Fantasy Football Week 6 QB Waiver Wire: Top Streamers and Stashes, Including Rodgers

After Patrick Mahomes and Bryce Young missed Week 5 on their bye, we now have four teams on bye in each of the next three weeks. That stretch will include Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Jayden Daniels missing weeks, among others, and cause more fantasy owners to find one-week fill-ins along the way.

Waivers and streamers will be much more important over the next two months, making it worth looking ahead. Several of the players listed below have multiple weeks with good matchups coming up.

Let's look at four of the top quarterback names on the waiver wire heading into Week 6. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added to fantasy rosters most often!

Jalon Daniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Daniels is in the starting lineup temporarily until Baker Mayfield returns, which could come as soon as this Sunday against Pittsburgh. When Mayfield is back, Daniels has no fantasy value; that return is far from certain, though, and Daniels could get at least one more outing.

While he hasn't been great, Daniels ran for 55 yards in Week 4 then had 189 passing yards on 7.6 per attempt with a touchdown last Thursday against Dallas. That most recent game was a very friendly matchup, and I touted Daniels as a fine low-level streamer, which is how things played out.

There's not a ton of value here, as the Steelers come to town this week with more of an average defense. Daniels' upside is in using his legs, and he will probably do more damage in that area if he plays, but he is limiting throwing the ball and has a shelf life on his time in the lineup. It's probably best to leave Daniels on the waiver wire despite mild success so far unless you find yourself a bit desperate this week.

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

Rodgers now has three straight games with above-average efficiency and three passing touchdowns, a fantastic stretch that has him at QB3 over Weeks 3-5. That came after two rough games to start the season, and while it might seem like he and the Steelers figured things out after some time, the matchups are likely the answer as to why things have gone that way.

Pittsburgh started out with Atlanta and New England, two teams that have been better than average against the pass. The three most recent games came against Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Indianapolis, each of whom are average or worse in both yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to quarterbacks.

Rodgers is a guy who should only be deployed in the right matchups. This week against Tampa Bay is more of a middling matchup, making Rodgers an OK player to consider but not a top-line option. He does have positive matchups coming in the following three games, though, with New Orleans in Week 7 followed by rematches against the Browns and Bengals (with a bye between those two games).

I'm not high on Rodgers despite his recent success. If you're in a deep league or just really hurting at quarterback, though, there could be more good games coming over the next month, making Rodgers a fine option.

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

Speaking of bye weeks, Willis and the Dolphins are off in Week 6, making him a player you're picking up for future use. His next two games after the bye bring tough matchups against the Jets and Patriots, but Miami follows that with the Lions, Colts, and Bills, all of whom have been vulnerable to quarterbacks and the passing game.

That means the best thing to do is probably wait on picking up Willis unless you don't mind using a bench spot for the next three weeks. He had a rough passing game but made up for it with his running on Sunday, racking up 74 yards and a score on the ground. That's going to be the best way for him to score fantasy points, and counting on a running QB when the matchup is right isn't the worst idea.

Willis can be a productive fantasy player but shouldn't be deployed indiscriminately. He won't be a viable candidate for your lineup until Week 9 against the Lions, so you should probably wait on adding him, but keep Willis in mind when we hit the halfway point of the season.

Jameis Winston, New York Giants

After two fairly awful games upon first taking over for the injured Jaxson Dart, Winston has been much better the past two weeks. Want to take a guess on what happened? That's right, the matchups went from two tougher defensive opponents in the Rams and Titans to two of the best quarterback matchups available against Arizona and Washington.

Like the others listed here, Winston should only be in your lineup when the matchups are right. The Giants have another positive outlook this Sunday against the Saints before games against Houston and Philadelphia (with a bye between) that are tougher on paper. There will be more chances to look Winston's way later in the season as well.

Don't run out and put all your waiver eggs in this basket just because Winston had two good games in a row. He is a fine option in Week 6 but will have three weeks following that in which it's probably best to leave him out of your lineup (including the bye). Winston is a better guy to pick up after the waiver period if you need a streamer in Week 6 with the intention of dropping him next week.