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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Week 6 Quarterback Waiver Wire Adds and Pickups

Quarterbacks to add or stream off the waiver wire for Week 6 of the 2018 fantasy football season. Elliott Baas lists the QB pickups you should be looking to add to your roster.

Week 5 was a week of duds for many at the quarterback position, with ten starting quarterbacks scoring fewer than 15 fantasy points based on standard scoring. Some of those quarterbacks being universally owned and started as well. Disappointing performances aside, there were still plenty of encouraging games from low-owned quarterbacks.

Detroit and New Orleans are on bye for Week 6, meaning owners of Matt Stafford and Drew Brees will need to find a replacement. No highly owned and universally started quarterbacks face really tough matchups this week. Only Jared Goff at Denver or Cam Newton at Washington would be quarterbacks to consider benching.

In standard one quarterback leagues the waiver wire is usually pretty rich with talent at the position, unless the league is full of owners that like to hold backup quarterbacks. In two-quarterback leagues, nearly every starter is rostered and the waiver wire tends to be quite barren for quality arms. That’s why a few quarterbacks owned in 15% of leagues or less have been included, so even owners in deep leagues have someone to consider. Ownership is based on Yahoo leagues and is current as of October 7.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Week 6 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Baker Mayfield, CLE vs. Los Angeles Chargers – 37% Owned

Mayfield didn’t have the most outstanding fantasy day in Week 5, putting up 18.9 points in standard leagues. He did throw for 342 yards against a Baltimore defense that was allowing only 193.25 yards passing through their first four games. Mayfield performed well despite facing immense pressure from Baltimore’s pass rush and being sacked five times. It was not an easy situation for him and Mayfield did his best to salvage the day for his team and his fantasy owners. He has been improving gradually each week as he gains polish and will likely hold of Tyrod Taylor for the remainder of the year, which is great considering Cleveland’s upcoming schedule.

The Browns may have the best schedule for quarterbacks in the NFL this season, or at least for the next couple of weeks. They’re next seven games come against bottom-10 defenses against quarterbacks (going into Week 6). Their toughest matchup is next week against the Chargers at home, who admittedly did a good job against Derek Carr this week. Still, the Chargers have had some awful games defensively this year and have shown to be vulnerable to the pass. After the Chargers Cleveland gets Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Atlanta, a bye week, Cincinnati, and Houston. You couldn’t ask for a better string of matchups, and the good times don’t stop up Week 14 against Carolina. Mayfield is someone to add and stash, because are about to see what he’s made of with this upcoming schedule.

Mitchell Trubisky, CHI @ Miami Dolphins – 23% Owned

Despite his six-touchdown performance in Week 4 Trubisky’s ownership only went up 8% compared to last week. Perhaps that is because he had a bye in Week 5, or perhaps it speaks to the depth at quarterback in fantasy football. Either way, a potential breakout quarterback is still available in over three quarters of all leagues. Trubisky took advantage of an atrocious pass defense for his big performance in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but as a speculative add or streamer he is still a fine pickup. Things may be coming together early than expected for Chicago, and if that’s true then Trubisky will be a big reason for it. With more seasoning under his belt and an upgrade in weapons with Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton added during the off-season this is a much better situation for Trubisky to succeed.

Next week’s matchup is against the Miami Dolphins, a team that has performed well against quarterbacks this season but also allowed 32.5 points per game over the las two weeks. Miami’s 3-0 start was a mirage and things have coming crashing down to earth for them in their last two games. After that Trubisky has a decent schedule, though not nearly on the level of Baker Mayfield or anything. He gets the Patriots, Jets, Bills, and Lions between weeks 7-10. None of those matchups strike fear in the heart of fantasy owners, nor are they dumpster fires in the secondary. How Trubisky follows up his big week against Tampa Bay will be telling to his true skill and value, but adding now will get ahead of the rush if he does pop.

Jameis Winston, TB @ Atlanta Falcons – 18% Owned

Winston and the Buccaneers were on bye this week, but with him being declared the starter in Tampa Bay Winston can be a viable fantasy quarterback again. His Week 6 matchup is especially enticing, as he takes on a divisional opponent in the Atlanta Falcons. The  Falcons defense has been shredded by opposing quarterbacks over the past three weeks, a stretch where they are allowing 40.33 points per game. To quarterbacks Atlanta has allowed 327.67 yards and three touchdowns per game over that same stretch. Atlanta looks unable to stop anyone, and Winston is primed to get back to work this week.

The upcoming schedule is pretty good for Winston, at least over the next three weeks. He gets a dream matchup in Atlanta next week, followed by a date with Cleveland in Week 7 and Cincinnati in Week 8. Going into Week 5 all of those defenses ranked in the bottom-11 in passing yards allowed. Cleveland and Cincinnati both had good performances in Week 5, but that was against the likes of Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill. Winston has proved much more capable of fantasy production than either of those two in the past.

 

Deeper League and Two-QB League Options

Sam Darnold, NYJ vs. Indianapolis Colts - 7% Owned

No one should look at Darnold’s three touchdown performance in Week 5 against Denver as his breakout game. He was only 10-for-22 passing with 198 yards, and nearly 40% of those yards came on one play, a 76-yard bomb to Robby Anderson for a touchdown. What helped Darnold was a historic performance from his running game. Jets running backs combined for 318 yards on 35 carries, making things easy for Darnold and the entire Jets offense. He and his running backs have the opportunity to build upon this game next week in an easy matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Darnold is widely available and is mainly an option for owners in deep leagues that desperately need a streamer or one-week fill-in.

Indianapolis has allowed 282.6 passing yards per game and things have only gotten worse for them over the past few weeks. The reeling Indianapolis defense has allowed 75 points and 716 yards passing over their past two games. They have also allowed 106.8 rushing yards per game, so the Jets could set up Darnold for success on the ground again. There is certainly risk involved with Darnold; he could lay an egg in any given week. In leagues where the waiver wire is barren, Darnold makes for a decent one-week add. His value won’t extend beyond Week 6, since the Jets take on Minnesota and Chicago in the following two weeks.

C.J. Beathard, SF @ Green Bay Packers – 4% Owned

Another week, another over-performance from C.J. Beathard. This week he went 34-for-54 passing for 349 yards along with two touchdowns and two interceptions. That makes him a top-10 quarterback this week heading into Monday Night Football. Some of the quarterbacks Beathard out-scored include Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, and Patrick Mahomes. Obviously Beathard isn’t an amazing quarterback in real-football or fantasy, but he’s going to be in these garbage time games for the foreseeable future. With San Francisco down big and Alfred Morris unable to move the chains Beathard had to throw 54 passes in this game. But hey, there’s no penalty for an incomplete pass in fantasy. He’ll do in a pinch, and depending on the matchup and individual situation could even be started in a 12-team league in some weeks.

Beathard draws a favorable matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has allowed a respectable 16.3 points per game to opposing quarterbacks, however if we subtract Josh Allen’s nothing game from Week 4 where any defense could’ve stopped him they allow 19.39 points per game. That’s not bad for what will likely be a high volume game from Beathard. Hopefully some of his injured weapons such as Matt Breida, Pierre Garcon, or Marquise Goodwin get healthy otherwise the receiving corps is ugly. After this game Beathard takes on the Rams in Week 7, which should be a pass, but after that he draws a few favorable matchups. He gets Arizona, Oakland, the New York Giants, a bye week, and Tampa Bay between weeks 8-12.

More Waiver Wire Analysis


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Marvin Mims Jr.

Could be on Track for First 1,000-Yard Season
Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Luke McCaffrey

In Line for Larger Role?
Braelon Allen

Jets Viewing Braelon Allen as Long-Term Starter?
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Mike Williams

Heading to PUP List
Garrett Wilson

Lands Historic Deal
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF