Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups and Sleepers Who May Be Available After Box Score Analysis

The good news for fantasy managers is that only two teams—the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings—will be on bye in Week 6. The bad news is that injuries are still keeping some of the top fantasy stars on the sidelines.

The worse news is that waiver claims have been processed in most season-long leagues, which is likely to leave more than a few managers scrambling for late-week help.

After diving into recent box scores and examining who's available in most leagues, we have a few potential targets to highlight.

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

Managers looking to play the matchups and willing to gamble on a deep sleeper QB should consider Bryce Young. While the Carolina Panthers signal-caller hasn't produced gaudy numbers this season, he's coming off of a 198-yard, two-touchdown outing.

The Panthers have also been markedly better at home this season.

Carolina will play host to the Dallas Cowboys this week, which presents a prime opportunity for Young. Dallas has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than any other team, and their potent offense should keep the Panthers in a pass-heavy mode.

Young topped 300 passing yards with three touchdowns while trying to chase the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 and could have similar numbers against Dallas. He's still available in over 80 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

It's worth checking to see if Cardinals running back Michael Carter is still available. He's rostered in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues and 61 percent of ESPN leagues, but he also figures to be remain Arizona's starter while Trey Benson is sidelined.

Kendre Miller is a solid Plan B at running back if Carter can't be had. While Miller is the backup to Alvin Kamara, he's become a pretty substantial piece of the New Orleans Saints' game plan.

Miller actually logged more carries than Kamara in Week 5, finishing with 10 carries, a catch and 41 scrimmage yards.

While Miller remains a boom-or-bust, touchdown-dependent option, he's one of the better sign-and-stash options still available this week. His Week 6 matchup with the New England Patriots is tough, but he'll have a favorable one against the Chicago Bears in Week 7.

Miller is rostered in 32 percent of Yahoo leagues and 24 percent of ESPN leagues.

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Photo by Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini

The Indianapolis Colts' offense has flourished with Daniel Jones behind center. This has led to some solid outings by wide receiver Josh Downs.

Downs has yet to find the end zone this season, but he's had two games with at least six receptions and 50 receiving yards. He had 10 receptions over the past two weeks and was targeted 13 times over that span.

This week, the Colts will host the Cardinals, who have been decidedly average against the pass. While Arizona has only allowed five passing touchdowns on the year, it has also allowed an average of 254 passing yards per game. The Cardinals have also allowed the 17th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Downs is still available in over half of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Somehow, Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram is still only rostered in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues and 53 percent of ESPN leagues. That's after catching his first touchdown of the season in Week 5 and after snagging four passes in each of his last two games.

Engram has also seen 13 targets over his last two outings.

Assuming Denver continues trying to get Engram involved, he should have solid streaming value moving forward. Week 6 doesn't bring an ideal matchup for him—the New York Jets have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends—but better matchups are on the horizon.

In Week 7, for example, Denver will face the New York Giants, who have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing TEs.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.