even find some paydirt for the first time this season.
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