We’re over a third of the way through the fantasy football regular season, and the waiver wire is becoming thinner and thinner. This is easily one of the weakest weeks in terms of players available, but there are still some hidden gems out there.

There are short-term options you could use in Week 6, guys who can fill a hole for 2-3 weeks, and then guys that could help you make a deep playoff push later in the season. Today, we’re going to go through the waiver wire and identify which category the top players fit into.

What to Know

Before we dive into the waiver additions, there are a few key pieces of information you need to know:

Key Week 5 injuries

• Los Angeles Chargers RB Omarion Hampton (ankle) has been placed on IR and will miss at least four weeks.
• Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is dealing with a foot injury.
• Jacksonville Jaguars TE Brenton Strange left the game with a hip injury. Full status unknown.
• New York Giants WR Darius Slayton injured his hamstring.
• New England Patriots RB Antonio Gibson tore his ACL and is out for the season.

Week 6 Bye Weeks

• Houston Texans
• Minnesota Vikings

Short-Term Points Burst

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

If you have CJ Stroud or Carson Wentz on a bye or just need a quarterback to play in Week 6 for whatever reason, Bryce Young could be your guy. In Week 6, Young faced the Dallas Cowboys, who have given up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.

No quarterback has scored under 24 points against the Cowboys this season, so if you need a plug-and-play guy this week, look to pick up Young, because he shouldn’t cost too much FAAB.

FAAB: 5 percent

Rostered: 21 percent

Rico Dowdle, Running Back, Carolina Panthers

Rico Dowdle is going to be a hot name on waiver wires after his massive 206-yard performance, but I’m not sure how valuable of an option he is long-term. The Carolina Panthers expect to get Chuba Hubbard back sooner than later, so if you’re looking for a long-term solution, I’d look elsewhere. But if you just need someone for Week 6, Dowdle could be a good pickup.

FAAB: 5 percent

Rostered: 71 percent

Ryan Flournoy, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb is expected to be back on the field in a week or two, so Ryan Flournoy, who just had a massive 100+ yard game, isn’t going to hold his value for very long. Personally, I’d let your leaguemates spend their FAAB on him, because he only played 57 percent of the Cowboys’ snaps despite having a massive day. I don’t see him as a valuable option long-term but could be a solid pick up for Week 6 if you have Nico Collins or Justin Jefferson on bye.

FAAB: 5 percent if WR needy

Rostered: 0 percent

Jake Tonges, Tight End, San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle is likely to return to the field for Week 7, which leaves one more week for fantasy owners to get the most out of Jake Tonges. In the last two weeks, Tonges has scored 14.80 and 17.10 fantasy points, which makes him an incredibly valuable option for TJ Hockenson owners, or someone who’s just looking for a one-week upgrade at tight end.

Don’t spend too much, because he’s only valuable while Kittle’s out, but he could win you your matchup this week.

FAAB: 5 percent max

Rostered: 8 percent

Multi-Week Upgrade

Michael Carter, Running Back, Arizona Cardinals

Michael Carter was clearly the Arizona Cardinals‘ preferred choice at running back last week with Trey Benson on IR. He carried the ball 18 times, and no other running back had more than three carries all game. If you’re in a league with die hard fantasy players, Carter probably isn’t available, but if he is, go get him, especially if you need a running back.

FAAB: 10-20 percent based on need

Rostered: 59 percent

Hassan Haskins, Running Back, Los Angeles Chargers

The early belief is that Hassan Haskins will be the Los Angeles Chargers preferred running back with Omarion Hampton on IR. There will be some competition from his teammate (who we’ll talk about shortly), so it’s a bit of a gamble, but if you really need a running back and can take a chance, Haskins should be RB1 in LA. It’s also worth noting that Haskins has ties to Head Coach Jim Harbaugh from their time at Michigan.

FAAB: 10-15 percent

Rostered: 3 percent

Kimani Vidal, Running Back, Los Angeles Chargers

If you aren’t able to get your hands on Haskins, grabbing Kimani Vidal might be worth it for running back-needy teams. He should be the backup, but if Haskins underperforms or gets injured, Vidal is the only man in line for more carries. I wouldn’t invest nearly as much in him as Haskins, but he could be worth considering.

FAAB: 5 percent

Rostered: 0 percent

Honorable Mentions

• Kendrick Bourne, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots

Long-Term Playoff Push

Kendre Miller, Running Back, New Orleans Saints

Kendre Miller is somewhat of a high-risk, high-reward. If Alvin Kamara stays healthy, there’s a good chance Miller never becomes a viable fantasy option, but he’s seen his snap count increase every single week this season, and if Kamara goes down, he could be an every week starter.

Miller also leads the NFL in break tackle rate, forcing .34 missed tackles per touch. He’s only hit the 10 fantasy point mark one time this year, but if you’re looking long-term, he could be a good stash.

FAAB: 10 percent

Rostered: 27 percent

Brashard Smith, Running Back, Kansas City Chiefs

All the reports last week were that the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to get rookie running back Brashard Smith more involved in the offense. What happened on Monday night? He got one carry.

However, I still believe he could be valuable down the line. Kareem Hunt and Isaiah Pacheco still don’t look great, and if they’re going to get their run game going, Smith is going to need to be apart of it. He won’t win you games anytime soon, but come late in the season, Smith could prove to be valuable.

FAAB: 5 percent

Rostered: 17 percent

Mason Taylor, Tight End, New York Jets

After a slow start to the season, Mason Taylor is making a name for himself in the Big Apple. He’s had back-to-back games of 10+ fantasy points, and that’s without scoring a single touchdown. He’s played 72+ percent of snaps in every single game this year, and his connection builds with Justin Fields, he’ll only continue to see more and more targets. I’d spend big on him if you need a tight end (which pretty much everyone does).

FAAB: 15-20 percent

Rostered: 20 percent

Tyquan Thornton, Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs

Tyquan Thornton never quite found his footing in New England, but has made a resurgence in Kansas City. Through five weeks, Thornton has been heavily involved, and on Monday night, he had a massive 90-yard game.

The only worry is that, with Rashee Rice coming back soon, he could see less snaps. But his connection with Patrick Mahomes is building, so he should keep seeing decent playing time. One of the more high risk, high reward players this week.

FAAB: 5-10 percent

Rostered: 24 percent

AJ Barner, Tight End, Seattle Seahawks

AJ Barner is quietly TE11 in fantasy football this season, and he’s rostered in just three percent of redraft league. He’s had three games of 10+ fantasy points, and is coming off a 24-point performance on Sunday.

Everyone could use help at tight end right now, and it appears Barner will be a viable solution for the rest of the season. He’s played 80+ percent of snaps in all but one game this year, so his productions shouldn’t dip anytime soon.

FAAB: 15-20 percent

Rostered: 3 percent

Jalen Coker, Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are finally getting second-year wide receiver Jalen Coker back from injured reserve, and should instantly be a big factor in Carolina’s offense. Tet McMillan is WR1, there’s no doubt about that, but Bryce Young and Coker built a relationship last year that should extend into this season.

Coker will be a solid bench player on most fantasy teams, but if McMillan were to go down, he’d instantly elevate into starter status.

FAAB: 5 percent

Rostered: 14 percent

Tyjae Spears, Running Back, Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans offense has been anemic this year, and that’s largely due to their lack of a run game. Tony Pollard has not looked good this season, and with Tyjae Spears coming off IR, he could get a chance to prove he deserves to be RB1.

He might not get a ton of snaps early as he works his way back, but if he performs well, he could take over as RB1 in Tennessee in a matter of weeks.

FAAB: 5-10 percent based on need

Rostered: 34 percent

Honorable Mentions

• Jonnu Smith, Tight End, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Darnell Washington, Tight End, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Malik Washington, Wide Receiver, Miami Dolphins
• Luther Burden III, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears