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.

Quarterback

AP Photo/John Locher

Kirk Cousins

Rankings

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
2. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
3. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
4. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
5. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
6. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
7. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
9. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
10. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

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.

Running Back

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Dameon Pierce

Rankings

1. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
2. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
3. Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs
4. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
5. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
6. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
8. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
9. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
10. D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
11. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
12. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
13. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Cam Skattebo, New York Giants
15. Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

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.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

Germie Bernard

Rankings

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
2. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
3. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
4. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
6. Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars
7. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
8. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
9. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
10. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
11. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
12. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
13. Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers
14. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
15. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
16. Jaylen Waddle, Denver Broncos
17. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
18. Denzel Boston, Cleveland Browns
19. Romeo Doubs, New England Patriots
20. DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

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.

Tight End

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Brenton Strange

Rankings

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
4. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
5. Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
6. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
7. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
9. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
10. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

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.

Kickers and Defense/Special Teams

AP Photo/John Amis

Ka'imi Fairbairn

Kickers

1. Ka'imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans
2. Tyler Loop, Baltimore Ravens
3. Spencer Shrader, Indianapolis Colts
4. Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys
6. Eddy Pineiro, San Francisco 49ers
7. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
8. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
9. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. Matt Gay, Las Vegas Raiders

Defense/Special Teams

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. New England Patriots
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Denver Broncos
7. Houston Texans
8. Indianapolis Colts
9. Seattle Seahawks
10. New York Giants

*Fantasy scoring and roster information from FantasyPros