'Who Needs Reality?': Excellent Fantasy Football Starts for Week 6

Week 6 in fantasy football commands one of three attitudes from owners. 

First, the owners who sit at 5-0 and 4-1 are comfortable and confident that they'll be in the fantasy postseason and are sitting pretty with their productive squads. 

Next, the 3-2 and 2-3 owners are rife with hope and determination, yet they are offering trades left and right to try to maximize their squads' success for the season moving forward. 

Finally, those sad owners who sit at 1-4 or, gasp, 0-5 are reaching that hopeless level where they no longer believe fantasy football success awaits them this season. You might notice that they keep a bye-week player in their lineup. Perhaps you sent them a trade request and got no response. Whatever the telling behavior is, the reality is that these guys have lost hope. 

Well, turnarounds happen, so if you are one of these guys, have faith that a savvy waiver pickup and a smart trade can change your season! So stay hopeful! Remember, who needs reality? 

Here are some great starts for your squad in Week 6.

Please remember that I use a standard scoring system when projecting these points:

• One point per 10 rushing or receiving yards
• One point per 25 passing yards
• Six points per each rushing or receiving touchdown
• Four points for passing touchdowns
• Minus-two points for interceptions and fumbles lost

Additionally, be sure to stay tuned to the official NFL Injury Report to get the official word on who is in and who is out come game day.

Finally, please remember that with this column I intend to list players whom you should start who wouldn't be ultra-obvious picks. Therefore, I won't be telling you to start Peyton Manning, Matt Forte, Julio Jones, etc. 

Quarterbacks to Start

In a week that doesn't feature a ton of great quarterback matchups, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan sure has a tasty one. Ryan and the Falcons are at their best at home, and Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears has all the makings of a highly offensive affair. 

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

If you are a Matt Ryan owner, it's rare that you'd be sitting him, yet if you were thinking about it, don't be. I think Ryan will be the top fantasy quarterback in Week 6. 

• 350 yards, three touchdowns and one interception = 24 points 

Other Solid Ball-Throwers

• Eli Manning, New York Giants: 330 yards, two touchdowns, one interception = 19 points
• Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: 320 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions = 16 points
• Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns: 275 yards, two touchdowns, one interception = 17 points

Running Backs to Start

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The starting running back for the New York Giants this week is Andre Williams, and the rookie should be started in all leagues. The former Boston College Eagle and Heisman finalist is making his first start in relief of the injured Rashad Jennings, and I think he'll seize the opportunity. 

The Giants are committed to the run this season, and Jennings has been a top-10 fantasy play. Williams is just as good of a player, and the Philadelphia Eagles defense is not threatening, so roll with Williams with confidence. 

• 16 carries, 95 yards and a touchdown = 15 points

Other Solid Ball-Carriers

• Branden Oliver, San Diego Chargers: Oliver, another hot pickup candidate this past week, should be owned and started in all leagues. The rookie is the fourth San Diego running back of fantasy relevance this season, and hopefully he can stay healthy for longer than his teammates have. Oliver was great last week against the New York Jets, and he has a tasty matchup against the Oakland Raiders to make it two in a row. 
• Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans: I recommended Sankey as my top running back start last week, and it absolutely burned me. I started him myself in multiple leagues, and the result was not pleasant. Sankey's talent is undeniable; he just needs the touches to succeed. Considering that Tennessee is not winning when it is not giving him the ball, I think that head coach Ken Whisenhunt wises up this week and gets Sankey involved against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 
• Ben Tate, Cleveland Browns: He was running great in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers until he got out. In his return game last week against the Titans, he killed it and got 22 carries. Tate is always an injury risk, but he's almost a definite for 100 yards if he plays the whole game. 

Wide Receivers to Start 

With star receiver A.J. Green out with injury, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu becomes a must-start player. 

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Sanu doesn't have the raw talent of Green, but he's a reliable possession receiver who will be quarterback Andy Dalton's top target. The Bengals are playing at home, where they are best, so this is a good game for Sanu. He also has extensive experience as a quarterback and could wind up throwing the ball on a Wildcat play or two. (I'm calling it for fun.) 

• Six catches, 62 yards, one receiving touchdown, one pass, 22 yards and one passing touchdown = 16 points. (22 in PPR)

Other Solid Ball-Catchers

• Andrew Hawkins, Cleveland Browns: He's Brian Hoyer's favorite target and a reception machine. He's a good start in standard leagues and a must-start in PPR formats. 
• Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins: He just opened a new restaurant. I'll start anyone who just opened a new restaurant! But also, more importantly, he's due for a bounce-back game. 
• Rueben Randle, New York Giants: Randle has been getting a ton of targets, and many of those have come in the red zone. Facing off against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that gives up a lot of yards and touchdowns to receivers, Randle is a great play. 
• John Brown, Arizona Cardinals: This is sort of a bonus/deep-sleeper pick, but against a putrid Washington secondary, I like Brown to reemerge and have a nice week. Same goes for his teammate and fellow receiver Michael Floyd. 

Tight Ends to Start  

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The tight end pickings are pretty slim this weekend. Two relevant players (Travis Kelce and Jimmy Graham) are on bye, and besides the must-starts like Julius Thomas, Rob Gronkowski, Greg Olsen and Martellus Bennett, most guys don't have the best matchups. 

That's why my top pick for this week is Baltimore Ravens tight end Owen Daniels. He isn't as involved as I'd like to see, but he has a great matchup against the Tampa Bay Bucs, and tight ends are extremely matchup-dependent. 

• Six catches, 45 yards and a touchdown = 10 points. (16 in PPR)

Other Solid Big Guys Who Catch Balls

• Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans: He's one more good week away from being a must-start. If you own someone whom you would start over Walker, trade one of them away for talent or play them both. 
• Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles: He's been on the decline the past few weeks, yet I think Philadelphia gets him more involved this week against the New York Giants in a game where it will actually have to play offense. 
• Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns: I don't expect anything crazy from Cameron, but a touchdown wouldn't surprise me. The Browns will move the ball well in this game, and he's the best red-zone threat for quarterback Brian Hoyer. 

Defense/Special Teams to Start

The San Diego Chargers D/ST has been one of the best in fantasy this season, and San Diego has had the honor of hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets in its past two games. This week, the Chargers have to hit the road, but the road leads to Oakland. Yum. Expect another great week from the Chargers defense and special teams units. 

Other Solid Defense/Special Teams Starts

• New York Giants (at Philadelphia Eagles)
• Detroit Lions (at Minnesota Vikings)
• Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)

And there we have it folks. Best of luck with your leagues this week. 

When making a tough lineup choice, remember the three golden rules: 

1. Trust your gut
2. See Rule No. 1
3. See Rule No. 2

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All stats courtesy of NFL.com and FFToday.com. Feel free to email any question to [e-mail] and I'll try my best to answer them before kickoff on Sunday.