The Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 6

The fantasy landscape has shifted significantly in the wake of some serious injuries and at least one head coaching change this week, and we’re here to steer you through all of it. This is the fallout going into Week 6…

 

Colts – 12 @ Broncos – 9

 

• Deon Jackson(17/91) did his best Jonathan Taylor impersonation on Thursday with the aforementioned starter sitting on a short week and Nyheim Hines going down to a concussion early in the game. There was speculation that Taylor could have played were it a regular week, and it’s possible Hines makes it out of concussion protocol in time for Wk 6, so Jackson isn’t top priority, but he should definitely be owned going into the weekend. 

 

• Phillip Lindsay(14/54) offers value as well, if Taylor and Hines sit. Double digit touches for Lindsay usually presents considerable upside.  

 

• With defenses paying a lot of attention to Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce(8/81) is emerging as a fantasy option but not in the way you might imagine. Initially thought of as a deep threat, Pierce is being used as more of a possession receiver, which helps his consistency. He’ll be a reasonable flex this week against the Jags. 

 

 

• Melvin Gordon led the Broncos backfield in the wake of losing Javonte Williams for the season, but Mike Boone got considerable touches as well. Unfortunately, Latavius Murray will likely work into the mix starting this week, so it’s hard to tell what the split will be moving forward. In the meantime, Boone needs to be owned in most formats, and Murray can be added if your bench is deep. 

 

 

• Albert Okwuegbunam(⅕) seems to have been phased out of the offense in favor of Eric Saubert(5/36), who’s more of an asset as a blocker. Neither player is worthy of a roster spot right now. 

 

Giants – 27 @ Packers – 22

 

• Darius Slayton(6/79) led the Giants receiving corps, as virtually every other starter was absent from the playing field on Sunday. Talented, but raw as a route runner, Slayton was languishing on the bench prior to the recent rash of injuries. He offers some appeal this week against Baltimore’s questionable secondary, if the Giants are forced to start the same motley crew. 

 

• Randall Cobb(7/99) had his best game of the season thus far, being utilized in the short passing game. Aaron Rodgers was finding little success down the field, so Cobb got peppered with 13 targets in a losing effort. His upside is limited, but Cobb gets some juice with the Packers facing the Jets at home, as Christian Watson re aggravated his hamstring injury. He’s still the 3rd option at best though. 

 

Dolphins – 17 @ Jets – 40

 

• Raheem Mostert has out touched Chase Edmonds 36 – 8 over the past 2 weeks and seems to be the outright lead back in the Dolphins backfield.  The Dolphins have been playing from behind the last 2 games, so maybe that has something to do with it. Mostert has RB2 upside this week against Minnesota, while Edmonds needs to remain on benches. 

 

• Skylar Thompson(19/166/1 INT) didn’t stand a chance on Sunday, filling in for a potentially concussed Teddy Bridgewater. Fortunately, Tua Tagovailoa appears set to make his return this week. If not, queue up the Vikings defense. 

 

• The winning recipe for the Jets seems to be to take the ball out of Zach Wilson’s hands and to put it in the hands of his tandem of RBs. Both Breece Hall(20/197/1) and Michael Carter(12/33/2) had fantasy viable games, as Hall got the yardage and Carter got the TDs. Both touched the ball more than 10 times. Facing Green Bay this week, Hall is a strong start, while Carter is more of a TD dependent flex. 

 

LIons – 0 @ Patriots – 29

 

• Josh Reynolds(6/92) remained the Lions leading receiver on Sunday, even with Amon-Ra St. Brown(4/18) returned to the starting roster. Reynolds’ 10 targets were likely a combo of the team attempting to come back against the Pats and Jared Goff’s familiarity with him from their time in LA together. In any case, Reynold’s has put up double digit fantasy points in PPR formats in all but the first game of the season and needs to be owned. 

 

• Craig Reynolds(9/92) blipped on the fantasy radar with his performance on Sunday, but with the Lions going on bye this week it’s likely that D’Andre Swift returns to action in Wk7 versus the Cowboys. No need to add Reynolds this week. 

 

• Damien Harris(5/16) left the game on Sunday with a hamstring injury, leaving Rhamondre Stevenson(27/175) to tote the rock exclusively for the Pats. No other Pats RB touched the ball, so Stevenson will be a must start this week against Cleveland, should Harris sit. 

 

• Bailey Zappe(17/188/1/1) did a decent job of protecting the ball on Sunday, but the conservative game plan the Pats implement with him under center renders him unusable in fantasy. 

 

Titans – 21 @ Commanders – 17

 

• Taking an early lead on the Commanders, the Titans rode Derrick Henry(30/132/2) to victory. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine(2/72) led the Titans in receiving, but he only had 2 catches on the day, while Robert Woods(4/37) had a team high 8 targets. Kyle Philips(1/7) did little with Treylon Burks on IR. There are no moves to be made concerning the Titans going into their Week 6 bye.

 

• Brian Robinson(9/22) led the Commanders in touches, though he managed to do little with them. It’s notable that he immediately moved into the lead back role in his first NFL appearance. It’s way too early to drop Antonio Gibson(6/40), but it’s evident that Robinson needs to be rostered in all formats. 

 

• Both of Dyami Brown’s(2/105/2) 2 catches were for scores on Sunday, as Brown made the most of his opportunities with Jahan Dotson sidelined for the day. If Dotson can’t make it back for the Thursday night matchup with Chicago, Brown serves as a low floor, high upside flex. 

 

Steelers – 3 @ Bills – 38

 

• Pittsburgh had no chance in this one, with Buffalo playing one of the most offensively efficient first halves in recent history. That being said, George Pickens(6/83) continued his productive run, leading the Steelers in catches and yards. The insanely talented rookie is owned in just over half of fantasy leagues, so grab him while you can. 

 

• TE Pat Freiermuth(2/12) went down with a concussion on Sunday, opening the door for Zach Gentry(5/43). He could see elevated targets this week against Tampa if Freiermuth can’t make it back. 

 

• Rookie Khalil Shakir(3/75/1) had a strong showing Sunday, then again all of the starting WRs did. That being said, Shakir offers some DFS and deep league value against KC this week in what is sure to be a matchup for the ages. 

 

Falcons – 15 @ Buccaneers – 21

 

• Tyler Allgeier(13/45) and Caleb Huntley(8/34) split carries 13 – 8 , but it was Avery Williams(5/22/1) who vultured the TD. All in all, Allgeier looks like the best fantasy option right now and makes for a flex with middling upside this week against San Fran. 

 

• TE Cade Otton(6/43) is stepping up with Cameron Brate out with injury. He seems to have a rapport with Tom Brady, a connection that could pay off in spades as the season progresses. He’s only a rookie, not usually a fruitful situation when it comes to TEs, but Otton’s arrow is pointing up. 

 

Seahawks – 32 @ Saints – 39

 

• Geno Smith(16/268/3) is QB7 in fantasy right now. He needs to be owned and started in all formats. 

 

• Rashaad Penny is out for the year with a broken fibula, putting Kenneth Walker firmly into the spotlight. Owned in 45% of leagues currently, Walker needs to be added in every format you can get him. DeeJay Dallas could see some run too and needs to be added in deep leagues. 

 

• Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry sat in this one, but Chris Olave(4/54/1) was still the only WR to do anything of note. It looks like Thomas could make it back to the field this week, while Landry is more of an unknown. 

 

Texans – 13 @ Jaguars – 6

 

• Nico Collins(4/65) hasn’t been bad in PPR leagues this season, going over 58 yards in 3 of his last 4 games, but without scores he’s not worth the squeeze. 

 

• Travis Etienne(13/114) actually out touched James Robinson(12/39) on Sunday, as the Jags were trying everything they could to generate some offense. I doubt it’s a sea change in the Jags backfield, but Etienne is flirting with weekly flex value and could see his role grow as the season wears on. 

 

• Trevor Lawrence played it safe on Sunday, attacking the middle of the field with Marvin Jones(7/104) rather than targeting Christian Kirk(1/11) on the outside. The Texans secondary has actually been pretty decent, so we’ll chalk this one up to that. Kirk had his best game of the short season in the Jags’ first meeting with Indy, and he’ll face them again this week. 

 

Bears – 22 @ Vikings – 29

 

• It’s a damn shame. David Montgomery(16/82/1) returned to the field in Week 5, and Khalil Herbert(4/11) faded back into fantasy obscurity. It seems strange that both backs couldn’t get involved in an offense desperate for playmakers, but here we are. Herbert can’t be dropped, but he can’t be started. 

 

• Darnell Mooney(2/52) had his 2nd straight 50+ yard game, but he’s still not seeing enough targets to play him anywhere other DFS tourneys. 

 

• Alexander Mattison(12/40) is getting touches, but Dalvin Cook is still alpha in Minnesota. Mattison can’t be used outside of 14 to 16 team leagues. 

 

Chargers – 30 @ Browns – 28

 

• Josh Kelley(12/82/1) played as the true no.2 back behind Austin Ekeler in this one. Sony Michel had 1 rush for 0 yards and doesn’t appear to be a threat. Kelley can be added in deeper leagues as a flex in plus matchups. 

 

• David Njoku(6/88) has established himself as a TE1 in fantasy, despite indications from his HC that his usage would be based on matchup. He’s a viable streamer this week, as the Patriots are going to focus on stifling the Browns’ strong run game. 

 

49ers – 37 @ Panthers – 15

 

• Tevin Coleman(11/67/2) made a surprise appearance for the 49ers Sunday, playing backup to Jeff Wilson. He’s actually got some juice going to Atlanta this week. 

 

• Teams have been approaching the Panthers about Christian McCaffrey ever since the news that HC Matt Rhule had been fired broke. In what is shaping up to be a lost season, we might see some shuffling around in the offense in the upcoming weeks. We can only hope one aspect of the fallout will be Baker Mayfield losing his job as the starter. For this week, CMC is the only Panther worth playing as DJ Moore will get the Jalen Ramsey treatment. 

 

Cowboys – 22 @ Rams – 10

 

• The passing game was an afterthought for the Cowboys on Sunday, as Cooper Rush barely cleared 100 yards through the air. They controlled the scoreboard and the clock with their run game. Tony Pollard(8/86/1) is Dallas’ best back, but they’ll continue to force feed Zeke Elliott(22/78) as long as he’s healthy. 

 

• The Rams offense is being exposed as pretty much one-dimensional, as they can’t seem to generate much offense outside of Cooper Kupp(7/125/1) and Tyler Higbee(7/46) to a lesser extent. Allen Robinson(3/12) can be dropped in most formats. Tutu Atwell had an amazing grab, but it was his sole catch on the day. Kupp is a blessing and a curse for the ever dependent Matt Stafford. 

 

Eagles – 20 @ Falcons – 17

 

• There are really no moves to make or even consider regarding the Eagles, as the usual suspects are the only players worth rostering. 

 

• Eno Benjamin(11/53/1) is the last RB standing for the Cardinals in the aftermath of Sunday’s matchup, as James Conner, Darrel Williams and Jonathan Ward are all injured. He should be added in all formats, as he could very well be the starter in Week 6 against Seattle.  

 

• Rondale Moore(7/68) is getting involved now that he’s healthy, but you only get one more week before De’Andre Hopkins returns. Smoke ‘em while you got ‘em. 

 

Bengals – 17 @ Ravens – 19

 

• Hayden Hurst(6/53/1) got his 2nd TD in 2 weeks, and he could be in line for a lot more work in Week 6 if Tee Higgins’ ankle injury lingers. As of now, Higgins is day-to-day, but it’s a situation to monitor. Both Hurst and Tyler Boyd(3/32) would be fair plays this week, if Higgins can’t suit up. 

 

• -Devin Duvernay(8/78) has been a PPR flex all season and needs to be added in those formats. A poor man’s Deebo Samuel, Duvernay is a running back who plays the WR position. If Rashod Bateman sits again this week, Duvernay makes for a fine start versus the Giants.