Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

The fifth week of the 2016 NFL season wrapped up Monday night when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

Monday's game in Charlotte, North Carolina, capped off a wild week of football action—one that included blowouts, upsets and numerous fantasy surprises. Guys who have been fantasy stars this season, such as Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones and Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell, were essentially shut down.

Meanwhile, young players such as Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard continued their rise to fantasy stardom.

Week 5 also saw injuries keep Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and Panthers signal-caller Cam Newton off the playing field. It also brought the return of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, which caused the value of Patriots pass-catchers such as Martellus Bennett, Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan to jump.

How does this last week of action—along with what we've learned over the first month of the season—impact the fantasy football landscape moving forward? Well, that's what we're going to examine. We'll be going through Week 6 positional rankings and examining some risers and fallers at each skill position.

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	@ MIA
2	Drew Brees, NO	CAR
3	Cam Newton, CAR	@ NO
4	Russell Wilson, SEA	ATL
5	Aaron Rodgers, GB	DAL
6	Carson Wentz, PHI	@ WAS
7	Tom Brady, NE	CIN
8	Andrew Luck, IND	@ HOU
9	Brian Hoyer, CHI	JAX
10	Blake Bortles, JAX	@ CHI
11	Carson Palmer, ARI	NYJ
12	Alex Smith, KC	@ OAK
13	Trevor Siemian, DEN	@ SD
14	Dak Prescott, DAL	@ GB
15	Matthew Stafford, DET	LA

Up: Brian Hoyer, Chicago Bears

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Brian Hoyer has gone from injury replacement to potential job-stealer at quarterback for the Chicago Bears, and he has also emerged as a respectable fantasy option.

Hoyer is completing 71.4 percent of his passes, has thrown for 1,094 yards and has six touchdowns and zero interceptions in just over three games. He holds an impressive passer rating of 108.5, and Pro Football Focus has him 10th overall among all quarterbacks.

If Hoyer continues playing this well, the Bears will have little reason to turn things back over to Jay Cutler once he is 100 percent healthy.

"Hoyer might not be the future, but he has proved to be the best current option to run the offense," Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com wrote after Chicago's loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. "Going back to Cutler would only stunt the growth the Bears have experienced since their dreadful 0-3 start."

This week, the Bears host the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have an improved defense but not a great one. Pro Football Focus rated the Jaguars 16th overall in pass coverage. Don't be surprised if Hoyer reaches the 300-yard passing mark for the fourth consecutive week.

Down: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

There's no pleasant way to put it. Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is not playing good football right now. He is completing 64.1 percent of his passes but has also thrown seven interceptions to go with his six touchdowns.

Last week, Tannehill had a dismal outing in the 30-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. He threw for just 191 yards with two interceptions and zero scores. The Dolphins, though, have expressed confidence in the former Texas A&M standout.

"He's not coming out," Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. "You can ask me 100 times; he's going to be in there the rest of the season."

This means Tannehill will be under center when the Dolphins host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6. This is a decent matchup for Tannehill—Pro Football Focus rates the Steelers just 23rd in pass coverage—but until he learns to limit mistakes, he is only worth a desperation start in the deepest leagues.

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	@ MIA
2	Lamar Miller, HOU	IND
3	David Johnson, ARI	NYJ
4	DeMarco Murray, TEN	CLE
5	LeSean McCoy, BUF	SF
6	Jordan Howard, CHI	JAX
7	C.J. Anderson, DEN	@ SD
8	Christine Michael, SEA	ATL
9	Todd Gurley, LA	@ DET
10	Matt Forte, NYJ	@ ARI
11	Melvin Gordon, SD	DEN
12	Mark Ingram, NO	CAR
13	Frank Gore, IND	@ HOU
14	Carlos Hyde, SF	@ BUF
15	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	@ GB
16	LeGarrette Blount, NE	CIN
17	Eddie Lacy, GB	DAL
18	Jamaal Charles, KC	@ OAK
19	Theo Riddick, DET	LA
20	Ryan Mathews, PHI	@ WAS
21	Derrick Henry, TEN	CLE
22	Isaiah Crowell, CLE	@ TEN
23	T.J. Yeldon, JAX	@ CHI
24	Matt Jones, WAS	PHI
25	Devonta Freeman, ATL	@ SEA
26	Darren Sproles, PHI	@ WAS
27	Jalen Richard, OAK	KC
28	Giovani Bernard, CIN	@ NE
29	Duke Johnson Jr., CLE	@ TEN
30	James White, NE	CIN

Up: Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears

Much like Hoyer, rookie running back Jordan Howard has earned an opportunity with the Bears because of injury. With a banged-up Jeremy Langford giving way, Howard has gotten the start in each of the past two weeks and has produced big-time numbers.

He rushed for 111 yards and caught three passes for 21 yards against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. He turned around and ran for 118 yards against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. Howard caught three passes again, this time for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Howard looks like a complete running back who can produce both on the ground and in the passing game. It appears likely that he too will hold on to a starting job in Chicago for the foreseeable future.

He'll be facing a Jacksonville defense that Pro Football Focus rated 10th against the run and is giving up an average of 105.8 rushing yards per game. Howard might not produce his third straight 100-yard game on the ground, but his workload should get him over that mark in combined yardage.

Expect three or four receptions, 100 total yards and a score from the young runner this week.

Down: Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns

Crowell was second in the league in rushing yardage heading into Week 5, but he slid down to No. 5 thanks to a smart game plan by the New England Patriots defense.   

Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

New England showed how it's possible to shut down Cleveland's then-No. 1-ranked rushing attack. It focused on attacking the interior of the line, which left no inside running lanes for Crowell and fellow back Duke Johnson Jr.

Crowell finished the game with just 22 yards rushing on 13 carries to go with one reception for 18 yards.

It didn't help that the Browns lost quarterback Cody Kessler early in the game due to injury, and his status against the Titans will be key. The Browns appear optimistic that Kessler can start.

"As I said, there's nothing broken," Browns head coach Hue Jackson said of Kessler, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "There's a good chance that he'll have an opportunity to be out there this week."

If Kessler cannot go, though, the Titans will be able to focus on stopping the running game even more. Expect them to focus on slowing Crowell and Johnson regardless.

Crowell is still worth a start in most formats, but he is falling back to earth and no longer looks like a matchup-proof RB1.

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	@ MIA
2	Jordy Nelson, GB	DAL
3	Jarvis Landry, MIA	PIT
4	Julio Jones, ATL	@ SEA
5	A.J. Green, CIN	@ NE
6	Allen Robinson, JAX	@ CHI
7	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	IND
8	T.Y. Hilton, IND	@ HOU
9	Larry Fitzgerald, ATL	NYJ
10	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	BAL
11	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	@ ARI
12	Marvin Jones, DET	LA
13	Dez Bryant, DAL	@ GB
14	Brandin Cooks, NO	CAR
15	Jeremy Maclin, KC	@ OAK
16	Jordan Matthews, PHI	@ WAS
17	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	@ NO
18	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	JAX
19	Sammie Coates, PIT	@ MIA
20	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	@ SD
21	Amari Cooper, OAK	KC
22	Doug Baldwin, SEA	ATL
23	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	@ SD
24	Terrelle Pryor, CLE	@ TEN
25	Willie Snead, NO	CAR
26	Julian Edelman, NE	CIN
27	Michael Crabtree, OAK	KC
28	Steve Smith Sr., BAL	@ NYG
29	Chris Hogan, NE	CIN
30	John Brown, ARI	NYJ

Up: Sammie Coates, Pittsburgh Steelers

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Second-year Steelers receiver Sammie Coates is coming off a monster game against the New York Jets. He racked up six receptions, 139 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. While it seems unlikely this will be standard production for Coates moving forward, it doesn't feel like a fluke, either.

Coates has the type of speed needed to be a big-play threat (4.43-second 40-yard dash), but he is developing into more than that.

"I think we’ve all seen consistency from him in that area through the regular season and preseason, but we're starting to see consistencies in other areas," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Coates, per Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot. "The rounding out of his game and he took advantage of that opportunity to start to display some of those things."

Expect Coates to be a big part of the offensive game plan this week against the Dolphins, whom Pro Football Focus rates just 25th in pass coverage.

Another 100-yard outing is entirely possible.

Down: Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons

While he is filling his role in the Falcons offense, receiver Mohamed Sanu continues to be a bit of a fantasy disappointment. He got off to a strong start in Week 1 with five receptions, 80 yards and a score, but he has produced little since.

Not only has Sanu not reached the end zone since Week 1, but he has not logged more than three receptions in a game since. His three catches yielded 43 yards this past week against the Denver Broncos, but unfortunately, Sanu also lost a fumble.

It's worth noting that Sanu has been playing with a shoulder injury. Improved fantasy performances could be on the horizon. However, this is not a week to hope for a breakout game. Sanu and the Falcons head into Seattle to play the Seahawks, whom Pro Football Focus ranks first in pass coverage.

This is a week to sit Sanu if possible.

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Greg Olsen, CAR	@ NO
2	Jordan Reed, WAS	PHI
3	Martellus Bennett, NE	CIN
4	Travis Kelce, KC	@ OAK
5	Delanie Walker, TEN	CLE
6	Rob Gronkowski, NE	CIN
7	Zach Ertz, PHI	@ WAS
8	Jimmy Graham, SEA	ATL
9	Dennis Pitta, BAL	@ NYG
10	Coby Fleener, NO	CAR
11	Hunter Henry, SD	DEN
12	Eric Ebron, DET	LA
13	Jason Witten, DAL	@ GB
14	Zach Miller, CHI	JAX
15	Gary Barnidge, CLE	@ TEN

Up: Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

When Brady made his return to the playing field, it raised the fantasy value of pass-catchers on the roster. Two players who benefited greatly were tight ends Bennett and Gronkowski.

Gronkowski, who has been dealing with a hamstring issue, had his most productive game of the year so far. He racked up 109 yards on five receptions. Not to be outdone, Bennett caught six passes for 67 yards and three touchdowns.

Now that we know how dangerous this tight end duo can be with Brady at the controls, it's time to consider both Bennett and Gronk must-start players.

Down: Ryan Griffin, Houston Texans

Houston Texans tight end Ryan Griffin saw a ton of work during the team's Week 3 game against the Patriots, but he has seen his role in the offense decline since. Against New England, Griffin hauled in eight receptions for 52 yards, which is solid production, especially for points-per-reception formats.

However, Griffin has just five receptions in the last two weeks combined, and he produced only eight yards against the Vikings this past weekend.

According to Pro Football Focus, Griffin has been targeted 10 times over the past two weeks. Fellow tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz has seen 12 targets and has eight receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in that span.

If you're looking to Houston for a bye-week filler at tight end, Fiedorowicz is the one you want.

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	CIN
2	Steven Hauschka, SEA	ARI
3	Graham Gano, CAR	@ NO
4	Nick Novak, HOU	IND
5	Josh Brown, NYG	BAL
6	Dan Bailey, DAL	@ GB
7	Matt Prater, DET	LA
8	Adam Vinatieri, IND	@ HOU
9	Dan Carpenter, BUF	SF
10	Chris Boswell, PIT	@ MIA

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Buffalo Bills	SF
2	Arizona Cardinals	NYJ
3	New York Giants	BAL
4	Pittsburgh Steelers	@ MIA
5	Tennessee Titans	CLE
6	Seattle Seahawks	ATL
7	Denver Broncos	@ SD
8	New England Patriots	CIN
9	Philadelphia Eagles	@ WAS
10	New York Jets	@ ARI