Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season brought more surprises and plenty of disappointment for fantasy football owners as few things went according to plan, including in Foxborough, Massachusetts as Kirk Cousins was benched in a blowout loss. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Chargers leading receiver Tre Harris is day-to-day with a hamstring injury that forced him to leave the Broncos game.

In Dallas, coach Brian Schottenheimer's Cowboys were beaten by a struggling, heavily injured Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad, which scored its first win of the season.

Heading into Week 6, there are many potential fantasy football pickups worth adding, along with players and defenses that should be dropped. Here is Week 6's drop list, which includes some choices many people didn't expect to see on it before the season started.

Drop target #1: Kirk Cousins

The Raiders were blitzed 45-17 by the New England Patriots and the veteran Cousins was removed in favor of Fernando Mendoza, the hotshot former number one overall pick of coach Klint Kubiak's team. Cousins had a good game with 19-of-28 passing for 243 yards and a touchdown, but Mendoza also looked strong with 6-of-8 passing for 48 yards.

The Raiders are now 3-2 and Cousins is likely to stay as the starter for the foreseeable future, but the Raiders' loss was disconcerting. Week 6 brings a home game against the Bills and Week 7 a home game against the Rams.

Cousins still has some fantasy value, but the feeling is he is going to start dropping off as the Raiders' schedule gets tougher. Fans will get start to call for Mendoza and get restless if the Raiders don't at least split the next two games, something that isn't likely to happen. Now is the time to start making arrangements for a different quarterback and to drop Cousins if you have options with more potential down the line.

Drop target #2: Cowboys Defense

The Cowboys gave up 165 yards rushing to Bucky Irving and were beaten soundly by undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels at home in Week 5 action, the worst possible sign for a talented but at times underachieving defense.

The Cowboys have games against the Packers, Eagles, and 49ers on the horizon giving their defense little time to fix its gaping holes. The Cowboys' defense has talent, but isn't playing with a full deck of cards right now and isn't playing up to its capabilities. Better to cut bait now and wait til later in the season if you still have hopes for this crew.

Drop target #3: Tre Harris

Harris is week-to-week with a hamstring injury but his success as the team's leading receiver seemed short-lived before the injury and Ladd McConkey's status with the team further complicates matters.

Harris and the Chargers look like a defeated team and so did coach Jim Harbaugh after the team's Week 5 loss to the Broncos dropped them to 0-5 on the season. Harris will likely recover at some point and become a productive receiver, but this looks like a wasted season for the Chargers meaning Harbaugh will likely rotate more players at key positions and continue to tweak his team's offense.

Charlie Kolar and Marquez Valdez-Scantling were the top two receivers for the Chargers, not exactly world beaters, but Harris and the Chargers' offense doesn't seem to have much juice heading toward games against the Chiefs, Rams and Chargers that could end their season before it ever really began.

Drop target #4: David Montgomery

Montgomery is week-to-week with a groin injury after the Texans got 62 yards from Jo'quavious Marks in a 26-3 win over the Titans. Marks has the speed to keep defenses honest while CJ Stroud acclimates to life with new receiving target Marvin Harrison Jr.

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Montgomery still has the short yardage pop that makes him an attractive red zone option, but the Texans will become a different team if Harrison Jr. and Stroud can recapture the magic they found with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Montgomery has the talent of a starter but has often found himself hurt and in tough situations roster-wise.

His current situation with the Texans looks no different as it looks like he will be relegated to a backup role or sharing carries with Marks until he becomes fully healthy again.

Drop target #5: Deebo Samuel

The 49ers star will miss multiple weeks after straining his right hamstring and will face a long road back on a 49ers team that has tons of weapons including Mike Evans, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle.

Brock Purdy will need time to get acquainted with each individual option as they return to the field meaning the 49ers could have a lot of different leading receivers for the rest of the season. Samuel has shown a lot of heart and resolve to keep scratching and clawing his way back onto the field in the face of injuries, but this one looks like it could be a difficult one yet again.

If he does return, he might not be the same speedy YAC threat that he was prior to the injury for quite some time, making him a smart drop candidate.