Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings: Projections for Players with Matchups We Love

Fantasy owners might have something close to fear in their hearts after Hunter Henry, Trevor Siemian and Josh Lambo led the way in scoring after a Thursday Night Football contest between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers to start Week 6.

Never mind the fact that the Chargers won, 21-13.

Fret not, though. Thursday games always register as unpredictable at best; they're often sloppy affairs that can either serve as a fantasy goldmine or a scenario owners might find worthwhile to pretend doesn't exist.

The rest of Week 6 looks favorable enough if owners know where to look.

Week 6 Schedule

Sunday, October 16
Monday, October 3
L.A. Rams at Detroit	1 p.m.
San Francisco at Buffalo	1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Chicago	1 p.m.
Cleveland at Tennessee	1 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington	1 p.m.
Baltimore at N.Y. Giants	1 p.m.
Carolina at New Orleans	1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Miami	1 p.m.
Cincinnati at New England	1 p.m.
Kansas City at Oakland	4:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Seattle	4:25 p.m
Dallas at Green Bay	4:25 p.m
Indianapolis at Houston	8:30 p.m.
N.Y. Jets at Arizona	8:30 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Ben Roethlisberger	24
2	Russell Wilson	23
3	Tom Brady	21
4	Cam Newton*	20
5	Drew Brees	19
6	Alex Smith	18
7	Carson Palmer	18
8	Aaron Rodgers	17
9	Carson Wentz	17
10	Dak Prescott	16
11	Derek Carr	14
12	Blake Bortles	12
13	Andrew Luck*	12
14	Matthew Stafford	12
15	Brian Hoyer	12

Held back by injuries, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson didn't start 2016 off in the most impressive fashion for his 98.1 percent of owners.

Wilson hit his usual expected form in Week 4 before a bye, though, tossing three scores on the way to 21 points against the New York Jets.

There's no reason to expect a falloff when Wilson next gets to welcome the Atlanta Falcons to town. In a game that could be a shootout, those Falcons allow the second-most points to quarterbacks on average and have allowed three or more touchdown passes in four of five games.

The backstory for Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals is the inverse. He started the year off hot with 18 and 24 points, but hasn't scored more than 11 in a game since thanks to injury and struggles.

Interestingly enough, Palmer now gets the aforementioned Jets that Wilson torched. Those Jets rank two spots lower than the Falcons on the points-against list and haven't improved at all since Wilson erupted—the once-proud unit has now allowed 23 or more points in three games and coughed up four passing touchdowns in Week 5. 

Likely wanting to make a big return statement, Palmer could put up his best game of the year.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	DeMarco Murray	17
2	Le'Veon Bell	16
3	David Johnson	15
4	Ezekiel Elliott	14
5	Jonathan Stewart	14
6	Carlos Hyde	14
7	LeSean McCoy	13
8	Isaiah Crowell	13
9	Jordan Howard	13
10	LeGarrette Blount*	12
11	Todd Gurley	12
12	Jamaal Charles	12
13	Lamar Miller	11
14	Matt Forte	11
15	Christine Michael	11
16	Ryan Mathews	11
17	Frank Gore	10
18	Mark Ingram*	10
19	Eddie Lacy*	9
20	Theo Riddick*	9
21	Arian Foster*	9
22	T.J. Yeldon	9
23	Devonta Freeman	8
24	Matt Jones	8
25	Latavius Murray*	8
26	Spencer Ware	7
27	Rashad Jennings*	7
28	Jeremy Hill	7
29	Tevin Coleman	6
30	Chris Ivory	6

Many would fail when asked to name the top five scorers at running back so far this year.

Indeed, it's an odd list, a mash of new and old:

• David Johnson
• DeMarco Murray
• Ezekiel Elliott
• Carlos Hyde
• Melvin Gordon

Murray might be the most interesting name on the list. After a deadly stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Murray continues to undergo a career renaissance of sorts with the Tennessee Titans. 

Fantasy owners have reaped the benefits, with Murray already hitting on 17 or more points in three games. This weekend is a laugher, too, as he'll get to exploit a Cleveland Browns defense that has let up 20 or more points to opposing backs three times already.

On the flip side is Jonathan Stewart of the Carolina Panthers. One of the most steady fantasy producers in the league has spent most of this season on the shelf with an injury.

In Week 6, though, he'll get to take on a Saints defense that has allowed the most points on average to fantasy backs. New Orleans has found a way to allow eight rushing touchdowns through four games, a total Stewart will help increase as he returns from injury on fresh legs.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Antonio Brown	21
2	Jordy Nelson	19
3	DeAndre Hopkins	19
4	Allen Robinson	17
5	A.J. Green	16
6	Odell Beckham Jr.	16
7	Michael Crabtree	16
8	Julio Jones*	15
9	Jeremy Maclin	13
10	Larry Fitzgerald	12
11	Kelvin Benjamin*	11
12	Brandon Marshall	11
13	T.Y. Hilton*	10
14	Marvin Jones	10
15	Jarvis Landry	10
16	Doug Baldwin	10
17	Dez Bryant*	9
18	Julian Edelman*	9
19	Alshon Jeffery*	9
20	Randall Cobb*	9
21	Will Fuller V	8
22	Amari Cooper	8
23	Willie Snead	8
24	Jordan Matthews	8
25	John Brown	8
26	Brandin Cooks	8
27	Tavon Austin	7
28	DeSean Jackson	7
29	Jeremy Kerley*	7
30	Sammie Coates*	7
31	Quincy Enunwa	7
32	Michael Floyd	7
33	Allen Hurns	6
34	Terrelle Pryor	6
35	DeVante Parker	6

It doesn't get much easier than this.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, believe it or not, hasn't been overly reliable on a week-to-week basis. He scored 24 points in Week 1, but just three in Week 2. Owners would register as justified for annoyance with 13- and 14-point outings, too.

No annoyance this week, though. Brown might go ahead and lead all scorers at every position thanks to a matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins let up the sixth-most points to wideouts on average. Indeed owners of a shaky secondary, the team has managed to let four sets of opposing receivers go for 22 or more points. The outlier? Tennessee in Week 5, as all Titans wideouts only caught nine passes for 71 yards—and two touchdowns.

Unlike Brown, it would make sense if fantasy owners wanted to throw in the towel on Kansas City Chiefs wideout Jeremy Maclin.

Maclin started the season off right, scoring a touchdown in Week 1 to hit 12 points. He hasn't scored more than seven since, though. A change in fantasy forecast might rise ahead with a matchup against the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders top the list in terms of points allowed to wideouts. Owners will surely recall the 55 points posted by New Orleans Saints receivers in Week 1, but that was one of merely four sets of opposing wideouts to hit for 25 or more points against the unit.

If Maclin is to turn his iffy season around, this is it. Owners should feel comfortable banking on it.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Jimmy Graham	14
2	Delanie Walker	12
3	Travis Kelce	11
4	Rob Gronkowski*	10
5	Zach Miller*	9
6	Martellus Bennett*	8
7	Dwayne Allen	8
8	Greg Olsen	8
9	Zach Ertz	7
10	Gary Barnidge	7
11	Jason Witten	6
12	Coby Fleener	6

Owners know it's an odd week when the Titans keep registering top fantasy names to watch.

So goes the power of the Browns. Cleveland happens to allow the most points to tight ends on average, which is a major problem for the defense and boon for owners in charge of Delanie Walker.

Walker has been inconsistent at best right alongside the rest of the passing offense in Tennessee, but his pair of trips to 12 or more points still speak to his viability in strong matchups. This encounter with the Browns might be his best of the year.

The aforementioned Falcons happen to sit right behind the Browns on the points-against list, making Seattle's Jimmy Graham a must-know option.

Graham may never reach the peaks he hit in New Orleans again, but he flirts with it every now and then. After five total points through two games to start the season, Graham has hit on a pair of double-digit outings with six catches apiece.

If the usage continues, Graham might also post his best day of the season against an Atlanta defense that has managed to surrender 13 or more points to four of five opposing sets of tight ends, not to mention five total touchdowns.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit	Projected Points
1	Cardinals	12
2	Steelers	11
3	Bears	9
4	Titans	9
5	Seahawks	8
6	Bengals	7
7	Rams	7
8	Bills	6
9	Texans	6
10	Eagles	6

Brown won't be the only one doing damage to the Dolphins.

The vaunted Steelers defense hasn't been the most productive from a fantasy standpoint this year, having scored a high of eight points.

That changes in a big way in Week 6. Miami is a goldmine for D/ST production, having already helped three opposing units hit 12 or more points. The 1-4 team has already let up 17 sacks of Ryan Tannehill, who has now tossed seven picks, helps it all make sense.

On the road or not, Pittsburgh is about to have a big day at the office.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projected Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski	12
2	Justin Tucker	12
3	Adam Vinatieri	10
4	Steven Hauschka	8
5	Matt Prater	8
6	Nick Novak	7
7	Dan Carpenter	7
8	Graham Gano	7
9	Dan Bailey	7
10	Josh Brown	6

Kicker has plenty of interesting options this week.

One of the top looks is Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, a guy who ranks among the top three scorers at the position so far thanks to hitting on eight or more points in four games, with notables of 15 and 17.

That's huge production for a kicker and a safe start in an easy matchup. Tucker has that this weekend against the New York Giants, a team allowing the second-most points to the position on average.

Going against a defense that has allowed 12 or more points to kickers in three games, 12 seems like a strong floor for Tucker in a game that could feature plenty of offense.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.