At various points during the fantasy football season, injuries, bye weeks and breaking news can cause you to need reinforcements for your fantasy lineup. Every Friday throughout the 2025 NFL season, Matt Bowen will offer up some late-week pickup options to help fill those holes, with an emphasis on deeper leagues.
Because of that, this column will focus mostly on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues, with occasional exceptions.
Looking at the Week 6 matchups, let's start at the quarterback position, with one signal-caller who used his dual-threat ability this past Monday night to post season-best numbers. I'll also hit on a group of wide receivers, plus a rookie tight end seeing a bump in volume. As always, we'll end with a defense -- and this unit can hit the quarterback.
Quarterbacks
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (30.2% rostered; vs. Seahawks)
Lawrence had a season-high 26.24 points in the Week 5 win over Kansas City. Now, I still see some misses from Lawrence on the tape, but he was much more efficient (17-of-25 passing) against a Chiefs defense that really makes the quarterback work post-snap. But the key here is Lawrence's willingness to create as a runner. He rushed for a season-best 54 yards and two touchdowns (on 10 carries). That's a game changer in the lineup. With a matchup Sunday against a Seattle defense that just gave up 379 yards passing to Baker Mayfield in Week 5, Lawrence fits as a deeper-league option.
Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers (3.7% rostered; at Buccaneers)
We'll have to monitor the injury news on both Brock Purdy (toe) and Jones (knee/oblique). But if Jones does get the start, we can get him in the lineup against a Bucs defense allowing 20.1 PPG to opposing quarterbacks (fifth most). Remember, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will scheme it up for Jones. A lot of quicks and play-action to isolate/define the throws. Jones scored 22.1 points in the Week 5 win over the Rams, and he's averaging 19.1 PPG over his three starts this season -- with six touchdown passes and only one interception. He's a solid replacement here if you roster Purdy, and Jones is available in more than 95% of ESPN leagues.
Wide receivers
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (53.2% rostered; vs. Bengals)
Doubs is just over the 50% roster cutoff here, but I like the matchup versus the Bengals on Sunday. While Doubs won't demand high-end volume (averaging 4.8 targets per game), he has scored at least one touchdown in two of his past three games and seen six red zone targets on the season. The Packers will isolate Doubs in scoring position. Win the one-on-ones there. I'll take it against a Bengals defense that has allowed 12 touchdown passes this season, tied for second most in the league.
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers (21.5% rostered; at Bucs)
Bourne's Week 6 value is tied to the health of teammates Jauan Jennings (ribs/ankle) and Ricky Pearsall (knee). If either can't go, then Bourne is a smart add ahead of Sunday's matchup in Tampa. In last week's win over the Rams, with both Jennings and Pearsall sidelined, Bourne operated as the No. 1 for Jones, catching 10 of a team-high 11 targets for 142 yards (24.2 points). Let's keep an eye on the 49ers' injury reports this weekend, because Bourne could be the featured target again, or a No. 2, in Shanahan's heavily schemed route tree.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (42.5% rostered; vs. Cardinals)
Downs is a deeper-league flier this week after he scored 11.4 points in the Week 5 win over the Raiders. Downs has posted double-digit points in only two games this season, but he has at least four receptions in three of five. Against a Cardinals defense that ranks in the middle of the pack against opposing wide receivers (33.4 PPG), Downs can operate as a middle-of-the-field target for quarterback Daniel Jones. He has the lateral quicks and the suddenness to separate from the slot.
Tight end
Mason Taylor, New York Jets (25.8% rostered; vs. Broncos)
Taylor has seen a boost in usage over the past two games (19 total targets) and posted back-to-back weeks with at least 11 points. Operating mostly as an underneath target for quarterback Justin Fields, Taylor did catch a deep crossing route versus Miami in Week 4, plus he showed the ability to work the seams on his college tape at LSU. Take the volume here, as Taylor can be a quick outlet for Fields on Sunday against Denver.
Running backs
Hassan Haskins (39.7% rostered) and Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (18.8% rostered; at Dolphins)
With starter Omarion Hampton (ankle) on IR, both Haskins and Vidal have some Week 6 value in the Chargers' backfield. However, don't be surprised if this is a true committee approach from coach Jim Harbaugh, as Haskins and Vidal essentially split touches when Hampton went down last week against the Commanders. Based on their traits, Haskins does bring a little more upside as an early-down runner, and he gets a really positive matchup this Sunday versus a Dolphins defense allowing 27.1 PPG to opposing running backs.
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (23.4% rostered; vs. Patriots)
Miller gets a tough matchup this week, but you will get some volume in the lineup. Miller has seen at least nine touches in each of his past three games, plus he has 21 carries over his past two -- compared with 23 for starter Alvin Kamara. The presence of Kamara in the passing game does limit Miller's PPR upside (only four receptions this season), but his recent usage could be enough to land him in a deeper-league flex spot.
D/ST Los Angeles Rams (43.2% rostered; at Ravens)
With Lamar Jackson (hamstring) doubtful for the Week 6 game in Baltimore, let's get on the L.A. defense. Yes, I'd like to see the Rams take the ball away at a much higher clip (only six forced turnovers on the season), but they could get more opportunities this Sunday versus Ravens backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who threw three picks in the Week 5 loss to Houston. Remember, the Rams can heat up the pocket, as they have at least two sacks in four of five games played. And pressure can force quarterbacks to be careless with the ball.