Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings: Latest Position-by-Position Rundown

Mysteries are compelling. It's why we have about 17 different versions of Sherlock Holmes on television and in the movies right now and two different versions of Broadchurch (do yourselves a favor and watch the British version). 

We all like a good "whodunit" from time to time, if only because the rush of trying to solve the unknown keeps us coming back for more. There is drama in the mysterious and intrigue in the unknown. We're always more fascinated by what eludes us than what we're readily aware of in our lives.

Fantasy football is no different. It's the mysteries that keep us coming back for more, the players we can't quite figure out who keep us addicted, the unknown of the given week that has made junkies of us all. So along with grading the smartest players for you to start in my rankings this week, I've also tried to decode one mysterious player from each offensive position. 

Elementary, my dear Watsons? Hardly.

Notes: For a full explanation of the rankings, go here. Abridged version: "Ability" measures a player's overall talent, proficiency at his position and ability to produce fantasy numbers. "Offense" measures how much that team's offense improves his fantasy stock. The overall "startability" grade is weighted. All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues. 

Schedule

Sunday, Oct. 12	Time (ET)
Monday, Oct. 13	Time (ET)
Jacksonville at Tennessee	1 p.m.
Baltimore at Tampa Bay	1 p.m.
Denver at NY Jets	1 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota	1 p.m.
New England at Buffalo	1 p.m.
Carolina at Cincinnati	1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland	1 p.m.
Green Bay at Miami	1 p.m.
San Diego at Oakland	4:05 p.m.
Chicago at Atlanta	4:25 p.m.
Dallas at Seattle	4:25 p.m.
Washington at Arizona	4:25 p.m.
NY Giants at Philadelphia	8:30 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis	8:30 p.m

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Peyton Manning	50	22	15	10	A+ (97)
2	Philip Rivers	45	15	12	9	A (81)
3	Aaron Rodgers	49	7	14	9	A (79)
4	Matt Ryan	46	13	12	8	A (79)
5	Eli Manning	40	23	9	6	A- (78)
6	Jay Cutler	41	15	13	7	B+ (76)
7	Russell Wilson	44	12	10	8	B (74)
8	Matt Stafford	48	10	8	7	B (73)
9	Colin Kaepernick	43	13	10	6	B- (72)
10	Nick Foles	40	12	14	6	B- (72)
11	Andy Dalton	40	14	11	6	C+ (71)
12	Tony Romo	42	12	11	6	C+ (71)
13	Ben Roethlisberger	41	16	6	5	C (68)
14	Kirk Cousins	38	13	11	6	C (68)
15	Joe Flacco	39	16	8	4	C (67)
16	Tom Brady	44	9	8	5	C (66)
17	Cam Newton	47	5	7	7	C (66)

I've written about a lot of the more mysterious quarterbacks quite a bit this season, but I'll recap some of my thoughts on a few of them. 

• The Good: Jay Cutler and Eli Manning are each in systems that really benefit them, and they each have solid weapons to rely on. For both players, limiting turnovers is the key to their fantasy success remaining sustainable. The mystery is whether they can do just that. I'm more likely to believe that Cutler can keep his QB1 status, if only because the Chicago Bears are such an explosive offense. But for now, both players have earned your (temporary) trust.
• The Bad: Cam Newton simply isn't running enough to warrant QB1 status, even if he's playing pretty well. And while Tom Brady had his 20-point week against the Bengals, his lack of weapons to stretch a defense vertically makes me think that success isn't sustainable. Of the pair, I think Newton is more likely to finish as a QB1.
• The Confounding: Nick Foles has left so many plays on the field this season. Like, so many. I'm a Philadelphia Eagles fan, so I can say with confidence that I've seen Foles overthrow wide open receivers and miss easy touchdowns with alarming regularity. He's completely lacked accuracy on passes down the field. In this offense, Foles has the chance to be a top-five quarterback, but only if he actually executes the offense. Based on what I've seen from him thus far, I have my doubts. But based on what I saw from him last year, I believe he'll at least be better than he's been thus far. Time will tell.

Here's more on Foles, via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Bleacher Report's Stephen Nelson:

So there you have it, five mysteries at quarterback for the price of one. And we didn't even discuss Drew Brees, who doesn't look like himself this year but has the bye week to figure it out (and is still ninth in fantasy points scored among quarterbacks this year).

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Matt Forte	48	24	14	10	A+ (96)
2	Le'Veon Bell	47	20	13	9	A (89)
3	Marshawn Lynch	49	11	15	10	A (85)
4	Giovani Bernard	44	17	12	8	A (81)
5	LeSean McCoy	48	15	10	6	A (79)
6	DeMarco Murray	48	3	14	10	A- (75)
7	Frank Gore	42	12	12	8	A- (74)
8	Chris Ivory	38	20	9	7	A- (74)
9	Eddie Lacy	43	12	10	6	B+ (71)
10	Alfred Morris	44	5	13	9	B+ (71)
11	Andre Ellington	43	11	10	6	B (70)
12	Andre Williams	37	17	12	4	B (70)
13	Branden Oliver	36	21	10	3	B (70)
14	Darren Sproles	41	15	9	5	B (70)
15	Knowshon Moreno	39	18	8	5	B (70)
16	C.J. Spiller	43	15	7	4	B- (69)
17	Reggie Bush*/Joique Bell*	40	17	7	4	B- (68)
18	Fred Jackson	38	15	8	6	B- (67)
19	Ben Tate	38	10	10	6	C+ (63)
20	Justin Forsett	35	15	7	6	C+ (63)
21	Matt Asiata	33	9	14	7	C+ (63)
22	Lamar Miller	37	18	5	4	C+ (63)
23	Chris Johnson	35	20	4	4	C+ (63)
24	Ronnie Hillman	37	6	12	5	C (60)
25	Jeremy Hill	35	17	4	3	C (59)
26	Zac Stacy*	38	4	9	7	C- (58)
27	Doug Martin	40	5	8	5	C- (58)
28	Bishop Sankey	32	22	2	2	C- (58)
29	Shonn Greene	28	22	3	3	D+ (56)
30	Stevan Ridley	36	3	8	4	D (53)

What in the wide world of sports is going on with LeSean McCoy?

Last year's rushing leader is currently 30th in fantasy points among running backs with 35 and is trailing his own teammate, Darren Sproles, who has 51. This was not what owners who made McCoy a top-three pick envisioned at the beginning of the season. 

But while this mystery has a few layers, it isn't hard to get to the bottom of what is happening in Philadelphia. For starters, the offensive line has been brutalized with injuries and, at one point in the season, had two players out to injury, one out to a suspension and one guy playing out of position. Suffice to say, the line has been a mess at points.

While that should clear up a bit now that Lane Johnson's suspension is over, the woes on the offensive line have taken the Eagles out of their rhythm in the running game. It hasn't helped that the team has faced three of the top 10 defenses in points allowed to running backs per week in their last three games. 

Michael Perez/Associated Press

It's been a recipe for disaster, and by Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams, Shady looked out of sorts. 

But things will get better, folks. The matchups are going to get easier. One of the top centers in the game, Jason Kelce, has said he's ahead of schedule in his rehab, though he's still expected back in early November. Evan Mathis should be back in November as well. And in the interim, the five men on the offensive line should be able to create some chemistry and provide some stability for Shady in the running game.

So the leanest of the lean days appear to be behind us, which is why I'm still hesitant to consider McCoy anything other than a RB1. Brighter days are on the horizon.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Demaryius Thomas	47	20	14	8	A+ (89)
2	Julio Jones	49	17	13	8	A+ (87)
3	Antonio Brown	47	16	12	10	A (85)
4	Victor Cruz	43	24	10	7	A (84)
5	Steve Smith	41	23	12	8	A (84)
6	Brandon Marshall	48	15	12	8	A (83)
7	Jordy Nelson	48	12	14	8	A- (82)
8	Emmanuel Sanders	40	20	15	7	A- (82)
9	Dez Bryant	49	10	13	9	A- (81)
10	Randall Cobb	45	12	13	8	B+ (78)
11	Alshon Jeffery	44	15	12	6	B+ (77)
12	Jeremy Maclin	42	12	14	8	B (76)
13	DeSean Jackson	45	16	10	5	B (76)
14	Vincent Jackson	44	15	10	6	B (75)
15	Mike Wallace	44	11	12	8	B (75)
16	Pierre Garcon	40	16	11	6	B- (73)
17	Golden Tate	39	16	11	6	B- (72)
18	Michael Crabtree	40	16	10	4	B- (70)
19	Wes Welker	38	20	8	5	C+ (69)
20	Percy Harvin	44	8	10	5	C (67)
21	Terrance Williams	40	10	10	7	C (67)
22	Roddy White	38	17	8	4	C (67)
23	Rueben Randle	30	24	9	4	C (67)
24	Kendall Wright	36	20	5	5	C (66)
25	Kelvin Benjamin	40	7	10	7	C (64)
26	Julian Edelman	37	11	10	6	C (64)
27	Keenan Allen	38	10	10	4	C- (62)
28	Michael Floyd	40	13	5	3	C- (62)
29	Larry Fitzgerald	40	13	5	3	C- (61)
30	Brian Quick	36	8	7	6	D+ (57)
31	Allen Hurns	33	14	5	4	D+ (56)
32	Sammy Watkins	41	3	5	5	D (54)
33	Andre Johnson	38	4	5	6	D (53)
34	Eddie Royal	30	10	10	3	D (53)
35	Cordarrelle Patterson	42	5	3	2	D- (52)

In Week 1 of the NFL season, Cordarrelle Patterson had three receptions for 26 yards on five targets, three rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown and 18 fantasy points. It was the type of usage we were all expecting, and Patterson seemed the sort of unique talent to mimic a Percy Harvin-esque role for the Minnesota Vikings. 

And then, nothing.

In the four weeks since, Patterson has a total of 12 receptions for 163 yards on 25 targets, one rush for -7 yards, no touchdowns and 14 fantasy points. Suffice to say, this projected breakout fantasy star has completely underwhelmed.

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

But so has Minnesota's usage of him. To his credit, Patterson isn't complaining. At least not yet.

“I’m not a drama queen or anything,” Patterson told Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune. “I don’t want to go to the offensive coordinator and try to demand the ball. One day, maybe if I get a couple more Pro Bowls, maybe I can do things like that; but the time is not right now. It’s only my second year, and he’s a new offensive coordinator for this team.”

That's probably the smart approach. And for what it's worth, Norv Turner seems to know something is amiss. 

“We’ve gone in every week anxious to get him involved," Turner told reporters, via the team's website. "We’re trying to."

I'm not sure how hard it is to simply call a running play or wide receiver screen for Patterson, but whatever. Perhaps the Vikings are trying to mold him into a more traditional wide receiver. Perhaps Jerick McKinnon is the big-play threat they'd rather hand the ball to rather than Patterson. Maybe the uncertainty at running back and quarterback this season has thrown the game plan into disarray on a weekly basis.

The only certainty is this—until Patterson starts producing, you need to keep him on your bench. The Vikings would be crazy to continue ignoring Patterson in the game plan, but with four weeks of minimal production and a tough matchup against the Detroit Lions, this isn't the week to give him a start.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Julius Thomas	47	18	14	10	A+ (89)
2	Rob Gronkowski	47	13	12	8	A (80)
3	Delanie Walker	39	22	9	6	A (76)
4	Greg Olsen	42	15	11	8	A (76)
5	Jordan Cameron	42	15	10	7	A- (74)
6	Antonio Gates	39	12	12	6	B+ (69)
7	Jordan Reed*	37	20	8	4	B+ (69)
8	Martellus Bennett	41	5	13	7	B (66)
9	Jason Witten	40	14	5	6	B- (65)
10	Owen Daniels	36	16	8	5	B- (65)
11	Larry Donnell	37	7	13	7	C+ (64)
12	Vernon Davis*	35	9	10	8	C (62)
13	Zach Ertz	40	5	9	5	C (59)
14	Heath Miller	35	10	7	4	C- (56)

Over the course of his career, Jason Witten has been one of the steadiest tight ends in the game, and his chemistry with Tony Romo has never been called into question. But things have clearly changed this season, as Witten is averaging just 3.8 fantasy points per week and is 19th among tight ends in that regard.

Of course, the mystery here isn't necessarily why that's the case. DeMarco Murray has been the focal point of the offense, and Romo has two excellent weapons in Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams on the outside to focus on in the passing game. Witten has always been a complete weapon as a tight end, and he remains a vital part of the team as an in-line blocker.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

But the mystery here is whether Witten will recover his fantasy value at some point in the season. I tend to think he will—his connection with Romo over the years has been strong enough to warrant a revitalization in his fantasy output—but like Patterson, you should be taking a wait-and-see approach here if you can afford to do so. 

Facing the Seattle Seahawks might actually be a blessing, as Seattle has been excellent against the run and has fantastic corners. In other words, Witten might reprise his role as Romo's safety blanket over the middle. If there was a week to take a chance on Witten regaining his TE1 status, you could do worse than this one.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team
1	Detroit Lions
2	San Francisco 49ers
3	San Diego Chargers
4	New England Patriots
5	Cincinnati Bengals
6	Seattle Seahawks
7	Green Bay Packers
8	Baltimore Ravens
9	Denver Broncos
10	Tennessee Titans

Kickers

Rank	Player
1	Nick Novak
2	Cody Parkey
3	Justin Tucker
4	Matt Bryant
5	Brandon McManus
6	Stephen Gostkowski
7	Phil Dawson
8	Shaun Suisham
9	Josh Brown
10	Matt Prater

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than Russell Wilson imitating a chicken with its head cut off.