Fantasy Football: 4 Deep Sleepers for NFL Week 6

If you're in a deep league or are playing some large-field NFL DFS tournaments on FanDuel this week, you'll probably need some deep sleepers on your squad.

Here are some players who are on the majority of waiver wires but need to be on your radar this week.

We'll reference our fantasy football projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook, and lines may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers for Week 6

Kendrick Bourne, WR, 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $5,700 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 20%

Kendrick Bourne had a statement performance in Week 5, catching 10 of his 11 targets for a whopping 142 yards in a win over the Los Angeles Rams. He finished as the week's WR9 despite not scoring a touchdown. Can he provide fantasy value this Sunday?

The San Francisco 49ers' injury report shows they are still banged up. None of Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, or Jauan Jennings have practiced yet this week, and George Kittle is not eyeing a return until Week 7. As of this writing, it seems like the Niners could at best get Jennings back for Sunday.

Another week of Mac Jones x Bourne sounds enticing in a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The game environment looks to be strong thanks to a close spread (3.5) and high total (47.5). Tampa Bay struggles with a 22nd-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense, and their contests have been shootout city in the early going. Bourne's primed to get in on the fun, and his outlook would spike in the right direction if Jennings can't go.

Alec Pierce, WR, Colts

FanDuel Salary: $5,200 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 5%

Alec Pierce has missed two straight games due to a concussion but was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and should be ready to roll on Sunday. Available in the vast majority of Yahoo! leagues, Pierce could be a worthy pick up in deeper leagues for Week 6.

Pierce caught 8 of his 10 targets for 135 yards across his most recent six quarters before leaving early in Week 3. The deep ball threat is averaging 19.0 yards per catch on an 18.5 aDOT, and he's earned a 34.3% air yards share despite leaving one of his three games early.

The Indianapolis Colts will host the Arizona Cardinals this weekend. The Colts rank first in offensive efficiency and tout a 27.5 implied team total in this one. Daniel Jones has been more than capable in the passing game, and the Colts should look to utilize Pierce from the jump since Adonai Mitchell has been more or less benched.

It's easy to forget about Pierce's existence given the two-game absence, but he posted three separate 120-plus yard, one-touchdown outings in 2024 and is capable of a huge performance under Jones.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers

FanDuel Salary: $5,400 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 20%

The Los Angeles Chargers can't catch a break.

First, we saw Najee Harris go down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 3. Then last Sunday, Omarion Hampton suffered an ankle injury and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve.

We'll get a new-look Chargers backfield for the foreseeable future, and Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal are expected to lead the charge. Haskins has already been picked up in 50% of leagues, but Vidal is still widely available.

Hampton left last Sunday's contest late in the third quarter. Vidal ended up earning four carries for 18 yards while Haskins turned five carries into 13 yards. Both guys were targeted once.

The Chargers are 4.5-point favorites over the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Miami comes in with a 30th-ranked schedule-adjusted rush defense and have coughed up the second-most rushing yards and third-most yards per carry (5.6) to opposing running backs. Add in the potential for a positive game script, and we could see a ton of Vidal this week relative to his current roster rate.

Jake Tonges, TE, 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $5,600 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 9%

San Fran remains without Kittle and Jake Tonges has scored in two straight games, though the tight end is still widely available in fantasy football leagues.

In four games sans Kittle, Tonges has run 68.2% of the routes and earned a 14.9% target share. Tonges is up to a 70.0% route participation rate and a team-leading 18.8% target share across the last two contests. He's the overall TE9 and churned out a TE6 finish in Week 4 and a TE9 finish in Week 5.

When we consider everything at play here -- Kittle will sit, Pearsall is likely to sit, Jennings could sit, and the game environment is fantasy-friendly -- there's reason to believe Tonges could keep producing in Week 6.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.