Week 6 Flex Rankings

Week 6 is the first one of the 2026 season with four teams on a bye. And most of those teams (sorry, Dolphins fans) have relevant performers at each Flex position. Four of the top 26 running backs based on year-to-date scoring in Half-PPR leagues are off. Five of the top 25 wide receivers and three of the top 15 tight ends are also idle. Throw in your regular dose of injuries, and many fantasy football managers may have to rely on lesser-known commodities in their Flex spot this week. That is where my Week 6 Flex rankings come in. I have ranked well over 200 players based on my expectations for the coming week. Things will surely change between now and Sunday, but this should provide a solid baseline for your roster decisions.

Running Back Notes

Marshawn Lloyd scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his NFL career last week. He still finished the game with only 37 scrimmage yards, so I don’t think fantasy football managers can fully exhale yet after a disastrous first month. But Lloyd should at least be on the strong side of a committee with Kaleb Johnson for now. This week Green Bay takes on the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has been abysmal defensively, particularly against the pass. Given Green Bay’s receiving weapons, the Cowboys may dare the Packers to beat them on the ground. That should give Lloyd enough work to remain serviceable in most fantasy formats. I value Lloyd as a borderline RB2 in 12-team leagues this week.

Omarion Hampton enters the week as the overall RB23. That is a far cry from what many of us expected from the second-year player in 2026. The scary part is that Hampton has scored three times in five games. This isn’t a Chase Brown situation where a player gets a huge touch share and produces yardage but fails to find the end zone. Hampton has totaled 60 scrimmage yards just once in five games thus far. Now he and the 0-5 Chargers face a 4-0 Kansas City team coming off a bye. I still prefer Hampton over backfield mates Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal. But the gap is much smaller than I expected a month ago. I do not consider Hampton a must-start if you have players with better matchups.

Wide Receiver Notes

The arrow is firmly pointing up for Steelers rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard in terms of fantasy value. Bernard led Pittsburgh wideouts in all receiving categories in last week’s victory. Both Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek were injured in that game. Neither player is expected to suit up this week. With Michael Pittman Jr. already on Injured Reserve, Bernard and DK Metcalf should get plenty of work against a pass-funnel Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. He is only rostered in 37 percent of Fantrax leagues and is likely to be among the top adds off the waiver wire this week. I have Bernard just outside the top 50 overall in my Week 6 Flex rankings and consider him a WR3 in both 10-and 12-team leagues. He could flirt with WR2 value in PPR leagues if last week’s usage was any indication.

Arizona’s trade of former top draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. made plenty of headlines. For fantasy purposes, however, I don’t foresee a massive shift in the landscape. I mentioned in Tuesday’s MOP rankings column that Michael Wilson becomes a WR2 in all formats. That is where I have him ranked this week, at 17^th overall among wide receivers. Harrison is well outside my top 50 fantasy wideouts and top 100 overall Flex options for Week 6. The Houston Texans currently have three different players averaging at least six targets per game. Harrison can make the occasional splash play, but it is hard to envision him earning enough volume to warrant starting him anytime soon. Nico Collins remains the only Texans wide receiver I am comfortable starting, regardless of format.

Tight End Notes

We often talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars having an abundance of wide receivers. But Parker Washington is the only Jaguars player with more targets, receptions, or receiving yards than tight end Brenton Strange. The fourth-year pro is on pace to set career-highs in all three categories. Strange enters the week as the overall TE13 based on Half-PPR scoring. That is a good sign, considering he has scored only one touchdown so far. He nearly scored last week, which would have vaulted him up to TE9 for the season. Strange has earned eight targets in consecutive games and should remain a trusted target for Trevor Lawrence. I expect Strange to post top-12 fantasy value in Week 6.