Fantasy Football: Aaron Rodgers Leads 13-Member 'Dream Team' of Sunday Stars

The following countdown touts the 13 greatest fantasy stars from the Sunday portion of NFL Week 6.

This week's list includes one opportunistic defense, one electrifying rookie, two potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks (one's a lock), two New York-based rushers and a collection of seven white-hot receivers—all of whom performed well enough to keep Calvin Johnson (six catches, 135 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (six catches, 93 yards, one TD) out of the slideshow.

For what it's worth, there are no kickers or tight ends in today's countdown.

Enjoy the show!

Quarterback: Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Sunday Stats: 395 Yards Passing, 2 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. Tom Brady was a mere five yards away from his fourth career outing of 400 passing yards.

2. Brady's 58 pass attempts against the Seahawks was a career-high. It also marked his seventh game of 50 or more passes.

3. Brady accounted for 395 of the Patriots' 475 total yards on Sunday, or 83 percent of their total offense.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Sunday Stats: 338 Yards Passing, 6 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. It was just another day at the office for Aaron Rodgers, who passed for 338 yards and a career-best six touchdowns.

(The NFL single-game record for passing TDs is seven—Joe Kapp, Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, George Blanda, Y.A. Tittle).

2. Rodgers shredded a highly respectable Texans defense for 42 points. Of equal importance, he helped Green Bay convert all four of its red-zone trips into touchdowns.

3. Prior to Sunday, Rodgers had been somewhat erratic, fantasy-wise, for the first five weeks. But this near-flawless showing was good enough to cement his standing as a top-two quarterback (along with Drew Brees).

Quarterback: Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

Sunday Stats: 320 Total Yards (182 Passing), 3 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. So much for the Vikings holding opposing quarterbacks to pedestrian numbers. On Sunday, Robert Griffin needed only 22 passes (17 completions) and 13 runs to amass 320 total yards and three touchdowns.

2. Griffin's amazing day was highlighted by a scintillating 76-yard touchdown run down the left sideline. The whole play couldn't have taken more than six seconds—from beginning to end.

Running Back: Shonn Greene, New York Jets

Sunday Stats: 161 Rushing Yards, 3 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. Shonn Greene crushed the Colts defense for a career-high 161 rushing yards and three touchdowns (tied personal best from 2011).

2. The accomplishment seemingly came out of nowhere, since Greene only had 123 total yards in the previous four games (Week 2-5).

3. All three of Greene's touchdowns came from 10 or less yards, reaffirming his worth as a productive red-zone rusher.

Running Back: Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants

Sunday Stats: 120 Total Yards (116 Rushing), 1 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. With this big-tme fantasy effort, Ahmad Bradshaw became the first opposing tailback to rush for 100-plus yards at San Fran's Candlestick Park in three years (Chris Johnson was the last back to do so).

2. Ninety-three of Bradshaw's 116 rushing yards came in the second half, fueling the Giants' second-half domination (16-0) of the favored 49ers. New York eventually cruised to a 26-3 victory.

3. In the last two weeks, Bradshaw has racked up 349 total yards (316 rushing) and two touchdowns.

NOTE: While it's true that Bradshaw had fewer fantasy points than Baltimore's Ray Rice (106 total yards, two TD), AB gets extra credit for posting big numbers against the Niners. Plus, Rice gets all the love in Monday's AFC-based Revelations.

Wide Receiver: Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

Sunday Stats: 9 Catches, 121 Yards, 3 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. Jordy Nelson accounted for one-half of Aaron Rodgers' touchdown output (six), catching nine balls for 121 yards and three scores.

2. The game marked the second time in three weeks that Nelson collected 12 receiving targets.

3. Nelson tallied five games of 100 yards receiving (and 15 touchdowns) last season.

But he didn't crack the century mark in receiving until Week 6 in 2011—just like 2012.

Wide Receiver: Wes Welker, New England Patriots

Sunday Stats: 10 Catches, 138 Yards, 1 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. In the last two weeks, Wes Welker boasts 23 catches, 242 yards and two touchdowns. In that span, he also had two outings of double-digit receptions.

2. Welker is the only NFL receiver to collect double-digit targets in five straight games this season.

3. For 2012, he's also the only wideout to notch four consecutive outings of 100-yard games.

Wide Receiver: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

Sunday Stats: 13 Catches, 95 Yards, 2 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. Dez Bryant's monster fantasy day (34.5 points in points-per-reception leagues) would have been scarier if the Cowboys receiver had maintained control of a game-tying two-point conversion late in the game.

2. For the first time in his young career (2010-12), Bryant racked up double-digit targets in back-to-back weekends. In fact, his 15 Sunday targets doubled that of any other Dallas playmaker.

3. In his last two weeks, Bryant boasts 21 catches, 28 targets, 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Bottom line: Bryant may finally be settling into the role of a dominant fantasy asset, week in and week out.

Wide Receiver: Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday Stats: 6 Catches, 130 Yards, 1 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. Jeremy Maclin may have lost the one-on-one yardage battle with Calvin Johnson (six catches, 135 yards vs. Philly), but he finished with more fantasy points in standard-scoring and PPR leagues—thanks to an easy-cheesy 70-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter.

2. Maclin's big day came at a time when fantasy owners were beginning to write off the receiver—due to a seemingly trivial injury. Yes, hip pointers are no fun for athletes whose occupation involves heavy running and countless hits to the body.

But Maclin has a solid track record in fantasy circles, so much that 70 catches, 950 yards and eight touchdowns should serve as a reasonable expectation in 16-game campaigns.

Wide Receiver: A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

Sunday Stats: 7 Catches, 135 Yards, 2 TD

Reasons For This Selection

1. How great has A.J. Green been this season? Neither his seven catches, 11 targets nor 135 yards were personal bests.

2. Green (six TDs) is the only NFL receiver to register a touchdown in five straight games in 2012. He's also on the short list of wideouts to post nine or more targets in all six games.

3. Calvin Johnson may possess the more substantial track record, but Green is redoubtably the most productive receiving asset in fantasy right now.

He's an automatic start every week...and an untouchable commodity within the trade market.

Wide Receiver: Mike Williams/Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Williams Sunday Stats: 4 Catches, 113 Yards, 1 TD

Jackson Sunday Stats: 4 Catches, 66 Yards, 2 TD

Reasons For These Selections

1. Entering Sunday's game, the Buccaneers—not the Chiefs—had the NFL's worst pass defense. But Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson (No. 83 above) flipped that script, carrying Tampa Bay to a 38-10 home rout with combined numbers of eight receptions, 179 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Amazingly, Williams and Jackson were targeted only 14 times on Sunday.

3. In Week 4 (home vs. Washington), Jackson and Williams combined for 10 catches, 215 yards and one touchdown.

Bottom line: When playing at Raymond James Stadium, the Williams-Jackson combo deserves a top-five ranking (among receiving tandems)—in standard-scoring and PPR leagues.

Defense/Special Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday Stats: 10 Points Allowed, 1 Defensive Touchdown

Reasons For This Selection

1. Ronde Barber's 78-yard interception-return TD essentially clinched the Bucs' blowout win over the Chiefs. It was also another feather in Barber's cap, in terms of building a Hall of Fame resume.

2. Tampa Bay produced two Brady Quinn interceptions, while allowing only 180 passing yards for the day. Of equal importance, the Bucs limited Jamaal Charles (47 total yards) and Dwayne Bowe to a pedestrian 68 total yards.

Not bad for one of the NFL's worst defenses, huh?