The B/R Guide to Dominating Fantasy Football in Week 6
At the five-week mark of the fantasy football season, fantasy managers are separated into three camps.
The first camp is filled with joy and love and sunshine and puppies. They have rejoiced on Jalen Hurts scrambles. Celebrated Cooper Kupp catches. Happily danced while Austin Ekleler danced through tacklers. They are 4-1 or 5-0, and all is right with the world.
The second camp is filled with doom and gloom and liver and onions. They have glowered when Russell Wilson threw the ball to no one. Muttered while D.J. Moore spent a month on a milk carton. Cursed when Najee Harris was tackled after no gain. They are 1-4 or 0-5, and they hate everything about everything.
Then there's a much larger third camp that combines facets of the first two. Some players have exceeded expectations. Others have failed to meet them. They are 3-2 or 2-3, and the only thing certain at this point is that nothing is certain.
No matter which camp you find yourself in, it's important to remember that there is still a lot of football to be played. There is time to get back on track or for things to fall apart. And the first step toward accomplishing the former and avoiding the latter is getting a win this week.
The B/R Guide to Dominating Fantasy Football in Week 6 is here to help you do just that.
Shall we begin?
Week 6 Smash Starts
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Things are getting that much trickier in fantasy football leagues.
It's bad enough that managers with underperforming teams already have their backs against the wall, but now the bye weeks are here. With the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans all off in Week 6, the pool of available players is that much thinner.
All we can do is make the best of the hand we're dealt, and this week, the following players are worth pushing all your chips into the middle of the table for.
Quarterback
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at PIT) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300]
Now that his receiving corps is healthy, Brady has rebounded from a slow start. He's a respectable seventh in fantasy points among quarterbacks over the last three weeks. His increase in production should continue Sunday against a Steelers defense that was just roasted by Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 5.
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (at MIA) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,000]
In most respects, Cousins has been just what we thought he'd be in 2022—a low-end fantasy QB1. The 34-year-old should be a solid fantasy option Sunday on the road against a Dolphins unit that is 28th in pass defense and third in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this year.
Running Back
Melvin Gordon III, Denver Broncos (at LAC) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400]
Gordon's fumbling issues are well-documented, but with Javonte Williams done for the year, Gordon received 18 total touches and registered 103 total yards last week. No team in the NFL has allowed more fantasy points to running backs so far this season than the Chargers.
Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers, (at ATL) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200]
Wilson is coming off a strong showing, recording 132 total yards with a touchdown on just 18 touches last week against the Carolina Panthers. Another 100-yard effort is well within the realm of possibility Sunday against a mediocre Falcons run defense.
Wide Receiver
Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills (at KC) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,500]
This isn't just a matter of a Kansas City defense that has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2022. It's also a matter of the fact that Davis caught eight passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns the last time the Bills played the Chiefs in Arrowhead.
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at PIT) [DraftKings DFS Value: $7,000]
Have I mentioned that Pittsburgh's 30th-ranked pass defense is awful? No team in the league is surrendering more fantasy points to wide receivers this season, so both Evans and Chris Godwin are must-starts for fantasy managers in Week 6.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals (at SEA) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900]
In a season where so many tight ends have disappointed fantasy managers, Ertz has done the opposite, posting double-digit fantasy points in all five games this season. The good times will continue this week against a Seahawks defense allowing the most PPR points to tight ends.
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (at ATL) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,100]
Kittle hasn't exactly met expectations so far in 2022. He missed the first two games of the season and ranks 22nd in points-per-reception points per game among tight ends. He should get it going this week against an Atlanta defense that has given up the fourth most fantasy points to tight ends this season.
Week 6 Must-Fades
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Fantasy managers who used a first-round pick on Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris need a hug.
Last week against the Buffalo Bills, Harris carried the ball 11 times for 20 yards. It marked the second time that he has failed to average 2.5 yards per carry. Harris is averaging a dismal 3.2 yards per carry, he's recorded 20 touches in a game just once this season and ranks 27th in PPR points among running backs.
It's not all Harris' fault—the Steelers' entire offense has been abysmal in 2022. But with a lousy matchup on tap with a Buccaneers team allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs this year, Harris is all but certain to disappoint again in Week 6.
As could these players.
Quarterback
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. DEN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $7,000]
Herbert has yet to experience the breakout that so many expected in 2022 and said breakout isn't likely to come in Week 6. For all the problems the Broncos have this season, the defense isn't one of them. Denver leads the league in pass defense and has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (at Los Angeles Chargers) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300]
Wilson's first month-plus with the Broncos hasn't gone according to plan. He's thrown multiple touchdown passes once in five games and failed to throw a scoring strike in two games. Until the Denver offense shows some semblance of a pulse, Wilson is, at best, a low-ceiling, low-end QB1.
Running Back
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. BUF) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300]
It may be that Edwards-Helaire's nine-carry, 15-yard dud last week was just a temporary setback, but it could also signify that a player who had overperformed early is coming back to Earth. In any event, the Bills are a lousy matchup for running backs, and this feels like a "run game optional" kind of contest.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (vs. CIN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,700]
It might seem old to recommend a player who just flirted with 200 total yards last week as a potential fade. But that was Kamara's first good stat line of the season, and it came against one of the worst defenses in the league. No team in the AFC has allowed fewer PPR points to running backs this season than the Bengals.
Wide Receivers
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars (at IND) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800]
Kirk started the 2022 season red-hot, including a 6/78/2 stat line against the Colts back in Week 2. However, the entire Jacksonville offense has sputtered of late, Trevor Lawrence has been awful the past two games and the Colts are dead last in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers this year.
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins (vs. MIN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200]
After a fantastic start to the season, the Miami offense has been blasted by injuries. Tua Tagovailoa is still battling concussion symptoms, and rookie Skylar Thompson is expected to start at quarterback against the Vikings. With Thomson under center last week against the Jets, Waddle had just three catches for 23 yards.
Tight End
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (at GB) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,400]
Conklin's run of fantasy relevance was fun while it lasted. Over the first three weeks of the season, the fifth-year veteran caught 18 passes and was the TE3. But since Zach Wilson returned at quarterback, Conklin's production has cratered, including a goose egg on just one target last week against the Dolphins.
Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals (at NO) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,300]
Hurst has been on a nice little rip of late, with nine catches for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the last two weeks. That run won't be easy to continue Sunday in New Orleans against a Saints defense that has surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2022.
Week 6 Mastering the Matchups
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As was already mentioned, Week 6 brings with it the first of the bye weeks. Fantasy managers will be without the services of Raiders wideout Davante Adam, Texans running back Dameon Pierce, Titans running back Derrick Henry and Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson.
Between the absences caused by the bye weeks and the ever-growing list of banged-up fantasy-relevant players, more than a few teams have holes in the starting lineup.
These players probably won't single-handedly win a matchup for you, but they will plug those holes well enough to keep teams in the mix.
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (at ATL) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500]
Garoppolo was quietly efficient last week against the Panthers, throwing for 253 yards and two scores. This week could bring another good stat line. Through five weeks, the Falcons have fielded the fourth-worst pass defense in the league, allowing 278.2 yards per game.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,700]
Frankly, at this point in the season, Smith is closer to being an every-week starter than a matchup play. He leads the league in completion percentage and passer rating, has nine touchdown passes against two interceptions and has more fantasy points than Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Tom Brady.
Running Back
Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams (vs. CAR) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,100]
Cam Akers was originally listed here, but with Akers now surprisingly out Sunday and Henderson staring at a featured back's role in a plus matchup, he has suddenly rocketed to the top of the Week 6 matchup play list.
Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders (at CHI) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900]
Robinson only had 22 rushing yards last week on nine carries in his NFL debut. But those nine carries led the Commanders, and now that the former Alabama standout has a game under his belt, he should see an uptick in workload Thursday night in a plus matchup with the Bears.
Wide Receiver
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (at NO) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,100]
With Tee Higgins (ankle) nicked up and Ja'Marr Chase likely looking at shadow coverage from Saints quarterback Marshon Lattimore, Sunday's trip to face a Saints defense allowing the 10th-most PPR points to wide receivers could be the recipe for Boyd's best week of the season.
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers (at LAR) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,100}
Fantasy managers desperate to get something out of Moore are hopeful that P.J. Walker's insertion at quarterback will help get him going. That's far from certain, but Moore does draw a Rams team in Week 6 that leads the NFC in fantasy points allowed to receivers.
Tight End
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,100]
Given how much the Seahawks spread out their tight end targets, trusting Dissly is admittedly a risky bet. But the Cardinals have had all kinds of problems covering tight ends in 2022, allowing the second-most PPR points in the league.
Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings (at MIA) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,200]
Smith has been mostly quiet this season. He's posted just one double-digit PPR effort so far this season, but there's at least a puncher's chance that No. 2 comes Sunday in Miami. The Dolphins have surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2022.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Week 6 Fantasy Stock Market
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With the bye weeks now upon us (Have I mentioned that? It feels like I did), so is the heart of fantasy trade season. In many leagues, the waiver wire is already pretty picked over. If you want to add a player to fill a short-term need or to improve your long-term prospects, then swinging a trade is probably your best bet.
We're also far enough into the season that some teams are already in full-blown apoplexy over a slow start. If you can help a desperate team fill an immediate need, you can often get a great value on a player who can help your team down the road.
Just do yourself and your leaguemates a favor. Don't send a ridiculous first offer in an effort to "start negotiations." You don't have to make your best offer your first one, but sending a lowball that essentially insults the intelligence of a prospective trade partner is a good way to kill those negotiations before they even begin.
BUY LOW
Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos
Yes, Wilson and the Denver offense have been bad. Putrid, even. And yes, I just advised fading Wilson until he and the Broncos show signs of life. But the Broncos have the weapons to turn things around, and I don't buy that Wilson is suddenly washed. Many of the teams who drafted Wilson probably can't wait for a rebound, so you should be able to acquire him on the cheap.
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Have I given you vertigo yet? Harris is another player who has no business being in starting lineups right now. And he's not likely to ever be the RB1 he was drafted to be in 2022. But Pittsburgh has a favorable late-season schedule after this admittedly brutal stretch, and given how lousy he's been to this point in the season, his value is at its nadir. It's a speculative add—but those are the kind of trades that can win leagues.
Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase isn't going to come as cheaply as Harris or Wilson, despite his sluggish start to the season (WR29 since Week 2). But if you can find a team with Chase that's reeling and has a hole at another position, you might be able to package a WR2 and a running back or quarterback and get a wideout with top-five upside in return.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
There's quite a bit of hand-wringing about Kittle. He's TE32 on the season and has yet to be targeted more than six times in a game. But this is still George Kittle we're talking about—his history of production and rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo will win out at some point. I trust Kittle more than the Tyler Higbees and Gerald Everetts of the world in the long run. You should too.
SELL HIGH
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Smith has been quite possibly the most surprising player in all of fantasy football in 2022. Five weeks in, he's seventh in fantasy points among quarterbacks. Maybe Smith can keep his revelatory season. However, if you have another reliable quarterback rostered, now's the time to shop Smith to one of the many managers whose signal-caller has underperformed in 2022 before Smith remembers that he's, you know, Geno Smith.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Frankly, the ideal window to sell Edwards-Helaire may have closed after his dud against the Raiders in Week 5. But there are just enough RB-needy fantasy managers out there that you may be able to get a decent return for Edwards-Helaire. If you can, pull the trigger and don't hesitate. Last week's clunker was a harbinger, not a fluke. Edwards-Helaire's touchdown production wasn't sustainable, and without it, he just doesn't get enough touches to be more than a low-end RB2 or "Flex" option.
Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
After hauling in 10 passes for 134 yards last week against Cleveland, Williams is now fantasy's ninth-ranked wideout for the year. His value is also as high as it's ever going to get. Williams has been targeted a whopping 40 times over the last four games, but that came with Keenan Allen on the shelf. Once Allen is back, that target share will drop. With Allen out there in Week 1, Williams had season-lows in targets, yardage and PPR fantasy points.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee has been on fire as of late, recording double-digit fantasy points in four of five games this season and 24 targets over the past two weeks. But that hot streak is born of the miserable state of the passing "attack" in Los Angeles. If you believe that the Rams will get their offensive struggles figured out, then now is the time to shop the 29-year-old. Because if the Rams start pushing the ball more down the field, it's bye-bye dump-offs to Higbee in the flat.
Week 6 Reading the Defense
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It has been something of a weird year where defenses are concerned because it hasn't been a weird year where defenses are concerned.
Team defenses are notoriously unpredictable. Each and every year, teams come from nowhere to have big seasons, while highly drafted units fall flat. But while there have been some surprises (such as a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that is seventh in fantasy points), it has mostly been chalk.
Of the top five defenses, four (the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) were among the first eight drafted on average.
However, there's still a lot of football to be played, and matchups remain a key component of evaluating defenses.
With that in mind, here are some of the best matchup plays in Week 6 and a few defenses to consider giving the week off.
Strong D/ST Plays
Los Angeles Rams (vs. Carolina Panthers) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,100]
The Rams have been every bit the disappointment on defense that they have been on offense this year. Los Angeles had an ADP of DST5 but ranks 17th in fantasy points. If there was a rebound week for the Rams, this is it. The Panthers are breaking in a new coach, starting a third-string quarterback and have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to defenses in 2022.
Jacksonville Jaguars (at Indianapolis Colts) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,000]
We have seen this movie before. Back in Week 2, the Jaguars sacked Matt Ryan five times, intercepted him three times and held the Colts without a point. The Colts have surrendered a league-high 21 sacks, pace the AFC in giveaways with 11 and are surrendering more fantasy points to team defenses than any team in the AFC.
Carolina Panthers (at Los Angeles Rams) [DraftKings DFS Value: $2,400]
There's no denying that the Panthers are a bad football team, but Carolina has actually managed at least mediocre fantasy production defensively—the team ranks 16th in fantasy points after five weeks. This recommendation has less to do with the Panthers than the Rams, anyway. The defending Super Bowl champions lead the league in fantasy points given up to defenses.
Weak D/ST Plays
Buffalo Bills (at Kansas City Chiefs) [DraftKings DFS Value: $2,700]
No one is going to argue that the Bills are an excellent defensive football team. Buffalo ranks first in the AFC in total defense, run defense and scoring defense, and is fourth in the NFL in pass defense. But Sunday, the Bills will be at Arrowhead for the latest meeting with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and when these teams get together, shootouts tend to ensue.
Dallas Cowboys (at Philadelphia Eagles) [DraftKings DFS Value: $2,700]
The Cowboys have been playing lights-out defensively. Dallas ranks seventh in the league in both pass defense and total defense, third in scoring defense, second in sacks and fourth in fantasy points. But as well as the Cowboys have played defensively, the Eagles have been equally impressive on offense, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to defenses.
Denver Broncos (at Los Angeles Chargers) [DraftKings DFS Value: $2,500]
The Broncos are third in total defense, lead the league in pass defense, rank fourth in points allowed and have tallied the fourth-most sacks and eighth-most fantasy points among defenses. But injuries are mounting in Denver, and Sunday, the Broncos will head west to take on a Chargers team giving up the third-fewest fantasy points to defenses this season.
Week 6 Fantasy Mailbag
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Every week during the 2022 season, I'll be pulling a handful of fantasy football questions from the Bleacher Report app and answering them here. Hopefully, those answers will aid not only the managers making the query but others as well.
Have a question you want to have answered? Head on over to the fantasy football section of the app and make with the asking.
Should I play Lamar Jackson or Geno Smith? -- @wheelchairpilot
Geno Smith has been excellent this season. A compelling argument can be made for starting him over Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. But not Lamar Jackson. Jackson's ability to pick up yardage with his legs makes him the most matchup-proof quarterback in the league. If he can't get it through the air, he will on the ground. Jackson all day.
I have no TE this week. Darren Waller on bye. Who to pick up? Robert Tonyan, Will Dissly, Cameron Brate, or Daniel Bellinger? Struggling. -- @zack68
This comes down to either Tonyan or Dissly. I don't trust the Giants passing game, and the healthier the Buccaneers get at wideout, the lower Brate falls down the pecking order in target share. Tonyan has nine-plus PPR points in two of the last three games, but he also only has six catches for 45 yards in the past two weeks. That leaves Dissly, who, as I already mentioned, draws a great fantasy matchup with the Cardinals.
Do I play Kenneth Walker or JK Dobbins? @t8ames
With each passing week, Dobbins looks more and more like his 2020 self. He was mentioned in this very column last week as a good "buy low" candidate. However, Dobbins has just one game this season with 10 carries, while Walker received eight in just part of the game last week. With Rashaad Penny out for the year, Walker is Seattle's unquestioned lead back with the workload to match. He gets the nod here.
Pick two of three receivers to start with Deebo Samuel—Diontae Johnson, Jerry Jeudy, Allen Lazard -- @YellowYeti
In a sign that nothing matters anymore, Lazard is probably the safest bet of the trio. He has at least 13.5 PPR points in each of the last three games and eight targets in each of the last two. Jeudy and Johnson both have disappointed this season and have questions at quarterback. Of the two, Johnson is the better play. He has double-digit targets in four of five games, and as he and Kenny Pickett become more acclimated, Johnson's catch percentage should increase.
Would you trade Rhamondre Stevenson and Christian Kirk for Dameon Pierce and Garrett Wilson? -- @Sammy61
The problem with questions like this is that it can be hard to tell which side is getting which players. With that said, the Stevenson/Kirk side wins in the short term. Kirk is an upgrade over Wilson, and Stevenson is an RB1 so long as Damien Harris is out. However, if you can take the hit at WR, Pierce has more long-term upside than Stevenson—the rookie doesn't have to worry about sharing carries with another capable back down the road.
THE Fantasy Boom of Week 6
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No one player can make or break an entire season. Even cataclysmic injuries to top-five picks can sometimes be overcome with some waiver wire magic and/or a trade or two.
Cue the solemn nods from fantasy managers who invested in Alvin Kamara of the Saints and Brandin Cooks of the Texans.
However, one player can make or break a week. Get a huge game from the right guy, and a team can cruise. Have a starter lay an egg, though, and it can be game over.
With that in mind, we're going to conclude each edition of the B/R Guide to Dominating Fantasy Football with one player who will define the week to come, for better or worse. The Boom (or Bust) of the Week.
The past three weeks for me with these calls have been, um, rough. I was wrong. Then I was really wrong. Then I was wrong on a level that gave me a week-long migraine.
However, this week, it's redemption time with a running back who won't just finish as an RB1.
He'll finish as the RB1.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (at CLE) [DraftKings DFS Value $6,000]
Once Damien Harris went down with an injured hamstring last week, Stevenson had the Patriots backfield all to himself. The second-year pro responded in a big way, piling up 161 yards on 25 carries and drawing praise from head coach Bill Belichick.
"You have to give him a ton of credit. With Damien out, we only carried two backs for the game, and he put it all on his shoulders," Belichick told reporters.
"He does a great job with the ball in his hands. He is a strong runner, but he can make people miss. He is a really good football player. Really a good football player. So glad we have him. Had a couple of blitz pickup plays right up the middle where he stepped up there. He is a good all-around back. Love him. Love him."
This week, Stevenson and the Pats travel to face a Browns run "defense" that has allowed each of their last two opponents to eclipse 200 yards on the ground.
Given that New England will absolutely lean hard on a ground game, the Browns have shown no ability to stop, and that Stevenson will once again be a bellcow, if he doesn't go ballistic Sunday, it's time for me to take up bowling.
Looking for fantasy rankings? Check out Gary's Week 6 Big Board!
Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter at @IDPSharks.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
