Top Week 6 WR Waiver Wire pickups: Which players to target in fantasy football after Justin Jefferson's injury

The waiver wire is one of the most important events during each week of every fantasy football season. It allows managers to improve their overall rosters, replace injured players, and find bye-week replacements, among other things.

Wide receivers are always among the most popular waiver wire targets each week due to the massively long list of players who can contribute relevant fantasy football production to this specific position. Every week creates new situations for many different players based on their evolving roles with their NFL teams.

These roles can significantly change any week, especially if another player on their NFL team suffers an injury. The need for these players in fantasy football can also become magnified if a rostered player suffers an injury. A potential example for Week 6 is Justin Jefferson, who suffered a hamstring injury over the weekend. He will now miss the next four games (Bears, 49ers, Packers, Falcons).

Managers looking to replace Jefferson, who is owned in nearly 100 percent of all fantasy leagues, or to acquire a new wide receiver for any other reason should explore the wavier wire in their current leagues. While Week 6 doesn't necessarily offer many league-changing options, plenty of value can still be found to improve the overall depth and upside of any fantasy football roster.

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Before replacing any player in a fantasy football lineup, make sure to reference the Start/Sit Optimizer first.

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Top Fantasy Football WR Waiver Wire pickups for Week 6

Week 6 waivers

1] Quentin Johnston

The Los Angeles Chargers recently received devastating news when Mike Williams suffered a season-ending injury. This is a significant blow to their offense, as he has been serving as the WR2 behind superstar Keenan Allen. Williams mostly served as a deep threat and red zone target for Justin Herbert, giving him a ton of fantasy football value in one of the best overall offenses in the NFL.

In Williams' absence, the Chargers are expected to use some combination of Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston to help make up for some of the massive vacant production left behind. The two had been splitting the workload as the WR3 in their high-powered offense, with Palmer getting the larger share of the usage.

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Now that Williams is gone for the remainder of the year, Palmer and Johnston no longer need to split snaps. The Chargers have three wide receivers on the field for a large number of their offensive snaps, so both of them will be able to carve out a ton of playing time, presumably. With Herbert at quarterback, this is excellent for their overall fantasy football outlooks for the rest of the season.

Palmer has already grabbed in most fantasy leagues, as he has been the preferred option to replace Williams for the Chargers. He has previously spent time doing so last season, as well as for Allen, whenever either of the top two wide receivers were forced to miss time. Just because Palmer likely has priority over Johnston doesn't mean the rookie can't hold value, either.

It's important to remember that the Chargers selected Quentin Johnston in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, ignoring some of the other holes on their roster. This presumably means they have big plans for Johnston to be a major part of their offensive scheme eventually. While they may not have been planning for it to come so soon, Williams' injury could potentially alter their plans.

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The Chargers' bye week in Week 5 came at the perfect time, allowing them to adjust their offensive design without Williams. It's entirely possible that they schemed Johnston heavily into their game plan, allowing the rookie to prove his worth. He's in one of the most ideal situations possible to have a breakout fantasy football season, making him a strong speculative add-off of the Week 6 waiver wire.

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Managers seeking a trade to replace Williams should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.

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2] Wan'Dale Robinson

The New York Giants have been desperately seeking improvements to their pass catchers. They made moves in the offseason to support this, such as acquiring Darren Waller and drafting Jalin Hyatt, but their wide receivers are still among the weakest in the entire league. This means they need some of their young investments to step up, and so far, it looks like Wan'Dale Robinson could be becoming what they are looking for.

Robinson hasn't exactly lit up the stat sheet in fantasy football, but he's leading the Giants' wide receivers in usage over the past three games. He has recorded 16 touches on 19 targets during that time but has uninspiringly turned that into just 79 yards. This demonstrates the lack of explosiveness in the Giants' offense, but he seems to be gaining the trust of Daniel Jones.

It's also important to mention that Robinson has missed significant time due to injuries, so he may just now be rounding into form. He missed the final seven games of his rookie 2022 season, as well as the first two games this year. He makes for a decent speculative waiver wire add in fantasy football this week for managers seeking a wide receiver, especially considering the relative lack of options.

3] Chase Claypool

The Miami Dolphins acquired Chase Claypool via trade this week, adding more firepower to their already elite offense. The wide receiver goes from the Chicago Bears, one of the worst passing attacks in the entire NFL, to the passing leaders for this season. This alone improves his fantasy football value, especially considering he was most recently a healthy inactive with the Bears.

The biggest issue with Claypool when it comes to potentially being a relevant contributor in fantasy football is the Dolphins' crowded offense. There's no chance that he's taking targets away from Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, so his best-case scenario is to emerge as their WR3. He will likely need to compete with Braxton Berrios and Cedrick Wilson for his target share.

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If Claypool can beat each of them out to be the firm WR3, he may have some upside, especially because the Dolphins don't really use their tight ends much as receivers. They pass the ball enough to spread it to three wide receivers, so Claypool can potentially be a complimentary piece to their elite duo.

Playing in such a high-powered offense makes him worth a speculative add-off of the Week 6 waiver wire.