The Raiders, Rams, Buccaneers and Cowboys are on bye in Week 6, forcing fantasy football owners to find a few sleepers and streaming options off the waiver wire. It would've seemed crazy to predict that among those four teams, the Cowboys would have the fewest bona fide fantasy starters, but that just shows how quickly injuries can derail a season.
Savvy owners will have prepared for the bye to some degree, but there's only so much one can do with a finite bench. Never stop planning ahead via trade or free agency, and before making your final start-sit lineup decisions, scan the waiver wire for all fantasy-relevant skill players entering Week 6. Here are some of my favorite replacement options.
Week 6 fantasy football rankings:
Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Defenses | Kickers
Best fantasy QB pickups for Bye Week 6
Byes: Derek Carr, Nick Foles, Jameis Winston, Brandon Weeden
To start Colin Kaepernick is to play with fire, but he's not a bad swing when your starter enters the bye. Week 6 gifts the Baltimore Ravens, fresh off their latest roasting. After limiting Peyton Manning in Week 1, which seemed like an accomplishment at the time, the Ravens have allowed at least 350 yards passing in three of four games. Even Michael Vick managed his first competent game in quite a while against the Ravens.
Kaepernick bounced back with a turnover-free, 200-yard pass game last Sunday night and could produce borderline-QB1 numbers in this spot. Kaepernick's counterpart, Joe Flacco, also has a nice matchup, and Teddy Bridgewater, who faces a Chiefs' team allowing the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to QBs, makes for a deep sleeper, too.
MORE: Fantasy football waiver wire for Week 6
Best fantasy RB pickups for Bye Week 6
Byes: Latavius Murray, Todd Gurley, Doug Martin, Charles Sims, Joseph Randle
Thomas Rawls admirably filled in for Marshawn Lynch (hamstring), racking up 169 yards and a score on 23 carries in the loss at Cincinnati in Week 5. Lynch is dealing with multiple injuries and Seattle has responded with a cautious approach, lending a decent possibility that Lynch is held out or limited in Week 6 with the Seahawks playing on Thursday night in Week 7. Seattle's offensive line has been poor in every phase and Fred Jackson factors in on passing downs, but Rawls has shown well in carrying the load and only has 44-percent ownership in ESPN standard leagues .
For a one-week fill, give me Rawls sans Lynch over KC's Charcandrick West , though he's also worth a shot if you're scrapping for live bodies. If you're really going deep, C.J. Spiller or Khiry Robinson could have value, as the Falcons are allowing 83 receiving yards per game to RBs, and you can always try a Titans' back, with Antonio Andrews leading the way given his goal-line carry in Week 5.
Best fantasy WR pickups for Bye Week 6
Byes: Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Tavon Austin, Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley
Allen Hurns should be added even in smaller leagues. His 37-percent ownership increase last week still left him on waivers in a majority of ESPN standard leagues. Hurns has scored at least 13 points in standard leagues over the past three weeks as both he and Blake Bortles both find their footing during year two in the pros. This pair has grown dramatically since 2014.
In deeper leagues, Jamison Crowder (4.7 percent owned) should be owned and looked electric on plenty of work. Via Pro Football Focus data, Crowder ranks top five in catches, top 10 in targets and top 20 in receiving yards over the past two weeks. Check out the bottom of this week's WR rankings for more fill-in options.
Best fantasy TE pickups for Bye Week 6
Byes: Jared Cook, Jason Witten
For those in small-to-medium leagues, Philadelphia's Zach Ertz and Green Bay's Richard Rodgers are both owned in close to 50 percent of ESPN standard leagues. Each recorded a season-high in targets and catches in Week 5, giving reason to believe usage is trending upward from a month ago.
For those who have Jason Witten on bye and need a big swing, the Ravens' Crockett Gillmore (11.4 percent owned) could return from a calf injury and reclaim a sizeable role as a featured pass-catching TE in Baltimore's pass offense.