Week five of the 2026 NFL season is done, and you are looking in the mirror wondering how it all went so wrong. You thought Nick Sirianni would kick the ball out of bounds, and you were wrong. You thought Jayden Daniels knew to spike the ball to kill the clock, and you were wrong. You thought Tyson Bagent actually was one of the 32 best quarterbacks in football, and oh boy were you wrong. You thought you could win at fantasy football, but you don’t have to be wrong. Before you give up on your fantasy season, remember that the waiver wire exists to save you from the cruel and unforgiving fantasy football gods. I will provide you with the best options available. If I don’t mention someone whom you think I should be talking about, just know there are many reasons why I overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad I don’t even consider them. Or maybe it’s because your opinions cannot be trusted. After all, you are here. So let us examine our best waiver wire options for our championship run…
Week Six Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders (45% rostered)
While it was a bad outing for the Raiders, the QB6 on the season still had 243 passing yards and a touchdown. Next week, Cousins has a bad Buffalo defense on a short week. He is worth a grab.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (28% rostered)
Over the last three weeks, Aaron Rodgers has been QB10, QB3, and QB8. (Barring Monday Night Football for this week. In week five, Rodgers had 235 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. His next three games are very winnable, so if you are desperate for quarterback help, Rodgers isn’t a bad option.
Week Six Waiver Wire Running Backs
Woody Marks, Houston Texans (52% rostered)
Woody Marks only had 66 all-purpose yards in Week 5, but the big reason Marks is the number one waiver addition is the injury to David Montgomery. Even before Montgomery was injured, Marks was in an even split in the Houston backfield. With DMont hurt, this gives Marks a clear path to usage in good spots.
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers (55% rostered)
It is easy to look at MarShawn Lloyd’s RB7 finish and think, “Yeah, but it was against a really bad Bears run defense.” I have good news for you. Lloyd gets to play the Cowboys, Lions, and Panthers the next three weeks, so the bad run defenses will keep coming. The fact is, Lloyd is the starting running back on a very bad run team, but he is still a lead back.
Dameon Pierce, Philadelphia Eagles (2% rostered)
The case for Dameon Pierce is simple – he is all Nick Sirianni has left. All the Eagles running backs are hurt, so we know he is going to get carries. Will he do anything with them? Probably not, but if you are staring down the barrel of a Dameon Pierce start, you don’t have any good options.
Week Six Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers (6% rostered)
In Week 5, Germie Bernard ran the second-most routes run, had the second-highest targets per route run, second-highest yards per route run, and the highest target share on the team. Before the Week 5 MNF game, he ranked as the WR19 with 6 catches for 80 yards. Last week, I thought Wilson was the add, but the Steelers invested a 2nd-round pick on Bernard, and we saw a significant increase in usage. More importantly, he made the most of that opportunity. Rookies who profile like this help win fantasy leagues, and this is my number one waiver wire add for the week.
Kendrick Bourne, Arizona Cardinals (3% rostered)
With Marvin Harrison, Jr. traded to the Houston Texans, Kendrick Bourne is a very interesting option for the Arizona Cardinals. On the one hand, Bourne will only be the number three receiving option on this team. On the other hand, Bourne just had 5 catches for 70 yards in Week 5, and Jacoby Brissett has the second-most passing attempts in the league. I think Bourne is a solid pickup who will be matchup-dependent.
Week Six Waiver Wire Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (18% rostered)
The fact is that there isn’t a tight end on the waiver wire worth spending your waiver priority or FAAB on. If you are desperate to make a move, Pat Freiermuth is as good a choice as any, with 3 top-14 finishes in the last 5 weeks, including a TE2 performance this past week. 5 catches for 44 yards and 2 touchdowns is nice, but this will be hard to predict. The one thing he has going for him is that, unlike DK Metcalf, he can catch balls that hit him in the hands.
