High-Upside Bench Stashes: Sneaky Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds Before Week 6

October 12, 2025

Andy's must-have bench stashes and sneaky fantasy football waiver wire adds, sleepers ahead of Week 6 in 2025. Pick up these high-upside players before Week 6.

Injuries have been the storyline of the 2025 campaign. Managers have seen many high-end players, such as Lamar Jackson (hamstring), Omarion Hampton (ankle), and James Conner (foot), miss time, which has caused many to look to the waiver wire.

However, a key to winning fantasy football is getting ahead of your league. Stashing the potential beneficiary to an injury not only saves you FAAB but also provides you with a top plug-and-play option if your team is decimated by injuries.

However, these suggestions are not meant to be your "one-week" replacement players. The vast majority of these players hold minimal standalone value but could become must-start players as soon as they receive a boost in the depth chart. All players suggested are available in at least 75% of all Yahoo! leagues. Let's dive in!

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Running Backs

Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

8% rostered

Kyle Monangai has been a feature of this column for several weeks, but his stock could rise even further coming out of the bye week. Through his first four games in Chicago, Monangai has yet to truly carve into D'Andre Swift's role, but has fully established himself as the No. 2 option in the backfield, which is very important.

Through four games, Monangai has taken 17 carries (no carries in Week 1) and tallied 62 yards. He also brought in three of his five targets for 23 yards. In addition, after seeing only 19% of the snaps in the season opener, the rookie saw at least 28% in each of the next three games, with a high of 41% in Week 2.

During this stretch, Swift has seen at least 57% of the snaps and is averaging 14.0 attempts per game with 3.3 receptions per game. Despite his higher workload, Swift is holding a modest 3.3 YPC, which is on track to be the lowest of his career. The majority of his fantasy production has come from this volume, and he has two rushing touchdowns.

While Monangai has not been overly impressive, rookies take time, and a bye week can be crucial for their development. He is a name to strongly consider keeping on your bench ahead of Week 6. Do not be surprised if the Bears provide the seventh-round rookie his largest opportunity share of the campaign.

If Swift continues to provide a minimal spark in the backfield, expect Ben Johnson to turn to the rookie he personally drafted in the near future.

Isaiah Davis, New York Jets

5% rostered

The other running back we will look at this week has recently jumped up the depth chart due to injuries. In their Week 4 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the No. 2 option, Braelon Allen, suffered an MCL sprain and is slated to miss the next 8-10 weeks. As a result, Davis was promoted from the No. 3 spot to the backup role behind workhorse Breece Hall.

During the first three games, Davis only logged three attempts and saw three targets. However, in each of the previous two games, Davis has logged four carries and caught all six of his targets. Despite his workload not seeming overly high, he is seeing his role drastically increase, especially on passing downs.

In Week 5, Davis logged a rather high 42% of the snaps, while Hall saw 61%. Hall also suffered a minor injury in this game, but this is not expected to limit him this weekend. However, Davis would immediately take on the lead role if Hall were to face a setback.

In addition, with Hall in the final year of his contract, there is an outside chance the Jets look to trade Hall to a contender later in the season. With the Jets already extending Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, it is unlikely they will also look to extend their running back. This would also open the door for Daivs to carry high value during the second half.

Other RBs to Consider Stashing:

• Sean Tucker TB
• Brashard Smith KC
• DJ Giddens IND
• Trevor Etienne CAR
• Ray Davis BUF

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Wide Receivers

Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers

10% rostered

This may be your final chance to stash, Jalen Coker. Coker has been on the IR with a quadriceps injury through the opening month. However, Coker returned to practice this week and opened the week as a full participant, suggesting he should be in the clear to make his debut on Sunday afternoon.

As an undrafted rookie, Coker was able to make a somewhat significant impact in his debut campaign back in 2024, and could immediately slide into the No. 2 WR role on the depth chart. Through 11 games, Coker caught 32 passes for 478 yards and two touchdowns.

Currently, Xavier Legette and Hunter Renfrow have played opposite breakout rookie Tetairoa McMillan, and neither has truly earned the No. 2 role. While Legette is coming off a 31-yard TD performance, he only brought in four of his 15 targets in the opening weeks. Renfrow found the back of the end zone twice in Week 2, but has gone on to catch only five passes in total over the past three games.

Leading up to the season, Coker was slated to be the very-down slot receiver who had gained the trust of the coaching staff. This injury was only a minor hiccup in his breakout season.

Jalen Coker's Practice Window Opens on Wednesday https://t.co/uL3AHm2WT0

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 8, 2025

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

8% rostered

The other wide receiver we will look at is also slated to come off the IR in the near future. Watson is working his way back from a torn ACL, but has already returned to practice. On Wednesday, he was listed as a limited participant in his first official session, which is an excellent sign that his return may be sooner, rather than later.

Earlier this week, Watson said he "feels 100%" in his recovery, and seeing him lead participation in practice is a very positive sign.

Watson will join a WR room that lacks a bona fide No. 1 option, which makes him a top stash candidate. While Romeo Doubs has made the largest impact, the vast majority of his production has come in the red zone, as he is only averaging a modest 44.8 yards per game. Doubs has scored four touchdowns, but his yardage suggests he's more of a red zone threat than a true alpha.

With Jayden Reed (collarbone) also on the shelf, and likely to miss the remainder of the season, Watson has a path to emerge as the WR1 on this team as soon as he returns.

Christian Watson Says he Feels "100 Percent" https://t.co/QcmSj0QkkZ

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 6, 2025

Other WRs to Consider Stashing:

• Luther Burden III, CHI
• Malik Washington MIA
• Tory Horton SEA

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, BAL

5% rostered

Isaiah Liley has only caught one pass since returning from IR, but this should not deter you from owning him, especially in deep 14-team formats. During these two games, Likely has logged 46% and 53% of the snaps, respectively. However, the top tight end, Mark Andrews, has not had a much larger role, logging only 56% and 58% of the snaps during the two games.

In addition, outside of Andrews' two-touchdown performance in Week 3, the veteran tight end has caught just 11 passes for a mere 59 yards across four games. In Week 5, he also ran only 13 routes, which was a stark drop from the 23 routes he ran in Week 4.

Seeing Andrews' role in the offense appears to be declining, Likely could take over the lead role much sooner than expected. In addition, coming out of the Week 7 bye, Jackson should be cleared to return, which will provide a much-needed boost to this offense.

Given how poorly the secondary has played, Jackson will need to push the ball downfield to keep his team afloat, which could allow Likely to emerge as a consistent option in this offense.

Other TEs to Consider Stashing:

• Ja'Tavion Sanders CAR
• Theo Johnson NYG

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Quarterbacks

Dillon Gabriel, CLE

5% rostered

While Spencer Rattler, whom we discussed last week, remains a strong stash option for deeper one-QB leagues, having shown solid promise in the team's first victory of the season, let's take a look at rookie QB Dillon Gabriel. With the Browns trading Joe Flacco to the Bengals, Gabriel will remain the QB1 in Cleveland for the majority of the campaign.

In his debut, Gabriel was relatively efficient, despite facing a Brian Flores-led defense. In their loss to the Vikings, Gabriel went 19-for-33 with two scores and no interceptions. While he did not break any fantasy records, it was a rather impressive debut for the rookie.

With Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, and emerging rookies like Isaiah Bond and Harold Fannin Jr. in his pass-catching room, Gabriel could push for high-end QB2 upside going forward. In addition, with Quinshon Judkins enjoying a breakout season, the Browns' offense could be quite competitive in the second half.

Gabriel fires one into Njoku for the lead! 🇬🇧 @NFLUKIRE

MINvsCLE on @nflnetwork
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Hh45n32FhP

— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025

Other QBs to Consider Stashing:

• Spencer Rattler NO

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