Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

After another wild week in the NFL, fantasy football owners who are gluttons for punishment are back again for the position-by-position Week 6 rankings.

Whether you dominated your opponents or were blown out in spectacular fashion this week, it’s imperative to break down the rankings and find the best player to start moving forward.

With New Orleans and Kansas City on bye and injuries piling up, finding backups for top stars like Drew Brees, Jamaal Charles and Jimmy Graham is a top priority.

Here is a position-by-position fantasy breakdown heading into Week 6.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projections
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	30 Points
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	24 Points
3	Andrew Luck, IND	24 Points
4	Philip Rivers, SD	22 Points
5	Matthew Stafford, DET	20 Points
6	Colin Kaepernick, SF	18 Points
7	Matt Ryan, ATL	18 Points
8	Cam Newton, CAR	16 Points
9	Nick Foles, PHI	16 Points
10	Tom Brady, NE	16 Points
11	Jay Cutler, CHI	14 Points
12	Tony Romo, DAL	14 Points
13	Eli Manning, NYG	14 Points
14	Mike Glennon, TB	12 Points
15	Brian Hoyer, CLE	12 Points

Many football experts wrote off New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as over the hill after several lackluster performances in a row to start the season, but the veteran bounced back in Week 5 and racked up 292 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 110.7 passer rating.

Brady spoke to WEEI in Boston, via Lee Schechter of ESPNBoston.com, about his influence on the offense and the report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen that there is tension between the quarterback and the coaching staff:

"

I've always had input and there's not one play that's ever been called in the game that I've said, ‘Look I don't want to run that play or that's not the way it works.’ I've always had input on what we do. I think that's what has been so great for me being here is I've always had the opportunity to say how I feel and what I think. Those are very personal discussions that I have with my coaches and they have so much respect for me and I have so much respect for them. I certainly don't feel that way. I would never say that.

"

Recent reports and Brady’s lackluster play had many fantasy owners scared that riding with the Patriots starter would be their downfall. With a stellar performance against a tough Cincinnati defense, Brady and the New England offense will look to carry the momentum into the Week 6 meeting with the Buffalo Bills.

Brady struggled against Buffalo last season, throwing for just 410 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in two games, but the confidence the entire offensive unit built Sunday night should help catapult Brady and the Patriots to a big statistical performance.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projection
1	DeMarco Murray, DAL	22 Points
2	Matt Forte, CHI	20 Points
3	LeSean McCoy, PHI	20 Points
4	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	18 Points
5	Arian Foster, HOU	18 Points
6	Andre Ellington, ARI	16 Points
7	Eddie Lacy, GB	16 Points
8	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	15 Points
9	Frank Gore, SF	15 Points
10	Doug Martin, TB	14 Points
11	Alfred Morris, WAS	14 Points
12	Giovani Bernard, CIN	13 Points
13	Stevan Ridley, NE	13 Points
14	Ben Tate, CLE	12 Points
15	Andre Williams, NYG	11 Points
16	Matt Asiata, MIN	11 Points
17	Ahmad Bradshaw, IND	10 Points
18	Justin Forsett, BAL	10 Points
19	Ronnie Hillman, DEN	9 Points
20	Shane Vereen, NE	9 Points
21	C.J. Spiller, BUF	9 Points
22	Donald Brown, SD	8 Points
23	Trent Richardson, IND	8 Points
24	Reggie Bush, DET	8 Points
25	Bernard Pierce, BAL	7 Points

One of the biggest winners of Week 5 was Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte and his huge performance against the Carolina Panthers. While his fumble late in the game ended up contributing to the loss, his 166 all-purpose yards and touchdown made him a fantasy star.

While Forte is not finding as much success on the ground (61 yards on 17 carries Sunday), he is a reception machine, catching 12 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. If you’re in a PPR league, Jennifer Millman of RotoExperts.com has an outstanding stat:

Against an Atlanta defense that has struggled against the run (allowing 147.6 yards per game), Forte should be expected to eclipse 80 rushing yards on 20 carries, five receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown.

Forte may be coming off a huge fantasy performance, but Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy continues to struggle. McCoy has yet to hit 100 yards rushing this season and has just one touchdown all season.

With a favorable matchup against the New York Giants and the extra spark involved with divisional matchups, McCoy is ready for his breakout moment of the season. If you own McCoy, do not sell low. Instead, start him this week with confidence.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	22 Points
2	Julio Jones, ATL	20 Points
3	Dez Bryant, DAL	20 Points
4	Antonio Brown, PIT	18 Points
5	Jordy Nelson, GB	18 Points
6	A.J. Green, CIN	18 Points
7	Reggie Wayne, IND	17 Points
8	Brandon Marshall, CHI	17 Points
9	Jeremy Maclin, PHI	17 Points
10	Keenan Allen, SD	16 Points
11	Steve Smith, BAL	16 Points
12	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	15 Points
13	Victor Cruz, NYG	15 Points
14	Percy Harvin, SEA	15 Points
15	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	14 Points
16	Randall Cobb, GB	14 Points
17	Andre Johnson, HOU	14 Points
18	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	12 Points
19	Julian Edelman, NE	12 Points
20	Brian Quick, StL	12 Points
21	Kendall Wright, TEN	10 Points
22	Wes Welker, DEN	10 Points
23	Vincent Jackson, TB	10 Points
24	Golden Tate, DET	8 Points
25	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	8 Points
26	Sammy Watkins, BUF	8 Points
27	Eric Decker, NYJ	6 Points
28	Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN	6 Points
29	Roddy White, ATL	6 Points
30	T.Y. Hilton, IND	5 Points
31	Pierre Garcon, WAS	5 Points
32	Michael Crabtree, SF	5 Points
33	Michael Floyd, ARI	5 Points
34	Torrey Smith, BAL	5 Points
35	Odell Beckham, NYG	5 Points

The biggest stud of Week 5 was Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. He racked up eight receptions on 16 targets for 226 receiving yards and two touchdowns Sunday against Arizona, but he could’ve had more if it wasn’t for negated plays.

With a matchup against a New York Jets defense that allowed 288 yards and three touchdowns to Philip Rivers and the Chargers, Thomas is poised to follow up his breakout performance of 2014 with another huge statistical day.

Despite his outstanding performance, Thomas stayed grounded on Twitter:

Another player who will be a viable fantasy option in Week 6 is New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. Owners are down on Cruz after amassing only three receptions for 22 yards, but a favorable matchup against Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football makes this an ideal play.

Cruz racked up back-to-back games of 100 yards receiving against Houston and Washington, and with the Eagles ranked 29th in the NFL by allowing 274.2 yards passing per game, quarterback Eli Manning and Cruz should have big numbers in what could easily be an offensive shootout.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	18 Points
2	Julius Thomas, DEN	18 Points
3	Antonio Gates, SD	14 Points
4	Greg Olsen, CAR	14 Points
5	Martellus Bennett, CHI	14 Points
6	Delanie Walker, TEN	12 Points
7	Owen Daniels, BAL	12 Points
8	Dwayne Allen, IND	12 Points
9	Jason Witten, DAL	10 Points
10	Larry Donnell, NYG	10 Points
11	Zach Ertz, PHI	8 Points
12	Heath Miller, PIT	8 Points

One of the biggest names at the tight end position is New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski, and he earned that top billing this week when he racked up six receptions on 11 targets for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Fantasy owners have been waiting for the breakout moment, and as Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus points out on Twitter, the performance came with an increased workload:

While New England plays a Buffalo Bills defense that has been stingy against tight ends, allowing just 213 yards and one touchdown all year (via ESPN.com), Gronkowski has found success against the Bills in the past, racking up eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns against Buffalo in 2012.

Team Defenses

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection
1	Seattle Seahawks	Dallas	16 Points
2	San Diego Chargers	Oakland	16 Points
3	Green Bay Packers	Miami	14 Points
4	Denver Broncos	New York Jets	14 Points
5	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis	14 Points
6	Cincinnati Bengals	Carolina	12 Points
7	Arizona Cardinals	Washington	12 Points
8	Houston Texans	Indianapolis	12 Points
9	Carolina Panthers	Cincinnati	10 Points
10	New England Patriots	Buffalo	10 Points
11	Tennessee Titans	Tennessee	10 Points
12	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jacksonville	8 Points

Regardless of which team the San Diego Chargers were going to play this week, the defensive unit would be worth a start in all fantasy leagues after shutting out the New York Jets on Sunday.

With San Diego playing an Oakland team that fired its head coach during the bye week, go all-in on the Chargers defense and expect a hefty dosage of fantasy points. It will be a long day for Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	14 Points
2	Mason Crosby, GB	14 Points
3	Justin Tucker, BAL	12 Points
4	Dan Carpenter, BUF	12 Points
5	Dan Bailey, DAL	12 Points
6	Shaun Suisham, PIT	10 Points
7	Matt Bryant, ATL	10 Points
8	Cody Parkey, PHI	8 Points
9	Adam Vinatieri, IND	8 Points
10	Phil Dawson, SF	8 Points
11	Brandon McManus, DEN	6 Points
12	Blair Walsh, MIN	6 Points

The Pittsburgh Steelers understand that the team is in for a fight against the Cleveland Browns, and the biggest fantasy winner could be kicker Shaun Suisham. He has hit 10 of 11 field goals this season and has 12 extra points.

Suisham found success against Cleveland earlier this season as well, hitting all three of his field-goal opportunities (36 yards, 34 yards and 41 yards, respectively) and all three of his extra points. Fantasy owners should expect more of the same Sunday.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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