There were several players mentioned in last week’s waiver wire column who played a big part in a lot of victories in Week 5. Sam Darnold was a top-three quarterback. Rico Dowdle was the No. 2 running back. And Theo Johnson and Darren Waller were both top-five tight ends.
Now, let’s see if there are any plug-and-play options off the waiver wire to help in Week 6.
There are only two teams on a bye in Week 6 with Minnesota and Houston, but we still have several injuries to monitor, notably for Omarion Hampton (ankle), who was placed on injured reserve. With Hampton out, it will likely be a tandem of Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins, which could be messy, but we’ll address that below.
Kenneth Gainwell will be the top running back to add this week, but keep an eye on if Michael Carter is still available. And we’ll have other running backs to add as well, including Kendre Miller, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Tyjae Spears.
At wide receiver, the top player to add this week is Kendrick Bourne, especially if Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (knee) remain out in San Francisco. Other receivers to add include Tre Tucker, Rashid Shaheed and Jalen Coker (quadriceps), who will hopefully make his 2025 debut in Week 6.
Darnold is the No. 1 quarterback to add for Week 6, but don’t forget about Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, who could get another start in place of Brock Purdy (toe). And the top tight ends to add this week include Mason Taylor, A.J. Barner, Theo Johnson and Jake Tonges, who are all coming off strong performances in Week 5.
We’ll also have streaming DST and kicker options for you to add as well. It’s that time of year where injuries and bye weeks are wreaking havoc on your roster, but the waiver wire is here to help.
Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
Week 6 Waivers
On a bye: C.J. Stroud, Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy.
Injuries: Lamar Jackson (hamstring), Brock Purdy (toe), Joe Burrow (toe) and J.J. McCarthy (ankle).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: C.J. Stroud (70 percent rostered). Stroud is playing well going into his bye in Week 6 with back-to-back games with at least 22.4 Fantasy points. It helps that he’s faced the Titans and Ravens in those two games, and his schedule post-bye isn’t easy with matchups against Seattle, San Francisco and Denver out of the gate. That said, if Stroud can recapture the form from his rookie season, which he looked like the past two weeks, we could have a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues to close the year.
Drop candidates: Geno Smith (51 percent rostered). You have to wonder if the Raiders are considering benching Smith if he continues to play like he has in the past two games against Chicago and Indianapolis where he combined for 345 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions. Fantasy managers in one-quarterback leagues can’t start him, so he’s droppable in those formats. And he’s a questionable starting option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues heading into Week 6 against Tennessee, but don’t drop him there. Just stash him on your bench for now, but it’s ugly for Smith, especially with Brock Bowers (knee) hurt.
Add in this order:
Week 6 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Running Backs
On a bye: Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, Zavier Scott, Nick Chubb and Woody Marks.
Injuries: Omarion Hampton (ankle), Bucky Irving (shoulder/foot), Chuba Hubbard (calf), Jaylen Warren (knee), Aaron Jones (hamstring), Antonio Gibson (knee), Trey Benson (knee), Tyrone Tracy Jr. (shoulder), Joe Mixon (foot), Braelon Allen (knee) and Miles Sanders (ankle).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Rico Dowdle (83 percent rostered), Bhayshul Tuten (76 percent) and Michael Carter (67 percent). Dowdle was a monster against the Dolphins in Week 5 as the starter for the Panthers in place of Hubbard with 32.4 PPR points. We don’t know if Hubbard will play in Week 6, but Dowdle will be a must-start running back if Hubbard is out against Dallas in a revenge game. … Tuten is just a handcuff for Travis Etienne, but I still want to roster him in the majority of leagues. … Carter did fine as the starter for the Cardinals in place of Benson with 18 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 22 yards on five targets in Week 5 against Tennessee. I doubt Emari Demercado will be a huge threat to Carter’s workload in Week 6 at Indianapolis, and Carter is worth trusting as a low-end No. 2 running back in all leagues against the Colts.
Drop candidates: Emari Demercado (87 percent rostered), Ollie Gordon II (64 percent) and Sean Tucker (38 percent). I like how Demercado owned up to his fumble at the goal line in Week 5 against Tennessee, but it’s hard to expect him getting more work after that mistake. And he only had three carries for 81 yards in the game, along with no targets, while Carter dominated touches. … Gordon can be rostered as the handcuff for De’Von Achane if you want, but he doesn’t have much standalone value right now. In his past two games against the Jets and Panthers, Gordon has combined for nine carries for 8 yards and one target. … Tucker is worth rostering as the handcuff for Rachaad White while Irving is out, but it’s clear that White will handle the majority of touches until Irving returns. In the first game without Irving in Week 5 at Seattle, Tucker only had three carries for 3 yards and three catches for minus-4 yards on three targets.
Add in this order:
Week 6 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Wide Receivers
On a bye: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Adam Thielen, Jalen Nailor, Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.
Injuries: Darius Slayton (hamstring), Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ankle), Darnell Mooney (hamstring), Calvin Austin III (shoulder), CeeDee Lamb (ankle), Mike Evans (hamstring), Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), KeVontae Turpin (foot), Cedric Tillman (hamstring), Jayden Reed (collarbone), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Jalen Coker (quadriceps), Alec Pierce (concussion), Christian Watson (knee) and Jalen McMillan (neck).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Wan’Dale Robinson (82 percent rostered), Cooper Kupp (78 percent), Matthew Golden (76 percent), Jauan Jennings (74 percent), Romeo Doubs (72 percent) and Calvin Ridley (72 percent). Robinson had five catches for 30 yards on seven targets in Week 5 at New Orleans, and he might be the best receiver for the Giants moving forward if Darius Slayton (hamstring) is out for an extended period of time. … Kupp just had nine targets in Week 5 against Tampa Bay and finished with six catches for 59 yards. He’s still worth stashing in all PPR leagues. … Golden went into Green Bay’s bye in Week 5 with nine catches for 110 yards on 10 targets in his past two games against Cleveland and Dallas. Hopefully, he’s just getting started with his production, and he could emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. … Jennings isn’t guaranteed to play in Week 6 at Tampa Bay after missing Week 5 with an ankle injury. But when healthy, Jennings can be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues and is worth stashing where available. … Doubs should be added in all leagues after his big game in Week 4 at Dallas with six catches for 58 yards and three touchdowns on eight targets. The Packers face the Bengals in Week 6, which should benefit the entire receiving corps in Green Bay. … It was good to see Ridley finally do something in Week 5 at Arizona with five catches for 131 yards on 10 targets. Hopefully, it wasn’t a one-hit wonder since he scored 8.7 PPR points or less in the first four games of the season, but it’s worth adding Ridley in all leagues where available heading into Week 6 at Las Vegas.
Drop candidates: Jerry Jeudy (88 percent rostered), Travis Hunter (74 percent) and Rashod Bateman (44 percent). Jeudy has struggled this season and scored 9.1 PPR points or less in four games in a row, including Week 5 against Minnesota in the first start with Dillon Gabriel with two catches for 15 yards on five targets. He might surprise us in Week 6 at Pittsburgh, but you can drop Jeudy in all 10-team leagues for now. … Hunter had three catches for 64 yards on three targets Monday night against Kansas City, and he’s scored 9.4 PPR points or less in every game this season, with no touchdowns. … Bateman combined for one catch for 24 yards on five targets in his past two games against the Chiefs and Texans. He was tough to trust with Lamar Jackson (hamstring) healthy, but it’s easy to move on from Bateman in all leagues while Jackson is out.
Add in this order:
Week 6 Waiver Priority List
On a bye: T.J. Hockenson and Dalton Schultz.
Injuries: Brock Bowers (knee), Brenton Strange (hip), George Kittle (hamstring), Colston Loveland (hip), Tyler Higbee (hip), Michael Mayer (concussion) and Ja’Tavion Sanders (ankle).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: David Njoku (69 percent rostered) and Kyle Pitts (67 percent). Njoku had a big game in Week 5 against Minnesota in the first start for Dillon Gabriel with six catches for 67 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come, and Njoku should be added in all leagues heading into Week 6 at Pittsburgh. … Pitts went into his bye on a high note with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown on five targets in Week 4 against Washington. He should benefit if Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is out in Week 6 against Buffalo, but even if Mooney is healthy, Pitts should be added in all leagues.
Drop candidates: T.J. Hockenson (85 percent rostered), Juwan Johnson (68 percent) and Isaiah Likely (38 percent). Hockenson is not worth holding during his bye in Week 6. While he scored 9.8 PPR points in Week 5 against Cleveland in London, that’s his second best total of the season. He has one touchdown this year, and he’ll be tough to trust moving forward now that Jordan Addison is back. … Johnson has faded with his production the past two games with a combined five catches for 45 yards and no touchdowns on just seven targets. Prior to Week 4, Johnson had at least eight targets in each of his first three games. Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau are now healthy, and Johnson is not worth rostering in most 10-team leagues. … In two games back after missing the first three games of the season with a foot injury, Likely has combined for just one catch for 12 yards on one target. He’ll be tough to trust while Lamar Jackson (hamstring) is out, and Likely can be dropped in all leagues heading into Week 6 against the Rams.
Add in this order:
Week 6 Waiver Priority List
DST streamers
- Patriots (30 percent rostered) at NO
- Raiders (10 percent rostered) vs. TEN
- Titans (3 percent rostered) at LV
Kicker streamers
- Brandon McManus (35 percent rostered) vs. CIN
- Jason Myers (56 percent rostered) at JAC
- Chris Boswell (29 percent rostered) vs. CLE
