Bye weeks continue in the NFL for Week 6, meaning fantasy football players must seek replacements for their typical lineup options.
Many names among the best Week 6 sleepers could qualify for that role, even some who may have been on fantasy benches last week.
Keep scrolling for The Sporting News' staff picks for Week 6 fantasy sleepers.
Track our weekly fantasy rankings for how strong these plays will be.
Best Week 6 Fantasy Sleepers
QB sleeper picks this week
Bo Nix, Broncos at Jets
The Jets' defense is melting down fast under Aaron Glenn and all their strengths vs. the passing game have gone by the wayside. This isn't a home game, but neutral in London is good enough for Nix to be comortable dealing to all of his weapons and spreading the ball around. He also will pad the numbers a little with his legs. - Vinnie Iyer
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins vs. Chargers
Tua has been up and down this season, but the past couple weeks against the Jets and the Panthers have produced solid fantasy results. That might not carry over to this weekend against Jim Harbaugh's Chargers, who allow the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs. - Sloan Piva
Matthew Stafford, Rams vs Ravens
This is a shell of the Ravens defense we expect to see. C.J Stroud just threw for 4 touchdowns against this defense, which ties the amount of TDs he had coming into Week 5. There is no reason Stafford shouldn't finish as the QB10 or better this week. - Griffin Missant
TOP FANTASY PICKUPS: Week 6 waiver wire
RB sleeper picks this week
"Bill" Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders vs Bears
After being the fantasy darling to start the year, JCM went quiet. But in Week 5, we saw what made him so exciting in the first place. JCM had 150 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns against the Chargers in Week 5. In Week 6, he'll take on a Bears defense that allowed 29.9 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs before their bye week. - Griffin Missant
Hassan Haskins, Chargers at Dolphins
Don't overthink this one folks. After seeing Rico Dowdle, Rachaad White and Kenneth Gainwell become immediate stud supersubs, it's Haskins' turn to build on what he did for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and smash it filling in for Omarion Hampton in more positive game situations than Kimani Vidal. The Dolphins just gave up that massive ridiculous game to Dowdle in Carolina. - Vinnie Iyer
Rico Dowdle, Panthers vs. Cowboys
Well, he's not much of a sleeper at this point, as he scored 32.4 PPR points last weekend against Miami. However, it's worth noting that he's a must-start even if Chuba Hubbard (calf) suits up vs. Dallas. The Cowboys have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this season, and Dowdle will likely relish destroying his former team. - Sloan Piva
WR sleeper picks this week
Matthew Golden, Packers vs. Bengals
The speedster has looked pretty good through four games, and it's only a matter of time before he explodes. With Green Bay coming off a bye week and Jayden Reed still out, this seems like a Golden opportunity against the eighth-most generous defense to wide receivers in fantasy. - Sloan Piva
Calvin Ridley, Titans vs Raiders
It looked like things started to click for Cam Ward's connection to Ridley in Week 5. Ridley was targeted 10 times by Ward, which was the highest of the season thus far. In Week 6, they'll take on the Raiders, who have been allowing 38.5 fantasy points per game to the WR position. - Griffin Missant
Rashid Shaheed, Saints vs. Patriots
The Saints are starting to get more aggressive with Kellen Moore's trust in Spencer Rattler growing to execute the full capacity of the passing game. The Patriots' secondary is vulnerable to some big plays downield and Shaheed tends to always use his speed best at home. - Vinnie Iyer
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TE sleeper picks this week
Brenton Strange, Jaguars vs. Seahawks
The Seahawks cannot cover backs or tight ends with their lingering issues at linebacker and safety for a pretty good pass defense overall. Strange has been quiet of late in tougher spots but he should be a key target here getting open off the attention Brian Thomas Jr. will get at home. - Vinnie Iyer
Juwan Johnson, Saints vs. Patriots
It's understandable if you're starting to doubt Johnson, who has scored just 9.5 total PPR points over the past two weeks. However, the Pats have struggled to defend tight ends, and Johnson has still caught 11 of his past 15 targers over the past three games. Give him one more week to redeem himself. - Sloan Piva
Harold Fannin Jr., Browns vs Steelers
While in Week 5, David Njoku was the premier target for Dillon Gabriel, it's clear he loves throwing to the TE position. Fannin was still targeted 4 times and caught all 4 for just 13 yards and a TD. There will definitely be some weeks where Fannin is the top target in this offense. - Griffin Missant
Team Defense sleeper picks this week
Tennessee Titans vs. Raiders
At this point in the season, it's seemingly a good idea to play whichever D/ST whose facing Geno Smith. Smith leads the NFL in thrown interceptions through 6 weeks. - Griffin Missant
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Titans
The Raiders' defense has been terrible but it's also faced many functional good offenses of late. The Cam Ward-led Titans aren't one of them. There will be sacks and takeaways to be had at home. - Vinnie Iyer
Indianapolis Colts vs. Cardinals
The Colts now have three awesome D/ST performances on the season (vs. MIA, @ TEN, vs. LV), and now they get to tee off against a Cardinals squad that couldn't get out of its own way last week against the lowly Titans. With Arizona's two top running backs hurt, Marvin Harrison Jr. having a rocky sophomore season and Trey McBride somehow not getting going, the Cardinals should make Indy look pretty good at home this weekend. - Sloan Piva
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