2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 6: Hassan Haskins, Mason Taylor Top Picks

The first wave of bye weeks hit in Week 4. And guess what? We survived. This week, there are only two bye weeks, so there should be less of an immediate need for streamers. If you’ve been bitten by the injury bug with guys like Omarion Hampton going down, however, you might need to get a little more aggressive.  

There isn’t really a guy that you absolutely need to kick the door down and grab this week. But we’ve had weeks like that in the past where it turns out the guy you sneak onto your bench for cheap ends up making a big difference. So let’s dive into the top options for the Week 6 fantasy football waiver wire so we can patch up any issues you might be having with your team!

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2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 6 Top Targets

As always, our waiver wire discussion will be split into two articles. This is the main article, which covers the top players to add at each position, as well as an update to our Yin & Yang Tight End strategy. The second article, found here, is our Streamers and Stashes article that covers the deeper, more nuanced plays for Fantasy Alarm Members!

NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Jaxson Dart - New York Giants Yahoo: 39% | ESPN: 44% | Sleeper: 57%  

Sometimes, analysis does not need to be super long. If a quarterback is willing to run 5 or more times a game, we are interested in fantasy football because of how broken the scoring is in most formats. Dart has now run 10 and 7 times in his two starts. And he’s had 54 and 55 yards rushing in those two games. That floor is a tremendous starting point, and any sort of passing is a bonus on top of that. He hasn’t looked good throwing the ball by any means, but this week, he put up some numbers on volume alone. But that really doesn’t matter - as long as he’s running like this, he’s worth a stash and potential spot starts. 

• Waiver Priority: Late Priority 
• FAAB: 5-10% (more if he starts for you right away)

Sam Darnold - Seattle Seahawks Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 14% | Sleeper: 36%  

This is probably a better play in 6-point passing leagues than it is in 4-point passing leagues. Even though Darnold was running the ball nearly four times a game last year, he’s only run it himself three times in five games so far. But he has been running Klint Kubiak’s offense pretty well and, along the way, given you pretty decent performances over the last four weeks.

Now, we obviously don’t expect Darnold to do what he did this week every week. But he did flash the ability to put up big numbers when pressed for it, like he did last year with the Vikings. Next week against the Jaguars, he could be a spot start if need be for bye weeks and injuries to see if he can keep it rolling. But I wouldn’t go crazy adding him unless you need him. Dart is the better stash and start.

• Waiver Priority: Low or Free Add
• FAAB: 0% (more if he starts for you right away)

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Bryce Young, JJ McCarthy (IR spot), Spencer Rattler

NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Michael Carter - Arizona Cardinals Yahoo: 39% | ESPN: 42% | Sleeper: 59%

It’s become pretty clear this year that any running back scrap on the waiver wire is going to be scooped up immediately. So, if you want Carter, you’re going to likely have to pay up to get him. And it’s probably the best move this week in most formats. In the places where I had the Cardinals or Chargers backs, I’m certainly willing to do so.

We didn’t know for sure how the work would be divided between Michael Carter and Emari Demercado - but we know now. Carter was the clear starter and, despite Demercado getting some pass work, still got five targets as well. On top of that, Demarcado committed the Cardinal sin of fumbling the ball at the one-yard line, which saw Jonathan Gannon lose his mind on the sideline. That can’t be good for his playing time.  

• Waiver Priority: High Priority
• FAAB: 25-50%

Hassan Haskins - Los Angeles Chargers, Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 2%

We don’t have much to go on here in the battle between Haskins and Kimani Vidal. You should put in contingent bids for Vidal as well, in case you don’t get Haskins. But we do lean towards Haskins for a couple of reasons here.

First off, Haskins made the roster over Kimani Vidal - Vidal was waived and could have been signed by other teams before signing to their Chargers' practice squad. That’s not the end-all, be all as Vidal is an explosive player, but after re-watching this game, it’s clear that the snaps on the final spreadsheet don’t tell the full story here. Haskins actually played while Omarion Hampton was still in the game. He came out when the starter came out. Kimani Vidal, on the other hand, continued to get snaps alongside Trey Lance in the blowout. I’m sure they will ride the “hot hand,” but everything we know so far indicates Haskins is ahead on the depth chart. That uncertainty, along with the Chargers' offensive line injuries, is why we prefer Michael Carter. 

• Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
• FAAB: 5-10%

Kendre Miller - New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 28%

If you prefer more of a “slow burn,” Kendre Miller has quietly gained steam. And the steam actually spilled over into Miller, getting more carries than Alvin Kamara this week. Now, that could easily go back in the bottle next week, and Kamara still gets the pass-work. But Kamara could end up being a trade candidate for a pretty bad Saints team, and that could smash the door open for Miller at some point. So he’s worth a stash and possibly even spot starts here or there. 

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Kareem Hunt, Kenneth Gainwell, Isaiah Davis, Brashard Smith

NFL Week 6 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Elic Ayomanor - Tennessee Titans Yahoo: 33% | ESPN: 38% | Sleeper: 58%

Each week, Elic Ayomanor continues to play a big snap share alongside Calvin Ridley. In fact, this week, Ayomanor led the team in both snaps and routes (though Ridley led in targets). Ayomanor continues to get looks each week, and he’s come close to making some big plays, but can’t quite get on the same page as Cam Ward. Maybe that means that the talent isn’t there for Ayomanor and/or Ward, but there’s hope out there with this player.

When we go through our target report and target pecking order, there really aren’t many guys out there on the wire that are playing these kinds of snaps or running these kinds of routes. Virtually every player who is a clear top two WR on his team is rostered already in fantasy. This might just be a lost cause, but a rookie WR getting a lot of work with a rookie quarterback could yield results down the stretch, even if it hasn’t been great so far. You don’t need to drop a ton on him, but there also isn’t a lot out on the wire to go after right now. 

• Waiver Priority: Low Priority or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Isaiah Bond - Cleveland Browns Yahoo: 6% | ESPN: 5% | Sleeper: 26%

So Bond was in our article last week. And the theory was that, with Cedric Tillman on IR, Bond could step into a bigger snap share. And in that snap share, maybe he could get a decent number of targets. Well, both of those things did happen. Bond tied David Njoku’s 31 routes to be second on the team behind Jerry Jeudy’s 36. And Bond’s eight targets were second to Njoku’s nine. The problem? He didn’t do a good job of catching them.

There is room for debate on how catchable these targets for Bond were. Pro Football Focus, for instance, only counted six of them and didn’t assign a drop to Bond on any of them. But he only came away with two catches for 29 yards. It was promising that he not only played a bunch of snaps and got a decent amount of targets, but he led the team in routes run from the slot, which is typically the more friendly role for fantasy. So we’re holding on/stashing Bond where we can. 

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Troy Fanklin, Jalen Coker, Malik Washington, Brandon Aiyuk (move to IR spot), Romeo Doubs

NFL Week 6 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End

Mason Taylor - New York Jets, Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 20%

We covered Mason Taylor in last week’s article, essentially saying to put in contingent bids for Taylor in the event that you don’t get Darren Waller. Well, the price for Taylor just shot up after he got 9 receptions on 12 targets this week.

And, yes, the Jets called 61 pass plays, which is far more than the general average (and Fields only actually threw it 46 times because of his playstyle). So the volume this week is obviously difficult to produce. But the Jets are going to find themselves playing from behind fairly often. In fact, per Pro Football Reference, Mason Taylor has yet to catch a pass in a game while the Jets are winning. And the vast majority have come in these situations where they are playing from behind. Taylor was second on the team in both snaps and routes run behind Garrett Wilson, so I don’t see why that wouldn’t continue to some degree. Anytime a tight end has a chance to be a top two target on their team, we are interested.  

• Waiver Priority: Medium to high priority
• FAAB: 10-15% (more if he starts for you right away

Theo Johnson - New York Giants, Yahoo: 11% | ESPN: 4% | Sleeper: 10%

Things aren’t perfect for Theo Johnson by any means. The team is pretty bad. As part of that, he’s also been asked to hang in and block pretty consistently on pass plays, which is not ideal for a tight end. He sits at 13.5% for a pass block rate, which is dangerously close to that 15% number. His best two games in terms of receiving yards have been 33 and 34 yards, so nothing crazy. But there’s upside to be had here.

Folks will say things like “Jaxson Dart loves him!” after three touchdown receptions since Dart started. And maybe there's something to that. But we care more about the fact that the Malik Nabers injury vacates a lot of targets for this New York Giants offense. You sprinkle in the Dart narrative and the combination of size and athleticism for Johnson (90th percentile speed for the position), and there’s certainly a path to more sustainable production here. Just don’t expect him to score touchdowns at this rate all year. 

• Waiver Priority: Late Priority
• FAAB: 5-10%

**Check the bottom of the article for free rest of season half PPR tight end rankings with our Yin & Yang tight end chart!**

NFL Week 6 Waiver DST

Green Bay Packers DST, Yahoo: 47% | ESPN: 46% | Sleeper: 40%

There isn’t enough respect for good defenses in fantasy football. So, when a good defense goes on bye week, they often get dropped to waivers. If Green Bay DST was dropped, add them and start them against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Simple as that. If they continue to play at a decent level for you, then you might not need to worry about bye weeks again. 

New Orleans Saints DST, Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%

We don’t want to make a habit of starting this defense. But they were a streaming and DFS option for us last week against the New York Giants. This isn’t as good a defense this week as the New England Patriots are a little bit of a better team. But the Drake Maye continues to make himself a good candidate for sacks, and the Patriots' turnover issues continue, and those are the parts of fantasy defense that translate to points. 

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Washington DST vs. Bears, Las Vegas DST vs. TEN

NFL Week 6 Waiver K

Brandon McManus - Green Bay Packers K, Yahoo: 6% | ESPN: 7% | Sleeper: 7%

Same plan here as with the Packers DST - except it’s even more prevalent at kicker than it is with defenses. Folks just don’t want to hold kickers through their bye weeks, which is completely understandable. And with that, we see good kickers from good football teams hit the wire. I might even spend a little FAAB on McManus just to get him and know that I might not need to deal with bye weeks for the rest of the year. 

TDB - Indianapolis Colts K, Yahoo: NA% | ESPN: NA% | Sleeper: NA%

This is a placeholder for now as we wait to see who the Colts sign to be their kicker. As I’m sure you know by now, an awkward play this weekend saw Spencer Shrader suffer a season-ending injury. This has been one of the best offenses so far in football, which is conducive to kicker success in fantasy football.   

NFL Yin & Yang Tight End Rankings

As promised, here are our Yin & Yang tight end rankings. This has been our bread and butter the last few years, and how we find breakout tight ends. Here is how the chart works.

If you have someone in the “standalone” section, then great - you don’t need to roster another tight end outside of injury and bye weeks. Outside of that, we are rostering two. We are looking for someone “safe” to start while stashing the most high-risk, high-reward option, trying to find a breakout. 

The tight ends in red are injured and at risk of missing time. If you can put them in an IR spot, great. If not, you may have to prioritize either a Yin or Yang tight end ranked above them to start for you.