Fantasy football sit-and-start advice should always be relative and league-dependent. Many starts and sits are also obvious, so this column will instead focus on peripheral options that should be seriously considered. Good luck with the lineup for week 6!
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Chicago Bears (London)
Start: Tank Bigsby
Bigsby ranks first in YPC and first in expected rushing yards per attempt. He had a YPC of 6.5 after contact and a tackle avoidance rate of 51%. Bigsby ranks 38th in rushing attempts but fifth in broken tackles. Travis Etienne Jr. remains the starter, but he is battling a recurring shoulder injury and is in a “play-by-play situation” and “hopes to continue working hard.” The Bears have a run-funnel defense that allows the second fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks but the 10th most to running backs. Bigsby is a borderline top-20 RB in favorable matchups.
Sitting Christian Kirk is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to Chicago’s defense and ceding spots, but he’s run 80% of his routes there this season.
Washington Commanders @ Baltimore Ravens
Start: Terry McLoughlin
McLaurin ranks 12th in target share (27.3%) and first in air yard share (56.6%) in an offense that is off to a historic start in points per drive. The Ravens have the league’s best pass funnel defense, allowing the third-most fantasy points (and most passing yards) to wide receivers. Zai Flowers, on the other hand, is a top-12 WR in this matchup.
Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers
Start: Dontavion Wicks
Assuming Christian Watson misses one more game (it turns out it wasn’t a sprained ankle), Wicks should be worthy of starting despite last week’s disaster. He will also play a big role on an offensive line that is expected to score the most points this week. Arizona ranks last in the league in pressure rate, and Wicks ranks eighth in target rate (30.9%). But this all depends on Watson being out, which is questionable.
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
Start: Dalton Schultz
The Texans have the league’s worst rushing offense and will be without Nico Collins. Schultz should get more opportunities Sunday, as Stefon Diggs will be largely overshadowed by Christian Gonzalez. You can also launch Tank Dell if you wish, which will hopefully allow you to see more targets.
With the Texans relying heavily on man coverage, Houston has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season, giving Drake Maye a sneaky start in super-flex leagues.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Start: Bucky Irving
Rachard White is questionable with a foot injury, so Sunday could be the time for Irving to take over as the Tampa Bay running back. The Bucs went 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. Things could be positive with Spencer Rattler making his first career start for a strong Saints team (Taysom Hill out, Rashid Shahid absent from practice this week, offensive linemen) members are suffering from injuries).
Mike Evans deserves to be demoted. That’s because Marshon Lattimore has historically shut him down, and the Saints have only thrown one touchdown pass this season.
Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles
Start: Eagles D/ST
Philadelphia’s defense has been slow this season, but the Eagles have overcome the bye and are in for a great matchup. Deshaun Watson has the lowest YPA (4.8) in NFL history through five games. He’s sacked on an NFL-high 24.1% of his blitz dropbacks, compared to the league average of 9.5%. The Browns are allowing the second-highest pressure rate, giving up just 3.8 yards per play. That’s 0.5 yards less than the next worst team. The script for the game could get ugly for Cleveland, as the Eagles are once again 8.5 point favorites with a healthy offense.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Start: Tony Pollard
Pollard is RB11 in expected fantasy points and the Titans are the home favorite with a bye. The Colts have dealt with multiple injuries on offense and are playing a run-funnel defense as they average the second-most carries per game against any Bucks this season at 28.2.
Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins also get sneaky fantasy starts this week.
Sit: Anthony Richardson, he Scheduled to return from hip injury on Sunday. Richardson is in a very difficult position this year, despite facing a tough schedule and scoring the fifth-most fantasy points per dropback. Looks like Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs will play.But while Jonathan Taylor is out, it will be less than 100% if they both suit up. Tennessee is coming off a home bye, giving up an NFL-low 5.7 YPA and by far the fewest passing yards per game (141.8). Richardson’s lower back is preventing him from running as much as he usually does, and there is a possibility that he is at risk of worsening.
Richardson still has unparalleled long-term fantasy potential, but he’s a bench candidate outside on Sunday. He will also be a buy-low candidate in the near future.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
Sitting: Javonte Williams
Williams had his best fantasy game of the season last week against the Raiders, and he has yet to reach 80 rushing yards or a score this year. The Broncos have a low team total (16.25 points) and face a Chargers run defense that allows the league’s lowest EPA/rush. Additionally, Williams could be out of a job as rookie Audric Estim is set to return from IR and is expected to be used in Sunday’s game.
Start: Ladd McConkie has emerged as the clear WR1 in Los Angeles, and should avoid taking Patrick Surtain II out of the frame, man coverage (which Denver uses at the second-highest rate in the league) has been successful against.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Start: Najee Harris
Harris hasn’t recorded a run of more than 6 yards in the past two weeks, but he’s going to do a big job in Sunday’s favorable matchup. Running backs are the Raiders’ second-most scorers in schedule-adjusted fantasy points, with Aidan O’Connell starting at quarterback. Jalen Warren is expected to return, but he’s still unlikely to be 100% back, and with Cordarrelle Patterson also out, Harris will be busy. Harris will be the starter this week as he suffered a touchdown regression and has the most non-scoring touches this season (94).
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
Start: Diontae Johnson
Johnson leads the NFL in red zone and end zone targets. His quiet game last week against a stingy Chicago pass defense would have looked better if Andy Dalton hadn’t missed him for a 50+ yard touchdown. Johnson is the No. 6 WR in projected fantasy points this season, just ahead of Nico Collins. This matchup should be fast-paced and see a lot of plays, with Carolina likely to throw from behind often. Keep Johnson in your fantasy lineup.
Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys
Start: Jalen Tolbert
Tolbert has been a much improved player this season, with just four fewer targets and just 1.9 fewer fantasy points (0.5 PPR) than CeeDee Lamb since Week 1. The Lions had the third-highest passing percentage of their opponents, giving Detroit the No. 1 spot. The fourth-most fantasy points come from wide receivers. Brandin Cooks is losing to a pass funnel defense in his highest scoring matchup this week (52.5 points). Tolbert is off to a sneaky start this week, as Dak Prescott has averaged 8.0 YPA with at least two TD passes at home during his career.
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Giants
Start: Wandale Robinson
Robinson has quietly ranked third in goals this season, second in red zone goals and eighth in goal share, with Malik Nabors sitting again on Sunday. Robinson ranks 17th among WRs in projected fantasy points, just ahead of CeeDee Lamb, Zay Flowers and Marvin Harrison Jr. Daniel Jones is playing well and Robinson is gaining momentum in PPR leagues.
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Sitting: Josh Allen
Allen is still a marginal QB to crack the top 12 this week, but considering his situation and matchup, alternatives could be considered. Looks like James Cook will be in it.but he and Khalil Shakir have been banged up, and the Jets have allowed just two total touchdowns and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. The Bills’ implied total is lower than the Giants this week.
Allen is having perhaps his worst performance ever, not having a single carry inside the 5-yard line this season. He injured his left hand, sprained his ankle and may be recovering from a concussion.
Allen has practiced well and is sure to bounce back once the schedule eases, but Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff are all likely to get off to better starts this week.
