Who To Start, Sit, And Scoop Up For Your Week 6 Fantasy Football Lineup

It’s time to get your team right heading into the midway of the fantasy football season. If you’re sitting at 1-4 or 2-3, this is a must-win week. If you don’t, you’re as good as dead. You’ll never be able to sneak into the playoffs to do some damage and everyone will shame you. Luckily, the waiver wire looks healthy, and there are some juicy matchups out there.

With only Tampa Bay and Minnesota on BYE for Week 6, your roster should be relatively strong (Mike Evans, Charles Sims, the injured Doug Martin, the injured Stefon Diggs, maybe Jerick McKinnon and the Viking defense were the only people you could use from those squads).

Let’s dive in.

Start of the Week

Larry Fitzgerald: Even with Drew Stanton under center Larry Fitzgerald exceeded expectations. He had a 6/81/2 line against the 49ers on Thursday Night Football, now he’s facing one of the worst pass defenses in the league, your New York football Jets. Even if Carson Palmer doesn’t return (which he probably will), Fitz will eat up the Jets’ secondary. You cannot deny a man who knocks over defenders en route to a touchdown, then a teammate while celebrating said touchdown. Even Fitz can’t control his powers.

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/784217418117722112

Start/Sit

QUARTERBACK STARTS

Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben is simply not going to disappoint you in Week 6. The Steelers are playing the Dolphins (who are admittedly middle of the road regarding pass defense), but Le’Veon Bell has changed everything for this offense. Roethlisberger threw the ball 47 times against the Jets, and is averaging just under 40 passes a game. I think Bell catches a TD this week, and Roethlisberger can sleepwalk his way to a 3 TD game. He’s got 9 in the last 2 weeks, after all.

And you can’t deny this:

Marcus Mariota: It kind of feels bad picking on Cleveland so much, but we can’t deny the fact that every QB that faces this Browns defense has a game. Granted, Mariota played poorly against Oakland, but the Titans offense seems to be gelling and Mariota has found his legs, rushing for 60 yards against the Dolphins in Week 5. You probably don’t need to play him with only Bradford and Winston out on a BYE, but if you’re in a deep league, or have Andy Dalton and/or Kirk Cousins, this may be a nice lil play for you.

Brian Hoyer: Brian Hoyer was the No. 2 QB in Weeks 4 and 5. While your scenario for playing him has to be very specific, it’s probably in everyone’s best interest to play him while he has the hot hand. The Jaguars don’t give up many yards to opposing QBs (surprisingly only 795 all season), but they are near the bottom of the league in points allowed and the Bears, who I hate so much for breaking my heart my entire life, will probably be in this game up until the end when they blow it. The Chargers of the midwest, they are.

QUARTERBACK SITS

Matt Ryan: You’re gonna have to sit Ryan again, even if he’s playing MVP-level football. The Falcons travel to Seattle after facing Denver, and the Seahawks have only given up a single passing TD all year. You should still play the Atlanta running backs, and Julio Jones might do just fine between the 20s (Brandon Marshall was able to play Sherman just fine), but keep your TD expectations in check. Things lighten up for Atlanta after this week, so hang in there. Play Mariota or Hoyer!

Kirk Cousins: The Eagles are the second-best pass defense in the league, and while Cousins is playing perfectly fine since his 0 TD, 2 INT game to start the year, the chances are he’s going to be shut down by a defense only allowing 10.12 points to opposing QBs. The garbage time could be real, but don’t depend on it.

Joe Flacco: The head Raven has been disappointing, but so has the whole Baltimore offense which he called “embarrassing.” This week he’s playing the Giants, who allow 15 points to opposing QBs, and may be without Steve Smith.

RUNNING BACK STARTS

DeMarco Murray: The man is playing Cleveland, and the Titans have steadily increased his workload every week this season. He’s a must-start every week at this point (until the wheels fall off), but everyone must be reminded that he’s playing Cleveland (they’re giving up 119.3 rushing yards per game) and would make for a nice DFS play.

Tevin Coleman: You look at his 6 rushes for 31 yards and you’re like, “damn.” But then you glance a little to the right and see he caught 4 of 6 targets for 136 yards and a slick TD. He’s lining up as a receiver and he’s a rushing threat in the red zone. Don’t let DeVonta Freeman or the upcoming Seattle D worry you. Coleman is a play every week.

Jordan Howard: The Bears finally found their guy. Why did they even bother with Langford? It wasted everybody’s time. That’s okay, though. We’re here now, together, and hopefully, you nabbed Howard off the waiver wire to bask in the glory of his 16 rushes for 118 yards and 3 catches for 45 yards and a TD. Yes, Indy has a poor defense, but you want the touches, and Howard is one of those rare every-down backs in the NFL. Play this rarity every week, especially against the Jaguars (they give up 110 rushing YPG and Howard will do work through the air).

RUNNING BACK SITS

Ezekiel Elliot: I’m going there. I’m giving you the hottest take in all the land — sit Elliot, the No. 1 rusher in the league against the Packers, who have the best rush defense in the NFL on a YPC and YPG basis. We know Elliot is a stud, and you play your studs, but if you’re lucky enough to be in a standard league and a situation in which you can plop him on the bench and get cute and risk losing just to be smug, this could be the play for you.

This guy, though…

Lamar Miller: So, the Colts should give Miller a get right game, but how can he get right if he doesn’t get touches? Miller only rushed 8 times on Sunday. Some of that was game flow, but he only caught 1 pass as well. All of this is concerning, especially considering Miller has been one of the least effective backs in the league this season. All signs point to a better week ahead, but say you picked up a Jordan Howard or Terrance West? Play them instead. Why not at this point? Even when Miller was touching the ball 26 times he was doing less than what they’ve been doing.

Matt Forte: Surprisingly, Forte was on the field for 37 snaps after getting banged up in Week 4. Still, it’s clear that he’s hurt and not running nearly as strong as he did to start the season. Powell saw 27 (of 58 total snaps) and had 8 targets (a 21 percent target share) to Forte’s 2 targets.

WIDE RECEIVER STARTS

Cameron Meredith: You need to pick him up on the waiver wire and start him against the Jaguars this week, especially if you’re desperate at WR like me (thanks, WR corps of Eric Decker, Michael Floyd, Stefon Diggs and Golden Tate). Brian Hoyer is better than Jay Cutler, the Bears are going to have to throw, and it looks like Meredith can handle the volume catching 9 balls for 130 yards and a TD on 12 targets against Indy (despite the late gaffe that cost the Bears the game).

T.Y. Hilton: After another week in which he dominated the targets from Andrew Luck (11 for a 28.9 percent target share), he once again put up huge numbers (10/171/1). He gets the Texans this week, he’s on turf and it should be a shootout. The Luck/Hilton connection may be weaker away from home, but there’s no reason to bench Hilton anymore. Never (actually maybe against Minnesota Week 15).

DeSean Jackson: Two weeks ago he only had 2 targets and 1 catch. In Week 5, winds no doubt affected Washington’s passing game, despite 7 targets. Jackson finished with 3 catches for 35 yards. This DeSean Jackson Math™ leads to Philadelphia, where Jackson will be facing one of the best pass defenses in the league. I say throw caution to the wind and enjoy it when Jackson scores on a 65-yard TD. Put him in your FLEX in a standard league. *This start is not for the faint of heart.*

WIDE RECEIVER SITS

Brandon Marshall: Patrick Peterson is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL right now, and is putting up some incredible shutdown numbers. He didn’t allow a catch in Week 5, and according to Pro Football Focus, hasn’t allowed more than 3 catches for more than 38 yards in any game this season. Marshall is somewhat banged up, but with Decker out, this could be a rough outing any Jets receiver.

Michael Floyd: We Michael Floyd owners are going to see Carson Palmer coming back and the awful Jets pass defense and say, “maybe it’s time to give Floyd one last chance.” If you’re desperate, you may have no other choice. I recommend getting whatever you can off the waiver wire and playing them over Floyd. Like Cole Beasley and Sammie Coates. It’s just not worth burning yourself on Floyd again. If he does nothing this week, it’s time to drop and look at Jaron Brown or something. The guy isn’t even starting. What a disappointment.

Enticing matchup for the rest of the Cardinals, however…

Julian Edelman: There’s a good chance you haven’t had to place Edelman in your lineup for the first 4 weeks of the season, now he’s coming off a 5 reception, 35-yard game against Cleveland. He’ll get his, but Cincinnati has a decent defense, and you can’t expect him to be much more than a PPR WR 3/4 at this point, especially with Chris Hogan emerging and Martellus Bennett looking like a Pro Bowler.

TIGHT END STARTS

Rob Gronkowski: Gronk. Is. Back. It feels good to see the brozelle (he’s a bro and a gazelle) gracefully moving up field while defenders attempt to bring him down. The best part is that Brady said he had to shake off some rust, and Gronk is still getting to 100 percent. Things are only going to get better from here, especially since Bennett is going to force other teams to peel off the double coverage.

It feels so good to see this again:

Martellus Bennett: For this week at least, let’s keep riding the double Patriots TE train. Last week Bennett and Gronk combined for 15 targets, or over 36 percent of Tom Brady’s targets. Gronk was a few feet from scoring a TD, and Bennett scored 3. We’re possibly looking at a better combo than Gronk/Hernandez, and until otherwise noted, Bennett is a must-play.

Greg Olsen: The He-Man doesn’t need Cam Newton to produce. The Olson/Anderson connection produced 9 receptions and 181 yards, now the Panthers are playing the Saints who are weak, weak, weak against the pass. Olsen is expensive, but absolutely worth a DFS play. He’s the number 1 option in Carolina as long as Cam is out.

TIGHT END SITS

Zach Ertz: It was supposed to be the week of Ertz, and then he finished with 3 catches for 37 yards. Maybe this just isn’t going to happen? Washington is a decent defense to play against, but will Ertz get the work?

Jordan Reed: I know, I know. I recommended the DeSean Jackson start, and if you have Reed you might not have a decent backup, but the Eagles have given up the second-least YPG (second to the Seahawks) and are playing TEs like horrifying monsters. They’re the best in the league against the TE and have only given up 6 receptions all year to the TE position. Is Bennett available to you?

Dwayne Allen: The erstwhile Indianapolis TE had a good game against the Bears — 6 receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown (15.8% target share). This means little against Houston, who has defended the tight end position with a fierceness all season, allowing only 107 yards to the TE this season.

Waiver Wire

MIN RB Matt Asiata: These are desperate times, and someone who won’t be getting all the snaps, but will still be the red zone option will pay dividends when it comes down to it. This is your last chance to get Asiata. Follow your mediocre destiny to a fourth place fantasy football finish (or let Asiata add depth to your bench and win a championship).

TEN RB Derrick Henry: DeMarco Murray is getting a ton of work, and something about a guy with 1,439 total touches and is on the way to 300+ touches this year will go down at some point. If you’re the Murray owner, this is your friendly reminder to handcuff. If you’re not, this is your friendly reminder to schadenfreude.

GB WR Davante Adams: He’s a thing again. Adams saw targets of 7, 7, 2 (still caught a TD) and 8 over his first 4 games. We want a piece of the Green Bay offense, especially if their passing defense continues to give up points. Oh yeah, Randall Cobb took a hit that made him think he died. That’s something to monitor.

https://twitter.com/packers/status/785294242570657793

PIT WR Sammie Coates: It’s time (well, last week was the real time) to put on your Coates! His Week 5 performance of 6 catches for 139 yards and 2 TDs coates even the most bitter fantasy football player with a warm glow of joy. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Pittsburgh, and Coates is only now getting the attention of Roethlisberger, seeing his most targets all season last week, so for now, use him as a WR 3 or BYE week flex and stash him in the back closet that holds all the coates.

Keep this in mind, however:

OAK RB Jalen Richard: Latavius Murray might be back in Week 6, and even when Murray was out, Richard split the workload with DeAndre Washington. Still, he looks like a dynamic player in space, more than Washington and even possibly Murray. He caught 6 balls so could be a decent PPR play with the chance he carves out a role by Weeks 14, 15, 16.

NYJ TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Keeping with the theme that Tampa Bay will always be the home of the FB and never the TE, ASJ is now with the Jets, Eric Decker is out for god knows how long, and they’re going to be throwing the ball a ton. Seferian-Jenkins only played 20 snaps this week, but he could actually be something in this offense. For deep, deep leagues and brave souls only.