Waiver Wire Week 6: Top Pickups and Drops

If you have not gone all-in on MinshewMania yet, now is the time to do it. 

Gardner Minshew II has produced enough consistency in the pocket that he can be trusted as a fantasy football addition. 

The Jacksonville backup is far from the No. 1 quarterback option, but he could be valuable to some owners over the next few weeks with higher-profile players on byes. 

Baker Mayfield sits on the opposite end of the fantasy spectrum at the moment after dealing with some poor performances. 

The Cleveland quarterback is one of a few players deserving of drops due to a lack of consistency in his offense. 

Pickups

Gardner Minshew II, QB, Jacksonville

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We have seen enough out of Jacksonville's rookie quarterback to justify adding him. 

Minshew eclipsed 200 yards in each of his five games and has nine touchdowns compared to one interception.

The sixth-round pick has developed a connection with D.J. Chark, who is a name to watch at wide receiver, with the pair combining for 164 yards in Week 5. 

Minshew's upcoming matchups could produce higher numbers since Cincinnati and the New York Jets await in Weeks 7 and 8. 

As of Monday night, the 23-year-old was owned in 23 percent of Yahoo competitions, per Fantasy Pros, but he is the most-added signal-caller over Jimmy Garoppolo and Teddy Bridgewater. 

Week 6's meeting with New Orleans may scare away some owners, but the Saints have been gashed for 300 or more total yards on three occasions. 

In New Orleans' two road contests, they allowed 671 passing yards to Russell Wilson and Jared Goff. If that trend continues, you could reap rewards for picking up Minshew. 

Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas

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If Michael Gallup is still available, we suggest adding him immediately. 

The Dallas wideout has been targeted 29 times in three games and has a pair of 100-yard performances. 

On Sunday, Gallup scored his first touchdown of 2019 while making seven receptions for 113 yards. 

Dallas' passing numbers were inflated in Week 5 because it was chasing Green Bay, but it could remain high in Week 6 against the New York Jets. 

The Jets have let up 1,041 passing yards in four games, with more than half of them conceded at MetLife Stadium.

Looking ahead, Gallup has a favorable Week 7 matchup with a Philadelphia secondary that is working out personnel issues. 

The 23-year-old is owned in 67 percent of Yahoo leagues, so if you do not swoop him up this week, it may be too late next week if he turns in another strong showing. 

Duke Williams, WR, Buffalo 

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Buffalo's trade of Zay Jones to Oakland should open up more opportunities for Duke Williams. 

In his first Bills appearance, the 26-year-old caught four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. Those are significant numbers for a player called up from the practice squad. 

Since Josh Allen has attempted 30 passes in four of five games, Williams should have plenty of chances to haul in passes over the next few weeks. 

Buffalo starts a three-game home stand in Week 7 in which it faces Miami, Philadelphia and the New York Jets. Those three teams have combined to give up 26 passing touchdowns. 

Picking up Williams comes with a risk because he has played in only one game, but it may be worth taking a flier on him now before other teams in your league find out about him. 

Drops 

Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland

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It is time for owners to dump Baker Mayfield to the waiver wire. 

The second-year quarterback struggled with San Francisco's defense Monday and faces Seattle and New England in his next two games. 

The Browns signal-caller could make progress in future weeks, but he has been too inconsistent to be placed in most lineups. 

Mayfield has a pair of 300-yard performances, but he has not thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game and is turnover prone. 

The 49ers picked off two passes and limited the 24-year-old to 100 yards on eight completions in the 31-3 blowout. 

If Mayfield is not handing you points via touchdowns, you can't afford to have the No. 1 overall pick from 2018 giving the ball back to opponents. 

Darrel Williams, RB, Kansas City 

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Darrel Williams appears to be the odd man out in the Kansas City backfield. 

In Week 5, the 24-year-old was held without a touch in the loss to Indianapolis. His lack of touches make Week 4's two-touchdown performance more of an outlier than a trend you can rely on.

LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams have more rushing attempts and targets, while Patrick Mahomes possesses six more rushing yards than Williams. 

Cutting the Kansas City running back allows you to explore better options, such as Tevin Coleman and Chase Edmonds.

Sure, Williams may have a few solid games, but unless McCoy or Damien Williams go down with an injury, we do not see him being a reliable fantasy option. 

O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay 

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O.J. Howard has been one of the most frustrating fantasy players. 

The Tampa Bay tight end was expected to take a step forward in Bruce Arians' offense, but the production has not been there to trust him in your lineup. 

In the last two weeks, the Alabama product has four receptions for 43 yards and he is still without a touchdown. 

The low yardage totals could be tolerated if the 24-year-old was finding the end zone, but that has been far from the case. 

Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were always going to be Jameis Winston's top two targets, but instead of Howard developing into a third option, the ball has been spread around three running backs. 

Dare Ogunbowale, Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones combined for 24 receptions and 225 receiving yards. 

Howard's low numbers are not a one-week fluke, and we can't recommend rostering him much longer with better options on the waiver wire. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.