- Stop overlooking Tyquan Thornton: He has scored at least 14 fantasy points in three of five games this season, while outscoring many big wide receivers. He gets a great game this Sunday night against the banged up Detroit Lions secondary.
- 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 and 17.7 fantasy points in Week 5, but is still available in more than 65% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues entering Week 6.
- Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Statsdominate the fantasy with seasonal tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool.
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With so many key fantasy players already injured or on bye weeks, you may find yourself digging deeper into the waiver wire than you ever expected heading into the sixth week of the season. Here are five players to consider adding to the waiver wire heading into Week 6 if you’re in a pinch due to injury.
QB MacJones, San Francisco 49ers
In his three starts as a 49er, Jones has scored 21.8 and 22.2 fantasy points in two of them – and both good performances came on the road. This week he faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who just had Sam Darnold throw four touchdowns and score 27.6 fantasy points on Sunday. The Buccaneers have allowed all five 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 scored 24 points. Over the past three weeks, Tyrod Taylor, Jalen Hurts and Darnold all had multiple passing touchdowns against the Buccaneers’ beatable secondary.
The Buccaneers have a top-notch defense, so expect the 49ers to lean on Jones and the passing game to keep up with Baker Mayfield and Tampa’s high-powered offense.
Available in 95.8% of ESPN leagues and 93% of Yahoo! Leagues.
RB Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers
If you’re really struggling to find a viable RB2 option this week due to bye weeks and injuries, Emanuel Wilson has almost 100% of waivers and he has a 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’ final game before their Week 5 bye. His volume could increase this Sunday in what should be a blowout 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 monstrous 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’s shocking to see that Tyquan Thornton is still available in over 80% of leagues on both ESPN and Yahoo despite putting up over fourteen fantasy points in three of five games this season. He has averaged more fantasy points per game than Mike Evans, DeVonta Smith, AJ 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’s a big play machine, averaging 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. Additionally, they will be missing both of their starting cornerbacks (Terrion Arnold and DJ Reed) on Sunday night and could be without star safety Kerby Joseph, who is questionable due to a knee injury. This matchup between the Lions and Chiefs has the highest over/under (52.5 points) of the week. Thornton will undoubtedly get 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 top targets. Bond led the Browns’ wide receivers with seven targets in Week 5, trailing 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 saw just 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 against the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary this weekend.
The Steelers have allowed the third-most receiving yards per game to wide receivers in 2025, while also allowing 11.4 receptions of more than 10 yards per game (third most in the NFL) and 3.5 receptions of more than 20 yards per game (fifth most in the NFL). Bond has shown off his 4.39-second speed while racking up more than 20 yards receiving over the past two weeks. He’s due for a breakout game, and I believe it’s this Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Available in 96.3% of ESPN leagues and 95% of Yahoo! Leagues.
The Mason Taylor, Jets from New York
I have Mason Taylor ranked as my fantasy TE9 for Week 6, but he is still available in over 65% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues. Over the past two weeks, Taylor has had the second-most targets, receptions and receiving yards on the New York Jets, behind Garrett Wilson. Taylor’s 14 receptions and 132 receiving yards rank first and second among all tight ends in the NFL as of Week 4. The New York Jets’ passing attack is heavily concentrated among just three pass catchers, Wilson, Taylor and Breece Hall. With Wilson likely to see a lot of Pat Surtain II in coverage this weekend, Taylor’s target share should continue to flourish. 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.
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