Week 6 Waiver Wire: Top Pickups and Drops

The results are in on another wild week of football in the NFL, one that probably again had fantasy football owners scratching their heads in disbelief at some of the point totals posted.

At quarterback, guys like Blake Bortles and Josh McCown joined usual suspects Andy Dalton and Tom Brady atop the fantasy football leaderboards. 

Bortles' performance also means that two Jacksonville receivers, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, put in top-five wide receiver numbers, per ESPN.com. Heady stuff coming from a team that has won just 15 games in this decade.

It's enough to make you tear out your hair, or spend hours scouring the waiver wires for the right players to give you the extra edge needed in Week 6.

Here are the top pickups and drops after Week 5. Ownership percentages are based on Yahoo Sports and ESPN leagues.

These lists exclude players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues to account for the larger 12- and 14- team leagues, with some exceptions made for players hovering just above that mark who have had especially noteworthy declines or gains.

Top ESPN Pickups
Top Yahoo Pickups
Player	% Owned	% Change last 7 days
Leonard Hankerson, WR, ATL	59.9	+46.3
Boobie Dixon, RB, Buffalo	42.0	+40.9
Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville	48.5	+37.1
Kamar Aiken, WR, Baltimore	32.9	+32.2
Tavon Austin, WR, STL	42.5	+31.6
Jaguars D/ST	30.7	+30
Willie Snead, WR, NO	29.0	27.8
Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE	37.5	+26.6
Cairo Santos, K, KC	25.0	+22.1
Richard Rodgers, TE, GB	43.5	+21.3
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Adds
Charcandrick West, RB, KC	12	22,836
Brandon LaFell, WR, NE	29	19,816
New York Jets D/ST	53	17,132
Knile Davis, RB, KC	15	16,374
Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE	52	14,929
Willie Snead, WR, NO	44	12,944
Josh McCown, CLE, QB	7	11,264
Shane Vereen, RB, NYG	44	9,848
Theo Riddick, DET, RB	6	8,938
Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	48	7,286

Top ESPN Drops
Top Yahoo Drops
Player	% Owned	% Change last 7 days
Dolphins D/ST	30.8	-33
Eric Ebron	31.3	-26.6
Colts D/ST	29.5	-24.2
Matt Jones, RB, WSH	49.6	-18.1
Tre Mason, RB, STL	35.6	-17.3
Stevie Johnson, WR, SD	41.6	-15.6
Derek Carr, QB, OAK	41.8	-15.6
Heath Miller, TE, PIT	51.3	-14.7
Rishard Matthews, WR, MIA	47.0	-14.6
Kyle Rudolph, TE, MIN	27.3	-13.7
Player	% Owned	No. of Monday Drops
Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN	66	10,274
Boobie Dixon, RB, Buffalo	22	9,201
Percy Harvin, WR, Buffalo	60	6,263
Alex Smith, QB, KC	40	5,814
Leonard Hankerson, WR, ATL	55	4,980
Jacksonville D/ST	15	5,510
Stevie Johnson, WR, SD	56	5,547
Derek Carr, QB, OAK	45	4,491
Atlanta D/ST	38	4,937
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, TEN	24	4,261

Top Pickups

Knile Davis and Charcandrick West, RBs, Kansas City

Many fantasy owners were left scrambling—and Kansas City fans, players, coaches, etc., left reeling—with the news that elite running back Jamaal Charles would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, per ESPN.com's news services.

So who to chose? West picked up seven carries for 31 yards on Sunday, but Davis proved in a three-game stretch in early 2014 that he can produce as a featured back. According to Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, West has coach Andy Reid's support:

If he does get a crack, it's against a middle-of-the-pack defense. According to Yahoo Sports, Minnesota has allowed the 13th-most points to fantasy running backs. 

Even so, it appears highly unlikely he'll siphon up all the available touches. 

"I'm not saying who is or is not the feature guy, but we need both of them," Reid said, via Kathleen Gier of the Kansas City Star. "Both their games are different. We'll just see how that goes. You saw both of them played today, so we'll got back to the drawing board on that and get it right."

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

There's also the question of who might benefit more in the passing game. Neither player has established themselves as a receiver in the pros. Davis caught just seven passes (six in one game) in his big three-game stretch last year, and he has just one reception this year. West has one catch each in his last two games. 

If you look at the preseason, West did do a little better, catching six passes to Davis' four and putting together a 43-yard receiving game in preseason Week 1. He also has a slighter and quicker build than Davis, so he might be more effective in the passing game.

It's an incredibly murky situation, especially when you consider the Chiefs could add other backs. Per ESPN.com's report, the Chiefs will work out running back Pierre Thomas and could also bring in Ben Tate. The 30-year-old Thomas spent eight seasons with New Orleans from 2007-14 and boasts a career average of 4.6 yards per carry. He's also proven to be an effective receiver at times, catching 50 passes in 2011 and 77 in 2013.

Whether or not he joins the team remains to be seen, but if the Chiefs do end up adding him, it could create another waiver-wire scramble in the future.

For now, the safer bet appears to be West, who saw most of the work after Charles went down on Sunday. If you do pick him up to fill the gaping hole Charles left, he's a low-end RB2, with little added value in PPR leagues.

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

If you didn't buy into the Willie Snead hype in Week 4, here's to hoping nobody else in your fantasy football league did either. After catching six passes for 89 yards on six targets in New Orlean's overtime win against Dallas on October 4, Snead outdid himself on Sunday.

He torched Philadelphia for six more catches for 141 yards. Better yet, quarterback Drew Brees targeted him 11 times, most of any player (Brandin Cooks was second with nine).

Number Fire's J.J. Zachariason passed along his snap percentages, which have increased with each passing week: 

Snead has taken the recent success in stride, per NewOrleansSaints.com's John DeShazier:

"

I’m just really humbled and blessed to be where I am right now. Coach (Sean) Payton has definitely given me an opportunity, ever since I stepped in the door, to prove myself. That’s basically what I’m doing, I’m just taking advantage of every opportunity that’s given to me and trying to help this team win games and better myself.

"

The Saints are on a short week, so no time to think things over if you're considering Snead in a smaller league (he's a must-add elsewhere). New Orleans plays Atlanta at home on Thursday, which means dome conditions and a good chance the Saints will be looking to keep pace with Atlanta's explosive offense. Snead is a surefire WR2 candidate in Week 6.

Josh McCown, QB, Cleveland Browns

Rob Carr/Getty Images

You don't have to start Josh McCown, but it's more than okay to think of adding him as your quarterback insurance policy. McCown threw for a ridiculous 457 yards and two touchdowns in the Browns' wild 33-30 overtime win over Baltimore in Week 5. 

That was quite the follow-up to a two-touchdown 356-yard performance in San Diego, which in turn topped the 341 yards he amassed against the Oakland Raiders. The 36-year-old McCown looks like the 2013 Chicago Bears version, not the 2014 Tampa Bay flameout.

He's developed an incredible rapport with tight end Gary Barnidge, another fantasy must-have. Even though he hasn't scored in two weeks, wide receiver Travis Benjamin remains a consistently strong target for McCown, picking up six receptions in each of the past two games.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Some might be tempted to play McCown while he's hot. Maybe wait a couple of weeks and stash him instead.

Cleveland takes on Denver in Week 6, perhaps the league's best defense. Denver is allowing just 8.87 points to opposing QBs, per Yahoo Sports. The Browns then follow that up with St. Louis in Week 7, who are allowing the fourth-fewest points to signal-callers and will be coming off a bye week. McCown also sprained his ankle against Baltimore, but he is hopeful to play against Denver, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Browns look like an average team again this year, so it stands to reason this team will be trailing in at least a few of its remaining games. McCown has weapons around him in the passing game and a solid enough running back in Isaiah Crowell (4.0 yards per carry) that defenses can't just key in on the pass.

If you're in a two-QB league, McCown is worth a start maybe in Week 7, and certainly after that. In other leagues, he might be the best fill-in starter you can find.