Fantasy Football Week 6 FAAB Report: Michael Carter, Kendrick Bourne, Mason Taylor, and 9 Other Waiver Wire Targets

Welcome to the Week 6 FAAB Report!

As we’ve seen for the past few weeks, there was some Week 5 injury news that will impact our FAAB report. I’m not sure we have a player that warrants a full FAAB spend this week, but there are some interesting options out there that at least warrant consideration.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at three players at each position that we should all be adding to our fantasy football rosters.

(Note: just so we don’t waste anyone’s time recommending players who are rostered in your league, I’m going to use 30% rostered on ESPN as the cut-off point for this article)

Quarterback

QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

While Trevor Lawrence hasn’t quite lived up to the hype through his first five NFL seasons, he picked up a big win in Kansas City on Monday Night Football and put up 26.24 fantasy points in the process. It’s worth mentioning that he scored 12 of those points on rushing touchdowns and still only threw for 221 yards, but this could be the start of Lawrence finally living up to his potential. With a matchup against the Seahawks on deck, Lawrence has a fantasy-friendly matchup ahead of him.

QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

FAAB recommendation: 7-8 percent of budget

I’m not sure anyone will ever fully trust Sam Darnold after the way he started his NFL career, but I think we need to re-evaluate our priors on the guy. Darnold has put up three straight games with 16 or more fantasy points and has thrown for seven touchdowns (and just one interception) during that span. With a matchup against the Jaguars on tap, Darnold has a good opportunity to continue his QB1 ways this week (and beyond).

QB Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns

FAAB recommendation: 5 percent of budget

Dillon Gabriel didn’t have the best first NFL start ever with 190 passing yards and two touchdowns, but he looked like a solid NFL quarterback against a tough Vikings defense. With upcoming matchups against the Steelers and Dolphins, Gabriel should be able to keep up the type of production he had in Week 5 (16.1 fantasy points). The rookie is a solid add as he should be able to hold onto the Browns starting quarterback job moving forward with Joe Flacco now traded to the Bengals.

Running Back

RB Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

FAAB recommendation: 40-50 percent of budget

The Arizona Cardinals backfield has been an injury minefield this season as Michael Carter is now the third starting running back in five weeks. With Trey Benson out for at least three more weeks and Emari Demarcado in the doghouse, the Cardinals backfield looks like it belongs to Carter for the time being. Carter put up 51 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries on Sunday and added five receptions for 22 yards. Bam Knight and Demarcado will figure into this situation, but Carter is the guy to spend big on – especially if you need a running back.

RB Hassan Haskins/Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers

FAAB recommendation: 20-25 percent of budget

I realize listing two players is a little squishy, but I truly don’t know how to read the tea leaves here now that Omarion Hampton is out for at least the next four weeks. I think it’s going to be a pretty even split, but Haskins is the one I’d prioritize of the two. There’s always a good chance that the Chargers will make a trade (more on that in a second), but Haskins is the Chargers back I’ll be spending 20-25 percent of my FAAB budget on this week.

RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

FAAB recommendation: 10-15 percent of budget

Kendre Miller doesn’t have a ton of standalone fantasy value with Alvin Kamara around, but trade rumors are starting to heat up as the 1-4 Saints’ season starts trickling away. With teams like the Chargers (and maybe the Patriots?) looking at Kamara, Miller could find himself as the Saints starting running back in the near future. This is a little bit of a leap, but Miller would be worth a 75 percent FAAB spend in that scenario. If you can get him at 10-15 percent, he’ll be a steal if that scenario comes to fruition.

Wide Receiver

WR Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers

FAAB recommendation: 15 percent of budget

While we likely just saw the high-water game of Bourne’s season with 10 catches for 142 yards, but he also didn’t find the end zone so there’s still some meat on the bone. It’s worth noting that Bourne has a strong connection with Mac Jones from their Patriots days so things could change once Brock Purdy is healthy – and things could also change once Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall (and maybe Brandon Aiyuk?) get healthy. But for now, Bourne is worth scooping up if he’s available.

WR Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

I’m not quite sure what to make of Tyquan Thornton as the logic here is that he’ll become a background piece once Rashee Rice returns in two weeks. However, he’s become an integral downfield piece of the Chiefs offense and could retain value once the Chiefs are back to full health. With touchdowns in three of his last four games (and a season-high 90 yards this past Sunday in his only non-touchdown game during that span), Thornton is worth a pickup in deeper leagues.

WR Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys

FAAB recommendation: 5 percent of budget

We might be chasing ghosts here as Flournoy’s six-catch, 114-yard performance in Week 5 outpaced his previous 2025 production combined, but we can’t ignore those stats and the nine targets. With CeeDee Lamb still out, Flournoy could have some short-term value in the Cowboys’ high-powered offense.

Tight End

TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets

FAAB recommendation: 20 percent of budget

We’ve been banging the drum for Mason Taylor for a couple of weeks now, and this might be the last chance to jump on the train before it leaves the station. The Jets have had a need for someone not named Garrett Wilson to catch Justin Fields’ passes, and Mason has stepped into that role over the last few weeks. He’s coming off a monster nine-catch, 67-yard performance on 12 targets this past Sunday, and has scored double-digit fantasy points (PPR leagues) in his last two games. Currently Taylor is TE23 on the season, but he has a good chance to finish as a TE1 if he continues this production.

TE Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

FAAB recommendation: 15 percent of budget

I still can’t get over the fact that Darren Waller is fantasy-relevant again, but here we are. With Tyreek Hill out for the season, Waller has a similar opportunity to Taylor to step in behind Jaylen Waddle as the second pass-catching option in his offense. With three touchdowns on nine targets in his past two games, Waller should be added in most fantasy leagues.

TE Theo Johnson, New York Giants

FAAB recommendation: 10 percent of budget

While Johnson doesn’t have quite as much upside as Taylor (and even Waller), he’s also scored three touchdowns in his last two games. The second-year player now has 12 targets in his last two games – which coincides with rookie QB Jaxson Dart taking over. Tight ends are a young quarterback’s best friend, so Johnson has an opportunity to be a weekly fantasy starter moving forward.