It may be partially the product of having four teams on a bye, or all the injuries at the wide receiver position, but one thing you'll notice when looking at this week's Fantasy Football wide receiver rankings is that good things come in twos. In our consensus rankings, there are two Cowboys in the top 12, but we always expected CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens to be that good. It's also not surprising to see Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in the top 16, especially when you consider they are playing the Cardinals. But what about two Packers, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, in the top 14? Or two Panthers, Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, in the top 18? Or two Saints, Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele, in the top 24? That's right, 10 of our top 24 receivers this week come from five teams. That's shocking. What's more shocking is that the Steelers almost made it six.
Even after his disappointing Week 5, DK Metcalf comes in at WR21 in our consensus rankings and he is ranked top 25 in all three experts' rankings. You might think that's because Michael Pittman and Roman Wilson are out, but if you scroll down just a bit further, you see the top waiver wire receiver, Germie Bernard, ranked at WR27. What in the world?
Bernard did catch six of nine targets for 80 yards in Week 5, so this isn't coming out of nowhere. But how can we be so confident in two receivers for Aaron Rodgers? Credit Mike McCarthy. Rodgers is averaging 36.8 passes per game and eight air yards per attempt. His 65.5% true dropback rate is his highest in the last five years and more of those targets are going to receivers than they did last year. Rodgers isn't his old self, not by any stretch, but the combination of volume and downfield targets has made his receivers more viable than they've been in a while. Which is why we think you can not only add Bernard this week, but start him as a high-end WR3.
Here is the rest of the Week 6 WR preview:
Week 6 WR Preview
Numbers to Know
- 24.2% -- Kendrick Bourne had a 24.2% target per route run rate in his first game without Marvin Harrison Jr. He's a viable flex this week.
- 207 -- Devaughn Vele leads all receivers with 207 routes run this season. Start him again after last week's dud.
- 614 -- Matthew Golden has 614 targeted air yards this season, which ranks third in the NFL. He should feast on the Cowboys.
- 16.57 -- Romeo Doubs has a 16.57 aDOT, which explains his up-and-down play. View him as a boom-or-bust flex.
- 12.26 -- Marvin Harrison had an average route depth of 12.26 yards in Arizona. We are hoping that comes down in Houston.
- 20 -- Malik Nabers saw 20 targets in Week 5. I'd say we can dismiss those health concerns now.
- 60% -- Tyquan Thornton has played 60% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps. Somebody should get a big increase in playing time in that offense.
- 3 -- Rome Odunze has one game this season with more than three catches. He needs to prove it before we start him again.
Waiver Wire Targets
 
PIT
Pittsburgh
• #17
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
Bernard's 19.2% TPRR is very solid for a rookie in his first five games. Without Roman Wilson in the field, that number is 23.1%. Considering the Steelers injuries he should have close to a 100% route rate this week and the DK Metcalf is top five in the NFL in routes run. In other words, the Steelers drop back to pass a lot, and Bernard should be targeted on at least a fifth of those drop-backs. Unlike a lot of this week's waiver wire adds, he may also be a rest-of-season solution. We don't know when Michael Pittman is coming back and Wilson could miss enough time for Bernard to fully earn Rodgers' trust. Feel free to bid 20% of more of your FAB for Bernard.
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PHI
Philadelphia
• #13
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.
It has been a bad couple of weeks for Wicks and Devonta Smith may be close to returning. But I think everyone is a little too down on him. He has a 19% target share for the season, and he has scored double-digit fantasy points in three of five games. With all these injuries, that is a guy who should at least be rostered and should probably be flexed. Over the next four weeks, the Eagles face the Panthers, Cowboys, Commanders, and Cowboys. I expect a big turnaround for the Eagles offense and Wicks against that competition.
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ARI
Arizona
• #17
Age: 31 • Experience: 10 yrs.
Bourne is in that Kalif Raymond range of receivers that I am not actually excited to start, but they are probably good flexes if your receiver room has been decimated. Expect around six targets per week and around 10 Fantasy points per week. Like I said, not exciting, but potentially useful. The Cardinals excel in garbage time and they should have plenty of it against the Rams this week.
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Jordyn Tyson
WR
NO
New Orleans
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
Tyson has returned to practice, though we don't expect him to play in Week 6. Because of roster crunches, that may mean he's dropped in more leagues than he's added. If I see him anywhere on the waiver wire, I am adding him. He was a first-round pick for a reason and I expect that at some point this season, he will be seeing most of the targets Devaughn Vele is currently getting.
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DFS Plays
PIT
Pittsburgh
• #17
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie
Bernard's great Week 5 isn't fully reflected in his price, nor is his new status as a full-time player. He will be chalky, but allows you to stack your roster with studs like Bijan Robinson and Puka Nacua. He's a second-round talent who was ignored early in the year because of the Steelers' depth at receiver, but that depth has disappeared. He will be a lot more expensive to play in the future.
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Jalen Coker
WR
CAR
Carolina
• #18
Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Coker should be contrarian because he's facing the Eagles and because he could carry a questionable tag through the week. But we expect him to play this week and he had 18 targets in his first two games. When he's been healthy he's been better than Tetairoa McMillan more often than not. We like both this week, but McMillan is the only one priced like a must-start receiver. He looks like the rare combination of underpriced and under rostered.
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Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 6 Fantasy football projections for every position is now available here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 6. Projected stats for all starting wide receivers are updated throughout the week, so make sure you check back in later in the week for changes.
