Oct 12, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones (23) tackles Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (30) during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The dilemma is real. A player who just went off for massive points is sitting on your fantasy football waiver wire. But your roster is loaded with guys you like who haven't quite gotten the job done yet. So does it make sense to swap out a potential one-week wonder like Kimani Vidal for an injured veteran like Aaron Jones or a former one-week wonder like Woody Marks?

That's what we're here to talk about. While we've already covered the players you should add and ones you should and drop this week, let's balance the scales and figure out what tier of fantasy star needs to go in order to make room for a player who could be a playoff-saver or merely a flash in the pan.

We call it fantasy ladders -- matching recent studs up against the guys who are probably on rosters across the fantasy landscape and figuring out who's better... and then going up a rung, and then up a rung. The goal is to help you navigate through the seas of indecision that can paralyze a manager and leave them with a shell of a roster and a potential last place finish.

Let's break down Week 6's biggest performers who could still be available in your leagues, and who it makes sense to drop them for. At the end, we'll even toss in some trade high advice and see if it makes sense to bring back some big names in exchange for a surprise stud who's been outperforming expectations early.

Los Angeles Chargers RB Kimani Vidal

Look, that was great last week... but no one gets to play the Miami Dolphins and their 31st-ranked defense every week. Fortunately, 3.5 yards after contact per carry each of the last two weeks suggests he can keep churning out big gains. Out-snapping Hassan Haskins 42-20 provides more evidence this is sustainable -- especially with a below-average lineup of run defenses looming on the schedule.

But! Omarion Hampton can return in three weeks (although reports say he may not). And Vidal started the season on the practice squad for a reason after being used sparingly as a rookie. Can he really be trusted to reclaim Week 6's magic now that opponents know he's coming?

  • Jacksonville Jaguars RB Bhayshul Tuten (45 percent owned):

He’s getting routes out of the backfield (seven in Week 6) but only playing 12-14 offensive snaps per week. His vision is, uh, iffy.

He’s an injury stash only right now. Even when Hampton returns, Vidal is the better play.

  • Houston Texans RB Woody Marks (57 percent):

Marks looked like Houston’s presumptive RB1 in Week 4, only for Nick Chubb to come roaring back with 11 carries to Marks' seven in a blowout win over the Baltimore Ravens. His timeshare will be better than Vidal’s once Hampton is healthy, which makes him a safer play with an arguably lower ceiling. But he's had only four career red zone carries so far and one at the goal line (Chubb is at four and three, respectively). Factor in the state of the Texans' line and it's difficult to trust any running back in the Houston lineup.

Still, Chubb's modest Week 5 revival notwithstanding, Marks feels safer.

  • Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones (77 percent):

What’s he going to look like when he returns from injury? Jordan Mason has seized RB1 reins but wasn’t great before the bye; he's been just OK the last two games and while he's been running a lot of routes he's turned seven targets into only 19 receiving yards.

That provides opportunity for Jones to be a rising tide once healthy. But he's also about to turn 31 years old and is playing with a shaky quarterback and injury depleted offensive line. In this case, give me the younger back with the higher upside..

WR Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

Boutte’s 2.21 yards per route run rank 18th in the NFL. His 2.5 yards of separation per target? 117th. No one is doing more with less space than Boutte, but that’s gonna limit his targets; Sunday was his first game with more than three since Week 1. It also means wherever he catches the ball is where it stays.

Boutte has 18 receptions this season. He has 20 total yards after catch.

  • Houston Texans WR Jayden Higgins (13 percent):

The rookie second-round pick had a career-high 16 routes in Week 5. He had 11 in a different blowout win in Week 4. There could be a push to get him the ball more coming out of the Texans' bye -- he is a smooth-running 6-foot-4 field stretcher, after all. Even so, he's struggled to get open, even against the Titans’ weak coverage (1.7 yards of separation, 1 target on 11 routes). The goods aren’t there yet. You can drop him and remain reasonably sure he'll linger on the waiver wire for at least one week.

  • New York Giants WR Darius Slayton (25 percent):

The rush to pick him up in the wake of Malik Nabers’ injury was reasonable. His role in the offense since is not. He's only had 10 targets in two games with Jaxson Dart at QB and now working through a hamstring injury. For a guy who’s asked to run routes all over the field and whose yards after catch made him an asset for a different shaky QB, this could be the kiss of death. He can go.

  • Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs (49 percent):

Our PPR king has returned. He's had tons of routes (43) and 15 targets his last two weeks. They've been mostly pretty short -- he had an average air yards per target of 5.7 yards vs. Arizona -- but he’s got the floor to give you double digit points every week. Need eight fantasy points? Josh Downs will get you 12. Need 20 fantasy points? Josh Downs will get you 12. Keep him (or someone stable but unspectacular like him) if you're in a good spot through six weeks. Take a swing on Boutte's box-outs if not.

WR Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers

Bourne’s 2.20 yards per route run? That's 19th-best in the NFL. He's had 20 targets and 15 catches the last two weeks, along with 129 (!) yards after catch. That’s the kind of stuff that will turn Kyle Shanahan into a cartoon with heart eyes when he watches film. It's the kind of performance that will embroider his name in the playbook rather than having it written in dry erase marker.

  • Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquise Brown (43 percent):

Brown is about to have his targets eaten into by Rashee Rice, who will return from suspension in Week 7. However, he'll still have value. He's had four red zone targets in his last three games to keep his upside high. Still, his floor is about to drop and the 49ers are cursed enough to make me believe they'll never been fully healthy at receiver. Swap in Bourne if you can.

  • Las Vegas Raiders WR Tre Tucker (48 percent):

Like Bourne, Tucker has produced huge yards after catch for a struggling quarterback (70 the last two weeks). He's been longer relegated to a deep role and thriving as a result – his average target distance is down from 18.4 yards downfield as a rookie to 10.5 this season and his separation is up from 2.8 yards last year to 3.6 this fall. Without the threat of other wideouts in Vegas, he can keep this up.

He doesn't have the same dizzying highs as Bourne. He also doesn't have the same kind of competition at wideout should Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall actually get healthy. This is a toss-up, but I'd like Bourne.

  • Seattle Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp (67 percent):

Kupp’s touchdown Sunday was his first end zone target of the year. Even with a thin WR corps and an MVP candidate QB he’s more complementary piece than must-have. Sell high on his name value if you can, but he should be considered an injury fill-in or desperation play at this point.

Trade High: Can Daniel Jones keep this up, or should you trade him while the getting's good?

Keep him. Jones is operating a simplified offense with a deep roster of open targets and surrounded by explosive safety valves. You can’t stack a defense when Jones can flip the ball to Tyler Warren, or hand off to Jonathan Taylor, or wing a sideline pass to Michael Pittman, or go long to Alec Pierce, or find Josh Downs in the slot. He’s progressing quickly through simple reads and making the correct choices.

More importantly, this isn’t a New York Giants situation. It’s not an all-checkdowns offense. He’s throwing deeper than he has, on average, since he was a rookie -- this year's 8.3 air yards per target are nearly two yards deeper than it was in his playoff run of 2022. And it's happening despite leading most of his games!

Factor in his run success (four touchdowns) and there’s enough evidence to believe this is sustainable. Daniel Jones can be the QB1 on a league-winning fantasy roster.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fantasy football waiver tiers: Where do Week 7 names fit?

Reporting by Christian D'Andrea, For The Win / For The Win

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