Some weeks on the fantasy football waiver wire there is an obvious league-winning add. A surefire top claim. And the only question is whether to drop the whole bag of FAAB or just most of it. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those weeks. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t helpful players out there on the wire.
So you’ll notice this week that the advice is mostly to hold onto your top waiver wire claim if you have it. And the FAAB bid recommendations are generally low. There are some decent options, but we’re actually okay in most cases getting our second or even third favorite. So we’re only spending up big if we are sitting with a losing record staring down the barrel at bye weeks and injuries where we need someone to go right in the lineup NOW. If that’s you, you likely already know that.
2026 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 6 Top Targets And Strategy
As we mentioned above, the key to navigating waivers is understanding your league and understanding what you need. We’ll give our guidance on whether to use your waiver claim or your FAAB, but every league is unique, so go with your gut for the final numbers.
You also need to know what kind of player you want to target. My rule of thumb is that, if the player goes DIRECTLY into my lineup at QB, WR, RB, or TE, I’m willing to use that top claim or a minimum 25% of your budget. This is a weekly game at its
We will do our best to differentiate whether this is a guy we can start right away or whether we like to have them on the bench to see if they break out. As always, if you play in deeper leagues like FFPC, check out our Streamers and Stashes article that gets down to the much lower-rostered players for those deep sleepers!
NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins - Los Vegas Raiders, Yahoo: 37% | ESPN: 36% | Sleeper: 64%
If you play on ESPN, Jordan Love is rostered in less than 50% of leagues, and I’d go with him because his schedule for the next three weeks is great. On Yahoo, however, Love is rostered in 75% of leagues. So we’ll look to Kirk Cousins over there, especially in six-point passing leagues. This was the worst game for Cousins so far, yet he still threw for over 240 yards. And this was the first time he didn’t throw multiple touchdown passes. He literally has negative rushing yards on the season, but the guy is willing to let the ball fly.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 13% | Sleeper: 23%
In six-point TD pass leagues, maybe you look to someone like Kirk Cousins. But in four-point TD leagues, the answer for me is still Deshaun Watson. He did not play particularly well this week (though he did have another fourth-quarter touchdown drive when they needed to have it for the fourth game in a row). What we are really interested in with Watson is his willingness to run, as he once again ran six times. He now has 13 designed runs that are not scrambles, QB sneaks, or kneel-downs- the only other QB with more than seven on the season is Josh Allen.
Just six rushes a game would be a pace of over 100 on the season. He’s currently on pace to run over 125 times. If Watson runs over 85 times and starts 16 games without finishing top 10 in fantasy, he would be the first player to do so in over a decade - since Colin Kaepernick. History tells us that QBs who are willing to run at this level offer a solid floor and an even higher ceiling, so we are going to see if Watson can reach that ceiling as we proceed.
- Waiver Priority: Low priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Aaron Rodgers, Jalon Daniels, Daniel Jones
NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Running Backs
Keaton Mitchell - Los Angeles Chargers Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 26% | Sleeper: 56%
Our rule of thumb for this article is not to list players who are over 50% rostered on Yahoo. That said, check for Woody Marks, Jordan Mason, and Marshawn Lloyd in that order just to see if maybe they have been dropped. Those players would be my priority, but they are still being rostered in most leagues.
If you need someone to start this week, especially as bye weeks ramp up, Keaton Mitchell is probably your best bet. His 29 routes run while lined up as a WR is second only to Christian McCaffrey on the season - yes, more than Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. And, with the mounting wide receiver injuries, he should continue to offer some semblance of a floor in the pass game. The split has been ugly, but he’s getting the better work for fantasy of the three options.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Dameon Pierce - Philadelphia Eagles Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 2% | Sleeper: 8%
This one really doesn’t have to be made more complicated than it is. Saquon Barkley got hurt. Then Tank Bigsby got hurt. Then Will Shipley got hurt. That has pushed Dameon Pierce back into the light as the potential starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. The team is obviously trending in the wrong direction, but the Eagles were one special teams blunder away from beating the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. As we have learned many, many times in fantasy, sometimes you just need to give yourself any sort of shot on the wire. Look at what folks are getting from Ollie Gordon and Emanuel Wilson.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Tyjae Spears - Tennessee Titans, Yahoo: 22% | ESPN: 34% | Sleeper: 29%
There are two angles to this move. One is that the Titans have been very clear about how they like to handle their running backs. When they are playing with a lead, Tony Pollard gets extra carries in the ground game. When they are playing from behind, Tyjae Spears is the preferred pass-down back. Anyone paying attention knows that the Titans are more likely to be playing from behind than ahead.
The second angle is the trade angle. Tony Pollard is routinely listed as one of the potential trade candidates across the league. The worse the Titans look, the less need they have to hold onto a 29-year-old Pollard. Trades always feel like some desperate ploy that never comes to fruition, but we did just see Marvin Harrison get traded. If Pollard does get moved, they would likely work in rookie Nick Singleton, but Spears would undoubtedly get a bigger role as well.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Mike Washington Jr., Samaje Perine, Nicholas Singleton
NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
Tre Tucker - Las Vegas Raiders, Yahoo: 36% | ESPN: 32% | Sleeper: 46%
It’s not a great week on the waiver wire at the wide receiver position by any standards. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t options that could help your team right this moment, especially if you have bye weeks. And the best bet to throw right into your lineup this week if you need it is probably Tre Tucker, a player who has appeared in this article multiple times.
In an ideal world, a wide receiver has a high floor due to volume as well as high upside via explosive plays. Tre Tucker doesn’t have a perfect floor here, but he has led his team in routes run every week while getting at least 4-5 targets. What he has done is secure six passes of 20+ yards as well as two of 40+ yards this year. That gives him enough floor with a glimpse of upside to make him a solid spot start where you need it.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Malik Washington - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 49% | ESPN: 39% | Sleeper: 61%
Fantasy Alarm members know that Malik Washington has been included in our deeper Streamers & Stashes article every week. And, every week, the write-up is about the same. “This guy is consistently leading his team in routes run and targets, which at least gives you some semblance of a floor if you are streaming”. And that sentiment remains true.
The problem, of course, is that the Dolphins are on bye week this week. So you’re essentially adding a medium-floor, medium-ceiling player as a stash to use moving forward. If you have too many injuries and bye weeks this week, you might not be able to afford to do that. But this guy has had at least five targets in every single game, so he might be the best of what is available on the wire.
Germie Bernard - Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 6%
The tide is always shifting in fantasy football land. First, Michael Pittman was the guy opposite DK Metcalf until a bout of plantar fasciitis derailed his season. Roman Wilson got the next crack, but he then hurt his finger, which will keep him out for multiple weeks (he’s already been ruled out this week). So rookie Germie Bernard steps up into the void.
Bernard has had some interesting stretches when thrown into the spotlight, like a single drive against the Patriots earlier this year where he caught 4 of 4 targets. This week he stepped in and caught 6 of 9 targets with a carry on top of that. We always lean into rookies when we can because there’s room for them to grow as the season rolls along compared to proven vets. Apparently Aaron Rodgers has been quizzing Germie Bernard about the playbook, and he’s passed those tests, so some of the things that hold back other rookies might not stop Bernard.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Caleb Douglas
NFL Week 6 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End
Chig Okonkwo - Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%
Chig Okonkwo has always been a player we liked the hypothetical upside for. He runs a 4.52 forty, which is the same as George Kittle, putting them in the 96th percentile for tight ends. That allowed Chig Okonkwo to rip off a number of long chunk plays during his time with Tennessee despite their lack of willingness to deploy him at a high level.
Chig ended up getting hurt Week One, then he returned in Week Four to a partial snap share with backup quarterbacks. Last week he was still seemingly eased in to some degree coming off the hamstring, but the usage he had was still better than he’s essentially ever had with the Titans. That saw him lead the team in targets with six while flashing the speed on a 25-yard play. He could take a hit when Stefon Diggs gets back, but we like taking a shot on the upside here with both Diggs and McLaurin dealing with ailments.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Pat Freiermuth - Pittsburgh Steelers Yahoo: 15% | ESPN: 20% | Sleeper: 18%
As we mentioned earlier, the Pittsburgh Steelers have lost Michael Pittman, Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek. They are hurting for pass-catchers. Wide receivers are the biggest enemy of tight ends in modern fantasy football in more ways than one due to the interchangeability of the positions these days. A big rotation is our worst nightmare both in terms of consistency and upside.
With the lack of wide receivers, the Steelers turned to more two-tight-end sets. That saw Pat Freiermuth play 41 snaps and Darnell Washington play 38. The difference is that Freiermuth got to play 27 of his snaps from a wide receiver spot, either in the slot or out wide. If you are looking for someone to start for you right away, especially for bye weeks, Muth should have some elevated usage over the next couple of weeks while the wide receivers are banged up.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Brenton Strange - Jacksonville Jaguars, Yahoo: 32% | ESPN: 27% | Sleeper: 47%
The other two waiver adds are boosted a bit by wide receiver injuries. But if/when those wide receivers return, the bottom could fall out. That isn’t a risk here for Brenton Strange because he’s shocked people a bit by doing what he’s doing with everyone healthy.
If you asked the fantasy community at large what the target pecking order in Jacksonville would be this year, you would have gotten a variety of answers. Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas, and Travis Hunter all had their own fans. But the reality is that, so far, Parker Washington is first with 35 targets, Strange is second with 26, then Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas each have 18. The upside might not be super high on Strange, but he might be the most reliable option rest of season off the wire.
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: AJ Barner, Brenton Strange
NFL Week 6 Waiver DST
Kansas City DST - Yahoo: 26% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 12%
This is a move that we are going to utilize fairly frequently from this point forward this year. Folks just don’t like rostering two defenses. So, when their defense has a bye week, they just drop them. The Chargers offense was already anemic, and now they are dealing with a ton of injuries, so spot-starting the Chiefs against them makes a lot of sense.
Indianapolis Colts DST - Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 4%
This might seem kind of crazy because the Colts defense has not been particularly good. But we aren’t really “starting the Colts DST” as much as we are starting whoever plays the Titans. The Titans have not won a game, and they have yet to score more than 20 points in any game so far. The Colts are favored by 7 here, and they are also available in most leagues.
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Saints vs. NYG, NYG vs. NO
NFL Week 6 Waiver K
Harrison Butker - Kansas City Chiefs, Yahoo: 17% | ESPN: 49% | Sleeper: 24%
Same game here with the defense - Butker was dropped in a ton of leagues because people just don’t hold a kicker through the bye. So now you get the kicker for the Chiefs. Bonus points for him now already having your bye week where you might not need to worry about kicker anymore if things break right.
Matt Gay - Las Vegas Raiders, Yahoo: 14% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 59%
The Raiders didn’t have their best game this week. And Gay finally missed his first field goal of the year with a 48-yard attempt that hit the upright. But he’s still top five in fantasy points this year for a kicker, and we expect Kirk Cousins and company to bounce back here. The Bills defense hasn’t been super stout, so Gay should be in play once again.
Yin & Yang Tight End Chart
As always, this section below will be updated with Yin & Yang tight end rankings for the rest of the season each week. The way Yin & Yang tight end works is: if you have someone from the standalone section, you only need to roster one player. Beyond that, we are likely rostering two - someone to start and someone to stash.
- Standalone - Guys we currently trust that also have big upside.
- Yin - A “safe” player that we can start while trying to hit on a breakout with a bench spot.
- Yang - A higher-risk, higher-reward option ideally stashed on your bench for upside.
- Handcuff - Guys with minimal usage now who could have upside if the starting TE gets hurt.
[Check back for Week 6 Yin & Yang tight end update soon!]