Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings Overview for All Positions

Week 5 brought another slate of surprising results and even more surprising finishes. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset the Cowboys in Dallas to open the week, while the Baltimore Ravens capped Sunday by beating the Falcons in Atlanta in overtime without Lamar Jackson.

Oh, and the New York Giants and Washington Commanders played to the first tie of the 2026 season.

The year has been filled with surprises so far, and that has been true for the fantasy football world, too. Bye weeks are not part of the uncertainty, and the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings will be off for Week 6.

Here, we'll dive into some early point-per-reception (PPR) rankings for the week, along with a few sleepers to consider plucking off the waiver wire at the key positions.

Waiver Target: Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders did bench quarterback Kirk Cousins for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in Week 5, though they didn't do it for performance-based reasons. Things got out of hand in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots, so Mendoza got some playing time.

Cousins will be back under center when the Raiders host the Buffalo Bills this week. That makes him a terrific streaming option for managers who need a quarterback.

While Cousins tallied just 13.7 fantasy points in Week 5, he's topped 15 points in every other game this season, and he topped 20 points in Weeks 2-4. The Bills, meanwhile, allowed an average of 21.8 fantasy points to opposing QBs entering Monday night.

Cousins is rostered in just 48 percent of fantasy leagues.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Waiver Target: Dameon Pierce, Philadelphia Eagles

Dameon Pierce looms as a viable waiver target only because the Philadelphia Eagles are running out of other backfield options. Saquon Barkley is dealing with a hamstring injury, Tank Bigsby is on injured reserve, and Will Shipley suffered a foot injury on Sunday.

Pierce, who was signed from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Week 5, recorded just 12 scrimmage yards on Sunday but saw 11 carries and two receptions. This week, he'll face a Carolina Panthers defense that ranks dead-last in yards per carry allowed (5.2).

Obviously, Pierce's value will take a hit if Barkley is able to return, but he's rostered in only two percent of fantasy leagues.

Waiver Target: Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers

Germie Bernard is another player who got an opportunity because of injuries in Week 5. The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie didn't make much of an impact during the early season, but he was heavily involved with Michael Pittman Jr. sidelined and with Roman Wilson suffering a finger injury on Sunday.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler , Wilson is expected to miss multiple weeks.

With Pittman and Wilson out, Bernard caught six of nine targets for 80 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. He'll next face a Buccaneers defense that ranks 20th in receiving yards allowed.

Bernard is rostered in just six percent of leagues.

Waiver Target: Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Brenton Strange has started to carve out a role in the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense, as opposing defenses have started focusing on receivers like Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers. He had minimal production in Weeks 2 and 3 but has reached double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back weeks.

This week, Strange will face a Houston Texans defense that hasn't exactly been friendly to opposing tight ends. However, Houston is likely to focus on slowing Jacksonville's wideouts, which could open opportunities for Strange.

The Jags' tight end should have a reasonable PPR floor this week, and he's still only rostered in 38 percent of fantasy leagues.

*Fantasy scoring and roster information from FantasyPros