- Stop overlooking Tyquan Thornton: He has scored at least 14 fantasy points in three of five games this season, while outscoring many top-named wide receivers. He gets a fantastic matchup against the banged-up Detroit Lions secondary this Sunday night.
- Mason Taylor is a top-10 TE play in Week 6: Taylor has 14 receptions over the last two weeks and posted 12 targets, nine receptions, 17.7 fantasy points in Week 5, but is still available in over 65% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues entering Week 6.
- Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
With already so many key fantasy players injured or on bye weeks, you may find yourself digging deeper on the waiver wire than you ever expected heading into the sixth week of the season. Here are five players to consider adding from the waiver wire heading into Week 6 if you’re in a pinch due to injury.
QB Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
Over his three starts as a 49er, Jones has scored 21.8 and 22.2 fantasy points in two of them – and both of those good performances came on the road. This week, he will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who just allowed Sam Darnold to throw four touchdowns and score 27.6 fantasy points Sunday. The Buccaneers have allowed all five opposing quarterbacks they have faced to score at least 15 fantasy points against them, including Tyrod Taylor, who scored 17 points, and Michael Penix Jr., who hit 24 points. Over the last three weeks, Tyrod Taylor, Jalen Hurts and Darnold all had multiple passing touchdowns against the Buccaneers’ beatable secondary.
The Buccaneers have a top-notch run defense, so expect the 49ers to lean on Jones and the passing game to keep up with Baker Mayfield and Tampa’s potent offense.
Available in 95.8% of ESPN leagues and 93% of Yahoo! Leagues.
RB Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers
If you are really struggling to find a viable RB2 option this week due to bye weeks and injuries, Emanuel Wilson is on nearly 100% of waivers, and he has the chance to be a top-30 RB scorer this week. Wilson had a season-high eight carries, 11 touches and 11.1 fantasy points in the Green Bay Packers‘ last game before their Week 5 bye. His volume could rise this Sunday in what should be a blowout affair against the Cincinnati Bengals. No team has allowed more rushing attempts or fantasy points to the running back position than the Bengals in 2025. Josh Jacobs will have a monster fantasy performance this week, but there is also room for Wilson to score double-digit fantasy points.
Available in 98.2% of ESPN leagues and 97% of Yahoo! Leagues.
WR Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs
It is shocking to see that Tyquan Thornton is still available in more than 80% of leagues on both ESPN and Yahoo despite that he hit 14-plus fantasy points in three of five games this season. He has averaged more fantasy points per game than Mike Evans, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey. Thornton has seen five or more targets and caught a touchdown in three of the last four games. He is a big play machine, averaging a league-high 20.9 yards per reception in 2025 (min. 10 receptions), and he recorded a career-high 90 receiving yards in Week 5.
Thornton gets a juicy matchup against the Detroit Lions, who have allowed the third-most yards per reception and receiving touchdowns to wide receivers this season. Plus, they will be missing both of their starting cornerbacks (Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed) this Sunday night and could be without star safety Kerby Joseph, who is questionable due to a knee injury. This matchup between the Lions and the Chiefs has the highest over/under (52.5 points) on the week. Thornton is bound to come down with a big touchdown (or two).
Available in 83.5% of ESPN leagues and 80% of Yahoo! Leagues.
WR Isaiah Bond, Cleveland Browns
In Dillon Gabriel’s first NFL start, he favored Isaiah Bond as one of his primary targets. Bond led the Browns’ wide receivers with seven targets in Week 5, behind only TE David Njoku, who had nine targets in the game. This was the second straight week that Bond saw at least six targets, as he just saw six targets for a career-high 58 receiving yards in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, his seven targets in Week 5 turned into just two receptions for 29 yards, but Bond will have an easier matchup this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ secondary.
The Steelers have allowed the third-most receiving yards per game to wide receivers in 2025, while also allowing 11.4 receptions of 10-plus yards per game (third-most in the NFL) and 3.5 receptions of 20-plus yards per game (fifth-most in the NFL). Bond has showcased his 4.39-second speed while coming down with a 20-plus-yard reception in each of the last two weeks. He is due for a breakout game, and I believe it comes this Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Available in 96.3% of ESPN leagues and 95% of Yahoo! Leagues.
TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets
I have Mason Taylor ranked as my fantasy TE9 for Week 6, yet he is still available in over 65% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues. Over the last two weeks, Taylor has had the second most targets, receptions and receiving yards on the New York Jets, behind only Garrett Wilson. Taylor’s 14 receptions and 132 receiving yards rank tied for first and second among all tight ends in the NFL since Week 4. The New York Jets‘ passing offense is highly concentrated among just three pass-catchers, Wilson, Taylor and Breece Hall. With Wilson likely to see a ton of Pat Surtain II in coverage this weekend, Taylor’s target share should continue to thrive. Last week, Taylor scored 17.7 fantasy points with nine receptions for 67 receiving yards. I expect a similar performance from him this week.
Available in 67.3% of ESPN leagues and 66% of Yahoo! Leagues.
Source link
