Fantasy Football Week 6 Predictions

Some classic shootouts are on tap for fantasy owners this week, but they won't necessarily be orchestrated by future Hall of Fame veteran quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees, who is on a bye week along with Jamaal Charles.

They will come from some of the fringe fantasy starting quarterbacks like Jay Cutler, Eli Manning, Nick Foles and Matt Ryan. Sometimes, the best offense is a suspect defense. Those are good places to look for fantasy production.

We present Bleacher Report's Week 6 predictions in typically bold fashion, highlighting the MVPs, breakouts, busts, bounce-back players and top matchup plays by position. When we get through all those, we even give you some deeper-digging options to consider off the picked-over waiver wire.

All this fantasy goodness is everything you will need to set your lineups and maximize your points like Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants at the Philadelphia Eagles games will this Sunday.

MVP

Dave Martin/Associated Press

RB Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)

Projected Stat Line: 105 yards rushing, 55 yards receiving (five receptions) and two combined touchdowns

Matt Forte's fantasy revival came a year ago because he started scoring touchdowns in bunches under West Coast offense guru Marc Trestman. He has yet to record a rushing touchdown this season, but that streak ends this week against the Falcons.

Atlanta has given up an alarming 10 rushing TDs in five games. The next closest teams have given up six. They have also given up the fifth-most receptions and fourth-most receiving yards to running backs.

All this plays perfectly into the hands of the multidimensional Forte here. He should be able to blow the roof off the Georgia Dome, especially if Matt Ryan and company play well offensively. This should be a classic shootout that pushes the total well beyond the Week 6 high 53.5 points, per OddsShark.com.

Las Vegas knows what it is talking about. This game is going to get loose early and stay that way throughout.

Forte has made a career of being there to run through gaping holes in games such as this. He is a do-it-all back for Trestman and the Bears and rarely needs a breather; hence, the relative lack of use of rookie backup running back Ka'Deem Carey thus far this season.

"Even whenever we do take him out, he seems to be sitting on the sideline just waiting to come back in," quarterback Jay Cutler told David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. "You never see him go over and look for oxygen or sit down and he's completely gassed."

Forte is going to be a popular face and name on the NFL Red Zone channel this Sunday evening.

Honorable Mention

• TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (at Buffalo Bills)
• RB LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants)
• RB Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
• WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears)
• WR Brandon Marshall/Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
• QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)
• QB Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (at Oakland Raiders)
• RB Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Biggest Breakout Star

Wade Payne/Associated Press

RB Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Projected Stat Line: 90 yards rushing, 30 yards receiving (four catches) and a touchdown

Here is a repeat entry from B/R's Week 5 predictions that never came to fruition. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt teased us with statements they were going to get the ball to Sankey early and often last week, and we had to suffer through watching veteran plodder Shonn Greene out-carry the rookie 11 to eight and out-rush him 36 yards to 27 against the Cleveland Browns.

Ouch.

We are going to stay stubborn with Sankey here, especially since the 1-4 Titans need to turn the corner as a franchise. It is time to play the kids.

Sankey is a key solution. Greene is part of the problem.

It certainly helps that Greene is missing practice snaps with a tender hamstring this week, as The Tennessean's Jim Wyatt tweeted Wednesday.

The Titans' rushing revival will start with attitude up front, which is what rookie Taylor Lewan might bring as a first-time starter at left tackle this week, as ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky reported Wednesday.

There were rumblings of the Titans considering taking a look at Zach Mettenberger this week, as insider Adam Schefter said on ESPN's NFL Live on Monday, according to Joe Kacik of The Virginian-Pilot. Before they do something that radical at quarterback, they need to play their best running back more.

The matchup against the lowly Jaguars is about as intriguing as it gets. They are second-worst against fantasy running backs, according to FFToday.com. Like Major League's Pedro Cerrano, "If you no help me now, I say (forget) you, Jobu."

Honorable Mention

• QB Jake Locker/WR Justin Hunter/Titans D/ST, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
• RB Toby Gerhart, Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
• RB Andre Williams/WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)
• TE Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Biggest Bust

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

RB Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)

Projected Stat Line: 45 yards rushing, 15 yards receiving and a lost fumble

You love Hillman this week off waivers, mostly because you love Peyton Manning and that Broncos offensive production getting him points. Who doesn't?

You missed the boat, though. The San Diego Chargers' Branden Oliver and New York Giants' Andre Williams should have been your top pickups off waivers.

Hillman has myriad circumstances working against him to help fantasy owners amid Montee Ball's (groin) multiple-week absence:

1. Ball might only be out two weeks, according to The Denver Post's Mike Klis.
2. The first two of those weeks come at the Jets and against the San Francisco 49ers, two of NFL's best run defenses and top teams in fantasy against running backs, per FFToday.com.
3. Hillman is a fumbler, so he could hand the feature-back role over to C.J. Anderson and/or Juwan Thompson just as quickly as he was given it—if he is even given it.
4. Hillman is just 195 pounds, so he is not an inside runner and very unlikely to get the goal-line touches.
5. Anderson and Thompson are both around 30 pounds bulkier, and head coach John Fox is a power-running scheme guy.
6. The Broncos figure to rotate and specialize each of this trio, sharing snaps, touches and production.

Things might have looked promising for Hillman in the short term on the surface. It really doesn't when you dig deeper into his prospects, particularly this week in New Jersey.

Dishonorable Mention

• QB Tony Romo/RB DeMarco Murray/WR Terrance Williams/TE Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (at Seattle Seahawks)
• RB Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins (at Arizona Cardinals)
• QB Austin Davis/RB Zac Stacy/WR Brian Quick, St. Louis Rams (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
• RB Stevan Ridley/RB Shane Vereen, New England Patriots (at Buffalo Bills)

Biggest Bounce-Back Player

RB LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants)

Projected Stat Line: 60 yards rushing, 40 yards receiving (five catches) and a touchdown

The Eagles haven't been able to get McCoy started yet this season, but it figures to be only a matter of time in that potent offense. Frankly, it is a scary fact the Eagles are leading the NFL in total points scored (156) and are frustrated with the production of their best player.

Throw a home game in here against an NFL East division rival and you have the makings of a breakthrough 2014 performance for your first overall pick.

The reigning NFL rushing leader is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and has just one touchdown in five games, none in the past three. That all changes here in an anticipated shootout with the resurgent Giants and Eli Manning.

Expect McCoy to crack 100 yards, at least, and toss in a touchdown, if not multiple scores against a Giants defense that is in the bottom 10 against fantasy running backs.

Honorable Mention

• WR Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
• WR Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears)
• RB Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Carolina Panthers)
• WR Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers (at St. Louis Rams)
• WR Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers (at Cincinnati Bengals)

Top QB Matchup Plays

Here are the bottom eight teams versus fantasy QBs, per FFToday.com:

1. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
3. Washington Redskins (at Arizona Cardinals)
4. Arizona Cardinals (vs. Washington Redskins)
5. New York Jets (vs. Denver Broncos)
6. Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
7. Cleveland Browns (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Baltimore Ravens)

QB Eli Manning, New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)

Projected Stat Line: 325 yards passing, three touchdowns

Not only is a streaking Manning finally getting a hold of Ben McAdoo's offensive system, but he is also getting rookie first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr. up to speed and facing the No. 1 matchup in fantasy for a quarterback this week. The Eagles score a lot of points on their own, so it makes for wide-open games and production on both sides of the ball.

Running back LeSean McCoy, who has been chippy with the Giants in past weeks leading up to their games, was effusive with his praise to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com on Wednesday:

"

I think Eli Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now. If you have a player like that, mix him with a guy like (Victor) Cruz and lately (Rashad) Jennings, they have a good team. ... Everybody knows that once the Giants need a clutch win, they do it. I've seen it. I've never doubted that team at all. They have a great coach who has been productive for so long, so I'm not surprised at all.

"

Jennings (knee) is unlikely to be available this week, so expect the onus to be squarely on Manning against an Eagles defense that has given up a league-high 13 touchdown passes through five games. Manning is off to one of his best starts of his career, statistically, and he has played his best football in October throughout his career, as Lombardo noted here.

The best part of expecting big numbers from Manning is the fact the Giants will struggle to stop the Eagles' own offense at home. This is a big game for the Giants to get back in the NFC East division race, so expect them to pull out all the stops here.

Honorable Mention

• Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
• Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
• Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears)
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Cleveland Browns)
• Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Top RB Matchup Plays

Here are the bottom eight teams versus fantasy RBs, per FFToday.com:

1. Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
3. Cleveland Browns (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
4. Oakland Raiders (vs. San Diego Chargers)
5. Carolina Panthers (at Cincinnati Bengals)
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
7. Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)
8. Green Bay Packers (at Miami Dolphins)

RB Branden Oliver, San Diego Chargers (at Oakland Raiders)

Projected Stat Line: 80 yards rushing, 35 yards receiving (four catches) and a touchdown

We ripped the addition of the Denver Broncos' Ronnie Hillman this week off waivers, but Oliver was a nice selection for those lucky enough to secure his services. The Chargers running back is coming off a bigger performance last week and faces one of the best matchups at Oakland this week.

The Raiders have the second-worst run defense in football right now, and they figure to struggle to stop anything the Chargers choose to do offensively this week. Oliver is going to be a mop-up man, even if he isn't the focal point he was a week ago.

Khalil Mack, the linebacker that Oakland selected out of the University of Buffalo, knows the Raiders have their hands full. Mack is Oliver's former college roommate, no lie, as Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle noted. Mack told Tafur, "I wasn't surprised when I saw that at all. It was only practice in college, but he is the best running back I ever played against in my life. He's quick, can lower his shoulder, can catch and can block."

Mack and the Raiders see Oliver coming right now, but after Sunday they still won't even know what hit them.

Honorable Mention

• Andre Williams, New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)
• Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
• Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins (vs. Green Bay Packers)
• Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers (at St. Louis Rams)
• Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
• Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears)
• Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Top WR Matchup Plays

Here are the bottom eight teams versus fantasy WRs, per FFToday.com:

1. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants)
2. Arizona Cardinals (vs. Washington Redskins)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
4. New Orleans Saints (bye)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
6. New York Jets (vs. Denver Broncos)
7. Cleveland Browns (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
8. Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)

WR Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Projected Stat Line: 100 yards receiving (seven catches) and a touchdown

Wright broke through in his second season with 94 catches for 1,079 yards last year, but he managed just two touchdowns. He equaled that total last week alone and has three for the season. Consider him a legit top-25 fantasy wideout now, regardless of whom the Titans have under center on a weekly basis.

Wright gets arguably his best matchup of the year at home this week against the Jaguars, who have the NFL's worst defense and are dead last against the pass as well. 

The Titans are going to a youth movement this season, and Wright is one of the centerpieces, along with second-year red-zone threat Justin Hunter. When Hunter draws all the attention near the goal line, Wright can be a factor in single coverage on the other side or out of the slot.

The Titans are not necessarily a chosen destination for top fantasy starts, but that will eventually change will all the premium draft picks they have used at the skill positions the past few years.

Honorable Mention

• Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
• Odell Beckham Jr./Rueben Randle, New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)
• Jeremy Maclin/Riley Cooper/Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants)
• Emmanuel Sanders/Wes Welker, Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)
• Steve Smith/Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears) 

Top TE Matchup Plays

Here are the bottom eight teams versus fantasy TEs, per FFToday.com:

1. Dallas Cowboys (at Seattle Seahawks)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Carolina Panthers)
4. Seattle Seahawks (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
5. Indianapolis Colts (at Houston Texans)
6. Arizona Cardinals (vs. Washington Redskins)
7. Washington Redskins (at Arizona Cardinals)
8. New York Jets (vs. Denver Broncos)

Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Projected Stat Line: 70 yards receiving (six catches) and a touchdown

Walker might be one of fantasy's most-improved players this season, and he has had to deal with injuries and multiple quarterback changes along the way. There is nothing that should stop you from starting him in all leagues this week against the Jags' last-ranked secondary.

Only the Dallas Cowboys (six) have given up more touchdown passes to tight ends than the Jags (five) through five games. The list of tight ends who have scored against the Jags is not littered with elite names either: Zach Ertz, Niles Paul, Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener and Michael Palmer (who?).

You can make a case Walker is a superior fantasy player to all those guys.

The rest of the guys named below might not be facing the suspect teams against tight ends, but they are facing the lower-end pass defenses.

Honorable Mention

• Larry Donnell, New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)
• Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
• Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (at Cincinnati Bengals)
• Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers (at Oakland Raiders)
• Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants)
• Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Top D/ST Matchup Plays

USA TODAY Sports

Here are the bottom eight teams versus fantasy D/STs, per FFToday.com:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
2. St. Louis Rams (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
4. Miami Dolphins (vs. Green Bay Packers)
5. Dallas Cowboys (at Seattle Seahawks)
6. San Francisco 49ers (at St. Louis Rams)
7. Minnesota Vikings (vs. Detroit Lions)
8. Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)

Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Projected Stat Line: Three sacks, two turnovers and one touchdown

The Titans won't be anyone's first choice among the streaming options this week, but they are arguably the most available.

They are the most-added D/ST in ESPN.com leagues, but that bumped their ownership to a mere 13.9 percent. At CBSSports.com, they are tied with the Baltimore Ravens at 15 percent added, up to 29 percent owned.

The Jags offense is a mess, particularly in the running game, and is trying to break in a rookie quarterback. This should be a rare week to trust the Titans in fantasy lineups, especially if you have the Houston Texans defense as your primary unit—since they are facing the Indianapolis Colts.

As you can see below, there are a number of solid streaming plays in good matchups this week:

Honorable Mention

• Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)
• Detroit Lions (at Minnesota Vikings)
• San Diego Chargers (at Oakland Raiders)
• Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (at Cleveland Browns)
• Indianapolis Colts (at Houston Texans)

Top Waiver-Wire Options

We dug in-depth into the best Week 6 additions in B/R's Insider Notebook on Tuesday, going into waivers. Now, here are the most-added players in CBSSports.com leagues coming out of waivers:

1. RB Branden Oliver, San Diego Chargers—You have to love his Week 5 production, along with his opportunity and matchup this week.
2. RB Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos—We are not sold here. See "bust" slide.
3. TE Tim Wright, New England Patriots—He needs to prove more consistent before you consider starting him at the roller-coaster tight-end position.
4. RB Andre Williams, New York Giants—He will be the Giants' feature back by the end of the year, regardless of Rashad Jennings' status. Just watch.
5. RB Antone Smith, Atlanta Falcons—Don't bother yet, but we have to watch him in this matchup this week.
6. WR Mohamed Sanu, Cincinnati Bengals—You have to love what he has done, and frankly, he was a third-year breakout candidate coming into the season. Sanu is a legit fantasy starter through the bye weeks at least.
7. WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants—That was an eye-opening debut, which sets him up nicely in this matchup this week.
8. QB Austin Davis, St. Louis Rams—He has been a pleasant surprise, but no one should trust him against an elite defense like the San Francisco 49ers this week.
9. RB Benny Cunningham, St. Louis Rams—He is more intriguing because Zac Stacy (calf) isn't 100 percent, but you cannot start him against the No. 1 team against fantasy running backs.
10. WR Brian Quick, St. Louis Rams—We are done talking him down, so ride his hot hands right now as needed. He is another third-year revelation at wide receiver.

In case you have missed out on those waiver options, here are some deeper plays to consider by position because of favorable circumstances this week:

Quarterbacks

1. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
2. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
3. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (vs. Green Bay Packers)

Running Backs

1. C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos (at New York Jets) 
2. Denard Robinson/Storm Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars (at Tennessee Titans)
3. Benny Cunningham, St. Louis Rams (vs. San Francisco 49ers)

Wide Receivers

1. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)
2. Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
3. Devin Hester, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Chicago Bears) 

Tight Ends

1. Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
2. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Cleveland Browns)
3. Dwayne Allen/Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts (at Houston Texans) 

Defense/Special Teams

1. Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
2. Detroit Lions (at Minnesota Vikings)
3. Baltimore Ravens (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers) 

Kickers

1. Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)
2. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions (at Minnesota Vikings)
3. Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Washington Redskins)

Follow @EricMackFantasy

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.