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Dan's top quarterback Week 6 fantasy pickups (2026). The best QB fantasy waiver wire pickups to add and Week 6 QB streamers for 1QB, 2QB and superflex leagues.
Quarterback scoring returned to form in Week 5. Two quarterbacks (Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels) surpassed the 30-point mark. Another eight (Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Joe Burrow, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, Aaron Rodgers, Trevor Lawrence, and C.J. Stroud) broke 20 points.
Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when bye weeks force fantasy managers to get creative to fill voids in their lineup. They will need to be on their game in Week 6 since four teams will be on bye this week (Cincinnati, Detroit, Minnesota, and Miami).
In this article, I will focus on players rostered in under 65% of fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered). Let’s look at who you should consider picking up for Week 6 below. All roster percentages will be from Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
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Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 27% rostered
Rodgers continues to stack strong performances for fantasy managers. Rodgers threw for just 235 yards in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, but his three passing touchdowns helped him score a season-high 24 fantasy points.
Hat trick for Aaron Rodgers 🔥
@INDvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/G9Uywg5O2p— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Rodgers now has three straight games with more than 21 fantasy points, throwing for 826 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions during that stretch of games.
The Steelers’ offense is getting the passing volume they need to support Rodgers as a fantasy option this season. His 31 attempts in Week 5 were his lowest of the season and just the second time he's had fewer than 35 pass attempts in 2026.
Pittsburgh has positive matchups for fantasy quarterbacks over its next three games (Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Cleveland) before its Week 9 bye and then follows that up with additional good matchups against the Bengals (Week 10) and Eagles (Week 11).
Rodgers has streaming appeal week-over-week, especially with bye weeks increasing in the coming weeks.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Yahoo: 59% rostered
Almost nothing went right for the Arizona Cardinals in their Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions. Thankfully for fantasy managers, the Cardinals continued to show a willingness to let Brissett air it out when the team was trailing.
Brissett completed 29 of 47 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a blowout loss to the Lions. It was the fourth time this season that Brissett attempted 35 or more passes, and the second time he threw the ball more than 45 times. It was his second 25+ point fantasy performance.
The Cardinals defense isn’t good, which means the Cardinals will continue to find themselves in negative game scripts going forward. If Brissett is under center, he will continue to get the volume needed to provide fantasy managers with fantasy production.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Yahoo: 37% rostered
The Las Vegas Raiders offense finally hit a speed bump against the New England Patriots in Week 5. However, that didn’t stop Kirk Cousins from having another clean game as a passer, even if it wasn’t his best fantasy performance.
Cousins completed 19 of 28 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions. It was the first time this season he failed to throw multiple touchdown passes, but it was also his second game without an interception.
However, his connection with Brock Bowers (eight receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown) continues to grow. Cousins hasn’t done anything to lose his grip on the starting job for the Raiders, which gives him multi-week fantasy appeal throughout bye weeks.
Cousins will have an opportunity to bounce back in Week 6 against a Buffalo defense that has struggled in the secondary this season.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Yahoo: 59% rostered
Kyler Murray turned in arguably his best performance as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, completing 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown while adding 10 carries for 51 yards in a win over the New Orleans Saints.
Murray has three straight double-digit fantasy performances, but he has yet to crack the 20 fantasy point mark with Minnesota. At least in Week 5 we got to see evidence that his connection with Justin Jefferson was starting to come together.
3 on 1? No problem for Justin Jefferson 😌
@MINvsNO on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/QQsYW9NIhO— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Murray is not a priority add on the waiver wire if your starting quarterback is on bye in Week 6 since Minnesota is also out of action. But he’s a player worth stashing on the waiver wire if you know you will need a quarterback in the coming weeks.
The Vikings face three defenses ranked in the bottom six against fantasy quarterbacks (Indianapolis, Detroit, and Buffalo) in their first three games after their Week 6 bye.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Jameis Winston, New York Giants
Yahoo: 6% rostered
Things didn’t look good for Jameis Winston at the start of Week 5’s matchup against the Washington Commanders. The Giants had just three points on offense against Washington in the first half. Weather was partially to blame, but a lot of the offense’s struggles fell on Winston’s shoulders.
The veteran quarterback finished the first half completing just seven of 18 attempts for 62 yards and a lost fumble. However, he rebounded in a big way in the second half, pushing the ball downfield and getting the ball into the hands of Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers.
The game ultimately ended in a tie after a baffling overtime decision by Daniels, but Winston was the catalyst that put the Giants in position to win. He finished the game completing 33 of 54 passing attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions.
What a DART by Jameis Winston 🎯
AZvsNYG on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/ClgEH5jvhM— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
The Giants started to work J.J. McCarthy onto the field during this game, so it feels like an inevitability that the team will turn to him at some point this season. But for now, we are getting vintage, high-volume passing performances from Winston. He has two straight games with at least 19 fantasy points and has plus matchups against the Saints and Texans before the Giants’ Week 8 bye.
Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Yahoo: 9% rostered
There was hope that a new offensive system would help Cam Ward rebound from a terrible first season to become a productive quarterback (both in real life and fantasy) in 2026. Instead, this season has been more of the same.
Ward is completing 63.2% of his passes this season, throwing for just 826 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions over the first five weeks. He is coming off his second game this season with fewer than 10 fantasy points scored. So how is he an add ahead of Week 6?
The Titans face off against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. The Colts entered Week 5 as one of the six teams in the NFL giving up an average of 20 or more fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They then gave up 24 points to Rodgers.
Ward has failed to impress in his second season, but he is a viable streamer due to his opponent in Week 6, especially if your waiver wire has been picked clean by fantasy managers in your league.
Jalon Daniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yahoo: 4% rostered
Jalon Daniels has plenty of flaws as a quarterback, but that is expected from a UDFA making starts in his first NFL season. That said, he was able to play within the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense in Week 5 to secure a surprising win against the Dallas Cowboys.
Daniels has thrown for 337 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his two starts while adding 15 carries for 78 yards. He’s yet to have a standout fantasy performance, but his back-to-back games with 12.4 and 13.8 fantasy points are respectable enough.
The rookie’s rushing upside gives him access to a higher ceiling as a quarterback, making him an intriguing fantasy option as long as he’s in the starting lineup.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice
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