NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1,000 Players from Week 6

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers waged the shootout of the 2016 season in Week 6, with the Saints triumphing 41-38 at home. Drew Brees was on fire, bringing back echoes of his best seasons with a great performance, completing 34 of 49 passes for 465 yards, four touchdowns and one pick. That put him atop this week's NFL1000 rankings.

Cam Newton was no slouch, either, though his postgame press conference optics left a lot to be desired. Newton completed 27 of 47 passes for 322 yards, two touchdowns and a pick—not the same level of production as Brees, but Brees doesn't have receivers who let him down at Newton's level. Newton leads a Panthers team standing at 1-5 after last year's 15-1 mark, and we're guessing his top-five ranking in this week's NFL1000 isn't likely to make him feel any better. 

The names at the top of this week's NFL1000 are eminently familiar—Brees, Newton, Tyron Smith, Aaron Donald, Von Miller. But as you look down the list of the top 50 players, one thing becomes quite evident: Week 6 was a stellar week for safety play in the NFL. A whopping 11 safeties made the top 50 this week, starting with Cowboys safety Barry Church at 15th overall. It's the second straight week we've had Church in the top 20, and he's been a valuable part of Rod Marinelli's defense with his ability to combine run-stopping and intelligent intermediate coverage.

Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod continues his stellar first season in Philadelphia's defense; over and over against Washington last Sunday, McLeod forced Kirk Cousins to look away from the targets he was covering.

Arizona's D.J. Swearinger, who was known more for overaggressive whiffs than anything else during his time in Houston and Tampa Bay, has become a different player with the Cardinals. It's not particularly tough to intercept a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass these days, but Swearinger broke very well on several passes, including his pick at the end of the third quarter against the Jets on Monday night. The Cardinals acquired Swearinger last November, and he's added a lot to their aggressive defense.

Miami free safety Isa Abdul-Quddus deserves more mentions, and he'll likely have more responsibility in pass coverage, with head coach Adam Gase telling reporters Reshad Jones, his batterymate in Miami's safety corps, will be out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. It's a huge hit to Miami's defense—Jones is 39th overall in this week's NFL1000—but Abdul-Quddus does provide much-needed consistency back there.

A few other safeties in the top 50 are more familiar to the casual observer, such as New England's Devin McCourty, Green Bay's Morgan Burnett and Seattle's Earl Thomas. Thomas was a whirling dervish in the Seahawks' close win over the Falcons last Sunday; on play after play, he broke to the ball with his incredible closing speed to force incompletions and deliver big, perfectly timed hits. Thomas hasn't always been at his best this season, and he seemed to use that reality to whip himself into a unique frenzy against the NFL's top offense.

Part of Bleacher Report's NFL1000 player-rating methodology is to look at our grades from week to week (as you, dear reader, can) and suss out which patterns are turning into trends and which are flukes in the relatively small sample size of an NFL season. There are many ways to dissect what the NFL presents on the field every week, and the NFL1000 goes as deep as any to tell you what's going on.

With a 17-person crew of experienced evaluators, we'll comb through the game tapes each week to bring you concise, clear evaluations of every player in the NFL. We'll tell you which rookies are rising and which undrafted players are coming out of nowhere to make an impact. We'll tell you which players are struggling and why.

There is no predetermined narrative with these grades. No mysterious "clutch factor." No tweaked-out quarterback ratings that defy explanation. Our grades are based on pure scouting—and lots of it. We grade the key criteria for each position based on a series of attributes and add in a score for positional importance.

In the case of a tie, our scouts ask, "Which player would I want on my team?" and adjust accordingly.

Is it a subjective process? Of course—that's what scouting is, and as we like to say, ties are no fun.

Each player is evaluated and graded by our crack team of scouts, who possess more than 100 combined years of experience in playing, front-office work, coaching and media. Cian Fahey, John Middlekauff, Alex Kirby, Mark Schofield, Duke Manyweather, Ethan Young, Joe Goodberry, Justis Mosqueda, Charles McDonald, Zach Kruse, Derrik Klassen, Jerod Brown, Ian Wharton, Kyle Posey, Mark Bullock, Chuck Zodda and Doug Farrar have watched tape for months to bring you these grades, and we'll be bringing you player grades based on the game action every week.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 6 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Methodology

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The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in their positional review. Using a grading scale starting at zero and going up to anywhere from 10 to 40 based on the position and the attribute, our scouts have graded each player based on their own expertise and countless hours of tape review over the years. Our evaluators were given specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise:

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Alex Kirby: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards/centers
• Joe Goodberry: AFC defensive ends
• Justis Mosqueda: NFC defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

Every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles is observed and graded based on a multitiered process that marks specific attributes per position. As we're combing through All-22 footage to assess each performance, there are additional factors to consider.

We'll adjust for opponent based on the obvious notion that the cornerback we're grading is doing a better job if he's shutting down Antonio Brown than if he's negating the efforts of a seventh-round rookie receiver.

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over time. Think of guys like J.J. Watt and Michael Bennett on the defensive line—how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris Jr. and Tyrann Mathieu dominate outside and in the slot. Or how receivers such as Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald bedevil cornerbacks from multiple field positions.

That's more important than ever in today's NFL, and we pay attention to it.

We will not adjust for injuries. If a player is underperforming because of an injury, that's part of his performance, fair or unfair, and it needs to be graded accordingly.

Grading any player is a subjective process, but with a series of attributes per position and a specific direction as to what to grade and how, we'll work to make it as definitive as possible.

Top 50 Overall from Week 6

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We already talked about the 11(!) safeties in the top 50 of this week's NFL1000, so here are a few notes about some other positions.

Falcons nose tackle Grady Jarrett, ranked 49th overall this week and second in our defensive tackle rankings behind Aaron Donald, had a whale of a game against Seattle's offensive line. Though the Seahawks front five doesn't present the sternest test, Jarrett's performance shouldn't be discounted. He was dominant against double-teams and slide protection, racking up several pressures and stops.

Jarrett was a stud at Clemson but was discounted in the 2015 draft and taken in the fifth round due to his size; at 6'1" and 304 pounds, he apparently didn't meet the size requirements for the position. Never mind that Donald, the most dominant tackle in the game, is similarly sized at 6'1" and 285 pounds. Perhaps Jarrett's story will encourage a few more NFL teams to think outside the box when it comes to this position. We'll have more on Jarrett in this week's Scouting Notebook which will publish Thursday.

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has been a model of consistency of late; for the second straight week, he ranks sixth overall in the NFL1000. It's safe to say the problems with Green Bay's passing offense—and there's a lot to talk about on that subject—have little to do with the protection Aaron Rodgers is getting. Right now, Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy are wasting the efforts of a superb offensive line with limited play-calling and skittish improvisation.

Finally, you think the Chargers are happy with their decision to take Akron linebacker Jatavis Brown in the fifth round of the 2016 draft? He's been a fixture at or near the top of our Rookie Report rankings all season, and he broke into this week's overall top 50 with a great game against the Broncos in which he had a sack, eight tackles, three stops, a forced fumble and several examples of excellence in zone coverage. Brown is one to watch.

Top 50 Overall from Week 6

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Drew Brees	QB	NO	88	NR	↑
2	Tyron Smith	LT	DAL	86	12	↑
3	Aaron Donald	DT	LA	86	11	↑
4	Von Miller	3-4 OLB	DEN	85	42	↑
5	Cam Newton	QB	CAR	85	NR	↑
6	David Bakhtiari	LT	GB	85	6	↔
7	Janoris Jenkins	CB	NYG	84	132	↑
8	Trent Williams	LT	WAS	84	32	↑
9	Ryan Tannehill	QB	MIA	84	417	↑
10	David Johnson	RB	ARI	83	15	↑
11	Jadeveon Clowney	3-4 OLB	HOU	83	239	↑
12	LeSean McCoy	RB	BUF	83	10	↓
13	Jason Peters	LT	PHI	83	52	↑
14	Cordy Glenn	LT	BUF	82	24	↑
15	Barry Church	SS	DAL	82	4	↓
16	Marcus Peters	CB	KC	82	NR	↑
17	Tyrod Taylor	QB	BUF	82	141	↑
18	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	82	38	↑
19	Rodney McLeod	FS	PHI	82	136	↑
20	Byron Maxwell	CB	MIA	81	920	↑
21	Lamar Miller	RB	HOU	81	315	↑
22	Whitney Mercilus	3-4 OLB	HOU	81	245	↑
23	Eli Manning	QB	NYG	81	509	↑
24	D.J. Swearinger	FS	ARI	80	74	↑
25	Eric Weddle	SS	BAL	80	138	↑
26	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	NYG	80	375	↑
27	Dont'a Hightower	4-3 OLB	NE	80	46	↑
28	Jatavis Brown	ILB	SD	80	204	↑
29	Will Parks	SS	DEN	80	NR	↑
30	Isa Abdul-Quddus	FS	MIA	80	358	↑
31	Devin McCourty	FS	NE	80	55	↑
32	Spencer Ware	RB	KC	80	NR	↑
33	Morgan Burnett	SS	GB	80	56	↑
34	Philip Rivers	QB	SD	80	365	↑
35	Bryan Bulaga	RT	GB	80	43	↑
36	Le'Veon Bell	RB	PIT	80	31	↓
37	Earl Thomas	FS	SEA	80	NR	↑
38	Vontae Davis	CB	IND	80	302	↑
39	Reshad Jones	SS	MIA	80	258	↑
40	Paul Posluszny	ILB	JAX	79	NR	↑
41	Derrick Johnson	ILB	KC	79	NR	↑
42	Keanu Neal	SS	ATL	79	3	↓
43	Luke Kuechly	ILB	CAR	79	96	↑
44	Ryan Kerrigan	3-4 OLB	WAS	79	544	↑
45	Johnathan Cyprien	SS	JAX	79	NR	↑
46	Rob Gronkowski	TE	NE	78	41	↓
47	Andrew Norwell	OG	CAR	78	54	↑
48	Matthew Stafford	QB	DET	78	107	↑
49	Grady Jarrett	DT	ATL	78	165	↑
50	Eric Berry	SS	KC	78	NR	↑

Quarterbacks

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Bad interceptions at inopportune times tend to destroy otherwise strong performances from quarterbacks in NFL1000. That wasn't the case for Drew Brees in Week 6.

Brees had a horrible interception early in the fourth quarter when he badly overthrew Brandin Cooks. However, his overall play besides that one mistake was so impressive that he still ranked as the top quarterback of the week. Brees had full control of his offense, throwing with precision to the right receiver while also reacting accordingly when pressure found him in the pocket.

Cam Newton had a similarly impressive performance in that game but in a different fashion. Newton was less controlled but more flashy. His two touchdowns highlighted his great arm strength, while his ability to consistently hit tight windows showed off his timing and accuracy. Newton missed some easier throws he should have hit, but those plays would have been less significant if his receivers hadn't repeatedly let him down. Newton's interception in the end zone was Devin Funchess' fault, as the quarterback put the ball up for his receiver to go and get it.

Ryan Tannehill's receivers had similar struggles this week and cost him three touchdowns—one on a precise deep throw DeVante Parker dropped, one on a play where one of his receivers failed to line up on the line of scrimmage and one when Dion Sims clapped his hands together as the ball hit him in the chest.

Tannehill had arguably the best play of the week when he hit his backup tight end for a huge gain while running left after escaping pressure in the pocket. He also connected with Jarvis Landry on another precise deep throw down the left side of the field for a big play. William Gay nearly intercepted Tannehill early in the game but only because Kenny Stills fell over in his route. This performance gives credence to last week's argument from head coach Adam Gase and myself that Tannehill's offensive line was the problem.

Tyrod Taylor's performance was elevated by his big plays running the ball, while Matthew Stafford was one boneheaded play away from cracking the top five. At the bottom of the rankings, Brock Osweiler and Ryan Fitzpatrick continue to be disastrous, with Fitzpatrick being benched for Geno Smith who will take over as the starter in Week 7. Bills backup EJ Manuel managed to throw one of his two passes straight to a linebacker.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/run threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at five)

Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Quarterback Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr
1	Drew Brees	NO	22	22	17	17	10	88
2	Cam Newton	CAR	20	24	16	15	10	85
3	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	21	24	14	15	10	84
4	Tyrod Taylor	BUF	19	21	17	15	10	82
5	Eli Manning	NYG	17	23	16	15	10	81
6	Philip Rivers	SD	18	20	16	16	10	80
7	Matthew Stafford	DET	19	21	15	13	10	78
8	Tom Brady	NE	20	19	12	16	10	77
9	Russell Wilson	SEA	21	20	11	15	10	77
10	Andrew Luck	IND	18	20	15	13	10	76
11	Alex Smith	KC	17	21	13	14	10	75
12	Matt Ryan	ATL	17	18	14	14	10	73
13	Case Keenum	LA	18	19	12	13	10	72
14	Carson Palmer	ARI	15	20	12	14	10	71
15	Marcus Mariota	TEN	16	19	15	11	10	71
16	Cody Kessler	CLE	16	19	15	11	10	71
17	Colin Kaepernick	SF	15	20	14	11	10	70
18	Aaron Rodgers	GB	17	21	10	11	10	69
19	Kirk Cousins	WAS	15	20	12	12	10	69
20	Trevor Siemian	DEN	16	18	12	12	10	68
21	Blake Bortles	JAX	15	18	12	13	10	68
22	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	16	21	13	8	10	68
23	Carson Wentz	PHI	14	22	11	10	10	67
24	Dak Prescott	DAL	15	20	12	10	10	67
25	Brian Hoyer	CHI	14	17	13	13	10	67
26	Derek Carr	OAK	15	21	8	12	10	66
27	Andy Dalton	CIN	15	18	9	13	10	65
28	Joe Flacco	BAL	14	18	8	13	10	63
29	Geno Smith	NYJ	16	17	10	10	10	63
30	Brock Osweiler	HOU	14	19	9	9	10	61
31	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	15	16	9	10	10	60
32	EJ Manuel	BUF	14	17	10	7	10	58

 

Notable Omissions

• Jameis Winston—bye
• Sam Bradford—bye

Running Backs

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In Week 6, some of the NFL's biggest stars erupted with explosive performances, while a couple of under-the-radar backs showed they're starting to hit their stride.

David Johnson embarrassed the Jets on Monday Night Football, doing whatever he pleased and exploding for a 58-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, making everyone in green look foolish. LeSean McCoy has officially thrown his name into the MVP conversation after single-handedly ending the 49ers' season Sunday. He was making multiple guys miss on what felt like every play. However, he did tweak his hamstring in practice Wednesday. 

One of the biggest free-agent acquisitions of the offseason, Lamar Miller, helped lead a stunning AFC South comeback against Indianapolis. Miller had one of the more impressive plays of the weekend, making three Colts defenders miss and running through another for a spectacular 10-yard touchdown catch.

While the Dolphins are not very good, Jay Ajayi destroyed the Steelers, displaying all of the characteristics that made him a draft favorite a few years ago.

Spencer Ware ran through the Raiders, physically imposing his will as the Chiefs notched a huge AFC West victory in Oakland. It also allowed the Chiefs to ease Jamaal Charles back into the fold, who looked much better in his second week of action. The Chiefs could have the NFL's deepest running game if Charles can return to his old form.

It was a good week for the big, physical backs around the league. Matt Jones ran through a stout Eagles defense like Swiss cheese, DeMarco Murray continued his bounce-back year against the Browns, and Jonathan Stewart looked close to 100 percent against the Saints.

While his team fell apart down the stretch, Frank Gore had the first 100-yard rushing game for the Colts since what feels like the 1980s. Though Gore isn't in his prime anymore, he may be the most instinctive back in the league.

Also, little-known Zach Zenner had another solid performance in the Lions' close victory over the Rams. Zenner has turned into a solid, blue-collar back who fights for every yard.

Grading Scale

In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Running Back Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	David Johnson	ARI	23	20	17	17	6	83
2	LeSean McCoy	BUF	23	20	17	17	6	83
3	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	22	21	16	17	6	82
4	Lamar Miller	HOU	20	19	19	17	6	81
5	Spencer Ware	KC	22	18	16	18	6	80
6	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	20	19	18	17	6	80
7	Jay Ajayi	MIA	20	20	16	16	6	78
8	Todd Gurley	LA	19	18	17	17	6	77
9	Terrance West	BAL	19	17	17	17	6	76
10	Christine Michael	SEA	19	17	17	17	6	76
11	Matt Jones	WAS	21	17	15	17	6	76
12	Jamaal Charles	KC	18	18	16	17	6	75
13	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	20	17	15	17	6	75
14	DeMarco Murray	TEN	19	18	15	17	6	75
15	Devonta Freeman	ATL	17	18	16	17	6	74
16	Giovani Bernard	CIN	17	17	17	16	6	73
17	Duke Johnson Jr.	CLE	16	16	18	17	6	73
18	Zach Zenner	DET	18	16	16	17	6	73
19	Frank Gore	IND	18	16	16	17	6	73
20	Melvin Gordon	SD	18	17	16	16	6	73
21	C.J. Anderson	DEN	17	14	17	18	6	72
22	Devontae Booker	DEN	18	16	16	16	6	72
23	LeGarrette Blount	NE	18	16	16	16	6	72
24	Mark Ingram	NO	18	16	16	16	6	72
25	Chris Thompson	WAS	16	18	17	15	6	72
26	Ryan Mathews	PHI	18	16	15	16	6	71
27	Wendell Smallwood	PHI	17	16	16	16	6	71
28	Benny Cunningham	LA	15	17	17	16	6	71
29	Mike Gillislee	BUF	18	16	15	15	6	70
30	Jordan Howard	CHI	17	15	16	16	6	70
31	DeAndre Washington	OAK	17	17	15	15	6	70
32	Darren Sproles	PHI	17	17	15	15	6	70
33	Carlos Hyde	SF	18	15	15	16	6	70
34	Robert Kelly	WAS	18	15	15	16	6	70
35	Jonathan Williams	BUF	16	15	17	16	6	70
36	Jeremy Hill	CIN	15	17	15	16	6	69
37	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	15	15	17	16	6	69
38	Paul Perkins	NYG	15	17	17	14	6	69
39	DeAngelo Williams	PIT	17	15	15	16	6	69
40	Alex Collins	SEA	17	14	16	16	6	69
41	Alfred Morris	DAL	17	15	16	15	6	69
42	Eddie Lacy	GB	18	14	15	16	6	69
43	Andre Ellington	ARI	17	15	15	15	6	68
44	Tevin Coleman	ATL	16	14	16	16	6	68
45	Reggie Bush	BUF	15	17	15	15	6	68
46	Charcandrick West	KC	16	15	16	15	6	68
47	Arian Foster	MIA	16	14	16	16	6	68
48	James White	NE	15	16	15	16	6	68
49	Bilal Powell	NYJ	15	16	16	15	6	68
50	Kenneth Dixon	BAL	17	14	15	15	6	67
51	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	15	17	15	14	6	67
52	Travaris Cadet	NO	15	15	16	15	6	67
53	Rashad Jennings	NYG	15	14	15	17	6	67
54	Derrick Henry	TEN	15	14	17	15	6	67
55	Matt Forte	NYJ	14	15	16	16	6	67
56	Alfred Blue	HOU	15	15	15	15	6	66
57	Damien Williams	MIA	16	14	16	14	6	66
58	Jalen Richard	OAK	15	16	15	14	6	66
59	C.J. Spiller	SEA	14	15	17	14	6	66
60	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	16	14	14	15	6	65
61	Justin Forsett	DET	15	14	14	15	6	64
62	Robert Turbin	IND	14	13	16	15	6	64
63	Josh Ferguson	IND	15	14	14	15	6	64
64	Chris Ivory	JAX	16	13	15	14	6	64
65	Kenjon Barner	PHI	14	15	14	15	6	64
66	Bobby Rainey	NYG	14	14	15	14	6	63
67	Shaun Draughn	SF	14	14	15	14	6	63
68	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	15	14	13	14	6	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jeremy Langford—injury
• Latavius Murray—injury
• Doug Martin—injury
• Shane Vereen—injury
• James Starks—injury
• Adrian Peterson—injury
• Ameer Abdullah—injury
• Theo Riddick—injury
• Jacquizz Rodgers—bye
• Jerick McKinnon—bye
• Matt Asiata—bye

Fullbacks

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

It was another non-sexy week for fullbacks, as they struggle to get the ball in modern-day football yet get asked to do all the dirty work.

Baltimore's Kyle Juszczyk and Atlanta's Patrick DiMarco continue to be the two most consistent guys in the NFL at their position. While Juszczyk is the league's most versatile player at his position, DiMarco brought a physical toughness that helped the Falcons hang with one of the top teams up in Seattle. He had one of his better games of the season against one of the league's best defensive fronts. It was a toughness clinic by an old-school fullback.

Buffalo's Jerome Felton continues to mesh with his offensive line and clear out holes for a revamped rushing attack that is shredding opponents. Kansas City's Anthony Sherman had a good game in limited action against the Raiders, helping his team run the ball right down the throat of a division rival. The Chiefs established a toughness the Raiders struggled to match. While Carolina's Mike Tolbert hasn't had a great season for his standards, he had his best game of the year against the Saints and even got going a little on the ground with a couple of carries.

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Fullback Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr
1	Kyle Juszczyk	BAL	45	18	10	4	77
2	Patrick DiMarco	ATL	46	16	10	4	76
3	Derek Watt	SD	45	16	11	4	76
4	John Kuhn	NO	44	17	9	4	74
5	Jerome Felton	BUF	45	16	9	4	74
6	Andy Janovich	DEN	44	16	10	4	74
7	Jay Prosch	HOU	45	16	8	4	73
8	James Develin	NE	44	16	9	4	73
9	Anthony Sherman	KC	45	15	9	4	73
10	Mike Tolbert	CAR	42	17	10	4	73
11	Paul Lasike	CHI	45	14	9	4	72
12	Malcolm Johnson	CLE	44	15	9	4	72
13	Aaron Ripkowski	GB	43	15	10	4	72
14	Keith Smith	DAL	44	15	8	4	71
15	Jalston Fowler	TEN	43	15	9	4	71
16	Michael Burton	DET	43	15	8	4	70
17	Jamize Olawale	OAK	42	15	9	4	70
18	Cory Harkey	LA	42	14	7	4	67

Wide Receivers

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Odell Beckham Jr. seemed to be having fun this Sunday, catching eight passes for a career-high 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His first touchdown came on a long vertical route where he was able to beat the defense with a stop-and-go move, and the second came on a short slant route where he won at the line of scrimmage against the press and then outran the Baltimore secondary to the end zone.

Julio Jones was matched up against Richard Sherman on a number of plays but was able to beat the talented Seattle cornerback enough times to rack up 139 receiving yards and a 36-yard touchdown reception.

Brandin Cooks and Golden Tate were also impressive for their respective teams, with Cooks hauling in seven passes for 173 yards and an 87-yard touchdown pass where he pulled off a nice double move against rookie cornerback Zack Sanchez. Tate caught eight passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, and he was effective after the catch for the Lions.

The Packers' offensive struggles continued, which was reflected in the grades for their receivers this week. They were led statistically by Ty Montgomery, who brought in 10 passes for 98 yards, but many of these came when he was aligned as a running back and ran swing routes to open space.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Terrelle Pryor Sr. continued to light it up for the Browns on Sunday, as they once again fell short in another tough loss to the Titans. Pryor's exceptional route-running ability and impressive athleticism netted him nine catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in what turned out to be a failed comeback bid.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Wide Receiver Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	22	21	16	12	9	80
2	Julio Jones	ATL	21	19	14	13	9	76
3	A.J. Green	CIN	22	22	12	11	9	76
4	Terrelle Pryor Sr.	CLE	20	20	13	12	9	74
5	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	22	22	12	9	9	74
6	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	20	20	11	13	9	73
7	Brandin Cooks	NO	20	19	14	11	9	73
8	Amari Cooper	OAK	19	21	14	10	9	73
9	Robert Woods	BUF	18	19	12	14	9	72
10	Golden Tate	DET	18	18	16	11	9	72
11	Jarvis Landry	MIA	20	19	13	11	9	72
12	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	19	18	14	11	9	71
13	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	20	19	12	11	9	71
14	Jordan Norwood	DEN	18	18	13	13	9	71
15	Marqise Lee	JAX	18	20	14	10	9	71
16	Kenny Britt	LA	19	20	12	11	9	71
17	Cameron Meredith	CHI	18	18	13	12	9	70
18	T.Y. Hilton	IND	20	18	13	10	9	70
19	Mike Wallace	BAL	20	16	14	10	9	69
20	Cole Beasley	DAL	20	18	12	10	9	69
21	Danny Amendola	NE	18	18	13	11	9	69
22	Julian Edelman	NE	18	18	12	12	9	69
23	Seth Roberts	OAK	18	16	14	12	9	69
24	Antonio Brown	PIT	20	19	11	10	9	69
25	Kamar Aiken	BAL	18	16	13	12	9	68
26	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	16	19	13	11	9	68
27	Brandon LaFell	CIN	19	17	11	12	9	68
28	Anquan Boldin	DET	17	18	12	12	9	68
29	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	19	18	12	10	9	68
30	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	18	17	13	11	9	68
31	Torrey Smith	SF	17	19	12	11	9	68
32	Pierre Garcon	WAS	19	17	12	11	9	68
33	Chester Rogers	IND	18	18	12	10	9	67
34	Jeremy Maclin	KC	17	18	12	11	9	67
35	DeVante Parker	MIA	17	16	12	13	9	67
36	Michael Thomas	NO	17	18	12	11	9	67
37	Kendall Wright	TEN	19	18	11	10	9	67
38	John Brown	ARI	17	17	12	11	9	66
39	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	16	17	12	12	9	66
40	Devin Funchess	CAR	17	18	11	11	9	66
41	Tyler Boyd	CIN	17	17	13	10	9	66
42	Ricardo Louis	CLE	19	15	12	11	9	66
43	Terrance Williams	DAL	18	18	11	10	9	66
44	Brice Butler	DAL	16	18	11	12	9	66
45	Jaelen Strong	HOU	16	18	10	13	9	66
46	Allen Hurns	JAX	18	16	13	10	9	66
47	Chris Hogan	NE	17	15	12	13	9	66
48	Cobi Hamilton	PIT	18	17	11	11	9	66
49	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	16	19	11	11	9	66
50	Ted Ginn Jr.	CAR	16	18	13	9	9	65
51	Lucky Whitehead	DAL	14	16	12	14	9	65
52	Bennie Fowler	DEN	16	18	11	11	9	65
53	Chris Conley	KC	17	17	11	11	9	65
54	Brian Quick	LA	17	17	11	11	9	65
55	Willie Snead	NO	17	16	12	11	9	65
56	Charone Peake	NYJ	18	16	12	10	9	65
57	Jordan Matthews	PHI	18	16	11	11	9	65
58	Eli Rogers	PIT	18	16	12	10	9	65
59	Doug Baldwin	SEA	16	16	11	13	9	65
60	Quinton Patton	SF	16	17	11	12	9	65
61	Rishard Matthews	TEN	17	18	11	10	9	65
62	DeSean Jackson	WAS	18	16	12	10	9	65
63	Mohamed Sanu	ATL	15	16	12	12	9	64
64	Marquise Goodwin	BUF	15	16	13	11	9	64
65	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	17	17	11	10	9	64
66	Jordy Nelson	GB	17	16	11	11	9	64
67	Ty Montgomery	GB	16	16	13	10	9	64
68	Allen Robinson	JAX	18	15	12	10	9	64
69	Robby Anderson	NYJ	17	17	10	11	9	64
70	Michael Crabtree	OAK	17	17	12	9	9	64
71	Andre Holmes	OAK	16	16	12	11	9	64
72	Travis Benjamin	SD	17	16	12	10	9	64
73	Jamison Crowder	WAS	17	16	11	11	9	64
74	Breshad Perriman	BAL	16	15	11	12	9	63
75	Philly Brown	CAR	15	16	12	11	9	63
76	Eddie Royal	CHI	16	17	11	10	9	63
77	Marvin Jones	DET	16	17	11	10	9	63
78	Arrelious Benn	JAX	15	16	13	10	9	63
79	Nelson Agholor	PHI	17	14	12	11	9	63
80	Dontrelle Inman	SD	16	15	11	12	9	63
81	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	15	16	11	11	9	62
82	Andre Roberts	DET	15	17	11	10	9	62
83	Randall Cobb	GB	16	15	11	11	9	62
84	Tyreek Hill	KC	14	16	13	10	9	62
85	Tavon Austin	LA	16	16	11	10	9	62
86	Tommylee Lewis	NO	16	15	11	11	9	62
87	Jalin Marshall	NYJ	17	14	12	10	9	62
88	Dorial Green-Beckham	PHI	17	13	13	10	9	62
89	Jeremy Kerley	SF	16	16	10	11	9	62
90	Roger Lewis	NYG	16	16	11	10	9	62
91	Phillip Dorsett	IND	15	16	11	10	9	61
92	Kenny Stills	MIA	14	14	12	12	9	61
93	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	15	14	12	11	9	61
94	Brandon Coleman	NO	15	15	10	12	9	61
95	Victor Cruz	NYG	17	14	11	10	9	61
96	Sammie Coates	PIT	17	14	11	10	9	61
97	Darrius Heyward-Bey	PIT	16	14	12	10	9	61
98	Tyrell Williams	SD	15	16	11	10	9	61
99	Tyler Lockett	SEA	15	17	10	10	9	61
100	Andre Johnson	TEN	14	16	10	12	9	61
101	Jaron Brown	ARI	15	14	11	11	9	60
102	Cody Latimer	DEN	14	15	11	11	9	60
103	Davante Adams	GB	16	15	10	10	9	60
104	Braxton Miller	HOU	12	16	12	11	9	60
105	Sterling Shepard	NYG	16	15	10	10	9	60
106	Griff Whalen	SD	15	14	11	11	9	60
107	Michael Floyd	ARI	15	14	10	11	9	59
108	Chris Moore	BAL	14	13	11	12	9	59
109	Walter Powell	BUF	15	14	10	11	9	59
110	James Wright	CIN	14	15	11	10	9	59
111	Will Fuller V	HOU	15	14	11	10	9	59
112	Rashad Greene	JAX	14	14	12	10	9	59
113	Bryan Walters	JAX	15	14	11	10	9	59
114	Albert Wilson	KC	15	14	11	10	9	59
115	De'Anthony Thomas	KC	14	15	11	10	9	59
116	Johnny Holton	OAK	13	13	12	12	9	59
117	Justin Hardy	ATL	14	14	11	10	9	58
118	Justin Hunter	BUF	15	14	10	10	9	58
119	Quan Bray	IND	14	13	11	11	9	58
120	Rod Streater	SF	15	14	10	10	9	58
121	J.J. Nelson	ARI	14	13	11	10	9	57
122	Brandon Tate	BUF	13	14	11	10	9	57
123	Rashard Higgins	CLE	13	14	11	10	9	57
124	Demarcus Robinson	KC	13	13	12	10	9	57
125	Jakeem Grant	MIA	13	13	11	11	9	57
126	Tanner McEvoy	SEA	14	13	10	11	9	57
127	Marc Mariani	TEN	13	14	11	10	9	57
128	Rashad Ross	WAS	14	14	10	10	9	57
129	Alex Erickson	CIN	13	13	11	10	9	56
130	Jordan Taylor	DEN	14	13	9	11	9	56
131	Bradley Marquez	LA	14	13	10	10	9	56
132	Matthew Slater	NE	13	13	11	10	9	56
133	Isaiah Burse	SD	13	14	10	10	9	56
134	Ryan Grant	WAS	13	13	10	11	9	56
135	Taylor Gabriel	ATL	13	13	10	10	9	55
136	Keith Mumphery	HOU	13	13	11	9	9	55
137	Mike Thomas	LA	13	13	10	10	9	55
138	Joshua Bellamy	CHI	12	13	10	10	9	54
139	Trevor Davis	GB	12	13	10	10	9	54
140	Josh Huff	PHI	13	13	10	9	9	54
141	Paul Richardson	SEA	12	13	10	10	9	54
142	Leonte Carroo	MIA	12	12	10	10	9	53
143	Aaron Burbridge	SF	12	13	10	9	9	53

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Donte Moncrief—injury
• Kevin White—injury
• Dez Bryant—injury
• Josh Doctson—injury
• Stefon Diggs—bye
• Charles Johnson—bye
• Cordarrelle Patterson—bye
• Mike Evans—bye
• Vincent Jackson—bye

Tight Ends

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

In case you forgot, Rob Gronkowski is back.

On Sunday, he reminded everyone in the league, including the entire Bengals defense, that he's the best tight end in the game right now. Gronkowski made mincemeat out of the Cincinnati secondary, bringing in seven catches for a season-high 162 yards and a touchdown. He was also instrumental in a pair of James White touchdown receptions in the red zone, clearing out the flat and getting in the way of defenders trying to cover White out of the backfield by using his big frame and going vertical.

Meanwhile, C.J. Fiedorowicz was instrumental in controlling the line of scrimmage and helping the Texans come back to defeat the Colts. The Texans tight end hauled in six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. He also had one of his best days as a blocker up front against the Colts defense and played a big role in Lamar Miller's explosive performance as well.

The Falcons might have lost to the Seahawks in one of the week's marquee matchups, but their three-tight end offensive design continues to create opportunities for Levine Toilolo, Jacob Tamme and Austin Hooper. This week, it was Toilolo who led the way, catching three passes for 69 yards, including a 46-yard vertical route that went for a touchdown.

Dallas' Jason Witten and Carolina's Greg Olsen continue to turn in solid play each week. Olsen caught six passes for 94 yards and showed good hand strength on the afternoon, as he pulled in a few passes that were off target from Cam Newton. Witten caught four passes for 42 yards and was also effective as a blocker for the Cowboys in their road victory over the Packers.

Two other impressive players this week were Seattle's Jimmy Graham and Washington's Vernon Davis. Graham caught six passes for 89 yards and was generally solid as a blocker, at the catch point and after the catch. Davis saw the bulk of action for Washington with Jordan Reed out with a concussion. He caught two passes for 50 yards and a touchdown on a nice post route, and he blocked well for Washington in its victory over Philadelphia.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Tight End Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	19	22	15	16	6	78
2	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	15	19	13	21	6	74
3	Virgil Green	DEN	16	18	13	19	6	72
4	Jimmy Graham	SEA	14	19	14	19	6	72
5	Greg Olsen	CAR	14	18	13	19	6	70
6	Martellus Bennett	NE	15	19	13	16	6	69
7	Hunter Henry	SD	14	20	13	15	6	68
8	Jack Doyle	IND	15	18	12	17	6	68
9	Jason Witten	DAL	13	16	13	20	6	68
10	Zach Miller	CHI	13	18	12	18	6	67
11	Coby Fleener	NO	13	18	13	17	6	67
12	Vernon Davis	WAS	13	18	12	18	6	67
13	Charles Clay	BUF	15	16	11	18	6	66
14	Tyler Kroft	CIN	13	17	10	20	6	66
15	Gary Barnidge	CLE	14	16	13	17	6	66
16	MarQueis Gray	MIA	14	16	13	17	6	66
17	Dennis Pitta	BAL	13	20	11	15	6	65
18	Ed Dickson	CAR	12	17	12	18	6	65
19	John Phillips	DEN	14	17	12	16	6	65
20	Josh Hill	NO	12	18	12	17	6	65
21	Larry Donnell	NYG	12	17	11	19	6	65
22	Ryan Griffin	HOU	15	15	11	17	6	64
23	Lance Kendricks	LA	14	14	12	18	6	64
24	Delanie Walker	TEN	14	16	11	17	6	64
25	Anthony Fasano	TEN	12	15	11	20	6	64
26	Levine Toilolo	ATL	12	14	12	19	6	63
27	Julius Thomas	JAX	13	17	11	16	6	63
28	Will Tye	NYG	11	16	12	18	6	63
29	Zach Ertz	PHI	13	16	11	17	6	63
30	Antonio Gates	SD	14	16	12	15	6	63
31	Erik Swoope	IND	13	16	12	15	6	62
32	Travis Kelce	KC	13	17	12	14	6	62
33	Clive Walford	OAK	12	17	12	15	6	62
34	Jacob Tamme	ATL	12	14	11	18	6	61
35	Nick O'Leary	BUF	12	14	11	18	6	61
36	Richard Rodgers	GB	12	14	11	18	6	61
37	Dwayne Allen	IND	13	16	11	15	6	61
38	Demetrius Harris	KC	12	15	10	18	6	61
39	Dion Sims	MIA	11	14	11	19	6	61
40	Crockett Gillmore	BAL	12	14	10	18	6	60
41	C.J. Uzomah	CIN	12	15	11	16	6	60
42	Geoff Swaim	DAL	11	13	10	20	6	60
43	David Johnson	PIT	12	14	11	17	6	60
44	Xavier Grimble	PIT	12	15	12	15	6	60
45	Sean McGrath	SD	12	13	11	18	6	60
46	Vance McDonald	SF	11	14	11	18	6	60
47	Phillip Supernaw	TEN	12	15	11	16	6	60
48	Jermaine Gresham	ARI	11	13	10	19	6	59
49	Jesse James	PIT	12	14	11	16	6	59
50	Clay Harbor	DET	11	14	11	16	6	58
51	Brandon Bostick	NYJ	11	13	11	17	6	58
52	Darren Fells	ARI	10	13	10	18	6	57
53	Logan Paulsen	CHI	9	13	10	19	6	57
54	Ryan Hewitt	CIN	12	14	10	15	6	57
55	Khari Lee	DET	9	13	10	19	6	57
56	Marcedes Lewis	JAX	13	14	10	14	6	57
57	Dominique Jones	MIA	10	14	11	16	6	57
58	Kellen Davis	NYJ	11	13	11	16	6	57
59	Gavin Escobar	DAL	10	13	10	17	6	56
60	Justin Perillo	GB	10	13	12	15	6	56
61	Tyler Higbee	LA	9	13	10	18	6	56
62	Mychal Rivera	OAK	13	14	10	13	6	56
63	Luke Willson	SEA	10	14	10	16	6	56
64	Niles Paul	WAS	10	13	10	17	6	56
65	Austin Hooper	ATL	10	13	10	16	6	55
66	Darren Waller	BAL	10	13	10	16	6	55
67	Jim Dray	BUF	11	15	10	13	6	55
68	Connor Hamlett	CLE	11	14	10	14	6	55
69	James O'Shaughnessy	KC	10	13	10	16	6	55
70	Trey Burton	PHI	10	13	10	16	6	55
71	Chris Gragg	BUF	10	13	10	15	6	54
72	Jerell Adams	NYG	10	13	10	15	6	54
73	Brent Celek	PHI	10	13	10	15	6	54
74	Mike Windt	SD	11	13	11	13	6	54
75	Brandon Williams	SEA	10	13	10	15	6	54
76	Garrett Celek	SF	10	13	11	14	6	54
77	Ifeanyi Momah	ARI	9	13	10	14	6	52
78	AJ Derby	NE	10	13	10	13	6	52
79	Ryan O'Malley	OAK	10	13	10	13	6	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Troy Niklas—injury
• Tyler Eifert—injury
• Eric Ebron—injury
• Jared Cook—injury
• Jordan Reed—injury
• Kyle Rudolph—bye
• Luke Stocker—bye

Left Tackles

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Week 6's top performer at left tackle was Cowboys All-Pro Tyron Smith, who started his second consecutive game after missing Weeks 3 and 4. Smith was dominant against the Packers, as Dallas cruised to a 30-16 victory.

Last week's top left tackle, David Bakhtiari of the Packers, also turned in another impressive game against the Cowboys, and the grading came down to the quality of rusher he played against. That being said, all you can do is dominate the player in front of you.

Washington's Trent Williams, Buffalo's Cordy Glenn and Philadelphia's Jason Peters all turned in physically dominating performances, per usual. When healthy, these three men are a treat to watch if you are a fan of crisp offensive line play that combines elite size, strength and athleticism with refined technique and great physicality.

Rams left tackle Greg Robinson may have played his best game as a pro against the Lions. With the exception of being penalized twice, Robinson was solid in pass protection, showing the ability to explode into his set, reach and expand his landmarks as needed to be in position to punch and anchor. It looked as if the game slowed down for Robinson, and that resulted in him not giving up any sacks, pressures or quarterback hits—something he hadn't done the previous five weeks.

In the run game, Robinson showed strength, power and explosion at the point of attack and was able to maintain a functional base, which allowed him to re-leverage his hips and overpower stalemates. Robinson's inconsistent base has always been an issue in terms of him being able to use his strength and athleticism.

Cleveland's Joe Thomas had a very uncharacteristic game while being matched up against Brian Orakpo of the Titans, which resulted in his lowest ranking of the season. Thomas didn't look as smooth as usual and seemed to be kept off balance with Orakpo's speed-to-power conversion. He was specifically unable to convert his kick slide to anchor against S-T-P, which resulted in Thomas giving up a few pressures. Though PFF did not credit him with a sack, Orakpo did notch a sack against Thomas based on film.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Left Tackle Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Tyron Smith	DAL	20	20	19	19	8	86
2	David Bakhtiari	GB	22	18	17	20	8	85
3	Trent Williams	WAS	19	20	20	17	8	84
4	Jason Peters	PHI	19	19	18	19	8	83
5	Cordy Glenn	BUF	19	20	19	16	8	82
6	Greg Robinson	LA	19	19	16	14	8	76
7	Taylor Lewan	TEN	19	18	15	15	8	75
8	Taylor Decker	DET	18	18	15	16	8	75
9	Nate Solder	NE	19	19	15	14	8	75
10	Andrew Whitworth	CIN	19	17	15	15	8	74
11	Donald Penn	OAK	18	19	15	14	8	74
12	Joe Staley	SF	17	19	15	15	8	74
13	Joe Thomas	CLE	17	15	13	20	8	73
14	Mike Remmers	CAR	17	20	14	14	8	73
15	Jared Veldheer	ARI	18	17	15	15	8	73
16	Andrus Peat	NO	19	17	14	15	8	73
17	Kelvin Beachum	JAX	18	17	15	14	8	72
18	King Dunlap	SD	18	15	15	16	8	72
19	Duane Brown	HOU	17	17	15	15	8	72
20	Eric Fisher	KC	16	19	16	13	8	72
21	Russell Okung	DEN	17	16	15	15	8	71
22	Anthony Castonzo	IND	16	17	15	14	8	70
23	Jake Matthews	ATL	17	16	15	14	8	70
24	Charles Leno Jr.	CHI	17	16	14	14	8	69
25	Tony Hills	NO	16	16	16	13	8	69
26	Ereck Flowers	NYG	16	17	15	13	8	69
27	Branden Albert	MIA	17	14	13	16	8	68
28	Ryan Clady	NYJ	16	16	13	14	8	67
29	Bradley Sowell	SEA	14	15	14	14	8	65
30	Alex Lewis	BAL	13	17	14	12	8	64
31	Alejandro Villanueva	PIT	14	16	13	13	8	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Michael Oher—injury
• Terron Armstead—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Luke Joeckel—injury
• Ronnie Stanley—injury
• T.J. Clemmings—bye
• Donovan Smith—bye

Right Tackles

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Bryan Bulaga was our top performer among right tackles in week 6, marking the second consecutive week he sits atop of the NFL1000 right tackle rankings. Bulaga was stout in pass protection and physical in the run game, although he did leave the contest late with an injury and was replaced by rookie Jason Spriggs.

The Eagles started rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai in place of standout tackle Lane Johnson, who served the first game of his 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy. It was a rough outing for Vaitai, who surrendered two sacks and a quarterback hit. Washington's Morgan Moses turned in an all-around stout performance both in pass protection and in the run game.

New Orleans' Zach Strief and Detroit's Riley Reiff are two veteran right tackles who love to get after it, making them must-watch players. Strief is steady in pass protection and tries to maul people in the run game. He flashes some of the same physicality and nastiness that longtime Eagles tackle Jon Runyan used to bring in the run game.

Reiff has successfully made the switch from left tackle to right tackle and has been an animal. He had plays against the Rams where he flew downfield and cut flowing linebackers and defensive backs, and he looked to finish guys every chance he could. It's not always pretty or technically sound, but he's always giving his best, which makes him fun to watch. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Right Tackle Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Bryan Bulaga	GB	20	19	17	17	7	80
2	Riley Reiff	DET	18	20	16	16	7	77
3	Zach Strief	NO	20	20	15	14	7	76
4	Mitchell Schwartz	KC	20	18	14	16	7	75
5	Morgan Moses	WAS	18	19	15	16	7	75
6	Doug Free	DAL	17	18	16	16	7	74
7	Jordan Mills	BUF	17	20	15	15	7	74
8	Rob Havenstein	LA	18	19	15	14	7	73
9	Jermey Parnell	JAX	18	18	15	15	7	73
10	Jack Conklin	TEN	17	18	16	15	7	73
11	Bobby Massie	CHI	18	17	15	15	7	72
12	Trenton Brown	SF	16	20	15	14	7	72
13	Daryl Williams	CAR	17	17	15	15	7	71
14	Chris Hubbard	PIT	17	16	15	16	7	71
15	Ryan Schraeder	ATL	16	18	15	15	7	71
16	Marcus Cannon	NE	17	17	14	15	7	70
17	Austin Pasztor	CLE	17	18	14	14	7	70
18	D.J. Humphries	ARI	16	18	14	15	7	70
19	Garry Gilliam	SEA	16	18	15	14	7	70
20	Cedric Ogbuehi	CIN	16	16	15	15	7	69
21	Joe Barksdale	SD	16	18	14	14	7	69
22	Ben Ijalana	NYJ	16	18	14	14	7	69
23	Jason Spriggs	GB	17	17	12	15	7	68
24	Joe Haeg	IND	16	18	14	13	7	68
25	Donald Stephenson	DEN	15	16	15	15	7	68
26	Chris Clark	HOU	18	15	14	13	7	67
27	Brent Qvale	NYJ	16	16	14	14	7	67
28	Ja'Wuan James	MIA	16	16	14	13	7	66
29	James Hurst	BAL	15	16	14	13	7	65
30	Bobby Hart	NYG	16	15	12	13	7	63
31	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	PHI	14	16	13	12	7	62
32	Austin Howard	OAK	13	15	14	13	7	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Lane Johnson—suspension
• Rick Wagner—injury
• Marcus Gilbert—injury
• Derek Newton—injury
• Andre Smith Jr.—injury
• Menelik Watson—injury
• Marshall Newhouse—injury
• Demar Dotson—bye
• Jeremiah Sirles—bye

Offensive Guards

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While no offensive guards were dominant in Week 6 (no 80 grades were given for the first time this season), a couple of steady starters had good performances.

One was Jets left guard James Carpenter, who has been one of the most consistent players across all of the NFL1000 this year. After getting slightly banged up earlier in the year, Carpenter is starting to get healthy, which has been evident in his play. Week 6 was his best grade yet, as he walled off defenders in pass protection, showing off impressive punch and lower-body strength in his anchor.

Todd Bowles has blamed the Jets offensive line for the team's inconsistent offense and rough passing game, and while there are deficiencies elsewhere on the line, Carpenter has been a steady force at left guard. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Offensive Guard Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Andrew Norwell	CAR	20	19	18	14	7	78
2	Justin Pugh	NYG	19	17	17	17	7	77
3	Orlando Franklin	SD	19	17	19	14	7	76
4	Trai Turner	CAR	19	18	19	13	7	76
5	Kevin Zeitler	CIN	19	17	18	15	7	76
6	Josh Sitton	CHI	17	19	17	16	7	76
7	Gabe Jackson	OAK	19	17	18	15	7	76
8	James Carpenter	NYJ	19	17	18	15	7	76
9	Kyle Long	CHI	19	16	16	17	7	75
10	Richie Incognito	BUF	16	18	18	16	7	75
11	Laremy Tunsil	MIA	16	19	15	17	7	74
12	Kelechi Osemele	OAK	17	17	19	14	7	74
13	Brandon Scherff	WAS	16	18	17	15	7	73
14	John Urschel	BAL	16	18	18	14	7	73
15	Graham Glasgow	DET	16	18	18	14	7	73
16	Zack Martin	DAL	17	17	17	14	7	72
17	Joe Thuney	NE	18	16	14	17	7	72
18	Rodger Saffold	LA	18	16	17	14	7	72
19	Denzelle Good	IND	15	18	18	14	7	72
20	Andy Levitre	ATL	19	15	17	13	7	71
21	Jermon Bushrod	MIA	15	17	17	15	7	71
22	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	KC	17	15	15	17	7	71
23	John Jerry	NYG	19	14	17	14	7	71
24	Senio Kelemete	NO	17	16	17	14	7	71
25	Allen Barbre	PHI	15	17	16	16	7	71
26	Lane Taylor	GB	18	15	16	15	7	71
27	Xavier Su'a-Filo	HOU	15	17	16	16	7	71
28	Parker Ehinger	KC	16	17	17	14	7	71
29	Chris Chester	ATL	17	14	17	15	7	70
30	Brandon Brooks	PHI	17	15	14	17	7	70
31	John Miller	BUF	14	17	17	15	7	70
32	Josh Kline	TEN	18	16	15	14	7	70
33	Ronald Leary	DAL	16	17	16	14	7	70
34	Patrick Omameh	JAX	17	16	16	13	7	69
35	T.J. Lang	GB	17	14	16	15	7	69
36	Quinton Spain	TEN	17	17	16	12	7	69
37	Earl Watford	ARI	16	17	16	13	7	69
38	Ryan Jensen	BAL	15	16	15	15	7	68
39	John Greco	CLE	15	16	16	14	7	68
40	Jamon Brown	LA	14	18	16	13	7	68
41	Shaq Mason	NE	17	15	15	14	7	68
42	Jack Mewhort	IND	14	18	16	13	7	68
43	A.J. Cann	JAX	14	16	16	14	7	67
44	Shawn Lauvao	WAS	15	15	16	14	7	67
45	D.J. Fluker	SD	14	16	17	13	7	67
46	Laken Tomlinson	DET	14	15	15	16	7	67
47	Clint Boling	CIN	14	15	17	14	7	67
48	David DeCastro	PIT	15	14	16	14	7	66
49	Oday Aboushi	HOU	15	16	15	13	7	66
50	Jahri Evans	NO	16	15	16	11	7	65
51	Mark Glowinski	SEA	13	15	14	16	7	65
52	Michael Schofield	DEN	15	14	13	15	7	64
53	Ramon Foster	PIT	13	15	17	12	7	64
54	Brian Winters	NYJ	14	15	15	13	7	64
55	Alvin Bailey	CLE	13	15	15	14	7	64
56	Joshua Garnett	SF	14	13	15	14	7	63
57	Germain Ifedi	SEA	11	17	17	11	7	63
58	Zane Beadles	SF	15	12	13	15	7	62
59	John Wetzel	ARI	15	13	12	14	7	61
60	Max Garcia	DEN	12	15	16	10	7	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Mike Iupati—DNP
• Joel Bitonio—DNP
• Jeff Allen—DNP
• Darrion Weems—DNP
• Derek Newton—DNP
• Andrew Tiller—DNP
• Larry Warford—DNP
• Zach Fulton—DNP
• Marshal Yanda—DNP
• Evan Mathis—DNP
• Brandon Fusco—DNP
• La'el Collins—DNP
• J'Marcus Webb—DNP
• Chance Warmack—DNP
• Andrus Peat—DNP
• Ali Marpet—bye
• Kevin Pamphile—bye
• Alex Boone—bye
• Zac Kerin—bye

Centers

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

Oakland's Rodney Hudson led the way for the centers in Week 6 with a dominant performance in pass protection. His ability to seal off and finish opposing defensive tackles stood out against Kansas City, as the explosive nature of the Chiefs front usually gives offensive lines fits.

On the other end of the spectrum, Browns center Cameron Erving finally returned from injury this week and had just about the worst performance among interior offensive line play this year. Erving was blown off the ball several times and displayed poor lateral agility in pass protection. Hopefully he wasn't rushed back from injury and can improve as he gets back to game speed. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Center Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Rodney Hudson	OAK	20	16	18	17	6	77
2	Matt Paradis	DEN	18	19	18	15	6	76
3	Travis Swanson	DET	19	18	18	15	6	76
4	Ryan Kelly	IND	19	18	17	16	6	76
5	Alex Mack	ATL	19	16	17	17	6	75
6	Travis Frederick	DAL	19	17	17	15	6	74
7	Justin Britt	SEA	17	18	17	16	6	74
8	Jeremy Zuttah	BAL	17	19	17	14	6	73
9	Ryan Kalil	CAR	18	16	16	16	6	72
10	Mike Pouncey	MIA	15	18	16	17	6	72
11	David Andrews	NE	18	17	16	14	6	71
12	Brandon Linder	JAX	17	16	17	15	6	71
13	Greg Mancz	HOU	15	18	17	15	6	71
14	Eric Wood	BUF	16	16	17	15	6	70
15	Max Unger	NO	18	15	16	15	6	70
16	Maurkice Pouncey	PIT	16	15	17	16	6	70
17	Mitch Morse	KC	16	16	15	17	6	70
18	Tim Barnes	LA	18	15	16	14	6	69
19	JC Tretter	GB	18	15	14	16	6	69
20	A.Q. Shipley	ARI	16	15	16	15	6	68
21	Nick Mangold	NYJ	16	15	17	14	6	68
22	Weston Richburg	NYG	18	13	16	13	6	66
23	Matt Slauson	SD	16	15	15	14	6	66
24	Spencer Long	WAS	14	15	16	14	6	65
25	Russell Bodine	CIN	16	15	16	12	6	65
26	Cody Whitehair	CHI	16	13	13	16	6	64
27	Jason Kelce	PHI	13	16	13	16	6	64
28	Daniel Kilgore	SF	15	13	16	14	6	64
29	Ben Jones	TEN	13	15	15	14	6	63
30	T.J. Johnson	CIN	13	14	15	14	6	62
31	Cameron Erving	CLE	12	11	13	14	6	56

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ted Larsen—DNP
• John Greco—DNP
• Corey Linsley—injury
• Jonotthan Harrison—injury
• Kraig Urbik—DNP
• John Sullivan—DNP
• Evan Smith—bye
• Joe Hawley—bye
• Joe Berger—bye

3-4 Defensive Ends

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Titans quietly went from being written off as a playoff contender to being one game behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South. One reason for this is their sneaky defense, which features Jurrell Casey and Karl Klug, two of our top three 3-4 defensive ends from Week 6.

Four of the next five 3-4 defensive ends on the list are common names—Green Bay's Mike Daniels, Arizona's Calais Campbell, Pittsburgh's Stephon Tuitt and Denver's Derek Wolfe—all players we knew to be in the top 10 at the position heading into this season.

The breakout player of the week, our fourth overall 3-4 defensive end from last Sunday and the first surprise on the list, is Arik Armstead. The 2015 first-round pick had his best game yet with San Francisco, as he was allowed to pin his ears back and attack the Bills' gap run scheme. Knowing that zone blocks weren't going to pick him up, he was able to blow offensive linemen off the ball and made two of the best tackles for a loss of any defensive lineman in the league this season.

If he's able to raise the valleys in his game while keeping his peaks where they were in Week 6, he's going to be the league's best 3-4 defensive end not named J.J. Watt. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Defensive End Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jurrell Casey	TEN	12	21	19	13	6	71
2	Mike Daniels	GB	12	19	18	15	6	70
3	Karl Klug	TEN	13	15	24	12	6	70
4	Arik Armstead	SF	13	15	21	14	6	69
5	Calais Campbell	ARI	11	17	18	16	6	68
6	Stephon Tuitt	PIT	11	13	21	16	6	67
7	Derek Wolfe	DEN	11	16	23	10	6	66
8	Leger Douzable	BUF	10	16	21	12	6	65
9	Akiem Hicks	CHI	11	17	16	15	6	65
10	Mitch Unrein	CHI	11	15	18	15	6	65
11	Timmy Jernigan	BAL	10	16	18	14	6	64
12	Jamie Meder	CLE	8	16	20	14	6	64
13	Tenny Palepoi	SD	10	14	21	13	6	64
14	DeForest Buckner	SF	12	15	17	14	6	64
15	DaQuan Jones	TEN	10	17	20	11	6	64
16	Chris L. Baker	WAS	11	17	16	14	6	64
17	Jaye Howard	KC	10	17	19	11	6	63
18	Quinton Dial	SF	10	14	18	15	6	63
19	Adolphus Washington	BUF	10	17	17	12	6	62
20	Chris Jones	KC	10	16	18	12	6	62
21	Robert Nkemdiche	ARI	12	15	16	13	6	62
22	Jared Crick	DEN	9	14	19	13	6	61
23	Ziggy Hood	WAS	10	15	16	14	6	61
24	Ricky Jean-Francois	WAS	10	16	16	13	6	61
25	Mike Pennel	GB	10	13	17	14	6	60
26	Kendall Langford	IND	9	15	18	12	6	60
27	Denico Autry	OAK	10	15	17	12	6	60
28	Frostee Rucker	ARI	10	14	16	14	6	60
29	Lawrence Guy	BAL	9	13	17	14	6	59
30	Dean Lowry	GB	9	14	16	14	6	59
31	Josh Mauro	ARI	10	14	15	14	6	59
32	Jonathan Bullard	CHI	9	14	16	13	6	58
33	Corey Liuget	SD	9	14	17	12	6	58
34	Carl Nassib	CLE	10	13	16	12	6	57
35	Stephen Paea	CLE	9	13	18	11	6	57
36	Henry Anderson	IND	8	15	16	12	6	57
37	Billy Winn	DEN	8	12	18	12	6	56
38	Christian Covington	HOU	8	12	17	13	6	56
39	Allen Bailey	KC	8	13	16	13	6	56
40	Angelo Blackson	TEN	9	13	16	12	6	56
41	Antonio Smith	HOU	8	12	15	12	6	53
42	Ricardo Mathews	PIT	8	10	18	11	6	53

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• J.J. Watt—injury
• Cameron Heyward—inactive
• Xavier Cooper—inactive
• Taylor Hart—inactive
• Tony Jerod-Eddie—inactive
• Ronald Blair—insufficient snaps
• Matt Ioannidis—insufficient snaps

4-3 Defensive Ends

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Defensive ends were mostly quiet in Week 6, but perhaps the best defensive end in the AFC shows up at the top of these rankings: New England's Jabaal Sheard.

Sheard is the model of consistency for the position and also provides routine splash plays against the run and pass. His inside swim move is deadly, as he times it perfectly when a right tackle has his balance shifted toward the outside. Sheard has surprising strength and always plays hard. In a week when nobody had a monster game, it's nice to recognize a great player who continues to fly under the radar. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

4-3 Defensive End Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jabaal Sheard	NE	19	17	15	12	7	70
2	Michael Bennett	SEA	18	17	14	14	7	70
3	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	19	17	16	11	7	70
4	Vic Beasley	ATL	17	14	16	15	7	69
5	Kerry Hyder	DET	15	16	15	16	7	69
6	Andre Branch	MIA	17	16	14	14	7	68
7	Sheldon Richardson	NYJ	15	19	12	15	7	68
8	Brandon Graham	PHI	16	15	16	14	7	68
9	Cliff Avril	SEA	16	15	16	14	7	68
10	Cameron Wake	MIA	19	13	15	13	7	67
11	Khalil Mack	OAK	18	17	14	11	7	67
12	Jared Odrick	JAX	16	18	11	14	7	66
13	Dante Fowler	JAX	16	16	15	12	7	66
14	Cameron Jordan	NO	16	14	15	14	7	66
15	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	16	16	13	13	7	65
16	Jack Crawford	DAL	14	15	15	14	7	65
17	Jason Pierre-Paul	NYG	16	16	13	13	7	65
18	Muhammad Wilkerson	NYJ	17	16	12	13	7	65
19	Connor Barwin	PHI	15	15	14	14	7	65
20	Derrick Shelby	ATL	16	14	14	14	7	65
21	Adrian Clayborn	ATL	15	14	14	14	7	64
22	Benson Mayowa	DAL	14	15	14	14	7	64
23	David Irving	DAL	16	13	14	14	7	64
24	Ezekiel Ansah	DET	16	13	15	13	7	64
25	Devin Taylor	DET	15	15	13	14	7	64
26	Ethan Westbrooks	LA	15	14	14	14	7	64
27	Chris Long	NE	16	16	13	12	7	64
28	Olivier Vernon	NYG	16	15	13	13	7	64
29	Vinny Curry	PHI	14	15	13	15	7	64
30	Dwight Freeney	ATL	15	13	14	14	7	63
31	Margus Hunt	CIN	16	16	11	13	7	63
32	Ryan Davis	DAL	14	15	13	14	7	63
33	Charles Johnson	CAR	14	14	13	14	7	62
34	Eugene Sims	LA	14	14	13	14	7	62
35	Lorenzo Mauldin	NYJ	15	14	14	12	7	62
36	DeMarcus Lawrence	DAL	14	14	13	14	7	62
37	Armonty Bryant	DET	15	13	13	14	7	62
38	Lavar Edwards	CAR	13	14	13	14	7	61
39	Tyrone Crawford	DAL	14	13	13	14	7	61
40	Brandon Copeland	DET	14	14	12	14	7	61
41	William Hayes	LA	14	13	14	13	7	61
42	Trey Flowers	NE	14	16	12	12	7	61
43	Kasim Edebali	NO	14	14	13	13	7	61
44	Darryl Tapp	NO	13	15	13	13	7	61
45	Cassius Marsh	SEA	14	14	13	13	7	61
46	Mario Addison	CAR	15	13	13	12	7	60
47	Kony Ealy	CAR	13	13	13	14	7	60
48	Romeo Okwara	NYG	14	13	13	13	7	60
49	Michael Johnson	CIN	14	15	11	12	7	59
50	Will Clarke	CIN	13	14	13	12	7	59
51	Jason Jones	MIA	15	14	11	12	7	59
52	Marcus Smith	PHI	14	13	13	12	7	59
53	Owa Odighizuwa	NYG	14	13	13	12	7	59
54	Brooks Reed	ATL	13	13	13	13	7	59
55	Matt Longacre	LA	13	13	13	12	7	58
56	Anthony Zettel	DET	13	12	12	14	7	58
57	Mario Williams	MIA	15	13	12	10	7	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Randy Gregory—suspension
• Ryan Delaire—injury
• Charles Tapper—injury
• Wallace Gilberry—injury
• Robert Quinn—injury
• Paul Kruger—injury
• Frank Clark—injury
• Danielle Hunter—bye
• Everson Griffen—bye
• Brian Robison—bye
• Robert Ayers—bye
• William Gholston—bye
• Noah Spence—bye
• Davonte Lambert—bye
• Howard Jones—bye

Defensive Tackles

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Los Angeles' Aaron Donald yet again sits atop the defensive tackle rankings in this week's installment of the NFL1000. He was a menace against the Lions, beating double-teams, whipping around single blocks and applying consistent pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford. His freakish athleticism, tenacity and impeccable technique help him stand out as the NFL's premier talent at defensive tackle. 

Atlanta's Grady Jarrett had a phenomenal game against the Seahawks. The NFL is shifting away from hulking 330-plus-pound nose tackles as offenses get faster, throw more and utilize zone-rushing schemes. Sleeker nose tackles who can penetrate the line of scrimmage and chase plays that run away from them are becoming valuable. Jarrett fits that mold, and he was a key cog in holding the Seahawks to less than 2.7 yards per carry. This week's Scouting Notebook will have an in-depth feature on Jarrett's game against Seattle.

Some of the bigger names this week struggled, namely Philadelphia's Fletcher Cox. He routinely over-penetrated against the run, leaving massive lanes for Matt Jones and Robert Kelley to exploit at the line of scrimmage. He normally converts on plays when he gets three to four yards upfield, but against Washington, he created holes in the middle of the Eagles defense. Miami's Ndamukong Suh, Carolina's Kawann Short and Cincinnati's Geno Atkins had inconsistent games against the Steelers, Saints and Patriots, respectively.

Cleveland's Danny Shelton continued his solid second season against the Tennessee Titans, recording five stops, per PFF, and his first sack of the season. A few other unheralded defensive tackles had strong games in Week 6, including Jacksonville's Roy Miller, Baltimore's Michael Pierce, Dallas' Terrell McClain and San Diego's Brandon Mebane.

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Defensive Tackle Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Aaron Donald	LA	23	21	21	15	6	86
2	Grady Jarrett	ATL	21	17	21	13	6	78
3	Nick Fairley	NO	20	19	18	14	6	77
4	Malcom Brown	NE	17	18	20	14	6	75
5	Brandon J. Williams	BAL	18	14	22	14	6	74
6	Kyle Williams	BUF	19	16	19	14	6	74
7	Dontari Poe	KC	18	17	19	14	6	74
8	Kawann Short	CAR	17	17	19	14	6	73
9	Geno Atkins	CIN	18	17	18	14	6	73
10	Malik Jackson	JAX	18	17	18	14	6	73
11	Roy Miller	JAX	17	13	22	15	6	73
12	Michael Pierce	BAL	16	15	20	15	6	72
13	Terrell McClain	DAL	18	16	19	13	6	72
14	Ndamukong Suh	MIA	19	16	17	14	6	72
15	Johnathan Hankins	NYG	17	15	19	15	6	72
16	Fletcher Cox	PHI	18	17	18	12	6	71
17	Danny Shelton	CLE	17	16	18	13	6	70
18	Michael Brockers	LA	17	16	19	12	6	70
19	Alan Branch	NE	16	15	20	13	6	70
20	Tyson Alualu	JAX	17	17	16	13	6	69
21	Dominique Easley	LA	18	15	18	12	6	69
22	Damon Harrison	NYG	16	16	18	13	6	69
23	Brandon Mebane	SD	16	15	19	13	6	69
24	Corey Peters	ARI	18	13	18	13	6	68
25	Bennie Logan	PHI	17	16	17	12	6	68
26	Ra'Shede Hageman	ATL	16	14	18	13	6	67
27	Cedric Thornton	DAL	16	15	17	13	6	67
28	Maliek Collins	DAL	17	15	18	11	6	67
29	Jarran Reed	SEA	16	14	19	12	6	67
30	Domata Peko	CIN	15	16	17	12	6	66
31	Sen'Derrick Marks	JAX	16	15	17	12	6	66
32	Abry Jones	JAX	15	14	19	12	6	66
33	Rodney Gunter	ARI	15	15	17	12	6	65
34	Corbin Bryant	BUF	15	14	17	13	6	65
35	Star Lotulelei	CAR	15	16	17	11	6	65
36	Jordan Phillips	MIA	16	15	16	12	6	65
37	Tony McDaniel	SEA	16	12	17	14	6	65
38	Kyle Love	CAR	16	14	16	12	6	64
39	Jay Bromley	NYG	17	14	15	12	6	64
40	Sylvester Williams	DEN	15	14	16	12	6	63
41	David Onyemata	NO	15	16	14	11	6	62
42	Ahtyba Rubin	SEA	13	12	18	13	6	62
43	Tyrunn Walker	DET	14	13	16	12	6	61
44	Kenny Clark	GB	15	16	13	11	6	61
45	Chris Jones	MIA	14	16	13	12	6	61
46	Leonard Williams	NYJ	15	13	14	13	6	61
47	Beau Allen	PHI	15	14	16	10	6	61
48	Caraun Reid	SD	14	14	16	11	6	61
49	Cullen Jenkins	WAS	15	13	14	12	6	60
50	Jonathan Babineaux	ATL	15	13	14	11	6	59
51	Letroy Guion	GB	16	14	13	10	6	59
52	Tyson Jackson	ATL	14	11	16	11	6	58
53	Will Sutton	CHI	15	13	14	10	6	58
54	Pat Sims	CIN	14	14	13	11	6	58
55	Sheldon Day	JAX	15	14	12	11	6	58
56	John Jenkins	NO	14	15	13	10	6	58
57	Tyeler Davison	NO	15	13	13	11	6	58
58	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	13	12	14	12	6	57
59	Vince Wilfork	HOU	15	11	14	11	6	57
60	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	14	13	13	11	6	57
61	Adam Gotsis	DEN	14	12	14	10	6	56
62	D.J. Reader	HOU	14	13	13	10	6	56
63	Steve McLendon	NYJ	14	12	13	11	6	56
64	Zach Kerr	IND	15	11	12	10	6	54
65	Stacy McGee	OAK	13	12	12	11	6	54
66	Justin Ellis	OAK	12	14	12	10	6	54
67	Dan Williams	OAK	14	12	11	10	6	53
68	Austin Johnson	TEN	12	11	13	11	6	53
69	David Parry	IND	12	13	10	9	6	50
70	Jihad Ward	OAK	14	11	10	9	6	50
71	Javon Hargrave	PIT	13	12	10	9	6	50
72	Darius Latham	OAK	12	12	10	9	6	49
73	Mike Purcell	SF	11	10	9	8	6	44

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Vernon Butler—injury
• Eddie Goldman—injury
• Haloti Ngata—injury
• Vincent Valentine—injury
• Marcell Dareus—inactive
• Al Woods—inactive
• Paul Soliai—inactive
• Julius Warmsley—inactive

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The top run-defense grade of the season and the return of Jadeveon Clowney to the 3-4 outside linebacker group highlighted Week 6 at the position. 

Denver's Von Miller provided the first positional grade in 2016 of at least 24 (out of 25) in run defense. The Chargers kept running at the defending Super Bowl MVP, and Miller kept making them pay, notching at least seven run stops for little to no gain due to his tackle or disruption. Add in another productive night chasing after the quarterback, and Miller earned the top 3-4 outside linebacker grade for the fifth straight week.

Clowney's return to a standup role in Houston's defense paid immediate dividends. His combination of power and agility was too much for the Colts' offensive tackles, especially with teammate Whitney Mercilus—who graded out as the week's third-best 3-4 outside linebacker—causing havoc on the opposite side.

Washington's Ryan Kerrigan, Kansas City's Dee Ford and Chicago's Willie Young led the week with two sacks each. Kerrigan destroyed an Eagles offensive line without Lane Johnson, Ford produced a strip-sack and fourth-down sack of Derek Carr to seal Kansas City's win, and Young had a turnover-creating sack of Blake Bortles.

The worst grade of the week went to San Francisco's Eli Harold, who struggled in coverage and defending the run against the Bills.

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Von Miller	DEN	20	24	11	23	7	85
2	Jadeveon Clowney	HOU	23	22	9	22	7	83
3	Whitney Mercilus	HOU	23	20	10	21	7	81
4	Ryan Kerrigan	WAS	22	20	9	21	7	79
5	Chandler Jones	ARI	22	19	10	20	7	78
6	Dee Ford	KC	22	16	12	20	7	77
7	Melvin Ingram	SD	20	19	8	22	7	76
8	Brian Orakpo	TEN	19	17	12	21	7	76
9	Shaquil Barrett	DEN	18	19	10	19	7	73
10	Joey Bosa	SD	21	18	9	18	7	73
11	Trent Murphy	WAS	19	18	10	19	7	73
12	Terrell Suggs	BAL	19	18	10	19	7	73
13	Derrick Morgan	TEN	18	18	10	19	7	72
14	Julius Peppers	GB	20	17	9	19	7	72
15	Willie Young	CHI	20	17	8	20	7	72
16	Markus Golden	ARI	19	18	10	18	7	72
17	John Simon	HOU	17	17	11	20	7	72
18	Lorenzo Alexander	BUF	19	16	10	18	7	70
19	Shane Ray	DEN	18	17	10	18	7	70
20	Alex Okafor	ARI	19	16	9	18	7	69
21	Kyle Emanuel	SD	17	17	10	18	7	69
22	Preston Smith	WAS	18	16	10	17	7	68
23	Anthony Chickillo	PIT	15	17	11	18	7	68
24	Nick Perry	GB	17	16	9	19	7	68
25	Jerry Hughes	BUF	17	18	10	16	7	68
26	Za'Darius Smith	BAL	17	17	9	18	7	68
27	Datone Jones	GB	16	18	9	18	7	68
28	Jerry Attaochu	SD	17	15	9	19	7	67
29	David Bass	TEN	16	17	9	18	7	67
30	Sam Acho	CHI	17	16	10	17	7	67
31	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	16	15	9	18	7	65
32	Matt Judon	BAL	14	17	10	17	7	65
33	Kevin Dodd	TEN	16	15	10	17	7	65
34	Christian Jones	CHI	15	16	10	17	7	65
35	Ahmad Brooks	SF	16	16	9	17	7	65
36	Cam Johnson	CLE	14	17	9	17	7	64
37	Robert Mathis	IND	17	14	8	17	7	63
38	Lerentee McCray	BUF	15	16	10	15	7	63
39	Dekoda Watson	DEN	14	16	9	16	7	62
40	James Harrison	PIT	14	15	10	16	7	62
41	Clay Matthews	GB	15	15	9	16	7	62
42	Frank Zombo	KC	15	15	9	16	7	62
43	Arthur Moats	PIT	14	15	10	16	7	62
44	Tamba Hali	KC	15	15	9	16	7	62
45	Erik Walden	IND	16	16	8	15	7	62
46	Jayrone Elliott	GB	16	14	9	16	7	62
47	Akeem Ayers	IND	15	14	10	16	7	62
48	Aaron Lynch	SF	15	14	10	15	7	61
49	Curt Maggitt	IND	14	15	9	16	7	61
50	Joe Schobert	CLE	14	14	11	15	7	61
51	Kyler Fackrell	GB	14	14	9	16	7	60
52	Corey Lemonier	CLE	13	14	9	17	7	60
53	Jarvis Jones	PIT	13	14	8	18	7	60
54	Eli Harold	SF	16	13	7	16	7	59

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Elvis Dumervil—injury
• Leonard Floyd—injury
• Pernell McPhee—injury
• Justin Houston—injury
• DeMarcus Ware—injury
• Shaq Lawson—injury
• Aaron Wallace—inactive
• Tank Carradine—insufficient snaps
• Tourek Williams—insufficient snaps

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

After a couple of weeks without standout linebacker performances, New England's Dont'a Hightower and Dallas' Sean Lee pulled the weight for the rest of their peers in Week 6. It was an odd week beyond those two, though, including impressive outings from Rams rookie Josh Forrest and Falcons pseudo-linebacker Kemal Ishmael, who is only playing that position because Atlanta is dealing with health issues at linebacker with Paul Worrilow and Brooks Reed injured. 

Jacksonville's Telvin Smith had quite a week as well, continuing to look much better in coverage this season. In addition to improved coverage ability, Smith did his part in slowing down the Bears' rushing cavalry. He shot through open gaps, played his assignments well and secured tackles when given the opportunity. It was not a special performance, but it was certainly good enough.

If a rebound player were to be crowned, it would be the Giants' Keenan Robinson. He had a tough time in Week 5 but bounced back with a quality performance against the Ravens this past week. In the run game, he made a slightly positive impact and did not do much to give up big plays. Likewise, Robinson was good in coverage, even defending some passes down the field. Robinson has quietly fared well for most of the season, and it was refreshing to see him return to form.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Dont'a Hightower	NE	18	22	12	22	6	80
2	Sean Lee	DAL	20	21	7	22	6	76
3	Telvin Smith	JAX	17	21	7	21	6	72
4	Josh Forrest	LA	15	21	7	20	6	69
5	Shaq Thompson	CAR	14	20	7	21	6	68
6	Keenan Robinson	NYG	19	18	7	18	6	68
7	Thomas Davis	CAR	16	19	7	19	6	67
8	Bruce Irvin	OAK	16	20	8	17	6	67
9	Kemal Ishmael	ATL	16	17	7	20	6	66
10	Devon Kennard	NYG	16	18	7	17	6	64
11	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	16	17	7	17	6	63
12	Rob Ninkovich	NE	14	17	9	16	6	62
13	Kevin Pierre-Louis	SEA	16	17	7	16	6	62
14	Vontaze Burfict	CIN	15	18	8	15	6	62
15	Mark Barron	LA	15	14	9	16	6	60
16	Philip Wheeler	ATL	15	16	7	16	6	60
17	Myles Jack	JAX	16	15	7	15	6	59
18	Donald Butler	MIA	15	16	7	15	6	59
19	Nigel Bradham	PHI	17	13	7	15	6	58
20	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	15	15	7	15	6	58
21	Karlos Dansby	CIN	11	17	8	16	6	58
22	Neville Hewitt	MIA	17	14	7	14	6	58
23	Vincent Rey	CIN	15	14	7	15	6	57
24	Darron Lee	NYJ	15	13	7	16	6	57
25	Jelani Jenkins	MIA	16	15	7	13	6	57
26	Mychal Kendricks	PHI	15	16	7	13	6	57
27	Jonathan Casillas	NYG	15	14	7	15	6	57
28	K.J. Wright	SEA	13	15	7	15	6	56
29	Malcolm Smith	OAK	14	15	7	14	6	56
30	Damien Wilson	DAL	14	13	7	15	6	55
31	Perry Riley	OAK	15	13	7	14	6	55
32	Thurston Armbrister	DET	13	13	7	14	6	53
33	Nate Stupar	NO	13	12	8	14	6	53
34	Kyle Van Noy	DET	10	14	7	14	6	51
35	Craig Robertson	NO	12	13	7	12	6	50

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaylon Smith—injury
• DeAndre Levy—injury
• Antwione Williams—injury

Inside Linebackers

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Inside linebacker play throughout the league is down as the season progresses. The first-game excitement and hype has worn off, and players are trying to remain healthy. Once players suit up for Sunday, remaining healthy throughout the game is another issue to manage. For instance, Pittsburgh linebacker Lawrence Timmons played 100 percent of the team's snaps in a loss to the Dolphins and didn't look great after giving up a touchdown before halftime. 

With typical top-tier linebacker Eric Kendricks and the Vikings on a bye, other inside linebackers had an opportunity to dethrone Carolina's Luke Kuechly. Kuechly's play has forced other teams to avoid him at all cost, yet he's still able to be effective as a run defender. However, in Week 6, Kuechly was a half-step slow in reacting and wasn't as aggressive as he typically is. Kuechly still grades out in the top five, but the top spot goes to a rookie with a seasoned veteran right behind him.

San Diego's Jatavis Brown and Jacksonville's Paul Posluszny are polar opposites as players. Brown is athletic, using speed to make up for a lack of ability in run support. Posluszny is the traditional linebacker, with a big chest and a desire to meet offensive linemen in the hole. Both skill sets translate, as Brown and Posluszny earned top grades for looking smooth in coverage and being physical in the run game.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Defense (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 35)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Inside Linebacker Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jatavis Brown	SD	20	29	12	13	6	80
2	Paul Posluszny	JAX	21	31	9	12	6	79
3	Derrick Johnson	KC	22	29	10	12	6	79
4	Luke Kuechly	CAR	21	30	10	12	6	79
5	Zach Orr	BAL	19	31	10	12	6	78
6	Elandon Roberts	NE	20	30	9	12	6	77
7	Brandon Marshall	DEN	18	29	11	12	6	76
8	Zach Brown	BUF	18	30	9	12	6	75
9	Bobby Wagner	SEA	19	27	11	12	6	75
10	Will Compton	WAS	17	29	11	12	6	75
11	Deone Bucannon	ARI	21	26	10	11	6	74
12	Albert McClellan	BAL	18	28	10	12	6	74
13	Demario Davis	CLE	18	27	11	12	6	74
14	Jerrell Freeman	CHI	17	29	9	12	6	73
15	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	17	27	12	11	6	73
16	Kevin Minter	ARI	18	28	9	12	6	73
17	Wesley Woodyard	TEN	17	26	11	12	6	72
18	Korey Toomer	SD	18	27	9	12	6	72
19	Justin March-Lillard	KC	18	27	9	12	6	72
20	Mason Foster	WAS	18	26	9	12	6	71
21	Danny Trevathan	CHI	15	30	9	11	6	71
22	Kelvin Sheppard	NYG	17	28	8	12	6	71
23	Anthony Hitchens	DAL	17	28	9	11	6	71
24	Denzel Perryman	SD	18	27	9	10	6	70
25	Preston Brown	BUF	16	27	10	11	6	70
26	Blake Martinez	GB	17	27	10	10	6	70
27	Jordan Hicks	PHI	15	28	10	11	6	70
28	Deion Jones	ATL	19	27	8	10	6	70
29	Justin Durant	DAL	17	25	12	10	6	70
30	Sean Spence	TEN	17	26	10	10	6	69
31	Avery Williamson	TEN	15	25	12	11	6	69
32	Joe Thomas	GB	17	24	11	11	6	69
33	Todd Davis	DEN	15	26	11	10	6	68
34	Alec Ogletree	LA	15	26	9	12	6	68
35	Brian Cushing	HOU	16	25	10	11	6	68
36	LaRoy Reynolds	ATL	17	28	9	8	6	68
37	Chris Kirksey	CLE	15	25	11	10	6	67
38	Lawrence Timmons	PIT	16	26	8	11	6	67
39	Vince Williams	PIT	17	27	8	8	6	66
40	Kiko Alonso	MIA	17	24	8	11	6	66
41	Erin Henderson	NYJ	16	24	8	12	6	66
42	Tahir Whitehead	DET	16	25	8	10	6	65
43	Jake Ryan	GB	16	24	9	10	6	65
44	D'Qwell Jackson	IND	16	25	8	10	6	65
45	Cory James	OAK	15	25	8	10	6	64
46	Michael Wilhoite	SF	17	23	8	10	6	64
47	Bruce Carter	NYJ	15	23	8	11	6	63
48	Tyler Matakevich	PIT	15	24	8	10	6	63
49	Josh McNary	IND	15	23	8	10	6	62
50	Nick Bellore	SF	15	18	8	7	6	54

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• C.J. Mosley—injury
• Jamie Collins—injury
• David Harris—injury
• Ryan Shazier—injury
• Su'a Cravens—injury
• Kwon Alexander—bye
• Eric Kendricks—bye
• James Laurinaitis—insufficient snaps
• Rey Maualuga—insufficient snaps

Cornerbacks

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Giants have two of the most naturally talented corners in the game in Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The latter is about as inconsistent as anyone at any position in the league. For Jenkins, talent is the reason he has been one of the highest-graded corners this year.

The two were targeted a whopping 16 times against the Ravens last Sunday. Rodgers-Cromartie's day was him in a nutshell. He had four blown coverages, gave up a big play, had a defensive pass interference that was basically a 47-yard play and missed a tackle. The good news is he was able to break up two passes and also had two big run stops.

Jenkins was beat deep by Mike Wallace for a 70-yard bomb, but that was his lone blunder of the day. Aside from that, he gave up one two-yard catch on five targets. Jenkins broke up two passes and should've had two interceptions. He displayed great reaction while the ball was in the air and chipped in a run stop, too.

The Seahawks duo of Richard Sherman and DeShawn Shead have done a great job of blanketing receivers this year. Atlanta has Julio Jones, who isn't like anyone else in the league. The Seahawks duo found that out last Sunday.

It wasn't just Jones, however. The Seahawks duo combined to give up 13 catches on 19 targets. They were beaten 13 times, gave up eight first downs, and Sherman had a coverage bust that led to a TD. Shead was at least able to break up two passes, but it was a rough afternoon for both corners in Seattle.

After being benched in Week 4, Miami cornerback Byron Maxwell was fighting to keep his starting job against the Steelers. The Dolphins had tried to use Maxwell in the same way the Eagles did after signing him to his massive free-agent contract in 2015, and the results were similar. But instead of having Maxwell shadow receivers all around the field, the Dolphins kept him at left cornerback, the same alignment he starred at in Seattle.

Maxwell's best game in two years came against Antonio Brown and company, allowing just one reception on five targets with four passes defensed from the self charting done by NFL1000 cornerback scout Ian Wharton. It wasn't a coincidence Maxwell is a functional starter when playing to his specific strengths. The Dolphins should continue to use him exclusively at left cornerback.

On the other hand, Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and Jets cornerback Buster Skrine were among this week's worst performers. Kirkpatrick had shown clear signs of improvement until this week, but he struggled badly against the Patriots. He allowed six completions on seven targets, including one touchdown, and was called for a penalty in coverage once. He was credited with two blown coverages, which contributed to New England scoring 35 points Sunday.

Skrine is one of the more unpredictable players in the league. Though versatile enough to play outside in press or in the slot, Skrine often gets grabby when he loses leverage, and this week was no different. He was called for four defensive penalties to go with the seven completions on 10 targets. He must play more confidently or be moved to the slot full time if his performance evens out.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

React: Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Cornerback Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Janoris Jenkins	NYG	24	26	17	8	9	84
2	Marcus Peters	KC	25	24	18	6	9	82
3	Byron Maxwell	MIA	26	25	17	4	9	81
4	Vontae Davis	IND	23	25	17	6	9	80
5	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	22	24	17	6	9	78
6	Casey Hayward	SD	24	22	17	6	9	78
7	Ross Cockrell	PIT	21	24	17	6	9	77
8	Ronald Darby	BUF	24	21	17	5	9	76
9	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	23	21	18	4	9	75
10	Tramaine Brock	SF	23	22	16	5	9	75
11	Jimmy Smith	BAL	22	19	17	6	9	73
12	Chris Harris Jr.	DEN	21	20	17	6	9	73
13	Tyrann Mathieu	ARI	20	20	17	6	9	72
14	Adam Jones	CIN	22	21	16	4	9	72
15	Aqib Talib	DEN	20	22	16	5	9	72
16	Sean Smith	OAK	20	22	17	4	9	72
17	Tramon Williams	CLE	19	20	18	5	9	71
18	Kevin Johnson	HOU	19	20	17	6	9	71
19	B.W. Webb	NO	21	20	16	5	9	71
20	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	NYG	18	20	17	7	9	71
21	Jason McCourty	TEN	21	19	16	6	9	71
22	Patrick Peterson	ARI	19	21	16	5	9	70
23	Prince Amukamara	JAX	19	19	18	5	9	70
24	Bashaud Breeland	WAS	20	20	16	5	9	70
25	Bradley Roby	DEN	19	20	17	4	9	69
26	Johnathan Joseph	HOU	18	19	18	5	9	69
27	Darius Butler	IND	18	19	17	6	9	69
28	Ken Crawley	NO	20	19	16	5	9	69
29	William Gay	PIT	18	20	17	5	9	69
30	Josh Norman	WAS	19	19	16	6	9	69
31	Lamarcus Joyner	LA	18	18	16	7	9	68
32	Marcus Cooper	ARI	18	19	16	5	9	67
33	Desmond Trufant	ATL	17	18	16	7	9	67
34	Morris Claiborne	DAL	18	19	15	5	9	66
35	A.J. Bouye	HOU	17	18	17	5	9	66
36	Malcolm Butler	NE	18	17	17	5	9	66
37	Stephon Gilmore	BUF	18	18	16	4	9	65
38	Quandre Diggs	DET	17	17	17	5	9	65
39	Steven Nelson	KC	17	18	16	5	9	65
40	Logan Ryan	NE	16	18	17	5	9	65
41	Jalen Mills	PHI	17	18	16	5	9	65
42	Rashard Robinson	SF	18	18	16	4	9	65
43	Dre Kirkpatrick	CIN	16	17	15	7	9	64
44	Nolan Carroll	PHI	17	18	15	5	9	64
45	Craig Mager	SD	15	17	17	6	9	64
46	Robert Alford	ATL	17	16	16	5	9	63
47	Nickell Robey-Coleman	BUF	16	17	17	4	9	63
48	Jamar Taylor	CLE	17	16	16	5	9	63
49	Leon Hall	NYG	16	15	16	7	9	63
50	Marcus Williams	NYJ	16	15	17	6	9	63
51	Brice McCain	TEN	16	15	17	6	9	63
52	Tavon Young	BAL	16	17	15	5	9	62
53	Anthony Brown	DAL	15	15	16	7	9	62
54	Darius Slay	DET	17	18	14	4	9	62
55	Sterling Moore	NO	17	16	16	4	9	62
56	Ron Brooks	PHI	16	17	15	5	9	62
57	Brandon Carr	DAL	15	16	15	6	9	61
58	Rashaan Melvin	IND	17	16	14	5	9	61
59	Eric Rowe	NE	18	15	14	5	9	61
60	Kendall Fuller	WAS	15	17	16	4	9	61
61	Brian Poole	ATL	15	16	15	5	9	60
62	Nevin Lawson	DET	16	15	15	5	9	60
63	DeShawn Shead	SEA	15	16	15	5	9	60
64	Tony Lippett	MIA	16	15	14	5	9	59
65	D.J. Hayden	OAK	14	15	16	5	9	59
66	Steve Williams	SD	16	14	15	5	9	59
67	Daryl Worley	CAR	13	15	15	6	9	58
68	Phillip Gaines	KC	14	14	15	6	9	58
69	Buster Skrine	NYJ	13	14	15	7	9	58
70	David Amerson	OAK	16	14	15	4	9	58
71	Jerraud Powers	BAL	13	14	16	5	9	57
72	Cre'von LeBlanc	CHI	15	14	14	5	9	57
73	Damarious Randall	GB	14	15	14	5	9	57
74	Bobby McCain	MIA	15	14	15	4	9	57
75	Tharold Simon	ARI	14	14	14	5	9	56
76	Josh Shaw	CIN	14	13	14	6	9	56
77	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CLE	13	13	14	7	9	56
78	Richard Sherman	SEA	13	15	13	6	9	56
79	Aaron Colvin	JAX	14	12	14	6	9	55
80	E.J. Gaines	LA	14	13	14	5	9	55
81	Artie Burns	PIT	13	14	14	5	9	55
82	Jeremy Lane	SEA	14	14	14	4	9	55
83	Keith Reaser	SF	13	14	14	5	9	55
84	D.J. White	KC	13	14	13	5	9	54
85	Trevin Wade	NYG	14	13	13	5	9	54
86	Teddy Williams	CAR	13	13	13	5	9	53
87	Chimdi Chekwa	MIA	12	13	14	5	9	53
88	Shareece Wright	BAL	12	12	14	4	9	51
89	Bryce Callahan	CHI	13	13	12	4	9	51
90	Perrish Cox	TEN	13	12	11	5	9	50
91	Tracy Porter	CHI	11	12	12	5	9	49
92	Johnson Bademosi	DET	12	11	12	5	9	49
93	Demetri Goodson	GB	12	11	12	5	9	49
94	Troy Hill	LA	12	11	12	5	9	49
95	Brian Dixon	NO	11	12	12	5	9	49
96	LaDarius Gunter	GB	11	12	11	5	9	48
97	Jacoby Glenn	CHI	10	10	11	5	9	45
98	Zack Sanchez	CAR	10	9	10	5	9	43

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• James Bradberry—injury
• Quinten Rollins—injury
• Patrick Robinson—injury
• Kareem Jackson—injury
• Brandon Flowers—injury
• Joe Haden—injury
• Xavien Howard—injury

Free Safeties

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Though the Eagles defense struggled overall against Washington, Rodney McLeod was a standout performer. He was all over the field making tackles in the run game and taking away routes in the passing game. He made a number of good reads on underneath routes and broke on them quickly, forcing Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins to look elsewhere or scramble. 

D.J. Swearinger was similarly impressive for the Cardinals. He made two highlight plays late in the third quarter. One was an underneath pass that he read and broke on incredibly quickly. He arrived as the ball did and delivered a huge hit to the receiver, Charone Peake, forcing the ball to be dropped. A few plays later, he read Brandon Marshall crossing the middle of the field in the end zone and jumped the route, making the interception and taking points off the board for the opposition.

Any game against the Patriots is tough for a safety, but George Iloka struggled more than he should have. The Bengals safety missed multiple tackles, giving the Patriots opportunities to pick up extra yards.

San Francisco safety Eric Reid had a poor game against the Bills. He missed a number of tackles, including one on a LeSean McCoy touchdown run. He was also beaten on a double move by McCoy, who split out wide as a receiver. McCoy stumbled, which allowed Reid to recover slightly, but he couldn't stop the throw and had to resort to giving away a defensive pass interference to stop the completion.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 10)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Free Safety Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Rodney McLeod	PHI	26	26	6	16	8	82
2	D.J. Swearinger	ARI	25	24	6	17	8	80
3	Isa Abdul-Quddus	MIA	25	25	5	17	8	80
4	Devin McCourty	NE	24	25	6	17	8	80
5	Earl Thomas	SEA	25	25	6	16	8	80
6	Ricardo Allen	ATL	23	24	6	16	8	77
7	Darian Stewart	DEN	25	25	5	14	8	77
8	Reggie Nelson	OAK	24	23	6	16	8	77
9	Adrian Amos	CHI	23	23	6	16	8	76
10	Byron Jones	DAL	23	24	6	15	8	76
11	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	GB	25	23	5	15	8	76
12	Corey Moore	HOU	23	23	6	16	8	76
13	Tre Boston	CAR	23	22	6	16	8	75
14	Glover Quin	DET	24	24	5	14	8	75
15	Clayton Geathers	IND	24	23	5	15	8	75
16	Jairus Byrd	NO	24	23	5	15	8	75
17	Lardarius Webb	BAL	23	23	5	15	8	74
18	Kentrell Brice	GB	23	22	6	15	8	74
19	T.J. Green	IND	22	23	5	16	8	74
20	Ron Parker	KC	23	22	6	15	8	74
21	Marcus Gilchrist	NYJ	22	22	6	16	8	74
22	Rashad Johnson	TEN	22	22	6	16	8	74
23	Ibraheim Campbell	CLE	21	22	6	16	8	73
24	Tashaun Gipson	JAX	21	22	6	16	8	73
25	Vonn Bell	NO	21	22	6	16	8	73
26	Dexter McCoil	SD	22	23	5	15	8	73
27	Derron Smith	CIN	22	23	5	14	8	72
28	J.J. Wilcox	DAL	23	21	6	14	8	72
29	Jeff Heath	DAL	21	22	5	16	8	72
30	Duron Harmon	NE	22	21	5	16	8	72
31	Andrew Adams	NYG	22	21	5	16	8	72
32	Dwight Lowery	SD	21	22	6	15	8	72
33	Will Blackmon	WAS	21	20	6	16	8	71
34	Andre Hal	HOU	22	21	6	13	8	70
35	Kevin Byard	TEN	21	20	5	15	8	69
36	Corey Graham	BUF	20	19	6	15	8	68
37	Maurice Alexander	LA	20	20	5	14	8	67
38	Mike Mitchell	PIT	19	21	5	14	8	67
39	Eric Reid	SF	18	19	6	15	8	66
40	George Iloka	CIN	17	19	5	13	8	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Justin Simmons—inactive
• Darian Thompson—inactive
• Nat Berhe—inactive

Strong Safeties

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The Seahawks clearly missed Kam Chancellor in Week 6. While Earl Thomas put in a solid performance at the opposite safety spot, it's impossible to make up for what Chancellor brings to the field. Kelcie McCray had a few flashes—one play in particular stood out, as he landed a big hit on Falcons running back Devonta Freeman on a checkdown pass to force the ball to land incomplete. 

But he didn't bring the same presence that Chancellor carries. He got caught on a block on the touchdown pass to tight end Levine Toilolo. While Toilolo wasn't his responsibility, he had an opportunity to save the touchdown, but he couldn't get off the block from a wide receiver. Later on, he came free as a blitzer but hesitated, giving quarterback Matt Ryan time to get rid of the ball. Those are the types of plays that Chancellor makes routinely.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins made a fantastic play, reading a play-action bootleg pass from Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins perfectly. Washington had a receiver run across the formation and leak out to the flat. Jenkins broke on it from the far side of the field and undercut the route as the ball arrived, taking it back 64 yards for a touchdown.

But outside of that play, Jenkins was poor. On Jamison Crowder's touchdown catch, Jenkins was forced to work through traffic on Crowder's wheel route from the slot and couldn't keep up. Later, he bit on a head fake from tight end Vernon Davis in the end zone, which made him late as Davis cut across his face and caught a touchdown pass. Washington did come back with a similar play later in the game, which Jenkins learned from and nearly intercepted, but DeSean Jackson alertly broke up the pass.

Dallas' Barry Church backed up a great performance last week with another one this week, grading out as the top strong safety. He was generally quick to break on anything underneath and either contested the throw or landed a big hit to restrict yards after the catch. He forced a fumble from Jordy Nelson after reading his route perfectly and landing a hit just after the ball arrived to knock it loose.

His interception on Aaron Rodgers was excellent. Initially, he worked down to take away a slant route but then sunk back as he saw Rodgers' eyes work to his next read. Rodgers threw to a crossing route, but Church continued to sink and intercepted the pass.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 25)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Strong Safety Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Barry Church	DAL	22	22	16	16	6	82
2	Eric Weddle	BAL	21	21	16	16	6	80
3	Will Parks	DEN	21	22	16	15	6	80
4	Morgan Burnett	GB	21	21	16	16	6	80
5	Reshad Jones	MIA	22	21	16	15	6	80
6	Keanu Neal	ATL	21	20	16	16	6	79
7	John Cyprien	JAX	21	20	16	16	6	79
8	Eric Berry	KC	20	20	16	16	6	78
9	Landon Collins	NYG	21	20	16	15	6	78
10	Duke Ihenacho	WAS	19	21	16	16	6	78
11	Kurt Coleman	CAR	19	21	15	15	6	76
12	Shawn Williams	CIN	19	20	15	15	6	75
13	Rafael Bush	DET	19	19	15	16	6	75
14	Harold Jones-Quartey	CHI	21	19	14	14	6	74
15	Jordan Poyer	CLE	19	19	14	16	6	74
16	T.J. McDonald	LA	19	18	16	15	6	74
17	Malcolm Jenkins	PHI	18	20	15	15	6	74
18	Donte Whitner	WAS	18	19	16	15	6	74
19	Robert Golden	PIT	18	18	16	15	6	73
20	Tony Jefferson	ARI	18	17	15	16	6	72
21	Eddie Pleasant	HOU	18	17	15	16	6	72
22	Daniel Sorensen	KC	17	18	15	16	6	72
23	Calvin Pryor	NYJ	18	18	15	15	6	72
24	Tavon Wilson	DET	18	17	15	15	6	71
25	Karl Joseph	OAK	17	18	15	15	6	71
26	Anthony Levine	BAL	17	16	15	16	6	70
27	Kenny Vaccaro	NO	16	18	14	15	6	69
28	Kelcie McCray	SEA	17	16	15	15	6	69
29	Patrick Chung	NE	16	17	14	15	6	68
30	Daimion Stafford	TEN	16	18	14	14	6	68
31	Micah Hyde	GB	16	15	15	15	6	67
32	Aaron Williams	BUF	15	17	14	14	6	66
33	T.J. Ward	DEN	15	17	13	13	6	64
34	Mike Adams	IND	14	15	14	14	6	63
35	Adrian Phillips	SD	14	16	14	13	6	63
36	Derrick Kindred	CLE	13	14	14	15	6	62
37	Antoine Bethea	SF	14	15	13	14	6	62
38	Da'Norris Searcy	TEN	14	15	13	14	6	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kam Chancellor—inactive
• Quintin Demps—inactive
• Jahleel Addae—inactive

Kickers

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Dustin Hopkins, Justin Tucker, Dan Bailey. Familiar names top the Week 6 kicker rankings, with all three veterans turning in strong performances, though no one dazzled like Adam Vinatieri did one week earlier.

Hopkins bounced back after his worst week of the season, in which he struggled with wind in Baltimore, while Tucker continued a strong campaign following a new contract. Bailey did what Bailey always does: make field goals at a ridiculous clip while also alternating hashes for extra points to make them more challenging for himself. 

Vinatieri makes it into the top 10 again with another perfect day, but he was not challenged with any long-distance attempts this week. Also finding themselves in the top 10 are Buffalo's Dan Carpenter and Cleveland's Cody Parkey, both of whom were able to put together strong weeks despite some inconsistencies over the course of the season thus far.

Seattle's Steven Hauschka and Kansas City's Cairo Santos both missed a field goal and extra point this week, with Santos' kick fading wide right, while Hauschka showed a low trajectory that resulted in a block—something Seahawks fans have seen too often. Hauschka bounced back with a make from 44 yards, but it was likely a frustrating week for the normally accurate kicker.

Stephen Gostkowski also continues to scuffle, missing an extra point in New England's win over Cincinnati. Gostkowski's mechanics seem to be out of sync, with this miss being pulled left, something we have not seen in two years from him. There may be some pre-snap alignment issues as well as a timing issue on his plant step, but Gostkowski is still likely to sort through these issues and figure them out sooner rather than later.

Grading Scale

Pwr: Kick Power (Graded out of 40)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 40)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Kicker Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	35	35	3	3	76
2	Justin Tucker	BAL	34	34	3	3	74
3	Dan Bailey	DAL	32	36	3	3	74
4	Josh Lambo	SD	32	35	3	3	73
5	Phil Dawson	SF	31	35	3	3	72
6	Dan Carpenter	BUF	30	35	3	3	71
7	Cody Parkey	CLE	32	33	3	3	71
8	Josh Brown	NYG	32	33	3	3	71
9	Mason Crosby	GB	31	34	3	3	71
10	Adam Vinatieri	IND	30	35	3	3	71
11	Connor Barth	CHI	31	33	3	3	70
12	Matt Prater	DET	31	32	3	3	69
13	Greg Zuerlein	LA	33	30	3	3	69
14	Caleb Sturgis	PHI	31	32	3	3	69
15	Jason Myers	JAX	32	30	3	3	68
16	Mike Nugent	CIN	31	30	3	3	67
17	Wil Lutz	NO	31	30	3	3	67
18	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	31	30	3	3	67
19	Matt Bryant	ATL	29	31	3	3	66
20	Chris Boswell	PIT	32	27	3	3	65
21	Nick Folk	NYJ	30	28	3	3	64
22	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	32	25	3	3	63
23	Brandon McManus	DEN	30	26	3	3	62
24	Graham Gano	CAR	32	23	3	3	61
25	Ryan Succop	TEN	31	24	3	3	61
26	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	30	24	3	3	60
27	Andrew Franks	MIA	31	20	3	3	57
28	Steven Hauschka	SEA	34	17	3	3	57
29	Nick Novak	HOU	27	23	3	3	56
30	Cairo Santos	KC	27	15	3	3	48

 

Notable Omissions

Roberto Aguayo - Bye

Blair Walsh - Bye

Punters

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

There were no real standouts among NFL punters this week, but the overall level of play was higher than the tumultuous performances we saw in Week 5.

New Orleans' Thomas Morstead and Brad Wing of the Giants tied for the highest rating, with Morstead featuring near-perfect distance and strong ball placement, while Wing displayed stronger hang time and good directional ability as well. Wing has been up and down over the course of this year, and performances like this show he can be a capable NFL punter, but consistency has been an issue for him. Morstead continues to be excellent directionally but has struggled to put together power like this on a regular basis. 

Andy Lee was a bright spot for the Panthers, showing the form that led the team to trade for him in the offseason. Lee's hang time has not been consistent this year, and it is the one piece of his game that has been lacking thus far. Former Panthers punter Brad Nortman also had a strong week, notching perfect scores for distance and hang time, as his massive leg did not show the inconsistency that has plagued him throughout his career.

Just outside the top five is Oakland's Marquette King, who continues to be the most consistent punter of 2016 to this point. Rookie Drew Kaser clocks in just behind him, with a bounce-back game a week after his lone punt went just 16 yards and he dropped the snap on a game-tying field-goal attempt.

Riley Dixon grades out at the lowest-rated punter this week, with the rookie out of Syracuse showing weakness in all aspects of his game. Dixon never displayed NFL-caliber leg strength throughout his college career, and after a couple of above-average performances to start the year, he is regressing to his true talent level. He is likely not as bad as he showed this week, but he is a below-average punter who will find himself in the lower half of the league more often than not.

Matt Bosher's and Bradley Pinion's usually strong legs wound up with below-average grades for hang time and distance this week, as each struggled to put a good foot on the ball consistently. Both are likely to bounce back, as they are far superior to what they displayed in Week 6, but this is proof that even good punters have bad days occasionally. The truly elite are those who are able to stay out of this territory.

Grading Scale

Dist: Kick Distance (Graded out of 20)

Hang: Kick Hang Time (Graded out of 20)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 45)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 5)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Punter Rankings Week 6

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Thomas Morstead	NO	19	15	36	3	3	76
2	Brad Wing	NYG	17	16	37	3	3	76
3	Andy Lee	CAR	19	14	35	4	3	75
4	Pat O'Donnell	CHI	14	15	38	3	3	73
5	Brad Nortman	JAX	20	20	26	3	3	72
6	Marquette King	OAK	19	14	33	3	3	72
7	Drew Kaser	SD	19	17	29	3	3	71
8	Sam Koch	BAL	17	14	34	3	3	71
9	Sam Martin	DET	18	17	30	3	3	71
10	Pat McAfee	IND	16	15	34	3	3	71
11	Tress Way	WAS	19	13	32	3	3	70
12	Dustin Colquitt	KC	13	14	36	3	3	69
13	Brett Kern	TEN	16	12	35	3	3	69
14	Colton Schmidt	BUF	14	16	31	3	3	67
15	Britton Colquitt	CLE	17	15	29	3	3	67
16	Jacob Schum	GB	17	13	29	3	3	65
17	Ryan Quigley	ARI	8	19	32	3	3	65
18	Matt Darr	MIA	13	10	35	3	3	64
19	Ryan Allen	NE	14	14	30	3	3	64
20	Jon Ryan	SEA	13	12	32	3	3	63
21	Donnie Jones	PHI	12	12	32	3	3	62
22	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	9	13	33	3	3	61
23	Kevin Huber	CIN	11	11	32	3	3	60
24	Johnny Hekker	LA	13	13	28	3	3	60
25	Jordan Berry	PIT	9	12	32	3	3	59
26	Chris Jones	DAL	16	9	28	3	3	59
27	Matt Bosher	ATL	9	13	30	3	3	58
28	Shane Lechler	HOU	7	14	25	3	3	52
29	Bradley Pinion	SF	8	13	24	3	3	51
30	Riley Dixon	DEN	9	6	28	3	3	49