👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Waiver Wire Express - Week 6 Lightning Round for Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Darren Waller, Romeo Doubs, Brashard Smith, Matthew Stafford, more

Rico Dowdle - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

The Week 6 waiver wire adds lightning round for 2025 fantasy football. Our free agent list includes Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Brashard Smith, Romeo Doubs, Darren Waller, Matthew Stafford, more.

It's been over a month of football, so where does five weeks of action have your team(s) sitting? Do you need immediate help, or can we focus on more long-term plays? Let's move forward with our fantasy football waiver wire pickups lightning round heading into Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season.

This provides a quick reaction for fantasy-relevant players for Week 6 after a couple of injuries and loads of scoring. Key injuries to monitor are a Sunday downgrade for Xavier Worthy (shoulder/ankle), Omarion Hampton (ankle), Darius Slayton (hamstring), Kalif Raymond (neck), and Spencer Shrader (knee). Keep our league-leading news feed bookmarked and set up for app alerts to receive accurate, timely information.

Typically, this column will be published early in the week and will be updated daily as the site supplies in-depth waiver wire analysis for all positions. Waiver pickups are listed in priority order and broken down by position as we stick to those rostered in roughly less than 70% of Yahoo! leagues, ranging from shallow standard options to deep PPR plays. We've got the information pipeline covered, which means you can relax as the recommendations come to you.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

Week 6 Running Backs To Add

Pickups are in priority order:

Rico Dowdle
Michael Carter
Kimani Vidal
Hassan Haskins
Nick Chubb
Kenneth Gainwell
Kendre Miller
Tyler Allgeier
Bhayshul Tuten
Kareem Hunt
Blake Corum
Brashard Smith
Brian Robinson Jr.
Emari Demercado
Trevor Etienne
Sean Tucker
Ollie Gordon II
Tyjae Spears
Isaiah Davis
Kyle Monangai
Emanuel Wilson
Jaydon Blue
Keaton Mitchell
Bam Knight
Gus Edwards (in case LAC wants a veteran familiar face)
Nyheim Hines

 

Week 6 Wide Receivers To Add

Pickups are in priority order:

Romeo Doubs
Wan'Dale Robinson
Darnell Mooney
Keon Coleman
Darius Slayton* (monitor hamstring injury)
Tre Tucker
Marquise Brown
Troy Franklin
Elic Ayomanor
Kendrick Bourne
Christian Kirk
Luther Burden III
Josh Downs
Jalen Tolbert
Xavier Legette
Malik Washington
Tory Horton
Ryan Flournoy
Isaiah Bond
Kayshon Boutte
Marvin Mims Jr.
Tyquan Thornton
Xavier Hutchinson
Isaac TeSlaa
Rashod Bateman
Ashton Dulin
Christian Watson
Dontayvion Wicks
Luke McCaffrey
Jalen Coker
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Sterling Shepard
Jaylin Lane
Jimmy Horn Jr.
Tutu Atwell
Jalin Hyatt

 

Week 6 Tight Ends To Add

Pickups are in priority order:

Darren Waller
Kyle Pitts Sr.
Harold Fannin Jr.
Evan Engram
Theo Johnson
Mason Taylor
Taysom Hill
Jake Tonges
Cade Otton

 

Week 6 Quarterbacks To Add

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 6:

Matthew Stafford
Sam Darnold
Trevor Lawrence
C.J. Stroud (bye)
Jaxson Dart
Tua Tagovailoa
Michael Penix Jr.
Bryce Young
Dillon Gabriel
Spencer Rattler
Jake Browning
Cooper Rush

 

Week 6 Defenses To Add

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 6:

Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST
Green Bay Packers D/ST
Indianapolis Colts D/ST
New England Patriots D/ST
Las Vegas Raiders D/ST
Dallas Cowboys D/ST

 

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup for Week 6?

Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...

Who To Pickup?
Reset

Choose From The Top Ranked Players
Overall
QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DST
Rookies

 

Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Brashard Smith, Romeo Doubs, Darren Waller, and Matthew Stafford. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Brashard Smith, Romeo Doubs, Darren Waller, and Matthew Stafford. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

 

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Brashard Smith, Romeo Doubs, Darren Waller, Matthew Stafford:

Michael Carter
vs
Kyle Monangai
Michael Carter
vs
Ricky Pearsall
Michael Carter
vs
Jaydon Blue
Michael Carter
vs
Kimani Vidal
Michael Carter
vs
Emanuel Wilson
Michael Carter
vs
Jaylen Wright
Michael Carter
vs
Audric Estime
Michael Carter
vs
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Michael Carter
vs
Chris Godwin Jr.
Michael Carter
vs
Isiah Pacheco
Michael Carter
vs
Blake Corum
Michael Carter
vs
Michael Mayer
Michael Carter
vs
Parker Washington
Michael Carter
vs
Darius Slayton
Michael Carter
vs
Colston Loveland
Michael Carter
vs
Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Michael Carter
vs
Tank Bigsby
Michael Carter
vs
Chimere Dike
Michael Carter
vs
Luther Burden III
Michael Carter
vs
Dalton Schultz
Michael Carter
vs
Jordan Mason
Michael Carter
vs
Chig Okonkwo
Michael Carter
vs
Jerry Jeudy
Michael Carter
vs
Devin Singletary
Michael Carter
vs
Dylan Sampson
Michael Carter
vs
Jalen McMillan
Michael Carter
vs
Jayden Higgins
Michael Carter
vs
Samaje Perine
Michael Carter
vs
Colby Parkinson
Michael Carter
vs
Kevin Austin Jr.
Michael Carter
vs
Kareem Hunt
Michael Carter
vs
Sean Tucker
Michael Carter
vs
Isaiah Hodgins
Michael Carter
vs
Tyler Allgeier
Michael Carter
vs
Tre Tucker
Michael Carter
vs
Jahan Dotson
Michael Carter
vs
Jalen Coker
Michael Carter
vs
Kyle Williams
Michael Carter
vs
AJ Barner
Michael Carter
vs
Matthew Golden
Michael Carter
vs
Adonai Mitchell
Michael Carter
vs
Pat Freiermuth
Michael Carter
vs
Elic Ayomanor
Michael Carter
vs
Will Shipley
Michael Carter
vs
Phil Mafah
Michael Carter
vs
Raheim Sanders
Michael Carter
vs
Ray Davis
Michael Carter
vs
Darius Cooper
Michael Carter
vs
Greg Dulcich
Michael Carter
vs
Tre' Harris
Michael Carter
vs
Tyjae Spears
Michael Carter
vs
Adam Thielen
Michael Carter
vs
Marquise Brown
Michael Carter
vs
Keaton Mitchell
Michael Carter
vs
KaVontae Turpin
Michael Carter
vs
Efton Chism III
Michael Carter
vs
Isaac TeSlaa
Michael Carter
vs
Jawhar Jordan
Michael Carter
vs
Dante Pettis
Michael Carter
vs
Brandin Cooks
Michael Carter
vs
Terrance Ferguson
Michael Carter
vs
Theo Wease Jr.
Michael Carter
vs
Konata Mumpfield
Michael Carter
vs
Jaxson Dart
Michael Carter
vs
Sam Darnold
Michael Carter
vs
C.J. Stroud
Michael Carter
vs
Tyler Shough
Michael Carter
vs
Bryce Young
Michael Carter
vs
Shedeur Sanders
Michael Carter
vs
Tanner McKee
Michael Carter
vs
Kirk Cousins
Michael Carter
vs
Aaron Rodgers
Michael Carter
vs
Cam Ward
Michael Carter
vs
Trey Lance
Michael Carter
vs
Mitchell Trubisky
Michael Carter
vs
Riley Leonard
Michael Carter
vs
Los Angeles Rams
Michael Carter
vs
Buffalo Bills
Michael Carter
vs
Jacksonville Jaguars
Michael Carter
vs
Kansas City Chiefs
Michael Carter
vs
Minnesota Vikings
Michael Carter
vs
Atlanta Falcons
Michael Carter
vs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

More Waiver Wire Analysis



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rayan Rupert

Signing 10-Day Contract with Grizzlies
Killian Hayes

Set for 10-Day Stint With Kings
Cason Wallace

Posts Career-High 10 Assists in Win
Santi Aldama

Sidelined Again Monday
Jaxson Hayes

Leaves Game After First-Quarter Injury
Deni Avdija

Leaves Game After Back Flare-Up
Payton Tolle

Allows One Run in Spring Training Debut
Jalen Smith

Exits Early In Loss to Knicks
Jacob Melton

Showcasing Power in Spring Training
Justin Crawford

Knocks Two Hits in Spring Debut
Moisés Ballesteros

Moises Ballesteros Officially Reports to Camp
Parker Messick

Enters Spring Training in Competition for Rotation Spot
Robby Snelling

Begins Spring Training with Perfect Inning
Kyle Anderson

Likely Out Monday
Cedric Coward

Remains Out Vs. Kings
Kawhi Leonard

Cleared to Play Sunday
Jalen Suggs

Misses Second Straight Game
Shohei Ohtani

Throws Live Batting Practice on Sunday
Patrick Williams

Available Against Knicks
Rhys Hoskins

Guardians Sign Rhys Hoskins to Minor-League Deal
Deni Avdija

Good to Go Against Suns
Tre Jones

Josh Giddey, Tre Jones Facing Minute Caps Sunday
Jack Brannigan

Exits After Getting Hit in the Face
Nick Richards

Active Sunday Against Knicks
Dairon Blanco

Being Evaluated for Head Injury
Grayson Allen

Jalen Green Active, Grayson Allen Sidelined Sunday
Aidan Miller

is Dealing with Back Soreness
Keyonte George

Faces Game-Time Decision Monday
Naz Reid

Out, Joan Beringer to Start Vs. 76ers
Lauri Markkanen

Probable to Return Monday
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Out Monday Against Rockets
Jamal Murray

Good to Go on Sunday
Brandon Lowe

Could Be Poised for Banner Year in Pittsburgh
TJ Friedl

Can TJ Friedl See a Speed Resurgence in 2026?
Bryson Stott

Remains a High-Floor, Low-Ceiling Second Base Option
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Set to Return to the Leadoff Spot in 2026
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Will Bat Leadoff in 2026
Joey Logano

Will Be Popular DFS Pick at EchoPark Speedway
Tyler Reddick

on Pole After Qualifying Rained Out at EchoPark Speedway
Chase Elliott

Could Chase Elliott Be Worth Rostering At EchoPark Speedway?
Ryan Blaney

Is Ryan Blaney Worth Rostering for DFS at EchoPark Speedway?
Christopher Morel

is Getting Comfortable at First Base
Taylor Walls

is Making Spring Debut on Sunday
Lenyn Sosa

Likely Headed Towards Bench Role
Joe Ryan

is Dealing with Back Inflammation
William Byron

Is William Byron Worth Rostering for DFS at EchoPark Speedway?
Jordan Westburg

has Uncertain Timetable to Return
Rondale Moore

Passes Away
Denny Hamlin

Is Worth Consideration for EchoPark Speedway DFS Lineups
Brad Keselowski

Is A Tournament Option for DFS At EchoPark Speedway
NASCAR

Is Bubba Wallace Rosterable In DFS At EchoPark Speedway?
Austin Cindric

Should DFS Managers Roster Austin Cindric at EchoPark Speedway?
Ross Chastain

Is Ross Chastain A Sneaky DFS Option for EchoPark Speedway?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Worth Rostering for DFS at EchoPark Speedway?
Alex Bowman

Will Start Towards the Rear At EchoPark Speedway
Javonte Williams

Cowboys Sign Javonte Williams to Three-Year, $24 Million Extension
Joel Armia

Wraps Up Olympics With Three-Point Performance
Daniil Tarasov

Available for Panthers
Evan Rodrigues

Set to Return Next Week
Aaron Ekblad

Expected to Play Thursday
Pavel Zacha

Cleared for Action
VAN

Jonathan Lekkerimaki Needs Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
Mikko Rantanen

Misses Bronze-Medal Game With Lower-Body Injury
Blake Coleman

Activated From Injured Reserve
Matt Rempe

Heading to Injured Reserve After Second Thumb Procedure
Sidney Crosby

a Game-Time Call for Olympic Final
Josh Morrissey

Won't Play Sunday
Filip Chytil

Out Indefinitely With Facial Fracture
Connor McDavid

Makes History With Another Multi-Point Outing
Tage Thompson

Expected to Play in Olympic Final
Travis Etienne Jr.

has "Legitimate Interest" in Joining Chiefs
Zach Charbonnet

Undergoes Knee Surgery on Friday
CFB

Curt Cignetti Agrees to New Deal With Indiana, Will Earn $13.2 Million Per Year
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Returns to Practice
Josh Morrissey

Remains Out Against Finland
Sidney Crosby

Won't Play Friday
Anthony Hernandez

Set For UFC Houston Main Event
Sean Strickland

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Uros Medic

Set For UFC Houston Co-Main Event
Geoff Neal

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Melquizael Costa

A Favorite At UFC Houston
Dan Ige

An Underdog At UFC Houston
Logan Cooley

Sheds Non-Contact Jersey
Maxwell Crozier

to Miss 10 Weeks After Surgery
Kirill Marchenko

Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Petr Mrazek

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
Rashee Rice

Accused of Assault by Long-Time Girlfriend
Ben Griffin

Looking to Return to Top Form at Riviera
Keegan Bradley

Looking to Build Momentum at Riviera
J.J. Spaun

Putting a Major Concern at Riviera
Sepp Straka

May Have Tough Time at The Genesis Invitational
Shane Lowry

Trending Up Entering the Genesis Invitational
Justin Rose

Off Most Radars at The Genesis Invitational
Robert MacIntyre

a Long Hitter to Watch at Riviera Country Club
Jake Knapp

Red-Hot Heading to Riviera
Min Woo Lee

Attempts to Build Momentum After Pebble Beach
Harry Hall

an Unknown for The Genesis Invitational
Matt Fitzpatrick

Has Favorable Path to Success at Riviera This Week
Wyndham Clark

Not Likely to Contend at Genesis Invitational
Ludvig Aberg

Might Find the Genesis Invitational More Challenging
Harris English

Carries Strong Form to Riviera
Patrick Cantlay

Eyes Another Strong Week at The Genesis Invitational
Daniel Berger

Needs Short Game to Show Up at Riviera
Sam Burns

Hopes Return to Form Continues at Riviera
Collin Morikawa

Riding Wave of Victory Into Riviera
Hideki Matsuyama

Looks to Have Repeat Success at The Genesis Invitational
Scottie Scheffler

Looks to Find Paydirt at Riviera
Xander Schauffele

Rounding into Form Before Genesis Invitational
Mike Evans

Will Return in 2026
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF