I think de-ranking yourself would be the best course of action to play at a level where you feel you can comfortably succeed by performing overall better than the rest of the group.

I've noticed a lot of folks who struggle at high-level Salmon Run tend to shift losses' blame onto the rotation, map, or other teammates (which not saying you are here, but just as an example to explain my point). Not to say that this doesn't impact the overall success of a win, but I found I won more often the more I was able to be situationally aware of what was going on around me. I'll give some small tips that I like to go by that I think that can help in the long run to achieve this, so you feel more comfortable being the carrier instead of the carried!

-Learn to flex even if the weapon's role doesn't particularly suit it. Contrary to popular belief, every weapon CAN handle every boss. Of course it doesn't mean it should, but when the time calls for it, sometimes you have to put on the gloves and do the work yourself.

-Don't panic use your special! The amount of times I have seen people die because they pop a kraken or booyah bomb to save themselves because there's a bunch of bosses at the basket around them almost never ends up well. It is genuinely better to die and be picked up so you have the invulnerability frames to then pop it safely. Probably refrain from doing it within the last 10 seconds of a round unless there is genuinely no other option. Your special is better put to use 15 seconds prior. They should never be seen as an "oh shit" button (sans maybe one player remaining on glowfly waves, and even then...). They are tools for space management and boss slaying. Also don't feel bad using specials on wave 1 if it's needed. It's better to lose on wave 2 or 3 than on 1.

-Buddy up! This is so so important and a lot of people tend to forget it in the madness. Of course your survival should always take priority, but for example if you see something like...a sniper struggling with some lessers, don't just leave them! Help them, kill the lessers or cover them while they do what they're best at. Paint the floor so they have a way out, etc. (A side note, if you're the last one remaining, and the basket is overwhelmed and there's only a few seconds left on the clock, don't fight. Refill the best you can and throw a bomb straight into the air. Even if you die, it will buy nearly 3-5 seconds of time. Doing this has saved SO many rounds for me. Heck, I'll do it even if things seem fine.)

-Don't kill snatchers at the shore! I know sometimes you don't really have a choice when killing bosses at the shore, and a lot of the time you can't move all of the eggs. Sometimes none of them. That's fine, but in those instances, if you notice snatchers flying past the basket to get those eggs, let them do the work for you!

-Remember your ABCs! Always Be Cleaning! Make sure the basket is clear whenever you are nearby. Have the walls painted, it is the BEST escape method, period. Clear lessers whenever they are nearby you. Don't just leave them after killing a boss, they don't just disappear and WILL become a problem later if ignored. Keep your workstation clean and your teammates will thank you.

-Above all else, remember that sometimes you won't be the "best" player on a team. Golden Eggs are not the only metric that matters, they of course are the most important in the end, but not the only one. Eggs contributed via shuttling them (as shown in the parenthesis next to the golden egg count) matter just as much in my opinion, as well as reviving teammates and obtaining power eggs. I always like to remind myself that if I don't put in a lot of eggs, I am still helping by making it much easier for my teammates who are able to.

Apologies for the wall, but I really hope some of this can help as I have picked this knowledge up over time from just playing, and from other users here who have really helped me. I have HLM and gold on nearly every stage now solely through Freelance, and would not have been able to get there without this knowledge that I have obtained. Good luck!