Week 6 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Adds: Kendrick Bourne, Isaiah Bond and More

Welcome to this week's wide receiver waiver wire breakdown. 

Week 5 brought with it the first wave of byes, so we have fewer games than usual to pick through to find receivers to help your roster. However, there are still some interesting names to break down. Without further ado, let's get right into it. 

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Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (66.9% Rostered)

I know, I know: Johnston is already rostered in your league. But the third-year receiver should be rostered in 100% of leagues, so I'm going to keep mentioning him until this number breaks at least 75%. 

This week was actually Johnston's worst of the season, as he only saw four targets, catching all four for 40 scoreless yards. He also added nine yards on a single carry, but a lost fumble brings his fantasy total for the week down to 4.9 half-PPR points. Even after that down week, he's still the overall WR8 — he should be added in all formats. 

Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants (52% Rostered)

Arguably, Robinson should already have been rostered in far more than roughly half of leagues. However, his usage this week seals the deal.

According to Fantasy Points Data, Robinson posted an elite 89% route participation rate this week with Malik Nabers sidelined. Unsurprisingly, given his long history of earning targets, he tied for the team lead with seven targets (17.5% share), although he only caught five for 30 yards.

Things aren't all perfect for Robinson; he has seen ADOTs of 2.9 yards and -1.0 yards (lol) in Jaxson Dart's two starts. This is in line with Robinson's career trend of being an underneath target merchant, but he had seen more down-the-field usage to start this season with Russell Wilson under center. If Dart continues to only target Robinson on short throws, his ceiling will be capped. But his ability to rack up targets still makes him a worthwhile add in any PPR format.

Isaiah Bond, Cleveland Browns (11.9% Rostered)

The Browns placed Cedric Tillman on IR heading into Week 5. In his place, UDFA rookie Bond served as the team's WR2 alongside Jerry Jeudy. Bond posted a respectable 72% route participation rate and saw five targets (15.2% target share). Of course, he only caught two of those targets for 29 yards, so this wasn't exactly a breakout fantasy game.

Going forward, Bond's value will likely depend on how Dillon Gabriel plays. The third-round rookie was decent in his NFL debut, looking much better than Joe Flacco did in this offense.

However, he was also more conservative than the veteran gunslinger, with a 6.5-yard ADOT and nearly half of his targets going to the team's two TEs. If Gabriel can open up a bit and keep this offense competent, Bond could have flex value. Otherwise, he's only a deep-league option. 

Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers (3.9% Rostered)

The case for Bourne makes itself: he exploded for 10 catches and 142 yards on Thursday night football, connecting with former Patriots teammate Mac Jones on seemingly every play. He's (pending MNF) a top-10 WR on the week without even reaching the end zone. 

However, the case against Bourne also makes itself: His production is temporary, due to evaporate as soon as this Sunday when Jauan Jennings and/or Ricky Pearsall return. Kyle Shanahan can turn anyone into a fantasy stud for a week, but his role isn't going to last.

As it usually is, I think the truth is in the middle in this case. Is Bourne a long-term play with Jennings, Pearsall, and even Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle eventually due to return from injury? Probably not. But is he worth adding in the meantime, as byes, injuries, and underperformance decimate fantasy lineups? Definitely. 

Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins (30.6% Rostered)

Honestly, the Dolphins' first game without Tyreek Hill didn't go as well for Washington as I (a long-time Washington believer) would have hoped. Instead of promoting Washington to a full-time role alongside Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins mixed in veteran Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to play the traditional “X” role. Washington only ran one more route than Westbrook-Ikhine, finishing with just a 60% route rate.

However, things were not all bad. Washington saw five targets on his limited routes, catching four … for zero yards. Okay, so that's pretty bad. Washington managed to finish his first game in the post-Tyreek era with a grand total of zero points in standard fantasy leagues. 

However, I'm still holding out hope. Westbrook-Ikhine didn't earn a single target on the day, so maybe Miami will eventually capitulate and roll out a double short king two-WR set of Washington and Waddle. Even if it didn't work this week, Washington getting schemed touches with Hill out (two of his targets were designed looks, the most on the team) is a good sign. He's worth stashing in deeper formats.

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (40.4% Rostered)

Like Washington, Franklin's Week 5 performance wasn't anything to write home about. He finished with just three catches on five targets for 35 yards and 6 half-PPR points.

However, Week 5 was also Franklin's fourth straight week with at least a 70% route participation rate. The 2024 fourth-rounder has clearly secured himself as the WR2 in the Broncos' offense. Especially if Bo Nix can bounce back from a rough start, that role could be enough for Franklin to provide flex value.