Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 6: Add Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Josh Downs

Flacco is the little dot hanging at the top right of Jayden Daniels.

Pro Football Focus also ranks him among the top 10 quarterbacks. Most importantly, the Colts opened up their offense under Flacco. They went from a -9% success rate above expectations in the first month of the season (all of Anthony Richardson's starts) to a +8% PROE in Flacco's first start. The catch is that Richardson could return from his hip injury in Week 6. If you add Flacco to the waivers, make sure you have a backup plan.

Others receiving votes: Drake Maye, Derek Carr

Run back

Rico Dowdle, Cowboys (56%)

Both Dowdle and Trey Sermon had a roster share of just over 50%, so they are considered Not In My League All-Stars. Sermon defeated Tyler Goodson 10-5 and caught six balls. Goodson caught three. The game script wasn't on Sermon's side in Week 5 and he posted a solid result. Things will get better for him in Week 6 against Tennessee.

Dowdle defeated Ezekiel Elliott in Week 5. He outscored Zeke 20-6 and caught two passes, one of which was a touchdown. First check your waiver wire on both backs.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants (23%)

Tracy started with the loss of Devin Singletary in Week 5. Tracy was considered an explosive playmaker coming out of college, but never achieved a major role, largely because he only played running back for one year. On Sunday he showed off his great skills and dominated the New York backfield.

He was on the field for 62 percent of the Giants' snaps and outscored his backups 18-4. Tracy was in college for six years and once acquired 18 or more carries. He answered all the questions and then some in Week 5. It will be difficult for the Giants to put their Ferrari back in the garage, even if Singletary is healthy.

Ty Chandler, Vikings (28%)

Aaron Jones suffered a hip injury in Week 5 and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. The Vikings also get their bye this week, so Jones could be back with no downtime. Third-string running back Myles Gaskin was barely involved in the offense after Jones went down, leaving Chandler to handle 14 carries and two receptions. Kevin O'Connell gave Chandler a three-down role toward the end of the 2023 season. Chandler made the most of the opportunities, averaging 16 touchdowns for 82 yards and one touchdown in the final four weeks of the year. Should Jones be sidelined, he could be considered for a similar role.

Tank Bigsby, Jaguars (23%)

The Jaguars continue to insist that Travis Etienne is their starter.

Combining the philosophical shift with two wins allowed the Bears to allow their running backs 95 rush attempts over the last three weeks. That's the third-highest number in the NFL. Even as a clear backup, that high rushing volume carried Johnson to 25 carries for 81 yards and three scores over that stretch. He has value in his own right and would take on a huge role if something were to happen to D'Andre Swift.

Dare Ogunbowale, Texans (1%)

The Texans threw in the towel on Cam Akers as their top back in Week 5. Ogunbowale outscored him 15-9 but was still the team's best option on passing downs. He ran a route on 62 percent of CJ Stroud's dropbacks and had a target share of 19 percent. Joe Mixon didn't practice at all last week before being ruled out, which also puts his availability for Week 6 in question.

Others receiving votes: Jaleel McLaughlin, Antonio Gibson, Tyler Goodson

Wide receiver

Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys (7%)

Tolbert was close to taking over the WR2 role in Dallas before Week 5. Brandin Cooks was then placed on injured reserve, solidifying Tolbert as Dak Prescott's No. 2 receiver. He rose to prominence on Sunday Night Football with seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Tolbert achieved a 26 percent target percentage and 42 percent of the team's aerial yards. Tolbert is a solid player in a great situation, which puts him at the WR3/4 limit in Week 6.

Josh Downs, Colts (40%)

Downs has been a winning machine since returning to the lineup in Week 3. He has 26 goals in three games and weekly goal shares of 29, 33 and 27 percent. Downs ranks second in the NFL in targets per route run (0.35) and seventh among receivers in target percentage (30 percent). Downs is clearly a bet on talent, and it's rare to find something like this on the waiver wire this late in the season. In the second year I would achieve up to a third of my FAAB.

Darnell Mooney, Falcons (48%)

Kyle Pitts came back to life with seven receptions for 88 yards in Week 5, but Atlanta's win over the Bucs will be remembered as Darnell Mooney's breakout game.

Editor's Note: No, it won't.

Mooney scored 16 times and had nine grabs for 105 yards and two scores. Pitts was considered Atlanta's de facto WR2, but Mooney has other plans. He has quietly amassed a 24 percent target share and a 34 percent airyard share. The Falcons get another great matchup with Carolina this week, keeping Mooney on the WR3 perimeter.

Jordan Whittington, Rams (15%)

The Rams are on a bye in Week 6 and then Cooper Kupp could be ready to return in Week 7, so this is only a $1 bid, but Whittington is an interesting flyer for deeper rosters. He took on a full-time role in Week 4 and almost immediately established himself as LA's best remaining receiver. Whittington has a target share of 25 percent for the final two weeks. During that stretch, he managed 13 grabs for 151 yards with a route rate of 90 percent. Even if Kupp returns, Whittington could remain in the lineup as Matthew Stafford's WR2.

Darius Slayton, Giants (3%)

Wan'Dale Robinson plays in just over half of all Yahoo leagues, but would otherwise be one of the top signings at receiver. Instead, we can envision another New York wideout as a sensible FLEX play if Malik Nabers misses more time. Daniel Jones faced Slayton on Sunday with 11 targets and an aDOT of 10.9. That was two more targets than Robinson at an average target depth of 6.5 yards further down the field. Slayton caught eight balls for 122 yards and a score. Nabers should be back in Week 6, but Slayton is at least worth a look in deeper leagues.

Others receiving votes: Allen Lazard, Demario Douglas, Rashod Bateman

Tight end

Tyler Conklin, Jets (30%)

Conklin has recorded at least four catches in each of his last three games and has scored eight goals in consecutive contests. He leads all tight ends in total routes (184) and ranks seventh in targets (25). He's not the most exciting addition, but that's what peak TE11 performance looks like.

Zach Ertz, Commander (31%)

Ertz scored a season-high eight targets last week but only managed two grabs for 10 yards. It could have been a monster day for the veteran tight end. Jayden Daniels missed Ertz once in the end zone and tried to get to him on the next play. The second time he was picked up. The most painful miss was undoubtedly this throw:

Ertz is a high-volume tight end in one of the best passing attacks in the league. There are better days ahead for him.

Colby Parkinson, Rams (28%)

Parkinson is coming off a 13-score game in which he caught seven passes for 52 yards. He would easily be the best signing at tight end this week if the Rams didn't have their bye. Even worse is the impending return of Cooper Kupp. Parkinson will be unplayable when Kupp is back in the lineup in Week 7. If your league is more aggressive about adding streamers at the onesie position, keeping Parkinson for a week isn't the worst idea given the sorry state of the tight end position.

Others receiving votes: Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, Jonnu Smith