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Fantasy Football Week 6 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em

Fantasy Football Week 6 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em

Sit-and-start advice for fantasy football should always be relative and league-dependent. Many launches and seats are also obvious, so in this column we’ll focus instead on fringe options that require real consideration. Good luck with your Week 6 lineups!

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Chicago Bears (London)

Bigsby ranks first in YPC and first in rush yards above expected per attempt (by a mile). He receives 6.5 YPC after contact with an avoided tackle rate of 51%. Bigsby ranks 38th in rush attempts but fifth in broken tackles. Travis Etienne Jr. remains the starter, but he’s battling a recurring shoulder injury that presents a “play-by-play situation” in which he’ll “move on.” The Bears are a run-funnel defense that allows the second-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks but the 10th-most points to running backs. Bigsby is a borderline top-20 RB in a favorable matchup.

Sit down, Christian Kirkgoing up against a Chicago defense that gives up the third-fewest fantasy points in the slot, where he has completed 80% of his routes this season.

Washington Commanders @ Baltimore Ravens

McLaurin ranks 12th in target percentage (27.3%) and first in air yards percentage (56.6%) on an offense that is off to a historic start in points per drive. The Ravens are by far the best pass funnel defense in the league and have allowed the third-most fantasy points (and the most passing yards) to wide receivers. Meanwhile, Zay Flowers is one of the top 12 WRs in this matchup.

Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers

Assuming Christian Watson misses another game (it turns out it wasn’t a high ankle sprain), it would be worth a start for Wicks despite last week’s disaster. He will play another important role in an offense that is expected to be one of the highest scoring offenses this week. Arizona is near the bottom of the league in pressure rate, and Wicks is near the top eighth in the target rate (30.9%). However, this is contingent on Watson, who is questionable, being out.

Houston Texans @ New England Patriots

The Texans have one of the worst rushing offenses in the league and will be without Nico Collins. Tank Dell can be launched on demand, with the expectation of seeing more targets. Stefon Diggs will largely be shadowed by Christian Gonzalez, so Schultz should see more opportunities on Sunday.

Drake Maye is a sneaky start in the Superflex leagues as the Texans are giving up the fifth-most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season due to Houston’s high man coverage.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Rachaad White is questionable with a foot injury, so Irving’s time to take over Tampa Bay’s backfield could be Sunday. The Bucs turned back to Irving after the rookie lost a fumble in overtime last week, and he has been one of the league’s best runners this season. The game could be positive if Spencer Rattler makes his first career start for a struggling Saints team (Taysom Hill is out, Rashid Shaheed missed practice this week and members of the offensive line are dealing with injuries).

Mike Evans deserves a demotion as Marshon Lattimore has shut him down in the past and the Saints have only thrown one touchdown pass this season.

Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia’s defense got off to a slow start this season, but the Eagles are coming off a bye and are in a top matchup. Deshaun Watson has the lowest YPA (4.8) through five games in NFL history. He was sacked on an NFL-high 24.1% of his dropbacks against the Blitz, with the league average at 9.5%. The Browns allow the second-most pressure, averaging just 3.8 yards per play – a full half-yard less than the second-worst team. The Eagles are the 8.5-point favorite and have a healthy offense again, so the script could get ugly for Cleveland.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

Pollard is the RB11 in expected fantasy points, and the Titans are the home favorite after a bye. The Colts are dealing with multiple injuries on offense and have a run-funnel defense as opposing defenses are averaging the second-most carries (28.2) this season.

Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins are also both sneaky fantasy starters this week.

Seated: Anthony Richardsonwho is is expected to return from his hip injury on Sunday. Richardson is scoring the fifth-most fantasy points per dropback this year despite a tough schedule, but is in an extremely difficult spot. Michael Pittman Jr. appears to be able to play nowbut he and Josh Downs will be less than 100% when fit, while Jonathan Taylor is out. Tennessee is home after a bye and is allowing an NFL-low 5.7 YPA and by far the fewest passing yards per game (141.8). It’s also possible that Richardson’s hip is preventing him from running as usual and poses a risk of aggravation.

Richardson still offers unmatched long-term fantasy potential, but is a candidate for the bench on Sunday. He will also soon be a buy-low candidate.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos

Williams had his best fantasy game of the season last week, but it came against the Raiders and he has yet to reach 80 rushing yards or score this year. The Broncos have a low implied team total (16.25 points) and face a Chargers run defense that allows the league’s lowest EPA/Rush. Additionally, rookie Audric Estime was scheduled to return from IR and is expected to be activated for Sunday’s game, so Williams could potentially miss some work.

Start: Ladd McConkeywho has emerged as LA’s clear WR1, should avoid Patrick Surtain II from the slot and has thrived against man coverage (which Denver has used at the second-highest rate in the league).

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Las Vegas Raiders

Harris hasn’t rushed for more than six yards in the last two weeks, but he faces a heavy workload in a favorable matchup Sunday. The Raiders have allowed the second-most scheduled fantasy points to running backs, and Aidan O’Connell starts at quarterback for them. Jaylen Warren will return but probably isn’t at 100% yet and Cordarrelle Patterson is out, so Harris will be busy. He’s in danger of a touchdown regression as he has scored by far the most touchdowns (94) without points this season, so Harris starts this week.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

Johnson leads the NFL in red zone and end zone targets. His quiet game last week came against a stingy Chicago pass defense and would have looked better if Andy Dalton hadn’t missed him for a potential 50-yard touchdown. Johnson is the WR6 in expected fantasy points this season, just ahead of Nico Collins. This matchup should be fast-paced and feature a variety of plays, with Carolina likely shooting from behind a lot. Keep Johnson in fantasy lineups.

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys

Tolbert has been a much-improved player this season, and he has only seen four fewer goals since Week 1 and scored just 1.9 fewer fantasy points (0.5 PPR) than CeeDee Lamb. Lions opponents have the third-highest pass rate, and Detroit has scored the fourth-most fantasy points going to wide receivers. Brandin Cooks will have to face a pass funnel defense in a high-scoring game this week (52.5 points). Dak Prescott has an 8.0 YPA average with more than two touchdown passes at home over his career, so Tolbert is off to a sneaky start this week.

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Giants

Robinson quietly ranks third in targets, second in red zone targets and eighth in target share this season, and Malik Nabers is sitting there again on Sunday. Robinson is the WR17 in expected fantasy points, just ahead of CeeDee Lamb, Zay Flowers and Marvin Harrison Jr. Daniel Jones is playing well and Robinson is getting a boost in the PPR leagues.

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

Allen remains a borderline top-12 QB this week, but given his situation and matchup, alternatives can be explored. It looks like James Cook is playingbut he and Khalil Shakir are banged up, and the Jets have allowed just two total touchdowns and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. The Bills have a lower implied total than the Giants this week.

Allen is having arguably his worst performance ever, not having a single carry inside the 5-yard line this season. He also comes with an injured left hand, a sprained ankle and a possible concussion.

Allen has been able to practice fully and will certainly bounce back when the schedule eases up, but Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins ​​and Jared Goff appear to be off to better starts this week.