Fantasy Football Week 6: Matt Camp's Fantasy Big Board
Matchups mean a lot when making fantasy football decisions, but they don't mean everything.
Last week, playing Blake Bortles seemed like a good idea in a favorable matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Surprisingly, I took questions about playing him over the likes Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. It took Bortles 61 attempts to throw for 430 yards and a touchdown, but he also wound up with four interceptions and a lost fumble. Both Rodgers and Brees outscored Bortles because in the end, top talent will almost always rise to the occasion.
The New England Patriots have a pair of talented running backs in James White and Sony Michel, who have specific yet important roles that appear to be set in stone. Over the last two weeks, both White and Michel are top-12 fantasy backs. They have a great chance to keep that up when the Patriots meet the Chiefs in New England on Sunday night.
The right matchups can push certain players into bigger roles. Tarik Cohen and Nyheim Hines have both been featured receivers out of their respective backfields. They each get a boost in Week 6 with Cohen taking on the Miami Dolphins and Hines facing the New York Jets.
Here's the first look at points-per-reception (PPR) rankings for Week 6. These will change throughout the week and up to Sunday's action as we get more information about injuries and limitations, so make sure to bookmark this page for my full rankings for all scoring formats.
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Top 100
1 of 7
I present my top 100 players (minus quarterbacks) for the week as a way to help determine your flex spots. You may favor a certain position or player over another based on his role and/or your scoring rules.
As an additional tiebreaker, here are the teams I like as a whole this week based on their matchups:
- New England Patriots (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
- Atlanta Falcons (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Atlanta Falcons)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (at Cincinnati Bengals)
- Green Bay Packers (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
Week 6 Top 100 PPR Rankings
Quarterbacks
2 of 7
Better Than Usual
Jameis Winston, TB (at ATL)
Following a three-game suspension and a second-half appearance in a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 4, Winston comes out of the bye set for his first start of the season with a chance to make an immediate fantasy impact in Atlanta.
Last week, Ben Roethlisberger hung 250 yards and three touchdowns on the Falcons, which made him the No. 5 fantasy quarterback with 21.6 points. Through five games, the Falcons are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, as they're giving up an average of 287 yards and 2.4 touchdowns through the air.
Winston inherits an offense averaging a league-high 363.2 passing yards per game, which has been a necessity as much as an accomplishment. Tampa Bay's defense has given up 445.8 total yards per game, which is second only to the Kansas City Chiefs. Winston should be able to step in with a strong fantasy performance in a high-scoring showdown in Atlanta.
Andy Dalton, CIN (vs. PIT)
Dalton's run of four multi-touchdown games came to an end last week in a win over the Miami Dolphins. He completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 248 yards with a touchdown and an interception to finish with only 12.9 fantasy points, which put him outside the top 20 quarterbacks. After five games, he's the No. 13 fantasy quarterback with 94.9 fantasy points (18.98 fantasy points per game).
Look for a bounce-back effort from Dalton in another game with lots of potential fantasy points when the Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers rank second in most fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season, as they've given up 1,602 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. The Bengals aren't far behind with the seventh-most fantasy points surrendered to quarterbacks.
When two bad defenses face two strong offenses, it's fair to expect plenty of points on both sides, which means tons of volume and production. Dalton could be a top-10 option for Week 6.
Concern
Russell Wilson, SEA (at OAK)
The concern for Wilson isn't so much about his matchup with the Oakland Raiders as it is about misplaced expectations. As we covered in the Week 6 B.S. Meter, Wilson isn't getting much volume as a passer or a runner. His 19.9 fantasy points in Week 5 marked just the second time he finished inside the top 12 this season. Wilson hasn't hit the 200-yard mark in his last three games and didn't have a single rushing attempt last week.
Seattle is averaging 28.4 pass attempts per game, which ranks 29th in the league. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are eighth in the league with 28.6 rushing attempts. They're the only team in the league to be averaging more rushing attempts than passing attempts. You can expect more of the same this weekend against the Oakland Raiders, who have allowed fifth-most fantasy points to running backs.
Between the lack of pass attempts and Wilson failing to produce as a runner, he's nothing more than an average fantasy option.
Sleeper
Baker Mayfield, CLE (vs. LAC)
The fantastic stretch of games for Mayfield over the next two months kicks off with one of his tougher matchups in the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are yielding the 10th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, as they've allowed 1,421 passing yards and 11 touchdowns.
In a Week 5 overtime victory against the Baltimore Ravens, Mayfield went for 342 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 25-of-43 passing. He has attempted 84 passes and thrown for 637 yards in two starts, so he has more than enough volume to make up for any mistakes. Plus, he has 33 rushing yards in those two games, which is a nice bonus.
If you miss out on Winston, Mayfield should be the next-best streaming option and could be worth keeping on your roster as he moves into a fantasy-friendly schedule over the next eight weeks.
Week 6 Quarterback Rankings
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes (KC) |
| 2 | Tom Brady (NE) |
| 3 | Matt Ryan (ATL) |
| 4 | Aaron Rodgers (GB) |
| 5 | Cam Newton (CAR) |
| 6 | Deshaun Watson (HOU) |
| 7 | Philip Rivers (LAC) |
| 8 | Jared Goff (LAR) |
| 9 | Jameis Winston (TB) |
| 10 | Kirk Cousins (MIN) |
| 11 | Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) |
| 12 | Andy Dalton (CIN) |
| 13 | Baker Mayfield (CLE) |
| 14 | Andrew Luck (IND) |
| 15 | Carson Wentz (PHI) |
| 16 | Russell Wilson (SEA) |
| 17 | Mitch Trubisky (CHI) |
| 18 | Alex Smith (WAS) |
| 19 | Blake Bortles (JAC) |
| 20 | Derek Carr (OAK) |
| 21 | Joe Flacco (BAL) |
| 22 | Eli Manning (NYG) |
| 23 | C.J. Beathard (SF) |
| 24 | Marcus Mariota (TEN) |
| 25 | Case Keenum (DEN) |
| 26 | Sam Darnold (NYJ) |
| 27 | Ryan Tannehill (MIA) |
| 28 | Dak Prescott (DAL) |
| 29 | Josh Rosen (ARI) |
| 30 | Josh Allen (BUF) |
Running Backs
3 of 7
Better Than Usual
Tarik Cohen, CHI (at MIA)
It took four games, but Cohen finally broke out in a big way in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had seven receptions for 121 yards and a score in addition to 13 carries for 53 yards, giving him 30.4 fantasy points and a No. 5 finish at the running back position. In Cohen's first three games, he had a total of 20.4 fantasy points and was outside of the top 40 fantasy backs.
Now that Cohen is coming off the bye, it's a matter of following up on his first fantasy-relevant game of the season. Luckily, he draws the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Dolphins have given up the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. More importantly for Cohen, they allowed 36 receptions, 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air to RBs in their first five games.
If you typically think of Cohen as an RB3/flex option, he could easily jump into the RB2 tier when the Bears host the Dolphins.
Nyheim Hines, IND (at NYJ)
There's no doubt Hines is the best fantasy asset out of the Indianapolis Colts backfield. He has at least five receptions in four of five games this season and had 16 receptions for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 targets in the last two games. Hines' 29 receptions leads all Colts players, and his 35 targets trail only Eric Ebron (45) and T.Y. Hilton (38).
Hines should have another busy week Sunday when he travels to New Jersey to face the New York Jets. While the Jets have been a middle-of-the-road matchup for running backs, they've yielded 34 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown to RBs in five games.
Hines has quickly become a trusted target for Andrew Luck, so he has a crack at another strong fantasy performance in Week 6.
Concern
David Johnson, ARI (at MIN)
The Week 6 B.S. Meter detailed why selling high on Johnson is a good idea. If you're sticking with him for Week 6, don't expect another RB1 performance.
For the season, Johnson is the No. 10 fantasy running back with 79.2 fantasy points. With five touchdowns on the season, 37.9 percent of Johnson's fantasy production comes from his trips to the end zone. That doesn't leave much margin for error on a team with a total of 65 points in five games.
Johnson will take his touchdown-reliant production into Minnesota to face a Vikings defense that's limited opposing running backs to the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game, including only two touchdowns, both of which came through the air. This could be a rough afternoon for Johnson and the Arizona Cardinals, so you'd be smart to downgrade him out of the RB1 tier.
Sleeper
Ronald Jones, TB (at ATL)
You may need to reach a little deeper this week between injuries and bye weeks, so Jones might be on the fantasy radar. His NFL debut came in Week 4, and almost all of his 11 touches came in garbage time when the Buccaneers were getting blown out by the Bears. Tampa Bay comes out of the bye with a much better draw in Atlanta.
The Falcons defense has been ravaged by injuries, and it shows in the production given up across the board. Atlanta conceded the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs over first five weeks thanks to 443 yards and six touchdowns on the ground in addition to 46 receptions for 385 yards and a score in the passing game. If the Buccaneers decide to push Jones into a bigger role ahead of Peyton Barber, he'd have a chance to produce in this advantageous matchup.
This could be a matter of valuing the matchup over talent, but as a sleeper pick, there's nothing wrong with that.
Week 6 Running Back PPR Rankings
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Wide Receivers
4 of 7
Better Than Usual
Tyler Boyd, CIN (vs. PIT)
If you were disappointed by Boyd's three-game hot streak coming to an end in Week 5, have no fear, as he should be able to start a new one when he faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Before his four-reception, 44-yard performance against the Miami Dolphins last week, Boyd had 23 receptions for 323 yards and two touchdowns on 31 targets in three previous games.
Boyd enters Week 6 as the No. 19 fantasy wide receiver with 81.8 fantasy points (16.4 fantasy points per game). He leads the Cincinnati Bengals with 30 receptions and is tied with A.J. Green with 43 targets, although Green has the edge in yards (409-393) and touchdowns (5-2). They'll face a Steelers defense giving up the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers thanks to 69 receptions, 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns.
Fire up Boyd with high-end WR2 expectations for Week 6.
Julian Edelman, NE (vs. KC)
Edelman's 2018 debut was solid, not spectacular. He turned nine targets into seven receptions for 57 yards in an easy Week 5 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. His nine targets were second only to James White while playing 69.6 percent of the snaps. That snap count should rise in Edelman's second game, especially since the Kansas City Chiefs will provide much stiffer competition, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
The key for Edelman is a beatable Chiefs secondary. Even though Kansas City is an average challenge for fantasy wide receivers, the team has yielded the fifth-most receptions (75) on 138 targets. The Patriots aren't far behind with 73 receptions on 117 targets, so this doesn't look like a defensive affair.
Edelman should be confidently inserted into your lineup as a good WR2 in a battle of two of the best teams in the AFC. Bring on the points.
Concern
Quincy Enunwa, NYJ (vs. IND)
The excitement over Enunwa's role in the New York Jets passing game has quickly faded. While his 42 targets double the next closest Jet (Robby Anderson, 21), he has just 21 receptions for 278 yards, and his lone touchdown came in Week 1. Enunwa opened the season with 13 receptions for 155 yards and a score on 21 targets in the first two weeks. Over the last three games, he has just eight receptions for 123 yards on 21 targets, including a goose egg in Week 5.
Enunwa was seen playing with some sort of protection on his hand, so that may have been a detriment to his performance. It doesn't help that Sam Darnold has completed just 83 passes for the season and hasn't thrown for 200 yards more than once. Even if a favorable matchup, Enunwa is nothing more than a reach play with little upside.
Sleeper
Chris Godwin, TB (at ATL)
If you hung on to Godwin through the bye week or snatched him off the waiver wire ahead of this week's game, he could be worth a look with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading to Atlanta in a potential fantasy fiesta of points.
Even though Godwin hasn't blown up this season, he comes into Week 6 even with DeSean Jackson in targets (22) and touchdowns (three) and right behind him in receptions (17-15). The biggest difference is the yardage. Godwin's 193 yards pales in comparison to Mike Evans (426) and Jackson (424).
Still, Godwin is worth a look with a matchup this good. Atlanta allowed 69 receptions, 821 yards and 10 touchdowns to wide receivers in their first five games, which makes them the fifth-easiest defense for fantasy receivers to face this season. Tampa Bay is second in that category, so this could be a battle of two offenses trading points. Take a shot on Godwin if you want a piece of arguably the best fantasy game of the week.
Week 6 Wide Receiver PPR Rankings
Tight Ends
5 of 7
Better Than Usual
Austin Hooper, ATL (vs. TB)
While Hooper has struggled to stay fantasy relevant for more than a few games at a time, he has a pretty good chance to build on a strong performance from Week 5. Hooper turned an advantageous matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers into nine receptions for 77 yards on 12 targets. That gave him 16.7 fantasy points and the No. 3 spot among tight ends for the week.
Even though Hooper has just one other game with at least five receptions or 50 yards, he's the No. 9 fantasy tight end for the season at just 49.2 fantasy points. He'll have a good opportunity to move up the leaderboard with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting this weekend. No team allows more fantasy points per game to tight ends than the Buccaneers thanks to 27 receptions, 415 yards and two touchdowns in just four games.
Hooper is usually just a reach or sleeper play, but with the current state of the tight end position, this matchup and last week's performance make him one of the better options in Week 6.
Concern
Greg Olsen, CAR (at WAS)
Back in Week 1, Olsen re-injured the foot that plagued him throughout the 2017 season. He was shooting to return after an absence of 4-5 weeks, and it appears he'll reach that goal this weekend. According to Joseph Person of The Athletic, Olsen is hoping his foot will hold up until the end of the season, as he'll require a second surgery for his Jones fracture.
If you're wondering how it's possible for Olsen to play on such an injury, remember that attempts to do so last season after in-season surgery didn't go so well. He missed eight games only to re-injure the foot in his first game back, which caused him to miss the next game. Other than nine receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown in Week 15, Olsen's season was forgettable. In five games following surgery, he had 14 receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown on 32 targets.
While you need to keep an open mind at such a thin position in fantasy, expectations can't be high for Olsen if he's even able to play this weekend. He won't be close to 100 percent healthy.
Sleeper
C.J. Uzomah, CIN (vs. PIT)
When the Cincinnati Bengals lost Tyler Eifert to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 4, it was Uzomah who led the tight ends with 91.7 percent of the snap share compared to 40.0 percent for Tyler Kroft, although Kroft missed time with a foot injury. Uzomah had just two receptions for 43 yards on his only two targets, but he's clearly out in front on this depth chart heading into Week 6.
That's important because he could be worth a look with a nice matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After Hooper's performance in Week 5, Pittsburgh ranks second in most fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends on the season. The team has given up the most receptions (40), second-most yards (424), and second-most touchdowns (three). That means Uzomah has a chance to be fantasy-relevant this weekend.
Week 6 Tight End PPR Rankings
| 1 | Travis Kelce (KC) |
| 2 | Zach Ertz (PHI) |
| 3 | Rob Gronkowski (NE) |
| 4 | George Kittle (SF) |
| 5 | Eric Ebron (IND) |
| 6 | Jimmy Graham (GB) |
| 7 | Austin Hooper (ATL) |
| 8 | Cameron Brate (TB) |
| 9 | Jared Cook (OAK) |
| 10 | Trey Burton (CHI) |
| 11 | Kyle Rudolph (MIN) |
| 12 | Jordan Reed (WAS) |
| 13 | David Njoku (CLE) |
| 14 | Vance McDonald (PIT) |
| 15 | C.J. Uzomah (CIN) |
| 16 | Evan Engram (NYG) |
| 17 | Greg Olsen (CAR) |
| 18 | Geoff Swaim (DAL) |
| 19 | Nick Vannett (SEA) |
| 20 | Ryan Griffin (HOU) |
| 21 | Charles Clay (BUF) |
| 22 | Ricky Seals-Jones (ARI) |
| 23 | Hayden Hurst (BAL) |
| 24 | Dallas Goedert (PHI) |
| 25 | Mike Gesicki (MIA) |
| 26 | Antonio Gates (LAC) |
| 27 | Jeff Heuerman (DEN) |
| 28 | Jesse James (PIT) |
| 29 | Jonnu Smith (TEN) |
| 30 | Ian Thomas (CAR) |
| 31 | Gerald Everett (LAR) |
| 32 | Tyler Higbee (LAR) |
Defenses
6 of 7
Best Streaming Option
Green Bay Packers (vs. SF)
If you can snatch the Packers off the waiver wire, you should be using them with confidence with the San Francisco 49ers on the schedule for Week 6. This season, only the Buffalo Bills have given up more fantasy points to opposing defenses. Defenses have gotten the 49ers for 18 sacks, seven interceptions, four fumble recoveries and two TDs.
Losing Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon for the season has been rough, but now San Francisco may be without Matt Breida (ankle) and possibly Marquise Goodwin (hamstring). Expect the Packers to control this game and take advantage of the undermanned 49ers offense.
Ownership percentage: ESPN, 41.3; Yahoo, 53.0
Week 6 Defense Rankings
| 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars (at DAL) |
| 2 | Chicago Bears (at MIA) |
| 3 | Houston Texans (vs. BUF) |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings (vs. ARI) |
| 5 | Baltimore Ravens (at TEN) |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers (vs. SF) |
| 7 | Philadelphia Eagles (at NYG) |
| 8 | Dallas Cowboys (vs. JAC) |
| 9 | Los Angeles Rams (at DEN) |
| 10 | New York Jets (vs. IND) |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans (vs. BAL) |
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks (at OAK) |
| 13 | Carolina Panthers (at WAS) |
| 14 | Los Angeles Chargers (at CLE) |
| 15 | Cleveland Browns (vs. LAC) |
| 16 | Indianapolis Colts (at NYJ) |
| 17 | Miami Dolphins (vs. CHI) |
| 18 | Buffalo Bills (at HOU) |
| 19 | Washington Redskins (vs. CAR) |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers (at CIN) |
Kickers
7 of 7
Best Streaming Option
Cairo Santos, LAR (at DEN)
Last week, Santos became the second kicker to take over for the injured Greg Zuerlein, as he continues to recover from a groin injury suffered in Week 1. While he missed an extra point, Santos hit a pair of field goals and three other extra points. If Zuerlein is out again, Santos could play a bigger role for the Rams in Denver since both Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp are dealing with concussions.
Ownership percentages: ESPN, 26.8; Yahoo, 5.0
Week 6 Kicker Rankings
| 1 | Stephen Gostkowski (NE) |
| 2 | Matt Bryant (ATL) |
| 3 | Harrison Butker (KC) |
| 4 | Justin Tucker (BAL) |
| 5 | Chandler Catanzaro (TB) |
| 6 | Dan Bailey (MIN) |
| 7 | Jake Elliott (PHI) |
| 8 | Cairo Santos (LAR) |
| 9 | Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU) |
| 10 | Chris Boswell (PIT) |
| 11 | Graham Gano (CAR) |
| 12 | Mason Crosby (GB) |
| 13 | Randy Bullock (CIN) |
| 14 | Cody Parkey (CHI) |
| 15 | Adam Vinatieri (IND) |
| 16 | Josh Lambo (JAC) |
| 17 | Caleb Sturgis (LAC) |
| 18 | Ryan Succop (TEN) |
| 19 | Sebastian Janikowski (SEA) |
| 20 | Dustin Hopkins (WAS) |
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