Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 6 Big Board

If you could go back and draft all over again, who would you take No. 1 overall? DeMarco Murray, most likely. We have all underrated his potential in a contract year.

You probably wouldn't do the same for just Week 6, though. Murray is heading to Seattle to face the dreaded Seahawks defense playing in front of the 12th Man. The Seahawks are No. 2 in fantasy against running backs, per FFToday.com and No. 1 against the run, so you have to temper expectations for fantasy's MVP through five weeks—even if you cannot sit him. 

Bleacher Report presents its Week 6 Big Board, including the top 100 and in-depth positional rankings.

You can use these rankings to weigh your starting options or gear up for your daily fantasy football lineups, drafts and rosters. These rankings represent our predictions for the highest scorers by position—relative to their use, game plan, health and matchup.

Top 100: Andre Williams, Branden Oliver Enjoy Sudden Rise to Prominence

The Week 6 waivers run was the best of the season, and that becomes more apparent when you look at the top starts in Bleacher Report's top 100. We optimistically rank the New York Giants' Andre Williams and San Diego Chargers' Branden Oliver among the top 35 options this week.

Those two look even more promising than preseason No. 1 LeSean McCoy right now, although we do give the struggling Philadelphia Eagles back top-10 billing on blind faith.

Talk about rags to riches.

Oliver (45 percent), Williams (22 percent) and the Denver Broncos' Ronnie Hillman (40 percent)—who ranks only 77th because he draws the New York Jets run defense and is more likely in a timeshare than the other two—were the top three most-added players in fantasy Wednesday morning at CBSSports.com. Fantasy taketh away, and fantasy giveth.

The rookie Williams is owned in more leagues than the other two suddenly projected starters and figures to have the most juice long term as well. He takes over in a running back-friendly Giants offense where coordinator Ben McAdoo likes to throw to the backs.

Consider it square peg in a round hole here with the stone-handed Williams, but the Giants will be giving him opportunities there, in addition to the grinding and goal-line work he already excels at. Williams told ESPN.com's Dan Graziano he is working to overcome the perception he cannot serve as a receiver, showing more pleasure in his first catch Sunday over his touchdown or other runs.

"Absolutely," Williams told Graziano, "because I've been working so hard on that, putting in extra time after practice, catching balls off the JUGS machine. I feel like it's been paying off, so I was excited to get that one."

Williams had only 10 receptions in his college career, which included none as a senior at Boston College, as Graziano noted. The rookie has to do that in the Giants offense, though.

It should only add to his appeal to fantasy owners. Rashad Jennings (knee) just might get Wally Pipp'd here.

Here are all of B/R's top 100 plays for fantasy Week 6:

Week 6 Top 100 - Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	at NYJ	1	0
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at Mia	2	0
3	Andrew Luck	IND	at Hou	3	0
4	Philip Rivers	SD	at Oak	5	+1
5	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. Chi	4	-1
6	Russell Wilson	SEA	vs. Dal	6	0
7	Matt Forte	CHI	at Atl	8	+1
8	Jay Cutler	CHI	at Atl	7	-1
9	Nick Foles	PHI	vs. NYG	12	+3
10	Eli Manning	NYG	at Phi	9	-1
11	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	vs. Dal	11	0
12	Matthew Stafford	DET	at Min	10	-2
13	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Cle	14	+1
14	Tom Brady	NE	at Buf	17	+3
15	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Cle	13	-2
16	Cam Newton	CAR	at Cin	19	+3
17	DeMarco Murray	DAL	at Sea	22	+5
18	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at StL	15	-3
19	Andy Dalton	CIN	vs. Car	18	-1
20	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. NYG	27	+7
21	Tony Romo	DAL	at Sea	21	0
22	Arian Foster	HOU	vs. Ind	16	-6
23	Joe Flacco	BAL	at TB	20	-3
24	Kirk Cousins	WAS	at Ari	31	+7
25	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	vs. GB	30	+5
26	Jake Locker	TEN	vs. Jac	52	+26
27	Austin Davis	STL	vs. SF	46	+19
28	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	at NYJ	26	-2
29	Brian Hoyer	CLE	vs. Pit	33	+4
30	Kyle Orton	BUF	vs. NE	55	+25
31	Eddie Lacy	GB	at Mia	25	-6
32	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. Chi	24	-8
33	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	vs. Ind	47	+14
34	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	vs. Det	34	0
35	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. Car	23	-12
36	Blake Bortles	JAC	at Ten	44	+8
37	Drew Stanton	ARI	vs. Was	162	+125
38	Derek Carr	OAK	vs. SD	141	+103
39	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Cle	28	-11
40	Mike Glennon	TB	vs. Bal	38	-2
41	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. Car	35	-6
42	Brandon Marshall	CHI	at Atl	37	-5
43	Jordy Nelson	GB	at Mia	29	-14
44	Charlie Whitehurst	TEN	vs. Jac	137	+93
45	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. Was	32	-13
46	Frank Gore	SF	at StL	36	-10
47	Ben Tate	CLE	vs. Pit	39	-8
48	Andre Williams	NYG	at Phi	42	-6
49	Branden Oliver	SD	at Oak	45	-4
50	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	at Atl	41	-9
51	Dez Bryant	DAL	at Sea	40	-11
52	Randall Cobb	GB	at Mia	43	-9
53	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	at Hou	51	-2
54	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. NYG	48	-6
55	Alfred Morris	WAS	at Ari	50	-5
56	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	at NYJ	49	-7
57	Golden Tate	DET	at Min	59	+2
58	Vincent Jackson	TB	vs. Bal	57	-1
59	Lamar Miller	MIA	vs. GB	58	-1
60	Victor Cruz	NYG	at Phi	61	+1
61	Justin Forsett	BAL	at TB	60	-1
62	Steven Jackson	ATL	vs. Chi	66	+4
63	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at Buf	76	+13
64	Roddy White	ATL	vs. Chi	62	-2
65	Percy Harvin	SEA	vs. Dal	64	-1
66	C.J. Spiller	BUF	vs. NE	68	+2
67	Stevan Ridley	NE	at Buf	77	+10
68	Steve Smith	BAL	at TB	56	-12
69	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	at Cin	65	-4
70	Doug Martin	TB	vs. Bal	78	+8
71	Keenan Allen	SD	at Oak	67	-4
72	T.Y. Hilton	IND	at Hou	71	-1
73	Mike Wallace	MIA	vs. GB	79	+6
74	Julian Edelman	NE	at Buf	74	0
75	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. Was	98	+23
76	Fred Jackson	BUF	vs. NE	53	-23
77	Pierre Garcon	WAS	at Ari	69	-8
78	Chris Ivory	NYJ	vs. Den	70	-8
79	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	vs. Ind	73	-6
80	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Jac	93	+13
81	Michael Floyd	ARI	vs. Was	72	-9
82	Ronnie Hillman	DEN	at NYJ	94	+12
83	DeSean Jackson	WAS	at Ari	80	-3
84	Matt Asiata	MIN	vs. Det	75	-9
85	Wes Welker	DEN	at NYJ	81	-4
86	Julius Thomas	DEN	at NYJ	63	-23
87	Reggie Wayne	IND	at Hou	83	-4
88	Shane Vereen	NE	at Buf	85	-3
89	Andre Johnson	HOU	vs. Ind	84	-5
90	Reggie Bush	DET	at Min	91	+1
91	Greg Olsen	CAR	at Cin	95	+4
92	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. Jac	96	+4
93	Darren Sproles	PHI	vs. NYG	101	+8
94	Brian Quick	STL	vs. SF	87	-7
95	Michael Crabtree	SF	at StL	89	-6
96	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at Atl	90	-6
97	Sammy Watkins	BUF	vs. NE	97	0
98	Knowshon Moreno	MIA	vs. GB	127	+29
99	Zac Stacy	STL	vs. SF	82	-17
100	Rueben Randle	NYG	at Phi	88	-12

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Quarterbacks: Once Pick-Prone Eli Manning Picks Up the Pace

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Every week it seems the quarterback position gets more and more competitive in fantasy football. When one guy drops because of injury (Carson Palmer, shoulder) more than one rises to take his place among the viable starting options.

Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler and Ben Roethlisberger were drafted as backups, but they just don't stop performing like starters. The New York Giants' Eli Manning has rejoined them too.

This week we have a top-10 duel between the resurgent Manning and the hot-and-cold Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Foles. That NFC East clash Sunday night sure lines up to be a wide-open affair, regardless of how Foles has struggled in his first full season as a starting quarterback.

Who would have thought Manning (27 interceptions last year) and Foles (just two) would be knotted at five picks apiece through five weeks? If Foles truly is going to struggle this way, Manning can pick him up from the depths of the fantasy quarterback rankings.

Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin told Newsday's Tom Rock to hold off on anointing Manning as pick-adverse:

"

They're clicking right now, but every quarterback is going to throw picks up. It's up to us to get a great pass rush so he does get those turnovers, because we know he's a guy that's going to try to make a play and a lot of times that can result in a turnover for the defensive backs, so we just have to keep playing.

"

Manning is not only buoyed by making fewer mistakes right now either. The addition of rookie burner Odell Beckham Jr. to the Giants offense comes at just the right time, particularly with Rashad Jennings (knee) expected to be out with a sprained MCL, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.

The shootout between Manning and Foles will not only be exciting for the Sunday nightcap, but might also help determine the balance of power in the NFC East and the quarterback position going forward.

Here are all of B/R's top plays at quarterback this week:

Week 6 Quarterback Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	at NYJ	1	0
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at Mia	2	0
3	Andrew Luck	IND	at Hou	4	+1
4	Philip Rivers	SD	at Oak	5	+1
5	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. Chi	3	-2
6	Russell Wilson	SEA	vs. Dal	7	+1
7	Jay Cutler	CHI	at Atl	6	-1
8	Nick Foles	PHI	vs. NYG	10	+2
9	Eli Manning	NYG	at Phi	8	-1
10	Matthew Stafford	DET	at Min	9	-1
11	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Cle	11	0
12	Tom Brady	NE	at Buf	13	+1
13	Cam Newton	CAR	at Cin	16	+3
14	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at StL	12	-2
15	Andy Dalton	CIN	vs. Car	14	-1
16	Tony Romo	DAL	at Sea	17	+1
17	Joe Flacco	BAL	at TB	15	-2
18	Kirk Cousins	WAS	at Ari	20	+2
19	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	vs. GB	21	+2
20	Jake Locker	TEN	vs. Jac	19	-1
21	Austin Davis	STL	vs. SF	22	+1
22	Brian Hoyer	CLE	vs. Pit	23	+1
23	Kyle Orton	BUF	vs. NE	26	+3
24	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	vs. Ind	31	+7
25	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	vs. Det	24	-1
26	Blake Bortles	JAC	at Ten	25	-1
27	Drew Stanton	ARI	vs. Was	29	+2
28	Derek Carr	OAK	vs. SD	33	+5
29	Mike Glennon	TB	vs. Bal	27	-2
30	Charlie Whitehurst	TEN	vs. Jac	28	-2
31	Geno Smith	NYJ	vs. Den	30	-1
32	Carson Palmer	ARI	vs. Was	18	-14

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Running Backs: Position Proving Resilient, If Not Resurgent Amid Injury Woes

Injuries can devastate fantasy owners, perhaps, but running back is the one position where the next man up can prove to be just as productive as the prior one. It is not easy to replace an elite quarterback or wide receiver after an injury, but we have found some value in recent weeks with scab running backs.

Just look at the Week 6 waiver wire, as we outlined in Bleacher Report's Insider Notebook on Tuesday.

Branden Oliver, Ronnie Hillman and Andre Williams have proved to have juice, and we need to add those names to the resurgent likes of Matt Forte, Eddie Lacy, Ben Tate and Arian Foster.

Things are looking up for the running back position so much, even Foster looks like he is going to find his way to 1,000 yards and 10-plus touchdowns...regardless of how many games he plays. Foster is coming off a throwback 157-yard, two-touchdown performance despite dealing with a tender hamstring that has plagued him since the summer.

Drew Dougherty of the Houston Texans' official website tweeted that Foster is fully expected to play Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts on a short week.

Foster might be playing, but he will do it begrudgingly. He told the Houston Chronicle's Brian T. Smith how much he detests short weeks for Thursday night games because they can be physically hard on players.

"Thursday Night Football is pretty annoying for players," he said. "I don't know one player that likes it. I really don't know a fan that likes it, either. I think it's just the league's way to try to generate more revenue, but that's what they are here for."

Regardless of Foster's opinion on short rest—even amid his hamstring issues—our opinion has to remain high on him, particularly against a Colts defense that has given up the second-most rushing touchdowns to backs this season, per FFToday.com.

We move Foster to just outside the top five, which still includes McCoy, in B/R's latest running back rankings:

Week 6 Running Back Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Matt Forte	CHI	at Atl	1	0
2	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	vs. Dal	2	0
3	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Cle	3	0
4	DeMarco Murray	DAL	at Sea	6	+2
5	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. NYG	8	+3
6	Arian Foster	HOU	vs. Ind	4	-2
7	Eddie Lacy	GB	at Mia	7	0
8	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. Car	5	-3
9	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. Was	9	0
10	Frank Gore	SF	at StL	10	0
11	Ben Tate	CLE	vs. Pit	11	0
12	Andre Williams	NYG	at Phi	12	0
13	Branden Oliver	SD	at Oak	13	0
14	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	at Hou	15	+1
15	Alfred Morris	WAS	at Ari	16	+1
16	Lamar Miller	MIA	vs. GB	14	-2
17	Justin Forsett	BAL	at TB	18	+1
18	Steven Jackson	ATL	vs. Chi	19	+1
19	C.J. Spiller	BUF	vs. NE	21	+2
20	Stevan Ridley	NE	at Buf	23	+3
21	Doug Martin	TB	vs. Bal	24	+3
22	Fred Jackson	BUF	vs. NE	17	-5
23	Chris Ivory	NYJ	vs. Den	20	-3
24	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Jac	30	+6
25	Ronnie Hillman	DEN	at NYJ	28	+3
26	Matt Asiata	MIN	vs. Det	22	-4
27	Shane Vereen	NE	at Buf	27	0
28	Reggie Bush	DET	at Min	29	+1
29	Darren Sproles	PHI	vs. NYG	31	+2
30	Knowshon Moreno	MIA	vs. GB	36	+6
31	Zac Stacy	STL	vs. SF	25	-6
32	Toby Gerhart	JAC	at Ten	47	+15
33	Trent Richardson	IND	at Hou	32	-1
34	Chris Johnson	NYJ	vs. Den	38	+4
35	Joique Bell	DET	at Min	26	-9
36	Jeremy Hill	CIN	vs. Car	33	-3
37	Carlos Hyde	SF	at StL	41	+4
38	Darren McFadden	OAK	vs. SD	34	-4
39	Bernard Pierce	BAL	at TB	48	+9
40	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL	at TB	43	+3
41	Terrance West	CLE	vs. Pit	51	+10
42	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. Pit	46	+4
43	Maurice Jones-Drew	OAK	vs. SD	57	+14
44	Shonn Greene	TEN	vs. Jac	35	-9
45	Darrin Reaves	CAR	at Cin	49	+4
46	George Winn	DET	at Min	55	+9
47	LeGarrette Blount	PIT	at Cle	53	+6
48	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	vs. Det	37	-11
49	Benny Cunningham	STL	vs. SF	45	-4
50	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	at Cin	44	-6
51	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	at Cin	58	+7
52	Donald Brown	SD	at Oak	39	-13
53	Antone Smith	ATL	vs. Chi	40	-13
54	Bobby Rainey	TB	vs. Bal	42	-12
55	Chris Ogbonnaya	CAR	at Cin	60	+5
56	C.J. Anderson	DEN	at NYJ	50	-6
57	Storm Johnson	JAC	at Ten	54	-3
58	Devonta Freeman	ATL	vs. Chi	56	-2
59	Roy Helu	WAS	at Ari	59	0
60	Alfred Blue	HOU	vs. Ind	62	+2
61	Peyton Hillis	NYG	at Phi	63	+2
62	Denard Robinson	JAC	at Ten	66	+4
63	Juwan Thompson	DEN	at NYJ	67	+4
64	James Starks	GB	at Mia	64	0
65	Robert Turbin	SEA	vs. Dal	69	+4
66	Joseph Randle	DAL	at Sea	70	+4
67	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	at Atl	71	+4
68	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	vs. Chi	75	+7
69	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. Jac	72	+3
70	Stepfan Taylor	ARI	vs. Was	73	+3

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Wide Receivers: Calvin Johnson Needs Time Off, Particularly in Fantasy

OK, we have to change our tune on Calvin Johnson (ankle) now. Back-to-back weeks of being a decoy and limited due to injury is enough for fantasy owners to keep Megatron out of starting lineups.

It appears it will be enough for the Detroit Lions too.

Coach Jim Caldwell is ready to hold Megatron out of Sunday's game, according to ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein.

While you cannot merely pick up a waiver option to replace his production—like you can with the running backs we mentioned in previous slides—you at least have myriad options available to you. Strength in numbers is not such a bad thing, particularly as we make our way through the bye weeks.

Consider Megatron's absence tolerable, if not much needed. You want him 100 percent for the stretch run, and he might not get there without thorough rest for his ankle.

We drop Johnson out of the useful options for fantasy Week 6 in B/R's wide receiver rankings:

Week 6 Wide Receiver Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	at NYJ	2	+1
2	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. Chi	1	-1
3	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Cle	3	0
4	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. Car	5	+1
5	Brandon Marshall	CHI	at Atl	8	+3
6	Jordy Nelson	GB	at Mia	4	-2
7	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	at Atl	7	0
8	Dez Bryant	DAL	at Sea	6	-2
9	Randall Cobb	GB	at Mia	9	0
10	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. NYG	10	0
11	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	at NYJ	11	0
12	Golden Tate	DET	at Min	14	+2
13	Vincent Jackson	TB	vs. Bal	12	-1
14	Victor Cruz	NYG	at Phi	15	+1
15	Roddy White	ATL	vs. Chi	16	+1
16	Percy Harvin	SEA	vs. Dal	17	+1
17	Steve Smith	BAL	at TB	13	-4
18	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	at Cin	18	0
19	Keenan Allen	SD	at Oak	19	0
20	T.Y. Hilton	IND	at Hou	20	0
21	Mike Wallace	MIA	vs. GB	22	+1
22	Julian Edelman	NE	at Buf	24	+2
23	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. Was	35	+12
24	Pierre Garcon	WAS	at Ari	21	-3
25	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	vs. Ind	23	-2
26	Michael Floyd	ARI	vs. Was	25	-1
27	DeSean Jackson	WAS	at Ari	26	-1
28	Wes Welker	DEN	at NYJ	27	-1
29	Reggie Wayne	IND	at Hou	28	-1
30	Andre Johnson	HOU	vs. Ind	29	-1
31	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. Jac	34	+3
32	Brian Quick	STL	vs. SF	30	-2
33	Michael Crabtree	SF	at StL	31	-2
34	Sammy Watkins	BUF	vs. NE	33	-1
35	Rueben Randle	NYG	at Phi	32	-3
36	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	vs. Det	41	+5
37	Terrance Williams	DAL	at Sea	36	-1
38	Torrey Smith	BAL	at TB	39	+1
39	Eric Decker	NYJ	vs. Den	37	-2
40	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	vs. Car	46	+6
41	Justin Hunter	TEN	vs. Jac	38	-3
42	Odell Beckham	NYG	at Phi	44	+2
43	Riley Cooper	PHI	vs. NYG	68	+25
44	James Jones	OAK	vs. SD	45	+1
45	Markus Wheaton	PIT	at Cle	47	+2
46	Anquan Boldin	SF	at StL	48	+2
47	Hakeem Nicks	IND	at Hou	61	+14
48	Eddie Royal	SD	at Oak	42	-6
49	Greg Jennings	MIN	vs. Det	51	+2
50	Steve Johnson	SF	at StL	60	+10
51	Jordan Matthews	PHI	vs. NYG	56	+5
52	Doug Baldwin	SEA	vs. Dal	70	+18
53	Miles Austin	CLE	vs. Pit	55	+2
54	Brian Hartline	MIA	vs. GB	59	+5
55	Cecil Shorts	JAC	at Ten	62	+7
56	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	vs. Pit	40	-16
57	Malcom Floyd	SD	at Oak	52	-5
58	Devin Hester	ATL	vs. Chi	57	-1
59	Harry Douglas	ATL	vs. Chi	69	+10
60	Kenny Britt	STL	vs. SF	63	+3
61	Brandon LaFell	NE	at Buf	66	+5
62	John Brown	ARI	vs. Was	54	-8
63	Jeremy Ross	DET	at Min	71	+8
64	Jarius Wright	MIN	vs. Det	72	+8
65	Marvin Jones	CIN	vs. Car	65	0
66	Allen Hurns	JAC	at Ten	50	-16
67	Andre Holmes	OAK	vs. SD	58	-9
68	Louis Murphy	TB	vs. Bal	53	-15
69	Allen Robinson	JAC	at Ten	49	-20
70	Robert Woods	BUF	vs. NE	64	-6
71	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	vs. Dal	77	+6
72	Tavon Austin	STL	vs. SF	67	-5
73	Andre Roberts	WAS	at Ari	74	+1
74	Nate Washington	TEN	vs. Jac	76	+2
75	Marqise Lee	JAC	at Ten	80	+5
76	Mike Williams	BUF	vs. NE	89	+13
77	Danny Amendola	NE	at Buf	88	+11
78	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. Jac	81	+3
79	Travis Benjamin	CLE	vs. Pit	73	-6
80	Calvin Johnson	DET	at Min	43	-37

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski Loves Beating Up the Buffalo Bills

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

You know Rob Gronkowski plays for the New England Patriots. You know he went to college in Arizona. You might even know he graduated from high school in western Pennsylvania.

You might not realize he grew up in Buffalo, New York—unless you have watched Gronk go off on the Bills in his childhood stomping grounds. Gronk has torched those Bills for nine touchdowns in six career games. That is more than double the total he has against any other opponent, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.

He loves seeing Buffalo on the calendar. That is who is up this week.

It's Gronk Time.

That is good news for the top of the tight end rankings, too, because Jimmy Graham is dealing with a shoulder issue, not to mention the New Orleans Saints are on their bye week.

We have Gronk as the clear-cut No. 1 tight end for Week 6 in B/R's rankings:

Week 6 Tight End Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at Buf	2	+1
2	Julius Thomas	DEN	at NYJ	1	-1
3	Greg Olsen	CAR	at Cin	4	+1
4	Martellus Bennett	CHI	at Atl	3	-1
5	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. Jac	6	+1
6	Antonio Gates	SD	at Oak	5	-1
7	Jordan Cameron	CLE	vs. Pit	8	+1
8	Zach Ertz	PHI	vs. NYG	11	+3
9	Heath Miller	PIT	at Cle	9	0
10	Larry Donnell	NYG	at Phi	7	-3
11	Owen Daniels	BAL	at TB	13	+2
12	Dwayne Allen	IND	at Hou	10	-2
13	Jason Witten	DAL	at Sea	14	+1
14	Vernon Davis	SF	at StL	12	-2
15	Jordan Reed	WAS	at Ari	16	+1
16	Niles Paul	WAS	at Ari	15	-1
17	Charles Clay	MIA	vs. GB	19	+2
18	Tim Wright	NE	at Buf	20	+2
19	Eric Ebron	DET	at Min	18	-1
20	Coby Fleener	IND	at Hou	21	+1
21	Jared Cook	STL	vs. SF	17	-4
22	Ladarius Green	SD	at Oak	28	+6
23	Andrew Quarless	GB	at Mia	34	+11
24	Garrett Graham	HOU	vs. Ind	29	+5
25	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	vs. Bal	23	-2

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Defense/Special Teams: Denver Broncos Next Up to Embarrass the New York Jets

USA TODAY Sports

You might be surprised to hear this: Geno Smith and the New York Jets are not the worst team in fantasy against opposing defense/special teams, per FFToday.com.

They are not even in the bottom 10. Neither are the Oakland Raiders.

That will change this week. The Denver Broncos come to New Jersey to face the Jets, and the surprising San Diego Chargers defense gets to take aim at rookie quarterback Derek Carr.

We have the Chargers and Broncos as the top two alternatives to the Seattle Seahawks D/ST this week. We just have to keep the Seahawks at No. 1 whenever they play at home, even if they are facing a fairly potent Dallas Cowboys offense.

Here are B/R's top 20 defense/special teams plays for fantasy Week 6:

Week 6 Defenses and Special Teams Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Defenses and Special Teams	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Seattle Seahawks	Sea	vs. Dal	4	+3
2	San Diego Chargers	SD	at Oak	1	-1
3	Denver Broncos	Den	at NYJ	2	-1
4	San Francisco 49ers	SF	at StL	3	-1
5	Detroit Lions	Det	at Min	5	0
6	New England Patriots	NE	at Buf	7	+1
7	Baltimore Ravens	Bal	at TB	9	+2
8	Cincinnati Bengals	Cin	vs. Car	6	-2
9	Arizona Cardinals	Ari	vs. Was	11	+2
10	Indianapolis Colts	Ind	at Hou	12	+2
11	Tennessee Titans	Ten	vs. Jac	8	-3
12	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pit	at Cle	16	+4
13	Carolina Panthers	Car	at Cin	20	+7
14	Green Bay Packers	GB	at Mia	10	-4
15	St. Louis Rams	StL	vs. SF	24	+9
16	Washington Redskins	Was	at Ari	17	+1
17	Houston Texans	Hou	vs. Ind	18	+1
18	Philadelphia Eagles	Phi	vs. NYG	13	-5
19	Cleveland Browns	Cle	vs. Pit	21	+2
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	vs. Bal	19	-1

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Kickers

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The New England Patriots' Stephen Gostkowski was the No. 1-scoring kicker last week. He is No. 1 for the season and is facing the Buffalo Bills. He is not No. 1 this week.

Instead, we go with the Seattle Seahawks' Steven Hauschka, even if he is facing the No. 2 team in fantasy against kickers, per FFToday.com: the Dallas Cowboys.

It is the kicker position. Here is how you should set your lineup:

1. Is your kicker on bye?
2. No?
3. Sounds like a good start.

Still, we are obligated to break down the minutia. Here are B/R's top 20 kicker options for fantasy Week 6:

Week 6 Kicker Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Steven Hauschka	SEA	vs. Dal	2	+1
2	Justin Tucker	BAL	at TB	3	+1
3	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at Buf	1	-2
4	Phil Dawson	SF	at StL	4	0
5	Mason Crosby	GB	at Mia	5	0
6	Adam Vinatieri	IND	at Hou	8	+2
7	Matt Bryant	ATL	vs. Chi	6	-1
8	Brandon McManus	DEN	at NYJ	9	+1
9	Cody Parkey	PHI	vs. NYG	10	+1
10	Nick Novak	SD	at Oak	7	-3
11	Matt Prater	DET	at Min	21	+10
12	Dan Bailey	DAL	at Sea	13	+1
13	Robbie Gould	CHI	at Atl	11	-2
14	Dan Carpenter	BUF	vs. NE	12	-2
15	Mike Nugent	CIN	vs. Car	19	+4
16	Shaun Suisham	PIT	at Cle	14	-2
17	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	vs. Was	15	-2
18	Blair Walsh	MIN	vs. Det	16	-2
19	Greg Zuerlein	STL	vs. SF	20	+1
20	Josh Brown	NYG	at Phi	17	-3

 

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from more than 100 experts provided by FantasyPros. 

 

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Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.