A quick-hit recap of what really mattered from Thursday through Sunday. We skip the obvious studs and instead focus on usage trends, injuries, and key shifts that actually impact your lineup decisions.

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Saquon Barkley right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

49ERS @ RAMS

• Mac Jones chucked 49 passes for a 342-2 line filling in for an injured Brock Purdy. WR Kendrick Bourne (10-142) and TE Jake Tonges (7-41-1) saw 11 targets each with nearly every other notable 49ers’ fantasy player other than CMC (30 touches and a TD) missing the TNF game.
• 49ers star TE George Kittle could return from IR as soon as next week and it’s possible that Purdy and WRs Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings could be back as well.
• Matthew Stafford threw 70% of his 47 pass attempts to his star trio of Puka Nacua (10-85-1), Davante Adams (5-88), and Kyren Williams (8-66-2). 
• RB Blake Corum was part of a botched exchange with Stafford and was otherwise limited to one carry and two targets after seeing an expanding role each previous week of the year.

VIKINGS @ BROWNS

• Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel had a 190-2 passing line while executing a predictably conservative gameplan in his first career start. Gabriel threw TDs to TEs David Njoku (6-67-1) and Harold Fannin Jr. (4-13-1) but only connected on five of his 13 passing attempts to WRs for 66 yards.
• Gabriel’s rookie teammate Quinshon Judkins had 24 touches for a career-best 128 scrimmage yards. He’s being afforded one of the best roles in the league, with 20+ RB opportunities in three straight weeks.
• The Vikings benched WR Jordan Addison for the first quarter but he wound up with a solid 5-41-1 fantasy line including the game-winning TD. T.J. Hockenson caught a season-high six passes for 39 yards. He still has reached 50 receiving yards in any game this season.
• The Vikings have a well-deserved Week 6 bye after consecutive games in Europe the past two weeks.

COWBOYS @ JETS

• Dallas rolled in this one and the majority of the damage was done by RB Javonte Williams and TE Jake Ferguson. WR George Pickens was quiet for most of the day due to Sauce Gardner’s shadow coverage, but he broke free for a long touchdown late in the game. Dallas plays the Panthers next week and all three are high-end starters at their position.
• Unheralded wide receiver Ryan Flournoy showed out with his opportunity due to WR Kavontae Turpin being inactive, finishing with six receptions for 114 yards on nine targets – all team highs. Flournoy will only be a viable option if/when there are injuries in the Dallas passing game, but next week he could still have a large role.
• RB Breece Hall had 155 yards from scrimmage and dominated the backfield usage in the first game without Braelon Allen. Hall is a must-start weekly, although the offense’s overall struggles may result in some duds against tougher defenses.
• Jets rookie TE Mason Taylor followed up his Monday night breakout with nine receptions for 67 yards on 12 targets. He is a high-priority waiver pickup for those looking for tight-end help.

RAIDERS @ COLTS

• Las Vegas was an absolute train wreck as their offense deals with injuries and their mediocre defense can’t hold up to all the short fields and high volume of plays their inept offense leads to. Next week they face the Titans, a game where we would expect Ashton Jeanty to show out – and you should immediately try to trade him after said game.
• QB Daniel Jones had another strong outing despite the blowout nature of this game. The Colts have a good schedule coming up and Jones is a low-to-mid-range QB1 until further notice.
• Wide receivers Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. led the Colts in targets with seven and five, respectively. Both are difficult to trust on a weekly basis since so much of this offense runs through RB Jonathan Taylor and TE Tyler Warren.

GIANTS @ SAINTS

• Rookie RB Cam Skattebo once again dominated the Giants backfield usage but lost a critical fumble that was returned for a touchdown and changed the game. Tyrone Tracy Jr. will be back in the next couple of weeks and this will likely evolve into a timeshare for a weak offense. Sell now if you can.
• Giants WR Darius Slayton suffered a hamstring injury that will have to be monitored. Wan’Dale Robinson led the receivers in snaps, routes, and targets in the first game without Malik Nabers. 
• Tight end Theo Johnson had a big game with two touchdowns and should be on the radar as a strong waiver pickup for a team that will likely have to throw a lot while playing from behind and whose receivers are falling by the wayside.
• Saints RB Kendre Miller had more carries than Alvin Kamara for the first time this season and remains an elite bench stash for the seemingly inevitable time later this season where he gets a shot at a featured role.
• Four tight ends saw playing time for the Saints, but Juwan Johnson still ran a route on over 80% of the team’s dropbacks and is a viable option, especially for games against stronger opponents where they will likely throw at a higher rate.

DOLPHINS @ PANTHERS

Your weekly roadmap to the wire. Each Tuesday, Tony Kneepkens highlights the top adds across positions — complete with FAAB recommendations and context to help you prioritize based on your league size and format.

These are the top players to consider adding from waivers this week. Unless otherwise noted, all players below are available in greater than 50% of Yahoo leagues (as of Sunday evening). Priorities and FAAB recommendations are meant to differentiate between some of the options available and are assuming 12-team, single-QB, fantasy formats.

Another Cardinals’ RB gets billing as a high-priority waiver add this week along with some other strong RB options to consider. Beyond RB, there are some solid TE pickups and even some priority D/ST options to consider, but it’s not the best week to find help at QB or especially at WR, based on widely available options.

Week 6 teams on bye: Texans, Vikings

QB Streamer of the Week

Bryce Young, CAR, Week 6 vs DAL

• Bryce passed for 198 yards and a pair of TDs in Carolina’s win over the Dolphins last week. The offense didn’t have much more to do with backup RB Rico Dowdle going nuts for 234 scrimmage yards.
• Low-to-medium priority add. Young is a fine streaming option this week against a generous Dallas defense that has allowed some monstrous passing production to opposing QBs already this year, including: Fields 283-2, Love 337-3, Caleb 298-4, and Russell Wilson 450-3.
• 5% or less of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority QBs to consider ::

• Michael Penix Jr. (ATL) – Penix had his best game of the year before Atlanta’s Week 5 bye. Now the well-rested Falcons head to Buffalo as an underdog on Monday night in a high-implied-point-total game (48.5).
• Jaxson Dart (NYG) – Dart has struggled a bit as a passer but continues to score fantasy points on the ground and has 50+ rushing yards in each of his two starts. I don’t like his matchup against the Eagles this week, but I like him as a bench stash for future weeks to see if he can find more passing success as the season progresses.

RB Pickups

Michael Carter, AZ, Week 6 at IND

• Carter handled the bulk of Arizona’s RB work with 18 of 26 RB carries and five of six RB targets after Trey Benson was placed on IR the week prior. Carter had 73 scrimmage yards and a goal-line TD, while fellow RBs Bam Knight (24 scrimmage yards and a TD) and Emari Demercado (81 rushing yards and a crippling fumble) were much less involved.
• High-priority add. I was most concerned with Carter being limited to early-down rushing work, which wasn’t an issue with him catching all five of his targets in Week 5. While this week’s matchup at Indy is admittedly tougher than hosting the Titans, Carter’s role last week was strong enough that he can be added and plugged into lineups right away to cover for bye weeks or injuries.
• 20 – 40% of FAAB.

Hassan Haskins, LAC, Week 6 at MIA

Each week, Juan Carlos Blanco spotlights 4–5 under-the-radar plays who combine DFS tournament upside with season-long streaming value. These matchup-driven picks are usually available in most leagues.

Each week, Streaming Sleepers will highlight at least five non-QB skill-position players and one team defense that currently have start or roster rates of 20% or less in season-long leagues but may be prudent options this week due to matchups and other circumstances, particularly in deeper formats. 

Additionally, the plays suggested here could be viable DFS large-field tournament options for the coming slate and are likely to carry modest ownership rates in that format as well.

Mason Taylor, NYJ vs. DEN – 8% start rate 

Taylor’s gradual but undeniable ascension in the Jets’ offense continued in the Week 5 loss to the Cowboys, as the talented tight end set new career bests in receptions, receiving yards and targets for the second consecutive contest. Taylor’s 9-67-0 line on 12 targets pushed his totals over the last two games to 14 receptions for 132 yards (19 targets). 

With the Broncos’ cornerbacks typically presenting prohibitive matchups on the perimeter and Justin Fields not exactly the most reliable quarterback for tight-window throws, would it be surprising in the least to see Taylor have another busy afternoon in this London matchup? Denver has allowed a 20-213-1 receiving line to TEs over the first five games, and Taylor could well help bloat those numbers further Sunday.

Troy Franklin, DEN vs. NYJ – 8% start rate

Turning our attention to the other side of the overseas matchup, Franklin is also an intriguing option for those needing some help at receiver in Week 6. Bo Nix’s former college teammate hasn’t hit for a true breakout effort yet, but he does sport an 8-89-1 line already this season against the Colts and has at least five targets in all but one game.

Franklin has 13 targets overall in the last pair of contests, and Sauce Gardner figures to devote almost all his attention to Courtland Sutton, in much the same manner as he did with George Pickens in Week 5. That helped lead to a 108-yard day for Ryan Flournoy, and it could also result in a productive showing for Franklin in a game where Denver is already projected for 25.5 points and rising.

Michael Carter, ARI at IND – 16% start rate

Xandamere breaks down the Thursday Night Football matchup with leverage angles and roster construction tips — the perfect way for fantasy players to start learning DFS through Showdown.

Each Friday, Mike Johnson tackles lineup and trade dilemmas pulled from the OWS X and our Fantasy Football Discord channel. Real questions, real context, and actionable advice to guide you through the toughest calls of the week.

Every Saturday, MJohnson86 posts full positional rankings (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF) to get you ready for Sunday’s slate. Built for 12-team, full-PPR formats — with insights that translate across most league settings.

Mike Johnson (MJohnson86) has racked up nearly $500,000 in DFS profit as an NFL tournament player with success in all styles of contests