7 QBs to start or sit

Just when fantasy football managers thought they were exploring the quarterback landscape, Week 5 came along to give everyone something to chew on.

Kirk Cousins had his first breakout game with the Atlanta Falcons, suggesting he may be trending toward QB1 territory again. Joe Flacco posted a top-five rating in place of Anthony Richardson, but won’t even start in Week 6, when Richardson can return to action. Bo Nix and Daniel Jones were the top 12 scorers at the position, surpassing players like Dak Prescott, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

Whether the NFL’s Week 5 offensive outbreak will continue long-term remains unclear, but at least fantasy football owners now have a better idea of which players they can trust at quarterback. There will still be important start-’em and sit-’em decisions at the position, especially with the bye-week season in full swing, but there’s plenty of data for fantasy managers to use to select capable streamers and replacement players from the waiver wire.

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Here’s a breakdown of some streamers to trust at quarterback and some established starters who will fade in Week 6 of the fantasy football season.

Fantasy Football starts them: Week 6 QBs

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Cousins enjoyed his first big game with the Falcons on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 6, recording the 25th 500-yard passing game in NFL history and scoring four total touchdowns in the shootout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 36-year-old has another favorable game ahead of him against the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers are tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns by quarterbacks with 11 and have allowed at least two passing touchdowns in every game this season. If Cousins can continue this streak, he should be among the top 10 quarterbacks this week and may be in even better shape as the Panthers are also allowing the 11th-most passing yards per game in the NFL at 226.6.

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Williams appears to be adjusting to his role as starting quarterback five weeks into his NFL career. He has two games with at least 300 yards passing and two touchdowns in his last three games and averaged a career-best 10.5 yards per attempt in Week 5 against the Panthers.

The Bears face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 and the Jaguars are allowing the most passing yards per game in the NFL (287.8). Williams could approach the 300-yard mark again and should have a chance for multiple touchdowns as the Jaguars have allowed nine passing touchdowns in the last three games.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

As crazy as it sounds, trusting Jones in Week 6 might not be the worst idea. He scored multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games and had one of his best games of the season against the Seattle Seahawks. He rushed for 257 yards and two touchdowns against a solid Seahawks defense in that contest and now faces a Cincinnati Bengals squad that has given up the fifth-most fantasy points to QBs this season.

The Bengals have also given up 164 rushing yards (second most in the NFL) and one touchdown to quarterbacks, so Jones’ scrambling skills will increase his traction in a favorable matchup. So if you’re desperate for a streamer in the league that’s short on quarterbacks, Jones might not be your worst option.

Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

No one wants Levis will be trusted as a fantasy quarterback given his penchant for incredible turnovers, but he’ll have his best matchup yet against a struggling Indianapolis Colts defense. The Colts are allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game in the league (262.2) and all but one quarterback they have faced, Malik Willis was one of the top 13 quarterback scorers in Indianapolis in Week 2, according to data from FantasyPros.

That’s not to say you should trust Levis blindly, but if you’re looking for a streamer full of potential, a second QB in a SuperFlex league, or a DFS sleeper, Levis might be worth playing against.

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Fantasy Football Sit ‘Em: Week 6 QBs

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

Smith is a good backup in good matches, but it’s hard to view his Thursday Night Football stint with the San Francisco 49ers as a cheap alternative. The 49ers are allowing just 197 yards per game, good for 12th in the NFL, and have allowed just one touchdown to Smith in his three starts against them with the Seahawks.

Smith has thrown exactly one passing touchdown in his five starts this year. That might give him a good playing field, but the lack of a cap pushes him into QB2 territory even with four teams on byes.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Listen, sitting out Allen may sound like a stupid recommendation in theory, but there’s reason to be at least a little concerned about his Week 6 game against the New York Jets.

Allen was a fantasy guy in his first three games of the 2024 NFL season, but the Bills played three of the., according to FTN’s DVOA metric, which “breaks down every single NFL game and compares a team’s performance to a league.” Worst defenses in the NFL – average baseline based on situation and opponent.” The Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Jaguars all rank in the bottom ten in this metric, so Allen clearly benefited from these easier matchups.

In comparison, the Jets rank 11th in the league in DVOA. Given New York’s elite secondary, the Bills are expected to have an easier time running the ball to the Jets than passing it, so this should be another lower spot for Allen.

That’s not to say you should blindly pass on Allen to start another quarterback, but if you’re one of those fortunate enough to sign two top-notch signal-callers (think Cousins or Baker Mayfield), it could Finally it’s time to try the backup.

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Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

One of the most important rules in fantasy is not to get too cute with start/sit decisions. The Saints selected Rattler to replace Derek Carr after the quarterback suffered an oblique injury, which may seem like a decent matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but consider these points:

The Buccaneers allowed just one passing touchdown in their first four games before giving up four to Cousins in Week 5;
Tampa Bay’s defense could bring back some key players in Week 6, particularly All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who could help their stopping unit improve and limit the Rattler and Saints passing game.

Add to that the fact that Rattler is an unproven NFL product and this becomes an easy sitting decision before the divisional matchup.

Fantasy Football: Start’em, Sit’ems, Week 6

Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports offers you:

→ Kickers are people too: Here are some of the most clutch kickers your fantasy team should have in Week 6.

→ A good running back makes the difference. A bad running back can cost you a lot of points. Here’s who to start with and who to attend in Week 6.

→ The wide receiver position has been decimated this season. Protect yourself in Week 6 with start ’em, sit ’em advice for wideouts.

→ Tight ends can be the perfect x-factor for any fantasy team. Here’s who you should start and sit with in week 6.

→ Good defense can shut down your fantasy opponent’s offense. Here are some D/ST options for starting and participating in Week 6.