The Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 6 of the NFL Season

Lots of injury news to respond to this week, so let’s get going! Here’s the fallout going into Week 6 of the NFL season…

 

Rams – 26 @ Seahawks – 17

 

• Sony Michel had 12 touches to Darrell Henderson‘s 18, including a short TD, but most of his action came when Henderson was out having his arm worked on. Henderson is a much better back, but Michel should continue to be worth holding as it’s only a matter of when, when it comes to Henderson’s next injury. 

 

• Russell Wilson is most likely out until Week 10 with a broken finger, making Geno Smith the Seahawks QB until that time. Smith fared jst about as well as Wilson did against the Rams, throwing a TD and an INT, but this development renders DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett WR 2’s at best. 

 

• Alex Collins picked up 72 yards on 17 touches Thursday, playing about 70% of Seattle’s snaps over DeeJay Dallas, who picked up 39 yards on 6 touches. Collins is the higher priority on waivers, but Dallas could get considerable work as a receiver out of the backfield for Smith, who probably needs it. Chris Carson could also return this week, so it might all be for naught. 

 

Jets – 20 @ Falcons – 27

 

• Michael Carter led the Jets backfield for the Second straight game, adding 58 yards and a TD to the box score. The bad news is that Ty Johnson replaced him on the goal line for a TD as well. Carter needs to be owned, but as long as Johnson is lurking his ceiling will be capped. 

 

• Jamison Crowder was 2nd in targets(6) behind Corey Davis for the Jets on Sunday. He only came down with 4 catches for 24 yards, but he’s worth having in PPR formats. 

 

• Tajae Sharpe was the leading WR for the Falcons, catching 4 of 5 targets for 53 yards, but it was the Falcons TEs who got the bulk of receiving work for Atlanta with Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage out on Sunday. You already knew Kyle Pitts was a beast, but Hayden Hurst tied Sharpe for 2nd in targets(5), catching 4 of them for 40 yards and a TD. Ridley was out with a personal issue, and the Falcons have a bye this week, so I wouldn’t make any drastic moves based on this output. 

 

Patriots – 25 @ Texans – 22

 

• Damian Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden all got involved Sunday, with 14, 11 and 6 touches respectively. Harris injured his chest and fumbled on the goal line, so Stevenson saw more work than he might have otherwise. Stevenson is worth adding in deeper formats, but if Harris is good to go this week, we probably won’t see much of him against Dallas. Bolden should see at least a handful of targets in a game that projects to have the Pats playing from behind. 

 

• Hunter Henry led the Pats in receiving on Sunday, catching 6 of 8 targets for 75 yards and a TD. He’s surpassed Jonnu Smith as the pass-catching TE, and he’ll be a decent streaming option this week against the Cowboys. 

 

• Chris Moore and Chris Conley both had eyebrow raising games, with Moore going for 109 yards and a TD, and Conley adding 84 yards and a TD. It seems counterintuitive, but it probably makes more sense to prioritize Conley over Moore, as Moore was only active because Danny Amendola was out. With Anthony Miller released from the team, it opens up snaps somewhere, but we need to find out Amendola’s Week 6 status before moving on Moore. 

 

• Mark Ingram got 16 carries, but he’s pretty useless behind that o-line unless the Texans are in scoring position, which they rarely are. David Johnson continues to see targets(5) in the passing game, and makes for a more interesting fantasy add considering that the Texans are more likely to be in negative game scripts on a weekly basis. 

 

Eagles – 21 @ Panthers – 18

 

• Miles Sanders was largely ineffective once again, but at least Kenneth Gainwell wasn’t any better against the Panthers. Sanders did out touch Gainwell 16 to 3 and perhaps put to bed the notion that Gainwell is challenging his lead back status. 

 

• Zach Ertz didn’t do much with them, but he out targeted Dallas Goedert for the 3rd straight week, 6 to 3. The Eagles play the Bucs this week, so it’s probably not a good time to gamble on either player. 

 

• Chuba Hubbard was the only Panther that had a decent game on Sunday, and with the chance that Christian McCaffrey will return this week, he makes for a prime sell candidate. 

 

Dolphins – 17 @ Buccaneers – 45

 

• Myles Gaskin had his best game of the season on Sunday, and he was probably on your bench. With both Will Fuller and DeVante Parker out, Gaskin received 10 targets on the day for 74 yards and 2 TDs. Malcolm Brown didn’t get a touch. Chances are the Dolphins aren’t so barren at WR this week, but Gaskin should probably be back in lineups against the Jaguars. 

 

• Preston Williams led the Dolphins in receiving yards(60 yards) on 3 catches. Jaylen Waddle(6 tgt) out targeted him, as did Mike Gesicki(7 tgt), but Williams is back in the mix with a couple of key injuries at WR. If Parker misses again this week, Williams makes for a low floor play, with limited upside in a Jacoby Brissett led offense, against Jacksonville. It should be added that Tua Tagovailoa gets off IR this week, so maybe he’ll return to action. 

 

• Gio Bernard scored on Sunday, but all of his action came when the game was well in hand. He’s not a serious fantasy option. 

 

• Cameron Brate only saw 1 target on the day with the offense going through Leonard Fournette, and the 3 starting WRs. Even if Gronk misses this week, he’s hard to trust against the Eagles. 

 

Saints – 33 @ Washington – 22

 

• Marquez Callaway had his coming out party on Sunday, catching 4 of 8 targets for 85 yards and 2 TDs. He benefited from Deonte Harris leaving the game with a hamstring injury. The Saints have a bye week, so Harris may return in Week 7. Even so, Callaway needs to be on more rosters. 

 

• Antonio Gibson‘s shin injury didn’t seem to bother him much on Sunday( 22 you, 72 yards, 2 TD), so maybe it shouldn’t bother us either. 

 

• Curtis Samuel left the game with a groin injury, leaving opportunities for DeAndre Carter(8 tgt, 4 rec, 62 yards) and Adam Humphries(5 tgt, 3 rec, 73 yards). Samuel was out for 4 months with a groin injury this off season, so this development is concerning to say the least. Carter was used in a very Curtis Samuel way, around the line of scrimmage and the like, and he would make for a low floor, high upside flex against the Chiefs if Samuel missed time. 

 

• Ricky Seals-Jones saw 8 targets for 5 catches and 41 yards in Logan Thomas‘ stead Sunday. With Thomas out for at least another 3 weeks, RSJ makes for a reasonable streamer against KC this week and beyond. 

 

Lions – 17 @ Vikings – 19

 

• Amon-Ra St. Brown saw 8 targets for the 2nd straight week and led the Lions in receiving(7 rec, 65 yards) on Sunday. The Lions lost Quintez Cephus to a shoulder injury, pushing St. Brown more into the dim Detroit limelight. St. Brown could be a nice PPR flex option this week against Cincy if Cephus can’t return to action. 

 

• Alexander Mattison feasted in Week 5 for 153 yards and a TD, and though Dalvin Cook was close to playing, the Vikings have a Week 7 bye, so they might just hold him out until after. Keep Mattison penciled in. 

 

• Adam Thielen had another stinker this week. With Dede Westbrook and KJ Osborn getting involved, they both saw more targets than Thielen, there isn’t much for Thielen to do, especially since he’s not being targeted in the end-zone. Now might be the time to sell. 

 

Titans – 37 @ Jaguars – 19

 

• The Titans leaned almost exclusively on Derrick Henry in this one, leaving scraps for AJ Brown and the rest of the Titans pass-catchers. Marcus Johnson actually led the team in receiving(5 tgt, 3 rec, 52 yards), but I’m not chasing him in any format. 

 

• WR Jamal Agnew and TE Dan Arnold led the Jags in targets, with 8 a piece. Arnold caught 6  for 64 yards and actually might stick as a TE streamer. I’m less optimistic about Agnew, who came from nowhere. I’d rather take Tavon Austin, who caught 5 of 5 targets for 54 yards and offers more upside. 

 

Packers – 25 @ Bengals – 22

 

• The Packers seem more comfortable throwing the AJ Dillon than to any receiver not named Adams, with Dillon catching 4 balls for 49 yards and a TD, in addition to picking up 30 on the ground. Dillon needs to be owned in most formats at this point. 

 

• Samaje Perine had 15 touches to Joe Mixon‘s 11, and scored a TD in the process. Perine ran 25 routes and caught 4 balls for 24 yards. With Mixon battling an ankle injury, Perine could see a similar timeshare against Detroit this week. He should probably be owned in 12 teamers and larger while we monitor Mixon this week. Chris Evans only saw two targets on the day. 

 

• Samaje Perine has been placed on the Covid-19 list, making Chris Evans a hot pickup this week. 

 

Broncos – 19 @ Steelers – 27

 

• Courtland Sutton played through his ankle injury to great effect, but Tim Patrick produced as well, catching 7 balls for 89 yards. Patrick needs to be owned in most formats. WR Kendall Hinton scored on 1 of his 3 targets on the day, but he’s not on the radar yet. 

 

• JuJu Smith-Schuster may be out for the season with an injured shoulder. The only obvious beneficiaries are Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson, who were the only pass catchers to do anything of note for the Steelers on Sunday. This is worse news for JuJu and his owners than it is a boon for anyone in particular.  

 

Bears- 20 @ Raiders – 9

 

• RB Khalil Herbert(18 car, 75 yards) out touched and out gained Damien Williams(16 car, 64 yards) on the ground against the Raiders on Sunday, though Williams scored and caught 2 balls for 20 yards. Herbert will be a high priority add this week against a Packers team that just got gashed by Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. 

 

• Wow, Allen Robinson has scored fewer fantasy points than the likes of Quez Watkins and Randall Cobb so far this season. The fact of the matter is that Darnell Mooney hasn’t done much better. This is a run heavy team with a rookie QB under center, and both starting WRs can be moved on from if necessary. 

 

• Hunter Renfrow tied Darren Waller with 8 targets on Sunday, catching 6 balls for 56 yards. The Raiders are in disarray, for a number of reasons, but Renfrow has been steady this season. With his high floor, Renfrow should be owned in PPR formats. 

 

Browns – 42 @ Chargers – 47

 

• It’s pretty disconcerting for Odell Beckham to only have 2 catches for 20 yards on a day Baker Mayfield threw for over 300 yards and 2 TDs, even though the Chargers have a good secondary. Donovan Peoples-Jones managed to catch 5 balls for 70 yards, and he could be in for another big day against the Cardinals this week. If ODB doesn’t get greased this week, it might be time to move him. 

 

• TE David Njoku had a career day with 7 catches for 149 yards and a TD against the Chargers. He’s hard to trust, getting only 2 targets for 17 yards in the previous game, but Njoku has some streaming juice going into what should be a high scoring game with Arizona. 

 

• TE Donald Parham scored in his 2nd straight game, but he’s more foil to Jared Cook than he is a fantasy asset, as he only saw 2 targets on the day. 

 

49ers – 10 @ Cardinals – 17

 

• Trey Lance didn’t look ready for the big time against a swarming Arizona front on Sunday. And his offense didn’t fare very well either, as no player had a day that would warrant them starting in fantasy. The 49ers have a bye this week, and it seems likely that Jimmy Garoppolo will be under center in Week 7 if he’s ready to go. If not, Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel are the only skill players I would even consider taking a chance on. 

 

• George Kittle is on IR with a calf issue, making Ross Dwelley the starting TE for the 49ers. He did little on Sunday and will probably continue to if Lance stays under center. 

 

• James Conner out touched Chase Edmunds 11 to 9 in a game where the Cardinals could get little going. Conner is entirely TD dependent, but if Arizona gets to the goal line, he’s going to be the guy. 

 

Giants – 20 @ Cowboys – 44

 

• Kadarius Toney was a revelation for the Giants, catching 10 passes for 189 yards, albeit with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slatyon sidelined and Kenny Golladay injuring his knee. Toney had his ankle checked after the game, and is at risk of a suspension from punching a Dallas player, but he needs to be owned regardless, as he’ll likely stick in the lineup even when Shepard and Slayton return. 

 

• Saquon Barkley is week to week with a low ankle injury, making Devontae Booker, who finished with 58 yards and 2 TDs on 19 touches a must have on waivers this week, even against a stout Rams front. 

 

• You could’ve started only Cowboys on your roster this week and been happy, as the starters all had good days. There isn’t much to monitor besides maybe Noah Brown who had 4 targets for 36 yards and played over Cedric Wilson. 

 

Bills – 38 @ Chiefs – 20

 

• Zack Moss is the lead back in Buffalo for all intents and purposes, even catching more passes than Devin Singletary. Singletary seems like an afterthought in the Bills’ offense.

 

• Emmanuel Sanders has scored 4 TDs in his last 3 games, and needs to be owned and started in most formats. He’s available in almost 40% of leagues.

 

• TE Dawson Knox is still available in over 20% of leagues which is absurd, as he’s TE 2 on the season. 

 

• Clyde Edwards-Helaire injured his knee on Sunday night, knocking him out of the game. Darrel Williams took over, picking up 45 yards on 8 touches. Jerrick McKinnon would see work on passing downs, but Williams figures to start against Washington this week. 

 

• Mecole Hardman caught 9 of 12 targets for 76 yards on Sunday, to lead the Chiefs in receiving. If the Chiefs weren’t playing the Bills’ talented secondary, the line would’ve been different, as the Bills blanketed Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce who both fared well anyway. Hardman will have some decent lines, but he’s still nothing more than a low floor flex.

 

• Josh Gordon only saw 1 target on Sunday, but he did catch it. Still learning the offense, Gordon is a hold in most leagues.