Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings Overview for All Positions

Week 6 is set to kick off with a Thursday night matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. If the upcoming slate is anything like the NFL's most recent one, fantasy managers are in for a roller-coaster ride.

While we might not see the slew of upsets that we saw in Week 5, we might see more fantasy disappointments and breakout stars—for those who started Rico Dowdle in Week 5, congratulations.

The Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings will also be on bye.

You'll find some early point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and positional previews here.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Rams QB Matthew Stafford

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
5. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
6. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
7. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
8. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
9. Maker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
11. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
12. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Managers shouldn't have any major surprises at quarterback this week, with dual-threat stars like Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels leading the pack. Of course, the status of Lamar Jackson will be worth tracking throughout the week.

Jackson missed Week 6 with a hamstring injury, and there's no guarantee that he'll be healthy enough to return against the Los Angeles Rams this week.

Speaking of the Rams, managers should check to see if Matthew Stafford is available—he's rostered in 63 percent of Yahoo leagues and 52 percent of ESPN leagues. Baltimore has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing QBs.

Managers in larger leagues who need a deep sleeper might want to consider Carolina Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young. He'll be up against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season.

Running Back

AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

Panthers RB Rico Dowdle

1. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
3. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
4. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
5. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
6. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
7. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
8. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
9. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
10. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
11. Breece Hall, New York Jets
12. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
13. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
14. Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers
15. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are a couple of backfield situations to monitor this week, notably, that of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers placed rookie Omarion Hampton on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

Managers will want to track Los Angeles' roster moves this week,which may include elevating Kimani Vidal from the practice squad. He and Hassan Haskins are likely to be L.A.'s top short-term options at running back.

It'll also be worth following Panthers starter Chuba Hubbard, who missed Week 5 with a calf injury. It was Hubbard's absence that opened the door for Rico Dowdle's breakout game.

Dowdle will be a must-start against the Cowboys if Hubbard isn't set to return.

Bucky Irving was also sidelined in Week 5, which handed a hefty workload to Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup Rachaad White. Michael Carter took the Arizona Cardinals' lead-back role with Trey Benson and James Conner both on injured reserve.

Carter is still available in roughly 60 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

49ers WR Kendrick Bourne

1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
4. Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
6. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
7. Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders
8. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
9. Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots
10. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
11. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
12. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
13. Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
14. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
15. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
16. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
17. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
18. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
19. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
20. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Star receivers Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill are both on injured reserve and won't return in 2025. However, Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb (ankle) could be back in the coming weeks.

If Lamb doesn't return to face the Panthers, George Pickens should continue to feast as Dak Prescott's go-to target.

Managers can find some promising receivers on the wire this week, including Troy Franklin of the Denver Broncos. He'll be up against a bad New York Jets defense in Week 6 and is still available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues and over 50 percent of ESPN leagues.

San Francisco 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne, who played a massive role in Week 5, is still available in more than 90 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Tight End

AP Photo/Kevin Ng

Seahawks WR AJ Barner

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
2. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
3. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
4. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
5. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
6. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
7. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
8. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
10. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
11. AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
12. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, star tight end George Kittle is unlikely to return this week.

"He's doing good, but I think it'd be a long shot for this week," Shanahan said, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone.

Managers should find no shortage of tight end options on the wire this week, including Seattle Seahawks standout AJ Barner, who had two touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

Barner is available in over 98 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Harold Fannin Jr., Mason Taylor and Theo Johnson are also strong waiver targets for Week 6.

Defense/Special Teams and Kicker

AP Photo/Ian Walton

Steelers edge T.J. Watt

D/ST

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Denver Broncos
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Los Angeles Rams
8. Buffalo Bills
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Cleveland Browns
11. New England Patriots
12. Washington Commanders

Kicker

1. Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys
2. Cameron Dicker, Los Angeles Chargers
3. Chase McLaughlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Brandon McManus, Green Bay Packers
5. Josh Karty, Los Angeles Rams
6. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
7. Matt Prater, Buffalo Bills
8. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
10. Jake Bates, Detroit Lions
11. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles
12. Will Lutz, Denver Broncos

*Fantasy scoring and roster information from FantasyPros.