Top 5 Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Football - Week 6 (2026)

October 14, 2026

Hayden's top 5 injured players to stash for fantasy football as of Week 6 (2026). His top fantasy football injury stashes for IR spots and redraft leagues.

The Washington Commanders blundered away a chance at a win on Sunday. After going down with about nine seconds left in overtime, tied and well within field goal range, quarterback Jayden Daniels was lackadaisical in getting back to the line to spike the ball. He and his teammates didn't get set in time to stop the clock, and the New York Giants won a 27-27 moral victory.

Staying put cost Washington a likely win, but it also harms your chances of winning your fantasy football league. Being active on waivers is crucial. Identifying players worth stashing on your bench, including those currently injured, is key to achieving success as you make a playoff push.

Let's break down five widely available players who are injured, yet still worth taking a look at on waivers ahead of Week 6.

Terrance Ferguson, TE, Los Angeles Rams

Ferguson (ankle) has spent the past three weeks on the sideline watching teammate Tyler Higbee step up for the Rams. Since Week 3, when Ferguson exited early, Higbee has caught 18 of 23 targets for 212 yards and a touchdown. Higbee is the TE5 over that span in half-PPR, ahead of Trey McBride and Tyler Warren.

Unfortunately for Ferguson, these numbers should be his. He caught six of his nine targets for 54 yards and a touchdown in a Week 2 win over the Giants. Despite being outsnapped by fellow TE Colby Parkinson in each of the first two weeks, Ferguson had run more routes and had shown himself to be the team's top receiving tight end.

Terrance Ferguson was 5.7 yards away from the nearest defender when the ball arrived on this touchdown, per @NextGenStats 🕺

NYGvsLAR on ESPN
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— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) September 22, 2026

Star receiver Puka Nacua missed both Week 2 and Week 3, but Higbee's production has persisted even after Nacua's Week 4 return to action. The Rams are fourth in the NFL in TE targets this season, and they lead the league in total pass attempts. Being the top receiving tight end for the Rams has been, and should continue to be, a lucrative role.

Moreover, Nacua is reportedly suffering from a "pre-hernia." This certainly has not slowed him down; he had nine grabs for 125 yards in Week 4, and his 24 targets on Monday were the third-most ever recorded in a single game. Still, his condition may be tenuous, and his continued availability is far from guaranteed.

Ultimately, Ferguson is an excellent stash. He could return as early as Week 8 to a great role. The Rams have had enough passing production to support many strong tight end performances, and the team originally wanted these to be Ferguson's. Make a move here before your leaguemates do.

Caleb Douglas, WR, Miami Dolphins

Douglas (ankle) had a great professional debut against the Raiders. The third-round rookie caught five of his seven targets for 94 yards in the 27-13 loss. His receptions and receiving yards led the team, and his targets trailed only Malik Washington's eight. Douglas also had a 90-percent snap share, second-highest among the team's receivers.

Sadly, Douglas injured his ankle against the 49ers in Week 2 and has not played since. Although he was not placed on injured reserve, Douglas has not been practicing and was not close to suiting up in Week 5. Miami has a bye in Week 6, so Douglas will have to wait at least one more week before making his return.

The Dolphins could definitely use Douglas, who impressed in the preseason. Miami is last in the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Furthermore, after Washington, the Dolphins' other top targets are a lackluster tight end in Greg Dulcich and two more rookie receivers, Kevin Coleman Jr. and Chris Bell, both drafted after Douglas.

Caleb Douglas oh my 😮

MIAvsWAS
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— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026

Miami's offense is quite poor, and scoring opportunities will be sparse. However, 68.3 percent of the team's targets go to their unsatisfactory group of wide receivers, the third-highest rate in the NFL. Also, while the team has averaged only a paltry 26 pass attempts per game so far, their game scripts will favor players involved in the passing attack.

Douglas may be back immediately after the bye. He will step back into the team's two-WR sets with Washington, and Week 1 showed that can earn him enough targets to make him fantasy-relevant. It would be prudent to add Douglas now before he becomes a hot waiver wire target upon his return.

De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Stribling (ankle) was labeled as a reach pick when he was taken with the first selection of the second round this year. However, the rookie quieted his doubters with a prominent preseason performance. Stribling caught seven balls for 63 yards and a touchdown in the first half of his first preseason game, and he had four more grabs the week after.

Mac Jones threads the needle to De'Zhaun Stribling 🪡

SFvsLAC on @nflnetwork
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— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2026

Unfortunately, Stribling could not carry that momentum into the regular season. He suffered a non-contact ankle injury in the second quarter of Week 1 and finished the game catchless. Stribling was placed on injured reserve and is not expected back until mid-to-late November.

The team is eagerly anticipating Stribling's return. Other than WR1 Mike Evans, 49ers receivers have been obliterated by injuries this season. Ricky Pearsall is gone for the year with a PCL injury, Christian Kirk (calf) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) are both on IR, and Deebo Samuel Sr. is now out with a hamstring strain.

Kirk, Robinson, and Samuel all have the potential to come back before Stribling, but the upheaval in the receiving room has prevented any WR2 from gaining traction. The team is currently counting on Brandin Cooks, a 33-year-old veteran signed in late September, to fill that role. Stribling should thrive when he returns.

That opportunity will be valuable. San Francisco leads the NFL in passing touchdowns, passing touchdowns per attempt, and net passing yards per attempt. Stribling has a great chance to emerge as a real asset in the latter stages of the fantasy season. Pounce on him now while you still have the option.

Pat Bryant, WR, Denver Broncos

Bryant (ankle) had a promising opening to the season. The second-year wideout caught four of his six targets in Week 1, amounting to 42 yards. He led the team's wide receivers in all three of those stats. Although Bryant did not reach those reception or target numbers in the ensuing weeks, his snap share and route participation rate increased each week through Week 3.

It was 2nd and 20, so Bo Nix and Pat Bryant decided to pick up 39 🏃‍♂️

@LARvsDEN on NBC/Peacock
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— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2026

Bryant's Week 4 outing was cut short after he caught three balls, though. He gained 47 yards on three targets against San Francisco before being carted off. Bryant was subsequently placed on injured reserve, meaning he cannot return until Week 9 at the earliest. His quiet ascension was curbed.

Part of why Bryant was gradually getting more playing time is that WR2 Courtland Sutton has been disappointing. Quarterback Bo Nix is just 11 of 25 for 104 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions when targeting Sutton this season. Sutton has a passer rating when targeted of 29.8, fourth-lowest among 103 qualifying wide receivers. Bryant's is 138.5, ranking seventh.

The Broncos would be wise to phase Bryant into the offense further at Sutton's expense. They cannot do that until Week 9, of course, but that gives fantasy managers time to add him in the meantime. Denver's passing attack has been hit-or-miss, but Bryant operating alongside Jaylen Waddle could help fix that. Stash Bryant now if you have roster space.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Bigsby (core) entered the season as an insurance policy for starter Saquon Barkley, and he got some early work. Barkley left Week 2 early, and Bigsby had 13 carries for 33 yards and a touchdown, plus two catches for five yards. When Barkley (hamstring) got hurt again in Week 4, Bigsby stepped up with 14 carries for 55 yards.

Tank Bigsby evens it up with an @Eagles TD

PHIvsTEN on FOX/FOX One
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— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Bigsby also got hurt in Week 4, though. He needed surgery to repair a core muscle injury, landing him on injured reserve. In his stead, Will Shipley (foot) was set to become the lead back, but he too got hurt. This left Dameon Pierce as the team's top RB in London last Sunday. Pierce had a miserable stat line of 11 carries for 14 yards.

While Bigsby has not been particularly efficient this season, both Shipley and Pierce have been worse. Bigsby's success rate has been a below-average 46.4 percent; Shipley and Pierce have posted marks of 35.0 and 27.3 percent, respectively, in limited action. Barkley should return soon, but Bigsby will regain his RB2 role when he's ready. Bigsby is eligible to come back in Week 9.

Additionally, hamstring injuries are notorious for lingering; Barkley's return might not be as smooth as hoped. Moreover, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that teams have been speculating about Barkley's availability via trade. Obviously, such a deal would dramatically reshape Philadelphia's backfield to Bigsby's benefit.

Stashing Bigsby and hoping for a home run would be a decent move. It probably will not amount to much, but the chance of a high-end outcome makes it worth considering.

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