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

After the Philadelphia Eagles narrowly came away with the 28-23 victory over the Carolina Panthers Thursday night, that game gave us all a friendly reminder that whether it's a blowout or a nail-biter, a win's a win.

And the same can be said for fantasy football. Even winning by 0.5 points over your opponent brings great joy as you can already move on and look forward to next week's matchup.

As bye weeks continue to ruin starting lineup across fantasy leagues, now is the time to really put the time and effort into studying matchups and playing the waiver-wire game. Here, we'll take a look at this week's projected leaders with some predicted stats for each offensive position along with two players at each position who should be benched. 

Note: For running backs, receiving yards are not accounted for below, just rushing stats. For quarterbacks, rushing stats are not accounted for. 

Week 5 Quarterback Projections

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs. Minnesota Vikings: 280 passing yards, 2 TD. (Start)

2. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets: 320 passing yards, 3 TD. (Start) 

3. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit Lions: 342 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (Start) 

4. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) vs. Cleveland Browns: 273 passing yards, 2 TD. (Start) 

5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Miami Dolphins: 283 passing yards, 2 TD. (Start) 

6. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) vs. New Orleans Saints: 270 passing yards, 2 TD (Start) 

7. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 260 passing yards, 2 TD (Start)   

8. Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 284 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

9. Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 235 passing yards, 2 TD (Start) 

10. Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 281 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (Start) 

-- Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) vs. Indianapolis Colts: 212 passing yards, 1 TD (Sit) 

-- Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders: 272 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (Sit) 

Analysis

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Surprise, surprise. Aaron Rodgers is ranked No. 1 at quarterback this week.

Coming off a spectacular game-winning drive in Week 5 over the Dallas Cowboys, Rodgers reminded everyone just how good he really is, particularly in crunch time. And if your fantasy matchup comes down to the wire, wouldn't you feel good knowing that Rodgers has your back?

Going up against the Minnesota Vikings defense won't be easy, but Rodgers will have all his weapons to play with on offense as the likes of Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery get closer to being back at 100 percent. While playing Rodgers is a smart (and safe) play this week, plugging in Marcus Mariota is not.

The Hawaiian is usually a dependable player when he's on the field, but his fantasy upside will be limited this week against the Colts as he deals with a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week's game for the Titans.

If Mariota can't move outside the pocket, his fantasy value plummets. It's that simple. 

Week 5 Wide Receiver Projections

1. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 98 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

2. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans) vs. Cleveland Browns: 86 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

3. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Miami Dolphins: 85 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

4. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers) vs. Minnesota Vikings: 83 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

5. Brandin Cooks (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets: 76 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

6. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit Lions: 80 receiving yards (Start) 

7. Golden Tate (Detroit Lions) vs. New Orleans Saints: 74 receiving yards (Start) 

8. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders: 73 receiving yards (Start) 

9. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Tennessee Titans: 72 receiving yards (Start) 

10. Stefon Diggs (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Green Bay Packers: 70 receiving yards (Start) 

-- Michael Crabtree (Oakland Raiders) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 67 receiving yards (Sit) 

-- Chris Hogan (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets: 65 receiving yards (Sit) 

Analysis

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Antonio Brown, along with the rest of his team, is looking to rebound after last week's embarrassing 30-9 loss at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Brown is the perfect fantasy receiver in the sense that he gets a lot of targets and makes plays downfield while he's quick and has great hands. This week against the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown should have the freedom to break free from coverage and take advantage of subpar secondary play.

As Brown makes a statement game in Week 6, it might be time to look the other way on Raiders wideout Michael Crabtree. In many ways, Crabtree has outperformed Amari Cooper in the past couple of seasons and has cemented himself as Derek Carr's most sure-handed target on offense.

But going up against the Chargers this week leaves a lot to be desired for the former 49er, as concerns surrounding Carr's ability to throw the ball effectively Sunday (if he plays) leaves Crabtree a risky play. 

You might be better off just waiting until Carr is 100 percent healthy to use another Raiders wideout in your lineup. 

Week 5 Running Back Projections

1. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 80 rushing yards, 2 TD (Start) 

2. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 80 rushing yards, 1 TD (Start) 

3. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. Los Angeles Rams: 78 rushing yards, 1 TD (Start) 

4. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Miami Dolphins: 74 rushing yards, 1 TD (Start) 

5. Todd Gurley II (Los Angeles Rams) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 72 rushing yards, 1 TD (Start) 

6. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders: 70 rushing yards, 1 TD (Start) 

7. Lamar Miller (Houston Texans) vs. Cleveland Browns: 68 rushing yards (Start) 

8. C.J. Anderson (Denver Broncos) vs. New York Giants: 66 rushing yards (Start) 

9. Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Arizona Cardinals: 65 rushing yards (Start) 

10. Jordan Howard (Chicago Bears) vs. Baltimore Ravens: 62 rushing yards (Start) 

-- Ameer Abdullah (Detroit Lions) vs. New Orleans Saints: 61 rushing yards (Sit) 

-- Jay Ajayi (Miami Dolphins) vs. Atlanta Falcons: 60 rushing yards (Sit) 

Analysis

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Le'Veon Bell and Kareem Hunt are in the hunt (no pun intended) for the title of the best fantasy running back this season. Bell puts up running back as well as wide receiver numbers each game, while Hunt offers the big-play upside, finding the end zone on a more consistent basis than Bell does.

However, this week will be different.

The Steelers are playing against the Chiefs with a chip on their shoulder after their blowout loss to Jacksonville. A steady diet of Bell will give the Chiefs fits, allowing him the opportunity to rack up the yards and touchdowns on the ground. After all, it seems like it would be a good idea to give Bell the ball rather than let Ben Roethlisberger throw the ball downfield after his five-interception performance a week ago.

Another player who gets a lot of touches, Jay Ajayi won't replicate the same type of success this week as Bell for a couple of reasons. For one, the Dolphins offense is really bad and Ajayi can't find any room to run. Secondly, Ajayi could get phased out Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, who should be able to make this game a cricket score. 

If that happens, Ajayi won't be getting carries as the Dolphins attempt to pass their way back into the game. Week 6 continues to be a bad week for Ajayi fantasy owners.

Week 5 Tight End Projections

1. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 78 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

2. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets: 73 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

3. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) vs. Indianapolis Colts: 60 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

4. Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (Start) 

5. Austin Seferian-Jenkins (New York Jets) vs. New England Patriots: 48 receiving yards (Start) 

6. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Green Bay Packers: 47 receiving yards (Start) 

7. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay Packers) vs. Minnesota Vikings: 47 receiving yards (Start) 

8. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders: 45 receiving yards (Start) 

9. Evan Engram (New York Giants) vs. Denver Broncos: 44 receiving yards (Start) 

10. Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 44 receiving yards (Start) 

-- Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Arizona Cardinals: 37 receiving yards (Sit) 

-- David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) vs. Houston Texans: 33 receiving yards (Sit) 

Analysis

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Last but not least, the tight end position has been a very difficult one to predict this season.

With the exception of Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski and Zach Ertz, no other tight ends have been able to put up big numbers week in, week out. Gronkowski should find some success against the New York Jets this week, but Kelce is line for a bigger day against the Steelers defense that has looked vulnerable on deep passes and over the middle plays.

Kelce could be looking at his best performance of the season in Week 6, but the same can't be said for Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate. He hasn't been great this season, but he's been a touchdown machine in the red zone for Tampa Bay, similar to how Jack Doyle was used a year ago by the Colts.

But this week, Brate is going up against the Cardinals, who will look to shut down any checkdown passes, challenging Jameis Winston to throw the ball downfield into Arizona's secondary that is led by Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. Brate won't find the end zone against the Cardinals, which depletes his value in fantasy. 

All stats courtesy of Yahoo Sports.