RADIO
Rocky Beers Offers Strong Tight End Waiver Value
Oklahoma tight end Rocky Beers comes out of the bye with 18 catches for 255 yards and two touchdowns through four games. His last appearance was an eight-catch, 84-yard, one-touchdown performance at Georgia, and he also posted six receptions for 94 yards at Michigan. Two games with at least six catches already make him stand out at a position where waiver options get thin quickly. Beers sits second on Oklahoma in receiving yards, and RotoBaller lists him first among its Week 6 tight end pickups. The matchup with Texas is not friendly, but the Sooners' protection issues have kept the shorter passing game important, which fits Beers' role. At 36% rostered, he is a strong add for managers looking for steady involvement rather than chasing a touchdown-dependent tight end.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Umari Hatcher's Target Volume Is Too Big to Ignore
Syracuse wide receiver Umari Hatcher turned another heavy workload into his biggest game of the season, catching 12 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns in the overtime win at UConn. That pushed him to 29 receptions for 434 yards and five scores through four games. The target numbers are even harder to ignore. RotoBaller credits Hatcher with 42 targets, while no other Syracuse player has more than 17. He produced Saturday's eruption with Amari Odom making his first start for the Orange, including a 17-yard touchdown on fourth down in overtime. Hatcher is still available in 65% of Yahoo leagues entering a Week 6 trip to Virginia. With this much of the passing game running through him, he belongs in the priority-add tier rather than being treated as a one-week touchdown chase.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Kwazi Gilmer's Breakout Comes With a Schedule Catch
Nebraska wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer has put together back-to-back 100-yard games, the latest a career-best 11 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland. He now has 29 receptions for 387 yards and six scores through five games after starting every game for the Cornhuskers. The Week 6 decision is more about timing than role. Nebraska gets defending national champion Indiana at home, travels to Oregon the following week, then has its bye. RotoBaller's current waiver guidance specifically frames Gilmer as a stash through that stretch. At 4% rostered, he is still easy to acquire in most leagues, and waiting for a friendlier matchup could close that window. Gilmer is a top stash for teams with enough bench room to be patient rather than an automatic Week 6 starter.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Aiden Flora Has Become a Must-Add
Iowa State running back Aiden Flora did a little bit of everything against West Virginia. He ran 22 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns, then completed both of his pass attempts for 48 yards and two more scores in the 45-42 win. Those trick-play touchdowns will not be part of the weekly expectation. The rushing role is what makes Flora a must-add. He has 73 carries for 594 yards and six rushing touchdowns through five games, and the 22 attempts were a season high. RotoBaller's Week 6 waiver column lists him first among the running backs and calls him the week's most sought-after waiver claim. At only 12% rostered, there should not be much hesitation here. BYU is a difficult Week 6 matchup, but Flora has already moved beyond speculative-add territory.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Marcus Mariota Diagnosed With MCL Sprain
Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday in the team's 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in London in Week 4, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. It is Mariota's second MCL sprain of the year, with the first coming in the preseason. In Mariota's second straight start for the injured Jayden Daniels (elbow), he went 3-for-4 passing for 46 yards before injuring his knee. Athan Kaliakmanis took over under center for Washington and went 15-for-33 passing for 186 yards, a touchdown, and one interception the rest of the way. Mariota did not miss much time with his right-knee injury during the preseason, but the veteran 32-year-old should be expected to miss a little time going forward, which means the Commanders could be in trouble at the QB position for a Week 5 game against the visiting New York Giants if Daniels is not yet cleared from the dislocated left elbow he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. The good news for the Commanders is that Daniels was limited in practice last week, so if he can upgrade to a full practice this week, he could be cleared to return this weekend.
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
DJ Lagway's Rebound Creates a Stash Opportunity
Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway (ankle) delivered his best game of the season in Saturday's 55-19 win at Arizona State, completing 25 of 40 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns before adding an 11-yard rushing score. He has thrown six touchdown passes in two games since returning from the sprained right ankle that cost him two weeks. Lagway is now at 860 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions across three starts. There is no immediate Week 6 payoff because Baylor is on a bye, so this is a stash rather than a streaming move. His return against Colorado was uneven, but the Arizona State performance was a clear step forward. Baylor returns Oct. 17 against TCU, making Lagway a top stash for managers who can carry an extra quarterback through the open date.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Chase Briscoe Dominates at Las Vegas for Second Win of 2026
Chase Briscoe was the dominant driver of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Briscoe began the race from fourth position and ran behind his teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs until a lap 45 caution, when Briscoe stayed off of pit road. He gained the lead and never looked back through the rest of the first stage, winning it and gaining 10 stage points. In the second stage, Briscoe continued his dominance until green flag pit stops, when he lost the lead to other drivers who stayed off pit road. However, Briscoe's car was so fast that he passed everyone ahead of him and beat out Austin Cindric to win the second stage. Much like the second stage, Briscoe dominated the race until his green flag pit stop, but was chased by Bubba Wallace through most of the stage. Briscoe held off Wallace and maintained the lead until Kyle Larson challenged him for the win in the closing laps. The No. 19 Toyota driver stayed ahead of Larson, even after Larson hit the wall on the final lap, making a desperate move for position, and went on to claim his first Las Vegas Cup victory. After obtaining his second win of the 2026 season, Briscoe moves up to eighth in the Cup Series standings with five races left.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Kyle Larson Recovers from Struggles to Finish Second
Kyle Larson nearly completed an incredible comeback to win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but was one position short. Larson started sixth but struggled with handling early, forcing an extended pit stop in the first stage. After falling a lap down but getting back to the lead lap thanks to a caution, Larson went on to finish the first stage in 24th. In the second stage, Larson continued to move up through the field, passing other drivers until he finished the stage in 10th, gaining one stage point. In the final stage, Larson and his team improved the No. 5 car enough to compete for the win, as he continued to gain positions. Larson drove up to second and battled with Chase Briscoe in the closing laps. On the final lap, Larson positioned himself to make a move past the final turn, but got loose and hit the wall while Tyler Reddick clipped him and spun from behind Larson. Despite the damage, Larson still finished second and maintained the championship lead by 40 points over Denny Hamlin.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Tyler Reddick Recovers from A Penalty to Finish in Third
Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing scored a great finish in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, but not without some struggles. Reddick began the race from fifth place and showed plenty of speed early in the first stage. He went on to place fourth at the end of the first stage and earn seven stage points. During the second stage, Reddick received a pit road penalty for having too many pit crew members of his team over the wall. Reddick spent the rest of the stage coming from the back and finished 11th. The No. 45 Toyota driver continued his ascent through the final stage, making it up to as high as third in the closing laps as he passed other drivers. On the final lap, Reddick tried to position himself to pass Kyle Larson on the final corner, but Larson smacked the wall, and Reddick could not avoid his car. Reddick spun through the infield grass into pit road, but still crossed the finish line to place third. With his best Las Vegas finish since March 2024, Reddick is now seventh in the Cup Series standings with five races left.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Austin Cindric Nabs A Strong Finish of Fourth at Las Vegas
Team Penske's Austin Cindric put together another strong performance for the 2026 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400. Cindric started Sunday's race from seventh and raced inside the top 10 throughout the entire race outside of pit stops. In the first stage, Cindric moved up a few positions and placed fifth at the end of the stage, earning six stage points. Cindric moved even closer to the front in the second stage, finishing second at the stage's conclusion behind Chase Briscoe despite initially being set back by a slower pit stop. He also led 33 laps in the second stage. In the final stage, Cindric continued to run inside the top five outside of pit stops and kept his car clean. Although he had one of the fastest overall cars, he did not have the speed or track position to compete for the win and settled for fourth, a new career-best finish at Las Vegas. Cindric's fourth-place result also marked the first time in his Cup career that he scored back-to-back top-5 finishes. The No. 2 Ford driver is now ninth in the Cup Series standings with 31 races completed this season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ryan Blaney Runs Well at Las Vegas and Finishes Fifth
Ryan Blaney of Team Penske ran well throughout the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finishing in the top five. Blaney started 20th, but made up positions in the first stage to ultimately score stage points as he finished the stage in third. The No. 12 Ford driver continued to run inside the top five through most of the second stage outside of pit stops before finishing the stage in fourth. The final stage is where Blaney finally started to compete for the lead, as he did fight against Chase Briscoe early in the stage. However, he was unable to pass him and lost positions to other drivers, including Austin Cindric and Bubba Wallace. Blaney did go on to lead 10 laps in the final stage by running on the track while other drivers went to pit road before he eventually made his final stop of the race. He went on to regain positions through the race and placed fifth, earning his first top-5 finish at Las Vegas since March 2024. After 31 races this season, Blaney is now fifth in the Cup Series standings with five races left until the end of The Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Texans Expected to Open Tank Dell's Practice Window
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that the team expects to open the practice window for wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) to return from Injured Reserve this week, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. Once the Texans open the practice window for Dell this week, they will have 21 days to officially activate him from IR so that he can make his 2026 season debut. It is great news that Dell is expected to resume practicing with the team this week, but it does not mean that he will be ready to play in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. And when Dell eventually makes his season debut, the Texans will most likely ease him back into their offense after he suffered a catastrophic knee injury in 2024 that caused him to miss all of the 2025 season. But in a Texans offense that could use some help behind WR1 Nico Collins, Dell could eventually have a sizable role in the team's passing attack by the end of the 2026 campaign, making him stash-worthy right now in deeper leagues. The 26-year-old former third-rounder from Houston has 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games for the Texans in his two NFL seasons.
Source: KPRC 2 Sports - Aaron Wilson
Source: KPRC 2 Sports - Aaron Wilson
Tyreek Hill Remains Under Active Personal Conduct Policy Review
Free-agent wide receiver Tyreek Hill (knee) could sign with an NFL team sooner rather than later (and possibly return to the Kansas City Chiefs), but per the NFL, Hill remains under an active personal-conduct review, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The investigation was sparked by the divorce filing initiated by his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, after she made specific allegations of domestic violence in October of last year. Hill has past off-the-field incidents, including a 2015 guilty plea to domestic violence and battery by strangulation in an incident involving his then-pregnant girlfriend. It could result in an enhanced suspension if the NFL finds a personal-conduct violation in connection with Vaccaro's allegations. There is no firm timetable for when the league will conclude its personal-conduct investigation of Hill, making it more of an unknown as far as when Hill might be able to return to a regular-season NFL game if he signs with a new team soon. There is less urgency for the NFL to resolve the situation since he currently is not with an organization.
Source: Pro Football Talk - Mike Florio
Source: Pro Football Talk - Mike Florio
Tennessee Not Naming Starting QB for Week 6
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel hasn't decided on a starting quarterback for the team's Week 6 clash with Arkansas. Faizon Brandon (shoulder) has led the Volunteers most of this season, but got benched last week after struggling against Auburn - Brandon got hurt a week prior against Texas. George MacIntyre is the other starting option for Tennessee. MacIntyre has completed 70% of his passes for 148 yards and a touchdown so far, while Brandon has completed 60.4% of his passes for 697 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception. Brandon has 130 rushing yards and three scores across 53 attempts, while MacIntyre has done nothing on the ground. Tennessee will likely name a starter later in the week, but it complicates the fantasy outlooks for the quarterbacks, and the team's other offensive playmakers too.
Source: Pete Thamel - ESPN
Source: Pete Thamel - ESPN
Tyson Bagent to Start in Week 5 Against Packers
Chicago Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent will start in Week 5 against the division-rival Green Bay Packers, head coach Ben Johnson said on his weekly radio spot at ESPN 1000, per The Chicago Tribune's Sean Hammond. With starting QB Caleb Williams (hamstring) still on the mend from a hamstring strain that will cost him a third straight game, Bagent will make a second straight start for Chicago after helping lead the team to a 23-12 win over the visiting New York Jets on Sunday in Week 4. The 26-year-old went 25-for-34 passing for 268 yards and an interception. Bagent did not do a whole lot through the air with the Bears leaning on the ground game, but Johnson will stick with him for another week over third-stringer Case Keenum. It could be Bagent's final start, though, with Williams potentially making his return in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Week 2 in the loss to the division-rival Minnesota Vikings. Bagent will once again be a low-upside, low-end QB2 option for desperate fantasy managers in two-QB superflex leagues this weekend against Green Bay.
Source: The Chicago Tribune - Sean Hammond
Source: The Chicago Tribune - Sean Hammond
