For some fantasy managers, the waiver wire isn't the only wire they are on five weeks into the season.
Some are walking a high-wire act.
It's great to be 4-1 at this point in the season. Sitting at 3-2 is fine like wine. We won't discuss the undefeated folks, because they are annoying and should be shunned.
Having a team that is 2-3 isn't ideal, but it isn't the end of the world—just need to get a win. But if the season has gone sideways to the point that fantasy managers are sitting at 1-4 or worse (this writer feels your pain, sadly), then any margin for error they may have had is gone. One more misstep, and the 2026 season will be a smear on the pavement below.
It's a long way down, Jack.
Odds are, injuries have played a part in that slow start. There is no shortage of fantasy-relevant players on the shelf, and the list only got longer in Week 5. New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson hurt his ankle—again. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hurt his quad. San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. pulled his hamstring.
Add in four teams sitting out Week 6 (the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings), and there's no shortage of fantasy managers looking for spot-starters.
That's where Waiver Wire Wonders comes in.
Each week during the 2026 season, we will be building a "lineup" (1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX) consisting of players who are available in over 50 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. Will those players single-handedly win you a matchup? Probably not.
But they might keep you from plummeting to your doom.
Week 6 Waiver Wire Wonders
QB Jameis Winston, NY Giants (4.0 Percent Rostered)
Sunday's tie with the Washington Commanders was the Jameis Winston experience in a nutshell. The good can be very good. The bad can be unwatchable. And you never know which one you're going to get on a given play. Winston was both in Week 5, but as head coach John Harbaugh told reporters, he was impressed with the improvement that Winston showed as the game wore on.
"I thought he was amazing in the second half," Harbaugh said. "First half, he wasn't. He'd be the first to tell you that, but that's on everybody. I tell the guys, nothing good is all one person. We're all responsible for all the good, and we're all responsible for all the bad."
All told, Winston's numbers against the Commanders were just fine—he threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns and even added 25 rushing yards on the way to a top-six finish among quarterbacks for the week. Now Winston gets a reeling New Orleans Saints team that ranks 25th in the league in total defense.
Time to eat a dub.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans (11.8 Percent Rostered)
Let's just put this out there—the list of available running backs five weeks into the fantasy season is usually pretty depressing—and 2026 is no different. At this point in the season, Miller is averaging 2.9 yards per carry and hasn't had more than 30 yards on the ground in a game. However, as Zach Buckley wrote for Bleacher Report, Miller's appeal lies more in volume than efficiency.
"That volume keeps coming," Buckley said, "and it feels unlikely to change, especially with Alvin Kamara being limited by a back injury. This is also the least efficient Miller has ever been with his touches (career 4.3 yards per touch), so some positive regression could help make a lot more out of these volume opportunities."
In each of the two games this season where Miller has seen at least nine carries, he has found the end zone—including in last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. This week the Saints take on a New York Giants team that sits 26th in the league in run defense, and with Kamara hurting, Miller could wind up leading the New Orleans backfield in touches in Week 6.