Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings: Eli Manning and Other Must-Starts This Week

Here are your Week 6 quarterback fantasy power rankings.

26. Blaine Gabbert (at Pit)

If you have Gabbert on your fantasy team and actually think about starting him at any point, you should seriously consider another pastime—like crochet.

You can tell he wants to succeed and that he wants to get better, but with possibly the worst WR corps in the NFL to throw to, he’ll have to wait until Christmas to actually get what he wants.

Besides that, he’s playing Pittsburgh, so come on now.

25. Matt Moore (at NYJ)

Moore has had a few decent games in his career, but this won’t be one of them. The Jets have one of the best pass defenses in the game and have allowed the least amount of fantasy points to opposing QBs this season, so don’t go getting creative by playing Moore this week.

24. Curtis Painter (at Cin)

Mr. Pierre Garcon and his new favorite QB, Curtis Painter, hooked up for another two TDs this past weekend. Is this Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times) look-alike for real?

With these last two well-played games coming against lower-tier defenses, I doubt it, but we’ll know for sure after this weekend.

Cincinnati has been awesome against the pass this year, allowing the third-least amount of fantasy points to opposing QBs, so temper your high hopes for Painter this Sunday. 

23. Jason Campbell (vs. Cle)

If Browns CB Joe Haden (knee) plays this weekend, Campbell won’t do a thing.

However, even if he doesn’t play, the Raiders will likely try and run the ball all day long, with the soft spot in the Cleveland defense being their rush D.

Either way, I hope you’re not seriously considering starting him unless you absolutely have to due to a bye.

22. Alex Smith (at Det)

Alex Smith is finally starting to play like the No. 1 overall draft pick that he was.

Last Sunday, in a game the 49ers ran away with early, Smith was at least efficient, tossing up three TDs and no interceptions while passing the ball only 19 times all game.

His passer rating currently ranks third in the league (104.1), and though he may be at the top of his game right now, Alex is still only playable in leagues where you can start two QBs—and even then, I’d have to think about it with the Niners' banged-up WR corps. 

21. Donovan McNabb (at Chi)

I gave McNasty one last chance against the Cardinals last weekend to show me if he was worth anything in the world of fantasy; and the answer is—he’s not.

Chicago’s pass D has been atrocious this season, but I still can’t see Donovan doing anything against them as Vikings Coach Leslie Frazier looks like he’s finally figured out that he needs to get the ball in Adrian Peterson’s hands 25-plus times a game if he wants to win.

Basically, avoid McNabb at all costs.

20. Mark Sanchez (vs. Mia)

Coach Ryan stayed true to his word and went back to the “ground-and-pound” approach last weekend. It worked pretty well, as the Jets were able to control the clock and at least stick around with the Patriots for most of the game.

Because of this, New York will likely continue this offensive approach for the remainder of the season.

Basically, Mark Sanchez’s run as a top-10 QB for the first part of the season is over. He may be able to toss up a TD or two against this so-so Miami pass D, but you can’t count on it enough to start him on your fantasy team.

19. Josh Freeman (vs. NO)

Freeman is still one of the more vanilla QBs in the league, and I simply can’t trust him to put up fantasy points on a weekly basis.

In his four career games against the Saints, Big Josh has averaged just 218 yards and one touchdown a game while, more importantly, putting up only 14 fantasy points per game.

Opponents seem to have figured out how their lame-duck offense works, as the Bucs have averaged the third-least amount of points per game this year (17.4, just ahead of the Chiefs and Jaguars), so my suggestion would be to stay away from Freeman until they make a few changes to their scheme.

18. Andy Dalton (vs. Ind)

Dalton continues to look pretty good for a rookie QB, but he still won’t be a fantasy starter at any point this season.

Indy can be passed on for sure, but they can be run on even easier, so I expect Andy to dish a whole bucket-load of hand-offs to Benson this weekend.

With A.J. Green on the field, there’s always a chance for a TD or two, especially in the red zone, but you can’t expect too much from Dalton in this one unless the Bengals get behind at any point.

17. Colt McCoy (at Oak)

The Browns let McCoy throw 61 passes against the Titans back in Week 4, of which he completed 40 of them for 350 yards and a TD.

Those are some pretty ridiculous numbers, people, and not likely to be seen again.

However, playing against a terrible Oakland pass D should get Colt throwing the ball once again, and with the Browns promoting rookie playmaker Greg Little into the starting lineup, I like McCoy’s chances of putting up a season-high in fantasy points this Sunday.

16. Matt Schaub (at Bal)

Schaub showed how talented he is last weekend, tossing up more than 400 yards and two TDs despite missing one of the best wide receivers in the game, Andre Johnson.

However, he won’t be able to overcome his loss against a defense like the Ravens.

With Arian Foster back and playing well, the Texans will try to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible, so I’m not expecting too much out of Matty in Week 6.

If you have another option, this might be a good weekend to use it.

15. Sam Bradford (at GB)

During the Rams' bye last week, it was determined that slot-receiver Danny Amendola would need season-ending surgery on his triceps, news which undoubtedly served as a huge fantasy blow for Bradford.

However, Sammy is still one of the more talented young QBs in the league and could start to put up some worthwhile fantasy numbers as soon as this weekend.

The Packers secondary has been awful since safety Nick Collins went down a few weeks back, so Bradford will certainly have a chance to right the ship for both the Rams and his fantasy owners coming back from a week off.

14. Rex Grossman (vs. Phi)

Grossman put up one of his all-too-common stinkers two weeks ago in a win over the Rams, but in general, he’s been pretty good this season.

The question, as always, is which QB will show up to play in this inter-division rivalry game on Sunday?

With so much mediocre talent surrounding him, I can’t believe there are many great fantasy performances left in him, but you really never know from week to week.

For as bad as the Eagles defense has been this season, their pass D is still an intimidating bunch that can rattle a quarterback’s confidence on any given play, something that doesn’t bode well for a guy like Grossman.

I expect both some good and some bad from the Redskins QB on Sunday, with his fantasy numbers ending up somewhere in the middle.

13. Jay Cutler (vs. Min)

In his four games against the Vikings as a Chicago Bear, Cutler has tossed up a whopping 11 touchdowns while averaging 213 yards per game.

At home against them, he’s averaged 255 yards and 3.5 TDs a game.

Now you can bet your ass the Vikings will be doing everything they possibly can to get in Cutler’s grill, which they will be able to do, but Jay should have a decent game regardless.

If your other QB is on a bye, Cutler could be a nice fill-in for the week.

12. Joe Flacco (vs. Hou)

After the crap sandwich Flacco put up in Week 4, he certainly needed that time off last weekend to get his act together. Granted, the Jets pass D can make any QB look bad, but going 10-of-31 in any game at this level is inexcusable.

The Ravens will have Lee Evans back against the Texans on Sunday, so Joe will at least have a full complement of receivers to throw to. In addition, Houston will be without DE Mario Williams, so I’m tentatively expecting a nice return to the field for Count Chuckula this week.

11. Matt Ryan (vs. Car)

Ryan should have been able to carve up that decimated Green Bay pass D last Sunday night, but instead it looked like the pressure may have gotten to the one normally known as Matty Ice.

The Falcons need a win in a serious way this weekend and will do anything they can to get it against the inter-division Carolina Panthers.

I believe that means Michael Turner gets close to 30 carries, but once he wears down the defense, Ryan, Roddy White and Tony G should be able to scrape out a couple of TDs.

In his last four games against Carolina, Matt has averaged 227 yards and almost two TDs—numbers he should at least match this Sunday, even with Julio Jones out for the game.

10. Ben Roethlisberger (vs. Jax)

Roethlisberger may still be a bit hobbled, but it’s not like he hasn’t played with injuries before, and after last weekend’s five-TD performance against the Titans, it doesn’t look like it matters much either way.

Jacksonville has played surprisingly well on D this year, holding both Drew Brees and Cam Newton to their smallest fantasy outputs of the season. Do they do the same to Big Ben?

Maybe, but I don’t think so, as the Steelers will need to pass the ball in this one with their backfield all beat up and the Jags actually playing well against the run.

9. Ryan Fitzpatrick (at NYG)

Fitzpatrick has slowed down since his hot start to the fantasy season, throwing for under 200 yards each of the past two weeks with just one touchdown total in the two games.

Like I said last week, I’m back in the un-sold department on Ivy League Ryan but can’t take him out of the top 10 this weekend against the Giants.

Seeing Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst rip New York’s pass D apart for a combined 315 yards and two TDs last Sunday leads me to believe Fitz can do the same.

With Ryan being a much better fantasy QB on the road the last couple of seasons and this game possibly turning into a shootout, I’m even more convinced he’ll have himself a nice fantasy game.

8. Eli Manning (vs. Buf)

If Brandon Jacobs can’t play again this Sunday, the Giants will turn to Eli’s arm for a victory once again.

Victor Cruz is an absolute freak show out there on the field, so much so that you can almost smell the harmony he and Eli are putting together week by week.

With Nicks being Nicks, Cruz playing out of his mind and Mario Manningham as a third option, Eli would have to completely crumble mentally for him not to have a nice fantasy week against this sub-par Buffalo pass D.

7. Tony Romo (at NE)

Romo and the rest of the Cowboys are coming off a much-needed bye week to face one of the best teams in the league, the New England Patriots. Could Romo fantasy owners ask for anything more?

First, Tony will finally have a healthy Miles Austin and Dez Bryant to throw to along with Jason Witten, so the needle points up with that.

Second, he’ll be facing a Patriots pass D that has given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season.

This game has a fantasy free-for-all feel to it, so get Romo in there at all costs.

6. Matthew Stafford (vs. SF)

Give Stafford a little bit of time in the pocket and he’s absolutely lethal. Don’t give him any time and he’ll just toss it up to Calvin Johnson, an option that makes him even more lethal.

Detroit has so many weapons for Staff to throw to that defenses can barely afford to double-cover Megatron, not that it would matter if they did.

Jahvid Best won’t be able to run against this 49ers rush D, but with a soft pass D behind them, the Lions will have no problem relying heavily on Stafford’s arm once again.

5. Cam Newton (at Atl)

I underestimated Newton’s abilities early in the season but have since learned my lesson. There’s not much this kid can’t do, and I don’t see his onslaught of weekly fantasy points stopping anytime soon.

The Falcons have allowed over 22 fantasy points a game to opposing QBs this season, with the only sub-20 output being a 16.7 effort by Josh Freeman.

Meanwhile, Cam has managed to put up three combined rushing and passing touchdowns in three of the Panthers' first five games and has thrown for at least one every week thus far.

Against this porous pass D, I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t have at least two or three TDs by the end of this one and close to 300 total yards.

4. Drew Brees (at TB)

Not only has Brees thrown for more touchdowns against the Buccaneers (22) than any other team in the NFL, but he’s also thrown for three TDs each of the last two times the Saints have visited Tampa Bay.

With New Orleans leading the league in passing attempts this season and the Bucs ranking near the bottom in every pass D category, it’s hard to see Drew not coming up with a super-nice fantasy stat-line this weekend.

Bet on a big one from Cool Brees.

3. Michael Vick (at Was)

It’s getting a little dicey over there in Philly with the Eagles talking Super Bowl going into the season, then putting up a 1-4 record to start it all off.

But who gets the blame? Is it the defense? Andy Reid? Karma?

All those factors have played a part in it, but if Michael Vick was playing the way he was last season, this team could easily be 4-1, or possibly even undefeated. I guarantee you the Eagles QB goes to sleep every night thinking this exact same thing.

Knowing his competitive spirit, I’m betting on a fantasy explosion starting this weekend in Washington.

Last year, Vick had his best game of the season and maybe the best fantasy game of all time in Washington, throwing for 333 yards and four TDs while rushing for 80 yards and another two scores. He won’t repeat those numbers, but it won’t be for lack of trying, and he’ll still have a nice game anyway.

2. Tom Brady (vs. Dal)

Despite his somewhat lackluster last couple of weekends, Brady can put up fantasy numbers with the best of them—and he’ll do it again this weekend against the Cowboys.

Both of these teams can score in a hurry, so I’m expecting this game to turn into a high-scoring affair super-duper quick.

The Patriots won’t be able to run very well against this Dallas rush D, so look for Belichick to unleash the Stetson Man starting in the first series of the game and give him the reins to do whatever he wants the rest of the way.

1. Aaron Rodgers (vs. StL)

The Packers all-world QB has put it on auto-drive at this point, as it really doesn’t seem to matter who he faces—Aaron “it out” simply gets it done.

Rodgers currently owns the highest career passer rating in the history of the league (100.9—the only one over 100) and is hooking up with pretty much every wide receiver on the team at will.

As shown by rookie WR Torrey Smith a couple of weeks ago, speed kills when it comes to the St. Louis D, something the Packers WR corps has plenty of.

The last time Rodgers met up with the Rams he threw for 269 yards, two TDs and ran another one in for good measure. I expect even better than that this time around.

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