Fantasy Football Week 6 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

The craziness of fantasy football was on full display in Week 5. Branden Oliver led all running backs in scoring despite being a free agent in a vast majority of leagues. The same goes for Austin Davis, who ranked third among quarterbacks, nearly keeping pace with Peyton Manning.

It's those types of performances that make the game so interesting. No week is the same, and correctly predicting everything that will happen is impossible. The key is learning a little bit each week in order to improve your chances moving forward.

This week, the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints are on bye, which surely creates some voids for fantasy owners. So let's check out some key areas of interest, including potential waiver-wire additions, ahead of Week 6.

Top 5 Skill-Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Peyton Manning	Le'Veon Bell	Antonio Brown	Julius Thomas
2	Jay Cutler	Matt Forte	Julio Jones	Greg Olsen
3	Andrew Luck	Giovani Bernard	A.J. Green	Rob Gronkowski
4	Matt Ryan	DeMarco Murray	Demaryius Thomas	Delanie Walker
5	Philip Rivers	LeSean McCoy	Jordy Nelson	Antonio Gates

Aaron Rodgers has posted two straight solid scores to eliminate any concerns after a sluggish start, at least by his standards. He fails to crack the top five this week, however, due to a meeting with the Miami Dolphins, who will run to slow the pace and rank ninth against the pass.

In years past, DeMarco Murray would have been a fringe fantasy option against a top-ranked run defense. That's not the case as he prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks. His heavy workload, as illustrated by Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network, keeps him among the best bets:

The remarkable consistency of Antonio Brown is exactly what fantasy owners crave. He's caught at least five passes in every game and scored no less than eight points so far. Those streaks should both continue against the 28th-ranked Cleveland Browns pass defense.

Rob Gronkowski finally got more involved in the offense on Sunday night, catching six passes for 100 yards. Add that to the fact he's still a terrific red-zone threat (four TD) and he should be a top-five fantasy tight end on a weekly basis the rest of the way.

Sleeper Projections

Position	Player	Team	Projection
QB	Eli Manning	NYG	18
RB	Fred Jackson	BUF	15
WR	Brian Quick	STL	14
TE	Heath Miller	PIT	11
D/ST	Lions	DET	12
K	Chandler Catanzaro	ARZ	11

Eli Manning is back. After a lackluster outing in Week 1, he's scored at least 15 points and finally seems comfortable in the New York Giants' new offense. He should approach 20 in what should be a fast-paced, high-scoring clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fred Jackson remains the more reliable member of the Buffalo Bills' backfield. That's especially true following C.J. Spiller's struggles in pass protection, evident last week. The veteran should get plenty of touches against the mediocre rush defense of the New England Patriots.

The St. Louis Rams continue to throw a lot, and Brian Quick has been the biggest beneficiary. He's racked up at least seven points in all four games and tallied 32 over the past two. It makes him worth starting, even against a solid San Francisco 49ers defense.

Outside of the top group of tight ends, the lack of depth at the position means most fantasy owners are basically trying to predict which one will catch a touchdown each week. Heath Miller is a solid choice this week against the 31st-ranked Cleveland Browns defense.

The Detroit Lions are available in about half of leagues due to their prior reputation. They are no longer a weak option, though. They rank third in scoring and now get to face a Minnesota Vikings group that lacks weapons.

Chandler Catanzaro is an intriguing option because he's had at least two field-goal attempts in each game. Of course, that's where the scoring comes from for fantasy kickers. With his role defined, he's a good streaming choice this week.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Position	Player	Team
QB	Austin Davis	STL
RB	Branden Oliver	SD
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG
TE	Tim Wright	NE

The Rams rank sixth in passing yards per game so far, which is a major surprise. Austin Davis has stepped into the starting role without missing a beat, highlighted by six touchdowns and 47 fantasy points over the last two games. He won't maintain a top-five QB level, but he's worth a roster spot.

Oliver got his chance to shine thanks to the San Diego Chargers' run of injuries. The Buffalo product didn't let it slip away, scoring 29 fantasy points. That type of performance demands attention and should ensure he's added in all leagues this week.

Eric D. Williams of ESPN passed along comments from the breakout back, who said his days playing outside with his brothers helped create his style of running.

"I've been running like that my whole life," Oliver said. "God gave me the ability to do that in the backyard with my brothers. They've always been faster than me, so I've had to cut back in different ways and in certain situations."

Odell Beckham Jr. was the 12th overall pick in this year's draft but missed the first four games due to injury. He immediately made his presence felt in his debut, catching four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. He should steadily become more involved in the weeks ahead.

As the Patriots seek more playmakers on offense, Tim Wright made a strong case for himself with five grabs for 85 yards and a touchdown. He's not a lock to produce big numbers the rest of the way, but he's certainly worth a speculative pickup at a weak position.