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

Another week, another matchup nightmare.

When it comes to fantasy football, the "there's always next week" saying doesn't always hold true. Every week presents new challenges, particularly now that bye weeks are fully underway. It's not always easy to figure out who are the top plays each week and who to avoid starting.

Here, we'll take a look at the top 12 players at each position in Week 6. But keep in mind that just because a player is listed in the top 12 at their position doesn't necessarily mean they're going to put up monster numbers. We will identify the players who will, barring unforeseen circumstances, light up the scoreboard and other players who won't do so well.

Let's get started.

Week 5 Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) 

2. Tom Brady (New England Patriots)

3. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) 

4. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) 

5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) 

6. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) 

7. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) 

8. Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals) 

9. Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) 

10. Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins) 

11. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans)

12. Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) 

Boom: Aaron Rodgers

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

There's just no doubting Aaron Rodgers anymore.

While he didn't come out of the gates this season firing on all cylinders, mainly because of injuries to his receivers, Rodgers has come on in recent weeks, including a spectacular game-winning performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 on the road.

Rodgers is, arguably, the most consistent quarterback in fantasy. Not only can he find players downfield for big plays, but he also doesn't turn the ball over a bunch. Add in his ability to extend plays and run, that's the icing on the cake.

In Week 6, Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers go up against division rivals Minnesota Vikings. While the Vikings are a solid defensive team, rest assured that Rodgers will continue to make winning plays and put points on the board not just for the Packers, but also for your fantasy team.

Bust: Marcus Mariota 

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Nothing against Marcus Mariota, but he just doesn't have the same upside as he usually does this week since he's hampered by a sore hamstring.

Mariota is a deadly accurate passer in the pocket and could still put up respectable points this week against the Indianapolis Colts. Having said that, Mariota's real selling point in fantasy is his ability to make plays on the run, passing or running the football.

Being limited to just throwing from the pocket, Mariota is looking to have an efficient, albeit not effective outing Sunday. The Titans look like they're going to play with a run-heavy attack led by Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray, which is bad news for Mariota's fantasy owners. Wait until he's 100 percent to bring him back into the fold.

Week 5 Wide Receivers

1. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) 

2. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans) 

3. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) 

4. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers) 

5. Brandin Cooks (New England Patriots) 

6. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) 

7. Golden Tate (Detroit Lions) 

8. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers)

9. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts)

10. Stefon Diggs (Minnesota Vikings) 

11. Michael Crabtree (Oakland Raiders)

12. Chris Hogan (New England Patriots) 

Boom: Julio Jones

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Julio Jones has to score eventually, right?

The All-Pro wideout hasn't found the end zone yet this season and has once again been bitten by the nagging injury bug. But coming off a bye, there's no excuses for Jones and the Falcons to not get him the football more.

Going up against the Miami Dolphins in what should be a relatively easy win for Atlanta, Jones will have a great opportunity to build off of his 295 receiving yards on 19 receptions so far this season.

Play Jones and know that he won't let you down again. The law of averages won't allow it. 

Bust: Michael Thomas

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

There's nothing wrong with Michael Thomas. He should be fit and ready to produce for the New Orleans Saints. The only problem is that he might have less opportunities to do so as Willie Snead is back in the fold.

Snead is a legitimate threat to Thomas' touches, and I can't overstate that enough. 

In 30 career games, Snead has 141 catches for 1,879 yards and seven touchdowns. That's a 16-game average of 75.2 catches, 1,002 yards and 3.7 touchdowns; not bad considering he's never been a No. 1 option for New Orleans when Brandin Cooks also used to be in town.

Snead's touches will be monitored this week as he gets back into the flow of things, but you better believe that Thomas will get less looks because of his re-emergence. Be wary of Snead, he could ruin Thomas' numbers this weekend.

Week 5 Running Backs

1. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) 

2. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) 

3. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars) 

4. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) 

5. Todd Gurley II (Los Angeles Rams) 

6. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) 

7. Lamar Miller (Houston Texans)

8. C.J. Anderson (Denver Broncos) 

9. Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) 

10. Jordan Howard (Chicago Bears) 

11. Ameer Abdullah (Detroit Lions) 

12. Jay Ajayi (Miami Dolphins) 

Boom: Le'Veon Bell

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

The Steelers are playing against the Chiefs this week coming off one of the franchise's worst performances in history. And no, that's not an exaggeration. Losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars at home 30-9 when your franchise quarterback throws five interceptions and two-pick sixes counts as embarrassing.

With Ben Roethlisberger not playing up to his usual high standard, the Steelers will have no choice but to rely on the services of star running back Le'Veon Bell, who should be a major factor in both the run and passing game. Bell puts up numbers in fantasy almost every week, whether it's in a PPR or standard league. 

Have faith that Bell will continue to carry the load for Pittsburgh this week until the team can figure out what's wrong with its offense. 

Bust: Jay Ajayi

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

The Jay Ajayi we all fell in love with last season is hampered with an inconsistent offensive line and a dreadful passing game. And it's a real shame

Ajayi has been hampered with some lingering knee injuries, but he's still gone out there and produced when given a chance this season. A major problem with Ajayi's production, however, is that the Dolphins offense can't keep pace with other teams, forcing them to abandon the run game.

And that's exactly why Week 6 could be a nightmare for Ajayi owners. 

Going up against the Falcons and their offense could make the Dolphins play catch up for the majority of the game, meaning passing the ball instead of running it. Ajayi is not a huge factor in the passing game, which could mean bad news for his owners this week.

Play him with caution if you must, just don't be surprised to see him standing on the sidelines if Miami is getting blown out. 

Week 5 Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) 

2. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) 

3. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) 

4. Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) 

5. Austin Seferian-Jenkins (New York Jets) 

6. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings) 

7. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay Packers) 

8. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers) 

9. Evan Engram (New York Giants)

10. Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) 

11. Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) 

12. David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) 

Boom: Travis Kelce 

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Move over, Rob Gronkowski. Week 6's No. 1 tight end is Travis Kelce. 

While Kelce does have a better matchup this week than Gronkowski, that doesn't mean he's the better overall player by any means. That's just blasphemous. 

But I do like Kelce's potential against a reeling Steelers side this week, especially since the Chiefs have actually started to pass the ball downfield this season.

Alex Smith looks like an early-season MVP candidate through five games, and if he continues to connect with Kelce this weekend, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Kansas City remain undefeated.

Bust: Cameron Brate

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

Week 6 for Cameron Brate won't be that great.

Brate is a touchdown dependent player in fantasy. There's nothing wrong with having a touchdown dependent player on your team (Mike Tolbert!) but starting a tight end who has 15 receptions through four games and needs a score to even be relevant is a big risk, especially against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense could have a tough time against a hungry Cardinals defense that is looking to put last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles behind them. I expect the Buccaneers to lean heavy on their run game led by Doug Martin and use play-action plays to set up DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans downfield.

Unfortunately for Brate, he will be the forgotten man this weekend.