Another week of fantasy football action is in the books, as owners everywhere scour the waiver wire to find the best available wide receiver pickups. Looking around the league shows that players like Henry Ruggs and Chase Claypool offer the best chance of positive performance in the coming weeks.
Note that, in order to be eligible for this list, the player needed to be available in at least 50% of fantasy leagues. Obviously, there is some variation from league to league, so make sure to peruse all available players before making your claims. There could be a better option available in your specific league.
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Back – Defense
Henry Ruggs, Chase Claypool Highlight Fantasy Football Week 6 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
Chase Claypool
Chase Claypool has himself a day. Facing off against a solid Philadelphia Eagles defense, the second-round rookie recorded seven receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. This type of fantastic performance will earn him a role moving forward, and he should have his fair share of fantasy-relevant weeks.
You should definitely put in a claim for Claypool, but don’t blow your entire FAAB on the talented rookie. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a ton of talented receivers, and Claypool probably won’t be the leader of the offense each and every week. Juju Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington will all remain important pieces of the offense and will take targets away from Claypool. If you already have him on your roster, now could be the perfect chance to sell high.
Henry Ruggs
Full disclaimer: Henry Ruggs has a bye in Week 6, so don’t grab him if you’re only looking for a one-week stream. However, Ruggs earns the second spot on this list because of his fantastic season-long potential. While Chase Claypool’s four-touchdown week obviously made the headlines, I believe Ruggs has the better shot of developing into a week-in, week-out fantasy football stud this year.
After missing the past few weeks of action, Ruggs returned to the field and immediately demonstrated the speed that makes him such a special talent. The first-round pick finished the night with two receptions for a staggering 118 yards and one touchdown on just three targets. While the volume was low, Ruggs is one of those rare talents that has the potential to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. His volume will go up in time, as the Raiders don’t have any real competition for targets outside of Darren Waller. Claypool might be safer, but Ruggs possesses elite league-winning upside and is definitely worth carrying through the bye week.
Mecole Hardman
If given the opportunity, Mecole Hardman could be one of the most dangerous wide receivers in fantasy football. The second-year speedster is buried on Kansas City’s depth chart but is one of the most explosive players when actually on the field.
Sammy Watkins suffered an injury in Week 5, which could open a path to more playing time for Hardman. As of this posting, the severity of the injury is not available to the public. If Watkins is down for an extended period of time, Hardman will be much higher on this list.
T.Y. Hilton
After spending the entire week talking about his downfall, T.Y. Hilton proved he still has a little left in his tank. In Week 5, Hilton recorded six receptions for 69 yards on 10 targets against a decent Cleveland Browns secondary. The T.Y. Hilton of old is gone, but he’s still the best receiver on this team by a country mile. If he and Philip Rivers have truly built up their chemistry, then Hilton could probably serve as a decent flex option, at least in the short term.
Honorable Mentions: Preston Williams, Travis Fulgham, Brandin Cooks
Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Back – Defense
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