As injuries mount and teams enter their bye week, the waiver wire becomes even more important. It is the one place you can go to grab a player who can patch a hole in your roster. Picking up the right player on the waiver wire can be the difference between winning that week or suffering a tough loss that hurts your playoff chances. If your players are dealing with injuries, or have several players on their bye, and aren’t thrilled with your bench options, here are three last-minute waiver wire additions for Week 6.
Jameis Winston, QB, New York Giants
It is a roller coaster watching Jameis Winston under center. At one moment, he flashes greatness and reminds us all why he was the first overall pick a decade ago. Then he has a play that makes you wonder if it’s the first time he’s ever picked up a football. There was no bigger example of this than this past week against the Commanders. Through the first three quarters, he played terribly, and there were calls for him to the bench. But in the fourth quarter and overtime, he was brilliant and put the Giants in a position to win.
While this style of play can be frustrating to watch, it has helped him put up solid fantasy numbers. He has scored over 15 points in the past couple of weeks. It may not look pretty, but he should keep putting in solid performances. Even against a tough defense like the Saints, the Giants have the weapons and a game plan that should let Winston take shots downfield. He is not someone you rely on long term, but he’s a perfect guy to grab off the waiver wire for this week.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
So far this season, injuries have hit the Saints backfield. With Travis Etienne Jr. dealing with a hamstring injury, they will have to rely on the other backs. Kendre Miller has seemingly absorbed much of Etienne’s workload. Against the Vikings, Miller led the backfield with 10 carries. He managed only 30 yards, but he found the end zone in one of the Saints’ few positives against the Vikings. It’s clear Miller will be the first-string running back going forward.
Sure, Miller only registered nine points as the lead back, but the entire Saints offense had a bad day. He could be a much more effective back if the offense is not putting in one of its worst performances of the season. Miller’s matchup against the Giants gives him the perfect opportunity to break out. The Giants defense has been poor against the run this season, allowing the 12th-most fantasy points per game. Miller could go from the waiver wire to a star player of the week.
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
Over the past couple of weeks, the Patriots’ passing game has taken a big step forward. It is starting to look more like last year’s and more in line with what many expected going into the season. This was very evident in their 45-17 win over the Raiders. A big reason for this success was DeMario Douglas’s play. He had one of his best games of the season, catching four passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. That helped him log over 20 fantasy points for the first time this season.
It looks like he and Maye are on the same page again. While his role has decreased over the past couple of seasons, he had the second-most targets on the team in Maye’s rookie season. This season, Douglas has seen a solid workload. He has been targeted over five times in three games this season. That is a good amount of volume, and this past week he finally turned it into on-field success. He could continue to be a safety blanket for Maye until AJ Brown returns and is back to his former self.
