Fantasy Football: Joe Flacco Leads Start-or-Sit Scenarios for Week 6

Quarterback Joe Flacco (1,456 yards passing, 8 TD) boasts per-outing averages of 347 yards passing and two TDs in the Ravens' three home games this season.
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The following countdown details start-or-sit scenarios for Week 6, factoring in competitions at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.

There's also one flex-consideration dilemma between players at different positions.

For the most part, the rushing and receiving conundrums were broken down with standard-scoring leagues in mind.

But as routinely stated on The Fantasy Blog, it's hard to make rational decisions about wideouts and tight ends without factoring in receiving targets.

Enjoy the show!

Start: QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

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2012 Stats: 1,456 Yards Passing, 8 Total TD

Week 6 Opponent: vs. Dallas

Fantasy Reasons to Start:

1. In three home games, Joe Flacco boasts per-outing averages of 347 yards passing and two touchdowns.

2. The Ravens are averaging 33 points at home this season, a top-five figure amongst NFL teams.

3. Dallas will likely give extra consideration to defending Ray Rice, opening up roomier route-running lanes for Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta. And don't forget that Rice (2,000 total yards in 2009 and 2011) is the ultimate weapon in points-per-reception leagues.

4. Flacco's home track record is too good to ignore, especially amid favorable weather conditions.

Sit: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

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2012 Stats: 1,057 Yards Passing, 12 TD

Week 6 Opponent: @ Arizona

Fantasy Reasons to Bench:

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick has racked up his share of touchdowns for the hot-and-cold Bills, but not all numbers suggest fantasy greatness. Through five games, Fitz has thrown for less than 210 yards four times, and his completion percentage dipped below the 60 mark three times.

2. The Arizona defense has surrendered 190 or less passing yards in three games this season.

3. The Bills have perhaps the NFL's best tandem backfield in Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Theoretically, Buffalo's best chance for victory shouldn't include 30-plus Fitzpatrick passes.

Start: QB Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

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2012 Stats: 1,148 Yards Passing, 5 TD

Week 6 Opponent: @ Baltimore

Fantasy Reasons to Start:

1. Of his four games in 2012, Tony Romo has passed for 283 yards or more three times.

2. Romo's three primary receiving targets—Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten—are relatively injury-free coming off the bye week.

3. The Cowboys quarterback has attempted 39-plus passes three times. And assuming Dallas trails Baltimore in the second and third quarters, Romo will likely hit that number again on Sunday.

4. The Ravens' pass defense ranks a pedestrian 23rd in the NFL, allowing 261.4 yards per game.

Sit: QB Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

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2012 Stats: 1,345 Yards Passing, 10 Total TD

Week 6 Opponent: @ Cleveland

Fantasy Reasons to Bench:

1. Without a doubt, Andy Dalton has fostered a phenomenal start to the season, accounting for 10 total touchdowns and quickly boosting receiver A.J. Green to top-five status. But with this week's matchup against the Browns, the devil's in the details.

2. For example, cornerback Joe Haden returns this week from a drug suspension. He wasn't covering Green on Sept. 16, when the Cincy star caught seven balls for 58 yards and one touchdown.

3. In two games against Cleveland last year, Dalton averaged only 175 yards passing and one touchdown. (To be fair, one of the games was his NFL debut.)

4. For the year, Dalton should rightfully earn 12 or 13 fantasy starts. But I'm just not feeling his rematch with the Browns. In 12-team leagues, there are more attractive QB options.

Start: RB Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins

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2012 Stats: 513 Total Yards (417 Rushing), 3 TD

Week 6 Opponent: vs. St. Louis

Fantasy Reasons to Start:

1. Of his five games this season, Reggie Bush has collected 90 total yards or one touchdown three times.

2. At home in 2012, Bush boasts per-outing averages of 129 total yards and one touchdown.

3. Dating back to last year, Bush has tallied 100-plus total yards in seven of his last 10 games. He's also a viable threat in the Dolphins' emerging passing attack.

4. Speaking of which, Miami QB Ryan Tannehill continues to make strides with each start. He already owns the franchise rookie record for passing yards in a single game (431), and Brian Hartline and Davone Bess are viable playmakers in points-per-reception leagues.

Bottom line: The progression of the Dolphins offense can only help Bush avoid seeing eight or nine defenders in the proverbial 'box' on standard down-and-distance situations.

Sit: RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams

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2012 Stats: 319 Total Yards (271 Rushing)

Week 6 Opponent: @ Miami

Fantasy Reasons to Bench:

1. Steven Jackson has been one of the most noteworthy fantasy disappointments, averaging only 64 total yards per outing and failing to find the end zone in five games.

2. With receiver Danny Amendola's substantial injury and the Rams having a cluster of No. 3 or 4 receivers on the roster, Jackson should garner extra defensive attention for the foreseeable future. It's simple math, really: Stop Jackson, stop St. Louis from scoring points.

3. The Dolphins boast the NFL's No. 1 rush defense, allowing only 60.4 rush yards per game. For the season, Miami has already stifled tailbacks Darren McFadden and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Flex Start: RB Mikel Leshoure, Detroit Lions

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2012 Stats: 197 Total Yards (126 Rushing), 1 TD

Week 6 Opponent: @ Philadelphia

Fantasy Reasons to Start:

1. In just two career games, Mikel Leshoure has per-outing averages of 99 total yards and 0.5 touchdowns.

2. Fantasy owners shouldn't be too worried about Leshoure's benching during the Minnesota game (Week 4), after he fumbled late. Prior to the gaffe, the Lions back had a spotless track record of not fumbling in high school and college.

3. The Lions have waited a long time to showcase a power-speed rusher like Leshoure, who elicits comparisons to Billy Sims. And in both games, Leshoure notched 17 or more touches (including eight receptions).

4. From a total-yards standpoint, Ray Rice (152 yards) and Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall (101 yards, one TD) cracked the century mark against Philly's defense in 2012.

Flex Sit: WR Robert Meachem, San Diego Chargers

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2012 Stats: 9 Catches, 159 Yards

Week 6 Opponent: vs. Denver

Fantasy Reasons to Bench:

1. Robert Meachem had a great outing against his former team on Sunday (New Orleans), catching three balls for 67 yards and two touchdowns. But let's have some perspective on his spotty receiving career:

a. In his short stint with San Diego, Meachem already has two games of zero catches and zero targets.

b. In 2009 with New Orleans, Meachem had a seven-game explosion of 25 catches, 473 yards and seven touchdowns from Weeks 5-12.

For the other 55 games with the Saints (2008-11), Meachem had per-outing averages of 2.1 catches, 33 yards and 0.42 TDs. In other words, if Meachem wasn't finding the end zone, he was a weekly bust for your fantasy team.

2. With Malcom Floyd, Ryan Mathews and Antonio Gates healthy for Week 6, Meachem figures to be Philip Rivers' fourth or fifth receiving option against the Broncos.

Start: WR Sidney Rice, Seattle Seahawks

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2012 Stats: 17 Catches, 199 Yards, 1 TD

Week 6 Opponent: vs. New England

Fantasy Reasons to Start:

1. Through five games, Sidney Rice has collected five or more targets four times.

2. New England's pass defense currently ranks 30th in the NFL, allowing 292 yards per game.

3. Given the tempo of the Patriots' high-powered offense, the Seahawks should be prepared to throw the ball 30-plus times on Sunday. And Rice is easily the club's most prolific downfield threat.

4. When healthy, Rice is a solid bet for 1,000 yards receiving and six touchdowns. In other words, he's due for a breakout game.

Sit: WR Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans

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2012 Stats: 9 Catches, 83 Yards

Week 6 Opponent: vs. New England

Fantasy Reasons to Bench:

1. Kenny Britt has been a relative afterthought in two of three games this season. Perhaps he still needs time to get comfortable with his surgically repaired knee, or maybe Nate Washington, Kendall Wright and Jared Cook are better options right now.

2. As a result, Britt has yet to score a touchdown through three games. For the same span last year, Britt notched 289 receiving yards and three scores.

3. The Steelers rank No. 3 in the NFL against the pass, allowing only 185 yards per game through the air.

4. Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck (subbing for the injured Jake Locker) has had little time to connect with Britt. In Hasselbeck's time with Tennessee (2011-12), he and Britt have only started three games together.

Start: TE Fred Davis, Washington Redskins

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2012 Stats: 20 Catches, 266 Yards

Week 6 Opponent: vs. Minnesota

Fantasy Reasons to Start:

1. The highly efficient Davis has caught 16 of 17 targeted balls in the last three for 214 yards.

2. Prior to a drug suspension last year, Davis collected six or more targets in eight of his final nine games.

3. With his combination of size, strength and athleticism, Davis should be a primary target for quarterback Robert Griffin III—especially now that the rookie quarterback has been, uh, scared straight from the dangers that accompany leaving the pocket too often.

4. As promised in this week's PPR rankings for tight ends, Davis's touchdown drought ends this week against the Vikings.

Sit: TE Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots

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2012 Stats: 6 Catches, 59 Yards, 1 TD

Week 6 Opponent: @ Seattle

Fantasy Reasons to Bench:

1. The Seahawks currently boast the NFL's No. 5 pass defense, allowing only 192 yards per game. And against Carolina last week, Seattle defenders limited Panthers tight end Greg Olsen to two catches, 37 yards and a season-low three targets.

2. When healthy, Aaron Hernandez (missed three full games to an ankle injury) is undoubtedly a top-five tight end in real-world and fantasy circles, and one of Tom Brady's most explosive weapons with the Patriots.

But for this week only, let's give Hernandez one game to find his proverbial sea legs. And assuming reasonable health for Week 7, he'll be a top-10 lock for the Patriots' clash with the Jets.