NFL Predictions Week 6: Skill Players Who Will Be Studs on Sunday

It's expected that the league's top stars will succeed on a week-to-week basis, but there are three skill players in Week 6 of the 2014 NFL season who are poised to play like studs.

There are several reasons why they're ready to step up this weekend. For one, their matchups are quite favorable. Porous defenses await these three players, and that will result in big numbers across the board.

These three guys have also been on hot streaks of late. Hot streaks can end any given week, but couple their strong play with the matchups they face, and success should be on the horizon yet again.

Look out for these three players on Sunday. They'll put their respective teams on their shoulders and carry them to a "W."

Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

No Calvin Johnson equals big-time targets for Golden Tate.

Megatron missed practice again on Friday, making him an unlikely candidate to play on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, reports ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein. Johnson was limited last weekend, and Tate stepped up for Matthew Stafford. He was targeted nine times, catching seven balls for 134 yards and a touchdown.

The past two weeks have been kind to Tate overall, as he has 15 catches (20 targets) for 250 yards and a touchdown in that span.

Because he has been so good lately, NFL's Chris Wesseling believes he's now the most underappreciated wideout in the league:

The Vikings allow just 225.6 passing yards per game, but they've given up nine passing touchdowns in five games. This makes Tate a candidate to find the end zone for the second straight week.

Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles have a very bad secondary.

The unit currently ranks No. 29 in the NFL with 274.2 passing yards allowed per game. Opposing quarterbacks have also thrown 13 touchdowns against it. Austin Davis, a third-string quarterback, lit it up for 375 yards and three touchdowns last week.

This bodes well for Eli Manning.

Manning has also been hot lately, tossing eight touchdowns to just one interception in his last three games—all Giants victories. He has finally grasped offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's new offense, evidenced by his understanding that throwing short to his receivers is just fine. Allowing his wideouts to gain yards after the catch has made this offense click recently.

If Davis can carve up the Eagles, then so can Manning. All he has to do is stay within the offensive scheme and not try to do too much.

Branden Oliver, RB, San Diego Chargers

Branden Oliver has been given opportunities in the San Diego Chargers backfield because of injuries to Danny Woodhead, Ryan Mathews and Donald Brown, and the undrafted rookie has made the most of them.

He has rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on the year to go along with 101 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. He has caught all eight of his targets.

Oliver has essentially performed like Darren Sproles when he was playing out of the Chargers backfield from 2005-2010. Ironically, Oliver also wears the same number Sproles did—43.

He says that's just a coincidence, via Wesseling: "I knew 43 was Darren Sproles' number, but I didn't think of it like, 'I'm trying to be like Sproles.' That's the perception that people are getting. I'm just trying to be me...I'm like 15 pounds heavier, physical."

He's facing an easy matchup this week, as the Oakland Raiders allow 158.2 yards per game on the ground—second-most in the NFL. With Oliver acting as a dual threat out of the backfield, he could approach 200 yards from scrimmage on Sunday.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @KennyDeJohn_BR