Week 6 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench
Fantasy football owners have a much harder decision than the San Francisco 49ers each week.
A 1-4 team deciding to bench Blaine Gabbert in favor of Colin Kaepernick probably didn't cause much in the way of stress for those in charge. There's not much at stake, nor is one option alarmingly better than the other.
If only it were so easy on a week-to-week basis in fantasy football.
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Owners have plenty of big-name stars on their roster each week, making it difficult to decide who starts and who sits. Matchups, injuries and so much more play into the decision, and the whole league seeing a whiff because a major name scored more on the bench than a starter always stings.
Let's prevent the sting if possible, comparing some of the top matchups of the week to find better value before taking a close look at stars to play and bench.
Quarterback
Star to Know: Blake Bortles, JAC (at CHI)
| Marcus Mariota (vs. CLE) vs. Ben Roethlisberger (at MIA) | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Tom Brady (vs. CIN) vs. Philip Rivers (vs. DEN) | Tom Brady |
| Andy Dalton (at NE) vs. Andrew Luck (at HOU) | Andrew Luck |
| Derek Carr (vs. KC) vs. Matthew Stafford (vs. LA) | Matthew Stafford |
| Dak Prescott (at GB) vs. Carson Wentz (at WAS) | Dak Prescott |
The last time out should be enough for Blake Bortles to tout an ownership percentage of 100.
Alas, Bortles sits at 77.8 percent (hint!) and one of the top stars to know in Week 6 thanks to a matchup with the Chicago Bears.
While not the biggest star on the field by any means, Bortles has the potential for elite fantasy production every time he steps on the field thanks to weapons such as Allen Robinson. In Week 4, he torched an iffy Indianapolis Colts defense for 25 points.
This week looks just as great thanks to the Bears. Chicago has allowed two opposing quarterbacks to go for 20 or more points this year, with the Jacksonville offense perhaps standing as the most potent it has faced to date.
Star to Sit: Philip Rivers, SD (vs. DEN)
One would think San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers stands as a guy to stay away from thanks to losing names such as Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead.
Alas, Rivers has made it work some weeks, with last week serving as the highlight of his season so far when he tossed four scores and totaled 26 points against the Oakland Raiders.
This AFC West matchup against the Denver Broncos won't prove as fruitful, though. The defense allows the seventh-fewest points to quarterbacks on average, having held four opposing quarterbacks in a row to 14 points or fewer.
Rivers only managed six and 15 points against Denver over two games last year, so owners can find more productive streaming options.
Running Back
Star to Know: Jamaal Charles, KC (at OAK)
| David Johnson (vs. NYJ) vs. Ezekiel Elliott (at GB) | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Tevin Coleman (at SEA) vs. Jordan Howard (vs. JAC) | Jordan Howard |
| Carlos Hyde (at BUF) vs. LeSean McCoy (vs. SF) | Carlos Hyde |
| Le'Veon Bell (at MIA) vs. Todd Gurley (at DET) | Todd Gurley |
| DeMarco Murray (vs. CLE) vs. Melvin Gordon (vs. DEN) | DeMarco Murray |
He's back.
Those owners who have stashed Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles in the hopes he can return to his old form don't have to wait any longer.
The man himself confirmed it, as captured by Pete Sweeney of the team's official website:
As expected, Charles acted as a backup last time out, working his way back into things before getting the green light.
He has it against the Raiders, which is almost funny—the defense has already allowed 21 or more points to three opposing backfields.
For those who forgot, Charles scored 14 or more points in four consecutive games last year, looking well on his way to sitting as the top-scoring back before suffering a knee injury in Week 5. If he's even close to the same old form, he might lead all scorers in Week 6.
Star to Sit: Matt Forte, NYJ (at ARI)
There was a time when New York Jets running back Matt Forte was an easy choice every week, much like Charles should be now.
Forte has fallen off the map, though. Outside of a 28-point outburst in Week 2, he's been a disappointment for his 99.1 percent of owners. He's scored six, three and five points over the past three games with no end in sight.
Week 6 is a game against the Arizona Cardinals, a defense that had an odd blip of its own in Week 3 by allowing 25 points to opposing backs. Otherwise, though, Arizona has looked normal against the rush, and that doesn't bode well for Forte.
If the Jets were a better passing team, owners could justify starting Forte and hoping for double-digit production. But this is a passing offense that has thrown nine interceptions over its past three games.
Wide Receiver
Star to Know: Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs. ATL)
| Sammie Coates (at MIA) vs. Cameron Meredith (vs. JAC) | Cameron Meredith |
| T.Y. Hilton (at HOU) vs. Amari Cooper (vs. KC) | Amari Cooper |
| Larry Fitzgerald (vs. NYJ) vs. Brandon Marshall (at ARI) | Larry Fitzgerald |
| Antonio Brown (at MIA) vs. DeAndre Hopkins (vs. IND) | Antonio Brown |
| Odell Beckham Jr. (vs. BAL) vs. Demaryius Thomas (at SD) | Odell Beckham Jr. |
In a rather surprising turn of events, it looks like Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks can be one of the more productive wideouts in the league if the team would feed him the ball.
Owners have to hope the passing offense fixes its inconsistency with Baldwin. In two games with six or fewer targets, he's totaled seven points. In two games with 10 or more, he's amassed 37.
Baldwin is a monster in the right matchup because it means the offense will pepper him with targets. Bank on this weekend being one of those games thanks to his team encountering the Atlanta Falcons in what could turn into a shootout.
Here's to hoping—the Falcons have allowed 21 or more points to opposing sets of wideouts in four consecutive games. So long as the offense keeps going to him, Baldwin could end up as the top-scoring wideout of the week.
Star to Sit: DeSean Jackson, WAS (vs. PHI)
Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson is owned in less than 90 percent of leagues for a reason.
Something is off in Washington. Jackson has had more than five catches in a game once. He's scored once. His number of trips to 10 or more points sits at a paltry two. A downright ridiculous goose egg greeted owners who trotted him out against the Cleveland Browns of all teams in Week 4.
There's no reason to get Jackson out there against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. It sounds good—an NFC East rivalry between two supposedly good offenses—but Jackson has had a miserable start and the Eagles allow the fifth-fewest points to receivers.
Tight End
Star to Know: Zach Miller, CHI (vs. JAC)
| Martellus Bennett (vs. CIN) vs. Delanie Walker (vs. CLE) | Delanie Walker |
| Dwayne Allen (at HOU) vs. Rob Gronkowski (vs. CIN) | Rob Gronkowski |
| Jesse James (at MIA) vs. Antonio Gates (vs. DEN) | Jesse James |
| Zach Miller (vs. JAC) vs. Gary Barnidge (at TEN) | Zach Miller |
| Jordan Reed (vs. PHI) vs. Jason Witten (at GB) | Jason Witten |
Thanks to a change under center, Chicago tight end Zach Miller has one of the best floors around at an inconsistent position.
Miller has eight or more targets in two of his last three games. In the game without, he scored a touchdown, which he has three of over his last three outings as well.
The result is seven or more points in three straight games going into an encounter with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's a defense that hasn't given up a whole lot to tight ends this year, but it also hasn't played any of note over just four games.
In a game with two bad defenses, Miller will be one of the top players to benefit.
Star to Sit: Jason Witten, DAL (at GB)
Jason Witten just isn't himself.
It's a wonder his ownership percentage hasn't dipped past 78.8. While still a household name, the Dallas Cowboys star hasn't benefited as conventional wisdom would suggest he should with a rookie quarterback under center.
No, Witten has floundered, scoring a high of six points once this year and having yet to score a touchdown.
Like many other sit options this week, Witten has what would seem like a good matchup with the Green Bay Packers. But those Packers have only allowed one set of opposing tight ends to reach double digits, and Witten just hasn't been productive in a run-first offense.
Tony Romo can't return soon enough.
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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