Week 6 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

Fantasy stars are finally starting to shine as Week 6 of the NFL season approaches. Notable names like Eddie Lacy and Frank Gore have rounded back into form over the last two weeks and are among the top running backs again.

Meanwhile, several others continue to have unfounded struggles for owners. Cordarrelle Patterson and LeSean McCoy once again failed to reach double-digit points, baffling those who started them.

Two franchises with significant fantasy players are on their bye in Week 6, making for several puzzling decisions. Having to replace Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Jamaal Charles or Travis Kelce is weighing heavily on owners heading into Sunday.

Following the Thursday Night Football matchup, let's take a look at the top players and who to start and sit at each position.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	@NYJ	26
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	@MIA	26
3	Philip Rivers	SD	@OAK	24
4	Matt Ryan	ATL	CHI	23
5	Russell Wilson	SEA	DAL	21
6	Matthew Stafford	DET	@MIN	19
7	Nick Foles	PHI	NYG	19
8	Jay Cutler	CHI	@ATL	18
9	Tom Brady	NE	@BUF	17
10	Eli Manning	NYG	@PHI	16

Start 'Em: Tom Brady, NE (at BUF)

There might be new owners for the Buffalo Bills, but Tom Brady seems to have a stake in owning the division rival.

The Pegulas have taken over the Bills, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today, but will host a New England Patriots team that has dominated them under Tom Brady. Here's a look at his career statistics against Buffalo:

Games	Record	Comp.-Att.	Pass Yds/G	TD	INT
24	22-2	495-771	242.4	54	19

Finally shaking off the rust in Week 5, owners of the new, angry Tommy Terrific should start him on Sunday. If there are any questions about putting him in the lineup again, the stats above should clarify those queries.

Sit 'Em: Tony Romo, DAL (at SEA)

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Looking for a potential replacement to Brees, Tony Romo might look like a consistent starter over his last three games. But facing off with the Seattle Seahawks and the 12th Man, Romo will see his numbers drop dramatically in Week 6.

Peyton Manning was able to exploit the Seahawks defense in Seattle, but that's because he's Peyton Manning. Aaron Rodgers failed to go over 200 yards and was flustered on the road against the Seahawks. Expect similar results from Romo as he rides the bench for fantasy owners.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	DAL	25
2	Matt Forte	CHI	@ATL	23
3	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	@CLE	21
4	Eddie Lacy	GB	@MIA	20
5	DeMarco Murray	DAL	@SEA	19
6	Giovani Bernard	CIN	CAR	17
7	Frank Gore	SF	@STL	17
8	Andre Ellington	ARI	WAS	15
9	Lamar Miller	MIA	GB	13
10	LeSean McCoy	PHI	NYG	13

Start 'Em: Frank Gore, SF (at STL)

The fountain of youth is apparently located in California and San Francisco 49ers tailback Frank Gore has found it. Gore is looking like a fresh back and has gone off for over 100 rushing yards in the last two weeks.

Owners of Gore had reason to worry after his slow start in two of the first three weeks, but it's clear the 31-year-old still has fuel in the tank. The St. Louis Rams might be able to stop teams in the passing game, but they get worn down by running backs.

Expect the 49ers to rely heavily on Gore in Week 6—with or without a huge lead.

Sit 'Em: Doug Martin, TB (vs. BAL)

Oh, Doug Martin. Just when owners got their hopes up against after a double-digit performance, you let them down all over again.

Martin has simply not been a dynamic back even when he's on the field, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times notes:

Through the full two games Martin has played, he's failed to score over 12 points even once in standard-scoring leagues. Ironically enough, the Baltimore Ravens have allowed an average of just 12.86 to entire running back groups per week, making this a disastrous week for Martin.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	@NYJ	22
2	Julio Jones	ATL	CHI	20
3	Antonio Brown	PIT	@CLE	19
4	Jordy Nelson	GB	@MIA	18
5	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	@ATL	18
6	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	NYG	15
7	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	@NYJ	14
8	Victor Cruz	NYG	@PHI	14
9	Dez Bryant	DAL	@SEA	13
10	Randall Cobb	DET	@MIN	13

Start 'Em: Victor Cruz, NYG (at PHI)

Elsa/Getty Images

The breakout performance for Odell Beckham Jr. might have fantasy owners worried about Victor Cruz, but it should actually be seen as a positive. Cruz shared his thoughts on the addition of the rookie, per Kimberly Jones of NFL Network:

This week, the tandem of Cruz and Beckham face off against a horrid Philadelphia Eagles pass defense. Allowing an astonishing 29.66 fantasy points per week to wide receivers, there will plenty of points to go around for the New York Giants receivers.

Sit 'Em: Sammy Watkins, BUF (vs. NE)

Two consistent weeks from Sammy Watkins has his fantasy owners excited about the future. However, the Buffalo Bills rookie wideout faces a stout test in Week 6 against the New England Patriots.

New England is allowing just 197 passing yards per game and 13.86 fantasy points against receiving corps. Starting Watkins against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets in Weeks 7 an 8 is smart, but owners should hold off against the Patriots.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Julius Thomas	DEN	@NYJ	18
2	Greg Olsen	CAR	@CIN	16
3	Rob Gronkowski	NE	@BUF	15
4	Delanie Walker	TEN	JAX	13
5	Antonio Gates	SD	@OAK	13
6	Martellus Bennett	CHI	@ATL	11
7	Larry Donnell	NYG	@PHI	10
8	Vernon Davis	SF	@STL	8
9	Jordan Reed	WAS	@ARI	8
10	Jordan Cameron	CLE	PIT	7

Start 'Em: Antonio Gates, SD (at OAK)

Sporadic starts from Antonio Gates have flustered fantasy owners, but Week 6 should be another huge performance.

Many fantasy experts—myself included—believed Gates would be overshadowed by Ladarius Green this season. But the veteran tight end has continued to chug along and sustain his success, as Gil Brandt of NFL.com points out:

On the heels of an 18-point week against the New York Jets, Gates has another great matchup with the Oakland Raiders. Allowing 11 points per game to tight ends over the last two weeks, the Raiders are porous across the middle and Philip Rivers will look to take advantage with Gates.

Sit 'Em: Jason Witten, DAL (at SEA)

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Still waiting on the first breakout performance from Jason Witten, it looks like he finally has a good matchup against the Seahawks. But at second glance, Seattle's defense actually looked much better against the Washington Redskins.

Sure, the Redskins didn't have a tight end like Witten on the field, but he'll have to do much better than the 1.70 points Washington posted. Unless it's an absolute necessity with a player like Graham out, Witten doesn't look like a good start this week.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	@BUF	15
2	Nick Novak	SD	@OAK	14
3	Cody Parkey	PHI	NYG	14
4	Justin Tucker	BAL	@TB	13
5	Phil Dawson	SF	@STL	11
6	Dan Bailey	DAL	@SEA	10
7	Steven Hauschka	SEA	DAL	10
8	Matt Bryant	ATL	CHI	9
9	Brandon McManus	DEN	@NYJ	8
10	Dan Carpenter	BUF	NE	7

Start 'Em: Phil Dawson, SF (at STL)

If you have Phil Dawson, this seems like an obvious start after the two-week stretch he's experienced. But for those potentially debating whether to start him, this is yet another strong matchup for the 39-year-old kicker.

Times haven't always been great for Dawson, however, as he started the year with a total of 14 points through three weeks. Matters were so bad that the 49ers kicker was almost cut from his son's fantasy team, Dawson told Taylor Price of 49ers.com:

"

I usually get a phone call from home. My kids follow it closely, so that's usually a fun phone call. ... I know one of them was thinking about dropping me when I was off to a slow start this season.

Every week is a new opportunity to put 'em through or miss 'em. Last week was a good one, but I've got to start it all over this week and try to get ready for another one.

"

It's a tough life out there for a kicker, but Dawson has matched his total from the first three games with 16 and 20 points in the last two weeks, respectively. Start him against the Rams, who are allowing over nine points per contest to kickers.

Sit 'Em: Blair Walsh, MIN (vs. DET)

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Don't take this the wrong way, but those debating over kickers are doing it all wrong. Blair Walsh faces a Detroit Lions defense that has allowed just 6.20 points per week to kickers, despite the 58-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter last week.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit	Opponent	Projected Points
1	San Francisco 49ers	@STL	15
2	San Diego Chargers	@OAK	13
3	Seattle Seahawks	DAL	12
4	Baltimore Ravens	@TB	11
5	Cincinnati Bengals	CAR	10
6	Denver Broncos	@NYJ	9
7	Detroit Lions	@MIN	9
8	Philadelphia Eagles	NYG	8
9	New England Patriots	@BUF	7
10	Arizona Cardinals	WAS	6

Start 'Em: Denver Broncos (at NYJ)

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

As a rule, any team facing the New York Jets offense needs to be started. This week, it just so happens to be a defense that typically scores around five points per contest.

The Denver Broncos have a plethora of weapons on the defensive side of the ball, much like the explosive offense. New York is tied for 27th in the NFL in turnovers (nine) and have allowed an average of 10 points to fantasy defenses this season.

Sit 'Em: Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

It might seem strange, but a defense facing the Cleveland Browns offense actually has a tough matchup. Back in Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense scored just three fantasy points, and units facing the Browns have scored just 2.0 points per game.

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