- Young tight ends are shining: A.J. Barner, Theo Johnson and Mason Taylor are three of the eight highest-scoring fantasy tight ends over the past two games, and all three are widely available.
Another week of the 2025 NFL season is just about in the books. Here are the players you should be targeting in your fantasy football leagues, including options for smaller leagues and deeper leagues, as well as players to avoid.
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QUARTERBACKS
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (Rostered in 44.1% of leagues on ESPN)
- League Size: 10
- Time Frame: Short Term, Long Term
While Sam Darnold and Tua Tagovailoa were the top-performing quarterbacks available on the waiver wire this week, we now have a five-game sample on both, and neither is averaging more than 17 fantasy points per game. That 17-point threshold is generally a good baseline for whether a quarterback should be rostered in most formats.
Nearly all quarterbacks above that mark are already rostered, aside from Mac Jones and Carson Wentz, both of whom could return to the bench as early as next week.
With only the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings on a bye in Week 6, most managers won’t need to stream a quarterback — aside from those relying on Lamar Jackson. The top two streaming options this week resemble Darnold and Tagovailoa in short-term value, but offer a higher ceiling moving forward.
Jaxson Dart stood out for a second straight game, thanks in large part to his rushing production. He ran seven times for 55 yards and added 202 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions through the air on 26-of-40 passing. With the Giants likely to play from behind frequently, Dart should continue to see high dropback volume and opportunities to run.
He has averaged 18.7 fantasy points per game as a starter, which makes him a borderline fantasy starter. Dart has a realistic path to finishing as a top-12 fantasy quarterback over the rest of the season.
Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals (5.0%)
- League Size: 12
- Time Frame: Long Term
Jake Browning struggled through his first 11 quarters as a starter, but the Bengals’ fourth-quarter surge in Week 4 offered a glimmer of hope. Down 28–3 entering the final frame, Cincinnati scored three touchdowns, with Browning finishing the game with 251 passing yards and 31 rushing yards.
The hope is that Browning can carry some of that fourth-quarter success into full games moving forward. He stands out among widely available quarterbacks not just because of the weapons around him— namely, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — but also because of the Bengals’ schedule. Cincinnati doesn’t face another team ranked in the top half of the league in limiting fantasy points to quarterbacks until Week 17. Five of their next 10 games are against teams in the bottom four in that category.
If Browning can replicate his fourth-quarter performance over full games, he could produce like a top-12 fantasy quarterback the rest of the season. But that remains a big if.
