FFT Express - EARLY Week 6 Waiver Wire TARGETS! Bourne, Carter, Gainwell, Darnold, & Others! (10/06 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today Express

Episode: EARLY Week 6 Waiver Wire TARGETS! Bourne, Carter, Gainwell, Darnold, & Others!
Date: October 6, 2025
Hosts: Adam Aizer & Jamey Eisenberg

Brief Overview

This episode is an early breakdown of the most impactful fantasy football waiver wire targets heading into Week 6 of the NFL season. Adam Aizer and Jamey Eisenberg identify the top players available across all positions, discuss key injuries and bye weeks, analyze usage trends, and strategize how fantasy managers should prioritize their pickups to maximize value for the upcoming week and beyond.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Week 6 Context

• Bye Weeks: Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings are on a bye.
• Schedule Note: Two Monday night games coming up, adding complexity for waiver planning.

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Top Waiver Wire Targets by Position

Running Backs

• Kenneth Gainwell (Steelers)

  • Jamey: “The best player to go get still would be Kenneth Gainwell just because of the uncertainty of Jaylen Warren…” (01:53)
  • If Warren sits, Gainwell is a top priority, even with a tougher matchup.

• Michael Carter (Jets)

  • 66% rostered; right at cut-off for waiver discussion.
  • Jamey: “Carter is I think you got to consider a must add… Got the work that we wanted to see. …Low-end starter.” (03:16)
  • Volume is there; production not eye-popping but opportunity is king.

• Chargers Backfield (Kamani Vidal & Hassan Haskins)

  • Vidal got slightly more snaps after Hampton’s injury, but touches were close.
  • Jamey: “It just could be one of those situations. Until we get to the middle of the week, you may not know who the better of the two is.” (04:07)
  • If you must speculate, Vidal edges Haskins, but monitor reports.

• DeAndre Carter (Cardinals) & Kendre Miller (Saints)

  • Kendre Miller gets more work in New Orleans and represents a safer pickup if you don’t need an immediate starter.

• Deep Leagues: Rico Dowdle (if available, 83% rostered in shallower leagues).

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Quarterbacks

• Sam Darnold

  • Jamey: “He’s coming off this amazing game against Tampa Bay... 35+ fantasy points. So against the Jaguars, I think he's worth using as a low-end starter." (05:37)
  • Volume was the key—jumped from 25 to 34 pass attempts.

• Tua Tagovailoa

  • Has been hot, especially with Tyreek Hill's absence, five TDs in last two games.

• Mac Jones

  • Now starts for the 49ers; notable for deeper leagues or in a pinch.

• Bryce Young

  • Favorable upcoming schedule (Cowboys, Jets) despite lackluster play.

• Superflex/2QB:

  • “Please make sure in super flex and two quarterback leagues that Dylan Gabriel's not on the waiver wire. 20 points in the matchup against Minnesota and Pittsburgh.” (07:16)

• Deep Speculation:

  • Brett Rypien may get a start for Cincinnati if the team makes a change.

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Wide Receivers

• Kendrick Bourne

  • Jamey: “Kendrick Bourne would be number one for me…he’s the number one receiver to add this week.” (08:43)
  • Outperformed DeMarcus Robinson; high route participation and production.

• Trey Tucker

  • Leading receiver for Raiders after Bowers’ absence; 17 targets in two games.

• Rashid Shaheed

  • Big game recently vs. Giants; next faces Patriots (tough matchup but high-upside).

• Jalen Coker

  • “Hopefully he returns this week. So somebody to keep an eye on there.” (09:34)

• Deep Fliers:

  • Ryan Flournoy: Increased involvement, especially with Pickens drawing coverage.
  • Isaiah Bond: 13 targets in last two games after change at QB.
  • Darnell Mooney: Upside WR, check health after bye.
  • Josh Downs: Two games with 6+ catches, potential PPR sleeper.
  • Tori Horton & Christian Kirk: Horton showing red zone upside; Kirk remains involved but with lower target share lately.

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Tight Ends

• Mason Taylor

  • Jamey: “Mason Taylor who's been fantastic in two games in a row, but a lot of targets in the last three games.” (10:53)
  • Favorable matchup schedule coming up: “Four of Mason Taylor’s next six opponents are bottom 10 against tight ends…” (12:16 - Adam)

• A.J. Barner & Theo Johnson

  • Barner: “Two touchdowns, seven targets.” (11:00)
  • Johnson: Could get more targets if Darius Slayton sits.

• Harold Fannin

  • Just got his first touchdown; could benefit from Dylan Gabriel at QB.

• Evan Engram

  • Scored a touchdown last week, could be heating up.

• Other Short-term or Deep Adds:

  • Jake Tongas: Kittle expected back next week, but usable in Week 6.
  • Michael Mayer: If Bowers misses more time, Mayer could have an increased role.
  • Colson Loveland: Long-term speculative add for the Bears, injury status unclear.

• Chicago TE Situation

  • Adam: “When they said they wanted to get the tight end more involved...I do think they want to throw to the tight end more in Chicago.” (12:06)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gainwell vs. Carter:

  • Jamey: “If Gainwell is the starter for the Steelers even in a matchup against the Browns, he would be my favorite of the replacement options…” (03:23)

• On Bourne:

  • Jamey: “He’s the number one receiver to add this week.” (08:43)

• On Mason Taylor’s schedule:

  • Adam: “Four of Mason Taylor’s next six opponents are bottom 10 against tight ends, and three of them are bottom six.” (12:16)

• On Darnold's value:

  • Jamey: “He had been averaging 25 passes per game...He threw 34 times in week five...and had 35 plus fantasy points.” (05:38)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:42] Week 6 Context, Bye Weeks & Schedule Complexity
• [01:10] Top Waiver Wire Headliners (RBs: Gainwell, Carter, Chargers Backfield)
• [05:34] Quarterback Waiver Targets Breakdown
• [08:36] Wide Receiver Waiver Targets
• [10:51] Tight End Waiver Targets & Schedule Analysis

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Conclusion

This rapid-fire FFT Express episode delivers actionable advice on early waiver wire pickups for Week 6, with the consensus that Kenneth Gainwell and Kendrick Bourne are top targets depending on league needs. The hosts also emphasize tight end streaming and late-week injury monitoring for deeper stashes, providing both shallow and deep league recommendations for fantasy managers looking to shore up their rosters for the playoff push.

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For a deep-dive on all waiver pickups and to keep pace with up-to-the-minute NFL changes, catch tomorrow’s full-length episode.

Transcript

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[Adam]

Early look at the waiver wire right now on Fantasy Football Today Express and what's up, everybody? Adam and Jamie here talking shop with two teams on a buy. We've got Houston and Minnesota not playing in week six. We also have two Monday night games. That's just, it's a lot. That's three times already. Buffalo at Atlanta, Chicago at Washington. All right, Jamie, who's the headliner for the early Waiver Wireless?

[Jamie]

So I'm still going through right now. So the headliner, I guess, would probably still be, I'm gonna say Kenneth Gainwell if you can't get Michael Carter. Carter's just above the threshold of what we typically talk about. He's 67 rostered, so we'll put him on the cusp. We'll discuss him more. So then I will write about him if you want to, you know, sort of catch it that way. But Sam Darnold, obviously, coming off the game that he had, is the number one quarterback to go get. Gainwell is the number one running back to go get. Excuse me. Yes, Gainbell's number one running back to go get. I have Kendrick Bourne as the number one receiver to go get. With the injury still in San Francisco and the way that he performed, especially taking on Tampa Bay and what that secondary just looked like and then a tight end. There's actually a few guys that kind of, I, I think are very interesting. I have Mason Taylor as the top guy, but AJ Barner and Theo Johnson are the next two right behind him. Barner and Johnson coming off very productive games. And especially in the case of Theo Johnson, if Darius Slayton's not there probably going to be heavily involved but not the easiest of matchups against Philadelphia. So interesting players at tight end but I think the the best player to go get still would be Kenneth Gainmo just because of the uncertainty of Jaylen Warren although there was a report that he is expected to play.

[Adam]

Okay obviously I'm going to ask you about the Chargers running back situation so we'll tackle that and I'm probably going to forget but Brenton Strange who's playing tonight, you might still be able to get him. He gets the Seahawks next week. You talked about AJ Barner just jogged my memory. The Seahawks really bad against tight ends. Kate Oden was decent believe strange is.

[Jamie]

At 67% also 63.

[Adam]

63 okay so he just makes the cut there. But yeah somebody to think about anyway. Yeah so when you talk about running backs let's let's throw Michael Carter in the mix. 66 Roster Michael Carter so got the work that we wanted to see. Didn't do so great with it. Fantasy wise he was good but yards per carry. Yuck. Hopefully he keeps it. Then you've got Gainwell but you've also got the Chargers facing the Dolphins. Don't know I from what I've seen from the Twitter doctors, I don't think people expected to be that serious of an injury for Hampton will knock on wood but obviously he could miss this week. So how do we look at those three situations?

[Jamie]

Carter is I think you got to consider a must add, you know especially with what D. Mercado did. So the questions going into the game clearly Carter was the guy and then Dimmercato has the unfortunate play and it would be hard to expect him to get rewarded for that with more work. So I think Carter got to consider a low end starter. If Gainwell is the starter for the Steelers even in a matchup against the Browns, he would be my favorite of the replacement options just because of what we saw in his last game against Minnesota, especially his work in the passing game. So I would take Gainwell over Carter if there's an option. I did also include in the shallow leagues Carter clearly Rico Dowdles 83 rostered. So if he's still available then get picked up in your league. He's number one by far taking on the Cowboys this week. So after those guys. So I actually put Kendra Miller ahead of the Chargers guys just because getting more work in New Orleans and probably a little bit more of a a safer play if you, if you you know don't necessarily need somebody for this week Just because I think it's uncertain what's going to happen with the Chargers. Kamani Vidal played more than Hassan Haskins. I don't want to trust either of those guys behind a bad offensive line. Only reason would be, the only reason would be is because who they're playing, it's the Dolphins, you know, so this is just one of those situations where you hope that one of the guys takes a little bit of a lead in terms of playing time. Once Hampton was out, Vidal played a little bit more, but the touches were almost identical. So it just could be one of those situations. Until we get to the middle of the week, you may not know who the better of the two is.

[Adam]

I'm sorry I brought it up on beyond the box score. I want to get your thoughts on it. I haven't seen an angle that tells me that the Marco that DeMarcato did not score. I still think that he crossed the plane with that ball before he left.

[Jamie]

The angle that I saw, which I think is the one that they were going by, is the ball is leaving his hand.

[Adam]

I think so.

[Jamie]

As he's crossing the plane. As the ball is crossing the plane, I think it's like coming out of his hand, like doesn't have control of it.

[Adam]

All right, look, they, they must have got. I, I hope they got it right to overturn it must have felt pretty conclusive.

[Jamie]

There was, there was a lot of things that could happen in that game. Yeah. You know that the, the Cardinals did everything possible to lose. Yeah.

[Adam]

I mean that was borderline. Not even the craziest play of the game with that interception. That ended up being a touchdown for the. Yeah. Okay, let's get your quarterbacks here. Yeah, we'll do quarterbacks and we'll take a break. Give me your quarterbacks for this week.

[Jamie]

I mean, you got to consider Darnold number one. He's coming off this amazing game against Tampa Bay, gets Jacksonville in a short week. And we said this going into the week, there's something you pointed out, you know, so kudos to you that if he throws more, there might be a lot of ability here fantasy wise. And so he's been, he had been averaging 25 passes per game prior to week five. He threw 34 times in week five against Tampa Bay and had 35 plus fantasy points. So against the Jaguars, I think he's worth using as a low end starter. Now we are getting reinforcements at the position with the, the bye week guys coming back. Like you mentioned, the two quarterbacks on a buy this week CJ Stroud and Carson Wentz JJ McCarthy aren't must start options so you don't necessarily have to replace somebody of significance. But I think if Darnold's out there for me he's just outside the top 12. But clearly in the conversation he's been basically a borderline starter for the three games prior to that. 18 to 20 plus points. 18 to 20 points per game in those three previous outings. So hopefully he continues to throw the ball a little bit more against Jacksonville. After him it's Tuatanga by Loa. You know ironically enough his best game of the season comes in the first game without Tyree Kill is against the Panthers. A little bit of a tougher matchup obviously against the Chargers but that defense struggling a little bit as well. I think the way to was playing five touchdowns in his last two games. Back to back 20 plus point outings. You know he's right behind Darnold as a low end starter. Then you have Mac Jones would be the third guy for me just with the opportunity to start for for San Francisco. If you want to consider him better than Darnold or, or Tua. I get it because two of these starts he's been over 20 fantasy points and now gets to play Tampa Bay and then Bryce Young kind of rounds out the one quarterback league guys did not play well against Miami. First of the three game stretch of fantastic performances gets the doll had the Dolphins, then gets the Cowboys, then gets the jets. So only 16 points against the Dolphins. But Dallas number one and most fantasy points allowed to the position. The jets are top five. So great two week stretch hopefully for him. And then please make sure in super flex and two quarterback leagues that Dylan Gabriel's not on the waiver wire. 20 point per game, 20 points in the matchup against Minnesota and Pittsburgh this week which I think is tougher than the numbers indicate. And then Miami the week after that.

[Adam]

Yeah, and it could, you know might want to take a look at Brett Rippon who is the backup in Cincinnati. They might make a change as well. Not going to score a lot of points but if you need a quarterback. All right. Wide receivers.

[Jamie]

So Kendrick Bourne would be. Do you want to take a break first or no?

[Adam]

Yes. So we'd already done that but you're right, we didn't. Let's take a break. We'll be right back on FFT Express.

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[Adam]

We were on a break. Jamie Wide receivers I'll just tell you.

[Jamie]

How to produce the show. Kendrick Bourne would be number one for me. Coming off his, you know, fantastic game last week. I had the wrong 49ers guy. I thought born with the drop the week before and the revenge game narrative for DeMarcus Robinson would have helped him a little bit more. He actually ran more routes than Kendrick Bourne before and more involved. So he's the number one receiver to add this week. Then you have a mix of guys. This is this. It feels like we've kind of been living in this. Don't spend a lot of fab on these receivers. They might have some good production, they might not. Trey Tucker led the Raiders in receiving in the first game without Brock Bowers officially not playing. And we know what he was 17 targets in two games when Bowers first got hurt. So he's number two, especially with his matchup against Titans. Rashid Shahid's number three. You know, hopefully builds off that game. But just had against the Giants in a matchup this week at home against the Patriots. Not easy. I have Jalen Coker 4. Hopefully he returns this week. So somebody keep an eye on there. And then it's just a bunch of guys that either played well or have the chance to play well this week. Ryan Flournoy, we'll see what this, you know, game that he just had means for him where he was second on the team in targets. And clearly they're still trying to figure out the the guys opposite George Pickens, but Sauce Gardner doing a good job on Pickets for the most part. Aside from the touchdowns, Florida benefited instead of Jalen Tolbert. Isaiah Bond first game with Dylan Gabriel. He's now got 13 targets in his last two games. Seven targets in the first game without Cedric Tillman. Didn't do very much with them. But somebody keep an eye on there. Darnell Mooney coming off the bye week. We'll see if he's healthy. Clearly still a lot of upside for him. Josh Downs had six catches. Second time the season he's had six catches. So not necessarily somebody you want to fully buy into. But maybe this is the jumping off point for him. Tori Horton, three touchdowns on the season for Ricky Wide receiver. Hopefully he continues to get better. And then Christian Kirk to kind of round out the group did lead the team in receiving yards. Obviously a lot of other guys did something in that game against Baltimore, but I still think Kirk has a lot to offer. Despite just getting four targets.

[Adam]

I'm trying to think of the most famous slap fight in, you know, tv. I, I googled movies Slap fight gift and Jerry and George are slapping each other. That is what Sauce Gardner and George Pickens were doing. Mostly Gardner on that touchdown, he just kept slapping him and he got beat. Tight ends. Jamie, who are the top tight ends to get?

[Jamie]

So again it's a, it's a good group. You have Mason Taylor who's been fantastic in two games in a row, but a lot of targets in the last three games. A.J. barner, two touchdowns, seven targets. Theo Johnson, seven targets. You know, these guys have been making plays for their teams and again Johnson now potentially seeing a bigger role. But I would take Barner first just based on what he's been doing and like you said, you know, could be involved in his matchup against the Jaguars. Obviously the, the reverse is a little bit better. Harold Fannin scored his first touchdown. You know, maybe he's going to benefit with, with Dylan Gabriel moving forward. Evan Ingram scored a touchdown. Jake Tongas, if you need a one week replacement because Kittle is expected to return next week, this is a sneaky one. Michael Mayer did not play because of the concussion, could return sooner than Brock Bowers and may have a prominent role. So if you want to just kind of save your fab and see what happens and maybe you don't even need a tight end. We don't know how long Bowers gonna be out but mayor may be somebody to take a look at. And then Colson Loveland, we don't know if he's going to play in Week 6 but could have some sustainability down the stretch if he's, you know, a factor for the Bears.

[Adam]

Yeah, he, and he was targeted on 4 of 6 routes or 3 of 5 routes or something like that. When they said they wanted to get the tight end more involved and then after, then he got hurt immediately and then Cole commit comes out the next game and commit gets nine targets. So I think they want to, I do think they want to throw to the tight end more in Chicago. I wanted to bring up with Mason Taylor. I have not had time to go through all these matchups and see if they actually are good because sometimes when you, when you look at a team and how they've done against tight ends. A lot of it is who have they faced? Oh, they faced Trey McBride and George Kittle. Of course, they're bad against tight ends. Whatever. So they have Denver, who's eighth against tight ends. Then they have Carolina. This is the jets Mason Taylor, Carolina's 31st, Cincinnati's 32nd, Cleveland's 13th, New England's 28th, Baltimore's 23rd. Four of Mason Taylor's next six opponents are bottom 10 against tight ends, and three of them are bottom six. Six against tight end, bottom five against tight ends. So on paper, he has a very good schedule coming up. Not necessarily this week, but upcoming. But that changes a lot, especially at tight end. Thank you, Jamie. We'll talk to you all tomorrow with a long look at the waiver wire. On fancy football today.

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