Week five of the 2025 NFL season is over, and everybody is fumbling. Adonai Mitchell? Fumbling touchdowns. Emari Demercado? Fumbling touchdowns. You? Well, you’ve just fumbled your entire fantasy draft. Before you give up, you need to know an important secret. Everybody fumbles their NFL draft, but they win their leagues on the waiver wire. I’ll provide you with the best options available. If I don’t mention someone you think I should be talking about, please know that there are many reasons why I may have overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad that I don’t even consider them. Perhaps it’s because your opinions are not trustworthy. After all, you are here. So, let us examine the top week five waiver wire players for your championship run…
Week Six Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (23% rostered)
Sam Darnold finished the week as the QB2, with 341 yards passing, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. If you need to start a quarterback, he is probably all you have left. Most guys are rostered at a 67% rate. You can wait for later in the week to find streaming options, but if you need a quarterback, you probably should have grabbed Danny Dimes when I told you to.
Week Six Waiver Wire Running Backs
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys (48% rostered)
Rico Dowdle absolutely wrecked the Miami Dolphins to the tune of 234 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown, finishing as the RB1 on the week. This is a tough one because Dowdle is a legitimately good NFL running back. The problem is that Chuba Hubbard is likely to be back next week, which will muddy up the usage waters. If you wanted the Rico Dowdle blow-up game, you missed it. That doesn’t mean he won’t have future value.
Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals (46% rostered)
In week five, Michael Carter had 73 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown. While he didn’t have the performance that Rico Dowdle had this week, he has a much clearer path for fantasy relevance for the next few weeks. Trey Benson is on IR, so Michael Carter is likely to start at least 3 more games, unless he pulls an Emari Demercado and gets choked out by his coach before Benson comes back.
Kimani Vidal/Hassan Haskins, Los Angeles Chargers (1%/1% rostered)
With Omarion Hampton going to IR, Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins are the only two running backs left on the Chargers. They both had identical snap counts, so it is hard to determine who Jim Harbaugh will favor. Frankly, with their entire offensive line hurt, I am not sure how much a third-string running back running behind a bunch of backup offensive linemen will help your fantasy team.
Week Six Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers (4% rostered)
The San Francisco 49ers are doing an in-season performance of The Long Walk. Every week, a new receiver ends up brutally murdered. Thus far, Kendrick Bourne hasn’t been killed. In fact, one could argue he killed it in week five with 10 catches for 142 yards. Brock Purdy Mac Jones needs weapons, and Bourne might be the only one available.
Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys (1% rostered)
In week five, Ryan Flournoy had six catches for 114 yards. While he had a great week for fantasy football, it is very likely an outlier. Against the Jets, Flournoy was only 4th in routes run and targets for the team. Perhaps most importantly of all, Flournoy doesn’t get to play the Jets next week, so he probably won’t be as wide open.
Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans (1% rostered)
Xavier Hutchinson had 3 catches for 18 yards and 2 touchdowns in week five. It is noteworthy that the Houston Texans were only able to produce on offense against the Baltimore Ravens’ backups, as the entire team is currently injured. If you think Houston’s offense is fixed, go ahead and take a shot at him. It feels like a bad process to me.
Week Six Waiver Wire Tight Ends
AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks (2% rostered)
Over the last couple of weeks, AJ Barner has been seeing an increased role in the Seahawks offense. Barner is second on the team in yards per route run during that time. In week five, Barner had 7 catches for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns. I think all the tight ends this week are just part of the overall tight end blob, so that I won’t burn a waiver on them. However, AJ Barner is my favorite among the bunch because he is on the best offense by a significant margin, which means more opportunities for touchdowns.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants (9% rostered)
Since Jaxon Dart took over, Theo Johnson is second on the team in routes run and first in targets per routes run. Those are metrics that I like to see in the tight end position. Johnson had 6 catches for 33 yards and 2 touchdowns in week five. Johnson is likely a role player, but he will get opportunities, which could yield a decent floor. I wouldn’t spend a waiver on any tight end this week, but Johnson has a profile worth targeting if he clears waivers.
Mason Taylor, New York Jets (14% rostered)
Mason Taylor is 2nd on the Jets in targets, yards per route run, and targets per route run. In week five, Taylor had 9 catches for 67 yards. Based on how the Jets’ defense has been playing, they will likely be playing from behind frequently. That means a lot of potential for garbage time production.
