Fantasy Football 2025 Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Immediately Useful
Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers (50% Rostered): Doubs scored three touchdowns the last time we saw him, and while that was a massive blowup, he likely had to be dropped by many managers due to bye week crises. Check your waiver wire for him, because he’s currently the steadiest pass-catcher the Packers have, and it’s an offense that will score a lot of points as the season goes on. Doubs has the most secure role in the receiving corps in an offense that rotates players in and out as much as any team, he’s a proven red zone go-to for Jordan Love, and he’s already past his bye. That’s a big plus for teams who will be scraping for critical wins and at some point will be in a bind. Just don’t add him thinking that explosion vs. Dallas is the norm; Doubs is a floor play, not a ceiling guy.
Evan Engram, TE, Broncos (48% Rostered): Engram found the end zone last week, but he’s not here for that. Engram is someone who, now that he’s healthy, appears to offer a usable floor. The Broncos’ pass offense isn’t prolific, but no one is completely dominant in it from a target share/volume standpoint. Engram has drawn 13 targets in the last two games, and they’re coming from Bo Nix, who is a reliable thrower. Last week Engram turned seven targets into four receptions and 29 yards. On Sunday, he turned six targets into four receptions for 33 yards, with a touchdown. The TD elevated him, but if the floor is around four catches and 40ish yards, that’s honestly playable. You aren’t excited, but with that as a baseline, the handful of times he finds the painted area give you a top TE on the week.
Josh Downs, WR, Colts (47% Rostered): Downs had his best game this year, drawing eight targets and putting up six catches for 54 yards. It’s been a rough go for Downs truthers in 2025, but his talent remains the same, and he’s operating in a very, very healthy offense. The production will come, even though it’s super frustrating right now. I would treat him as a stash and hold, because the eight targets he saw on Sunday should be more of the norm, especially in games when Indianapolis isn’t controlling the entire game script.
Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders (46% Rostered): Tucker’s involvement in the Raiders passing game is unbelievable right now. A week after drawing only two targets and seemingly crashing to Earth, Tucker put up four catches for 62 yards on six targets in a blowout loss to the Colts. His 88.2% snap rate in this game was his lowest of the year, and the first time he was under 90%. Tucker is an integral piece of this passing game, and while it’s atrocious at the moment, there’s still production to be had. If you’re battling injuries, byes or both, it’s not a bad idea to hold your nose and add Tucker to use right away. He’s got a bit of big play potential which he flashed already this year, he’s trusted, and this defense sets up the Raiders to be playing from behind a ton.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, WR, Chiefs (45% Rostered): Brown hasn’t surpassed five receptions since a big Week 1, nor has he hit 50 yards. With his snap rate hovering around 50%, and Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton seemingly serving as the more prominent deep threats, Brown is teetering on waiver wire fodder status. I may like his skill set more than Worthy and Thornton, but what matters is how the Chiefs see it. He’ll get another week, but without more fruitful opportunities or increased production, it may be time to move on from him as a viable pickup.
Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals (39% Rostered): Carter led the way for Arizona’s depleted backfield against the Titans, finishing with 18 carries, 73 total yards and a touchdown. His 57.1% snap share was tops among the three Cardinals backs, although Bam Knight stole a TD from him, and Emari Demercado not only was the passing down option, he should’ve had a 76-yard touchdown. Demercado is the Arizona RB with the most juice, but will the coaches punish him for his unforgivable goal line gaffe, or play him more because of his explosiveness? We have no idea, truly, but for now the highest floor for the Cardinals’ rushers seems to be Carter.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs (39% Rostered): Hunt only saw seven carries in Kansas City’s loss to the Jaguars Monday, but he scored twice and rushed for 49 yards. Outside of QB and TE, this team has an indecipherable offense for fantasy purposes. These players are all just dart throws in an offense we can reasonably expect to score a decent amount of points. Neither Hunt nor Isiah Pacheco look particularly explosive, fast or impressive these days but Hunt is a proven pass catcher, and is obviously the Chiefs’ preferred back near the goal line. That makes him FLEX-worthy to me, but that’s probably his ceiling without an injury to Pacheco. Hunt’s ceiling is way too low for a big FAAB bid, but for teams who are hurting at RB he can be a bandaid while you work the trade market.
Jaxson Dart, QB, Giants (39% Rostered): Dart threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns with two picks against the Saints in an ugly Giants loss. Those who watched his debut with a critical eye realized his struggles throwing the ball, and in fairness to Dart, he’s likely not ready to be running the show and his WR corps is arguably the worst in the NFL with Malik Nabers on the shelf. He’s still probably startable though because he’s one of the most utilized QBs in the league right now on the ground for some reason. While I personally view this as a way to get a potential franchise QB beat up for no reason as the season swirls down the drain, it makes for fantasy usefulness as long as he’s able to withstand it.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers (36% Rostered): Gainwell was dropped all over the place as he was on bye, and his role is minimal when Jaylen Warren is healthy. We don’t currently know Warren’s status though, so if the show is Gainwell’s again then he’s shown he can be slotted into lineups. Gainwell is a high-value handcuff with low-end FLEX standalone value. That archetype should be rostered everywhere.
Elic Ayomanor, WR, Titans (34% Rostered): Ayomanor is not someone you should be playing right now, since Tennessee’s offense is stuck in the mud. Still, he’s talented, and he’s on the field a ton. The Titans’ victory over Arizona on Sunday was fluky and ridiculous, but if you watch it without preconceived notions about the players involved, you’ll see a second half in which rookie QB Cam Ward was electric and showed why he was the No.1 pick. Ward is going to improve and gain more comfort as the season progresses, and Ayomanor is a 1A right now with Calvin Ridley for them. Like Downs, I’d stash and hold Ayomanor and wait for the talent to reveal itself.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks (31% Rostered): Darnold has been playing well, and he finally exploded for a big fantasy day. The Bucs forces Seattle to sling it to keep pace, and Darnold did, throwing for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Darnold has the benefit of Jaxon Smith-Njigba becoming a true, rock-solid WR1 in this league and it allows Darnold’s to have an elevated floor, with a very high ceiling in the right matchups. His rushing has all but disappeared, which limits his upside, but with three multi-TD performances in five games, Darnold’s showing that, at worst, he’s a solid streamer.
Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos (30% Rostered): Franklin gave another middling performance, and while his floor seems to still be fairly safe in terms of desperation FLEX worthiness, his snap count was sub-60% for a second straight week. It’s not total panic time for Franklin fans, but he does seem to be proving that his floor and ceiling aren’t that far apart, which means there are just better adds to be made with much more upside. For now, I’m stashing and holding but I’d be willing to make riskier adds on lower-rostered players if you need more juice.
Speculative/Deep Cuts
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns (27% Rostered): Last week I implored folks to not lose faith in Fannin Jr. and said the production is coming. I don’t know if Sunday’s game means I was right? Fannin only gave managers 13 yards on four receptions, but one of those catches was a touchdown! It was a good day in fantasy TE land, so that’s all that matters. I expect Fannin to be much more targeted these days with rookie Dillon Gabriel starting. I don’t just say this because of the old “TE is a rookie’s best friend cliché,” but because Gabriel is noodle-armed. He’s accurate, but he doesn’t have much zip, and that means the short and intermediate areas where Fannin thrives just became important.
Malik Washington, WR, Dolphins (26% Rostered): Washington’s first game without Tyreek Hill didn’t go how I expected usage wise, with Washington putting up four catches for zero yards – WHAT?!! – but this was a Jaylen Waddle breakout game. In Hill’s absence, Waddle is going to be a difference maker again, and De’Von Achane is the heart and soul of this offense now. There will still be big plays for Washington, and designed work to take advantage of his wheels. Hang in there, even though it was ugly.
Tyquan Thornton, WR, Chiefs (19% Rostered): Thornton caught three passes for 90 yards Monday night, both confirming how dangerous he is with a QB like Patrick Mahomes at the helm, but also confirming how risky of a play he is each week. Thornton was below 50% snap share for the second consecutive week, and he’s clearly in a diminished role with Xavier Worthy back. That doesn’t mean he can’t strike for big plays, but it dramatically increases his doughnut risk. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using him, but if you’re in dire straits he does at least present upside.
Mason Taylor, TE, Jets (13% Rostered): Taylor’s nine catches and 67 yards is a little deceiving. The production came mostly in garbage time against one of the league’s most deplorable pass defenses. With that said, it was Taylor’s second straight game with 65+ receiving yards, and that might not be a fluke. The Jets are absolutely horrendous, but even the worst offenses produce yards and points. Taylor is unquestionably the second-best pass catcher on this team behind Garrett Wilson, unless you count RB Breece Hall. Taylor is an essential player for this team if they ever want to move the ball, so he’s totally a viable starting TE. He’s exactly the type of player I’d prefer to add over Evan Engram, because the extra risk he carries is outweighed by his potential to actually make a real difference on your team.
Chris Rodriguez, RB, Commanders (12% Rostered): Rodriguez didn’t do anything in this one, and the truth is his role is too split up to really be impactful. Sure, he can score a TD in short yardage, but Bill Croskey got hot on Sunday and the Commanders simply left him to his devices and allowed him to cash in on those opportunities. Could the pendulum swing to Rodriguez at some point where he gets that shot? Of course. This backfield is fluid, but Croskey-Merritt is clearly getting first crack every week so Rodriguez is a pure desperation play praying for a score. He’s not start worthy now, but an injury to Croskey-Merritt can change everything.
Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (11% Rostered): Like Mason Taylor, Johnson is fantasy relevant by default. He’s a big target, he’s got some talent, and the receiving corps around him necessitates his involvement. Johnson scored twice to go along with six receptions and 33 yards vs. the Saints, and more stat lines like this can be expected. He saw five targets vs. the Chargers, and seven in their first game post-Nabers injury.
AJ Barner, TE, Seahawks (2% Rostered): Barner has scored three times in the last two games, and four times on the season. If you prefer rostering players in high-powered offenses vs. more involved players in lower-output passing games, Barner should excite you. He creates athletic mismatches and is someone Darnold has targeted in close. All four of his touchdowns have been in the red zone, three of them have been from inside the 10, and almost 30% of his catches have been for touchdowns. That means that in the weeks he’s not in the end zone, you’re probably having to overcome his presence in your lineup, but this all boils down to your own style as a manager. Barner is not the type of player I enjoy deploying more than once in a while, but I won’t yuck anyone’s yum.
Hassan Haskins, RB, Chargers (1% Rostered): Haskins is a big bruiser who would profile as the short yardage choice for L.A. with Omarion Hampton on IR. We have no clue how Jim Harbaugh will split up Hampton’s workload between Haskins, Vidal, and anyone else they bring in, but for now the entire backfield is worth throwing a low-value FAAB bid on to see if anyone pops. The likeliest scenario is an unusable, messy committee, but stranger things have happened.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (1% Rostered): Vidal logged as many snaps as Haskins in the wake of Hampton’s injury, and realistically no one has a clue how these two will be utilized in his absence. Vidal has had chances before to seize this backfield and failed, so my lean is to Haskins as he is built for short yardage work. With that said, I have basically zero confidence in that assessment, and am treating both as total dart throws.
IR Stashes
Jayden Reed, WR, Packers (39% Rostered)
Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers (9% Rostered)
Handcuffs
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 49ers (39% Rostered)
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (31% Rostered)
Kendre Miller, RB, Saints (31% Rostered)
Ollie Gordon II, RB, Dolphins (25% Rostered)
Justice Hill, RB, Ravens (19% Rostered)
Blake Corum, RB, Rams (17% Rostered)
Ray Davis, RB, Bills (15% Rostered)
Kyle Monangai, RB, Bears (5% Rostered)
Isaiah Davis, RB, Jets (5% Rostered)
Miles Sanders, RB, Cowboys (4% Rostered)
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (1% Rostered)
Devin Singletary, RB, Giants (1% Rostered)