Fantasy Football Week 6: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

We're only five weeks into the 2020 season, and already it's been unforgettable.

Unfortunately, mostly for the wrong reasons.

The No. 1 running back in most fantasy football drafts this season has been on the shelf for several weeks. The No. 2 running back has a torn ACL. The top wide receiver has been injured for the better part of a month—as have two other top options at the position. The highest-scoring fantasy quarterback over the season's first month shattered his ankle in Week 5.

Meanwhile, an undrafted rookie has posted top-10 numbers at running back. The backup for that top RB has been piling up the stats folks thought they would be getting from that No. 1 overall pick. And the king of the journeyman quarterbacks has more fantasy points than last year's NFL MVP.

Other than that, things have gone according to plan.

All the chaos in fantasy leagues has made setting lineups that much more difficult. Fantasy managers need every edge they can get. They need assistance. Help. Someone who can swoop in to tell them if Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is a must-start player or a flash in the pan. A hero who can help sift through their toughest lineup decisions and get a win in Week 6.

Now what did I do with that cape?

Flavor of the Week

From the Bleacher Report App

Rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool of the Pittsburgh Steelers had himself a day against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5—seven catches on 11 targets for 110 yards and three scores. He also chipped in a fourth touchdown on the ground, because why not.

As Brooke Pryor reported for ESPN, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said that Claypool has the talent to be force in the Steelers offense moving forward.

"He's talented," Roethlisberger said. "He has got some God-given abilities that not many people in this world have. He's big, fast and strong, and he's very, very smart. So we're able to do those things like move him around and do some things with him."

It was one heck of a game, and Claypool deserves a spot on fantasy rosters. But he isn't the play here.

A.J. Brown is the No. 1 receiver for the Tennessee Titans. The second-year pro has missed some time due to injury, but he was back in the lineup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, hauling in seven of nine targets for 82 yards and a score.

Brown has been targeted at least eight times in both the games he's played in this year. Prior to last week's breakout, Claypool had been targeted nine times in three games.

Claypool's big Week 5 may have been the start of an ascension to fantasy greatness. But it could also be one huge week for a No. 3 receiver.

The Call: A.J. Brown (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600)   

He Could Run for Myles and Myles

From the Bleacher Report App

We'll start this one off by ruling out the player who isn't even currently on the team. This isn't to say that Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans isn't worth an add after his 8/161/1 outburst against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But while it was great to see the Houston offense show some signs of life, Cooks has been invisible more weeks than not in 2020.

The same goes for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup. Gallup showed some rapport with Andy Dalton last week against the New York Giants. But he's had more than five targets once in five games.

That leaves three running backs—James White of the New England Patriots, Devonta Freeman of the New York Giants and Myles Gaskin of the Miami Dolphins.

White is a pass. He's a talented player who can be a valuable PPR option, but the running back touches in New England can vary greatly from week to week.

Freeman is coming off his best game since joining the Giants, recording 87 yards and a touchdown on 19 touches. But the Giants offense is a hot mess right now—if possible the best course of action is to treat the "NY" on Giants helmets as "not you" when setting weekly lineups.

Clever, huh?

That leaves Myles Gaskin of the Miami Dolphins. Like Freeman, Gaskin wasn't especially great on a per-touch basis last week—3.6 yards a carry against the San Francisco 49ers. But Gaskin got 21 touches, topped 90 yards with a touchdown and draws a floundering New York Jets team in Week 6 that has allowed the fifth-most PPR points to running backs in 2020. 

The Call: Myles Gaskin (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,400)   

Three from Four

From the Bleacher Report App

Given the carnage that has swept through the running back position over the first five weeks of 2020, this is a solid quartet to choose from.

According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook isn't expected to play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons due to an adductor strain. Given that, Alexander Mattison needs to be in one of these spots. The Falcons are a terrible defensive team that has given up the seventh-most PPR points to running backs this season.

Spot No. 2 belongs to Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts. The rookie running back has scuffled of late, as he hasn't had 70 rushing yards in a game since Week 2. But Taylor has found the end zone in three of the past four contests and faces a Cincinnati Bengals team in Week 6 that ranks 30th in the NFL against the run.

The third spot is trickier. We have already discussed what Myles Gaskin has brought to the table this year for the Miami Dolphins, but David Johnson is coming off his best game of the year for the Houston Texans. Last week against the Jaguars, Johnson racked up 103 total yards on 19 touches.

It's essentially a toss-up, as both Gaskin and Johnson also have similarly favorable matchups. I like Johnson's odds of a touchdown slightly better, though, so he gets the slimmest of edges for the third and final slot.

The Call: Alexander Mattison (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,200), Jonathan Taylor (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400), David Johnson (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,400)   

Which Hall of Fame QB?

From the Bleacher Report App

Having three quality quarterbacks on a fantasy roster is a bit unusual, but it can be a good problem to have. It might be a good time to reach out to the team that just lost Dak Prescott and play a little Let's Make a Deal.

Just saying.

For Week 6, Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (that's never going to stop sounding weird) is the first player ruled out. The reason has less to do with the player than who Brady is playing—the Green Bay Packers are easily the worst fantasy matchup of this bunch for quarterbacks.

Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions is another "no." The Jacksonville Jaguars are a good fantasy matchup, eighth in fantasy points given up to the position. But the Lions offense has been up and down this season.

Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the play here. The reason is simple: The Cleveland Browns are having all kinds of trouble defending the pass, especially over the middle. The Browns are 30th in pass defense in 2020 and fifth in fantasy points given up to quarterbacks.

You can't go wrong on the defense decision. Both the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins play host to teams (the Denver Broncos and New York Jets) who have struggled mightily offensively.

But the Pats are the better unit overall, so they get the nod.

The Call: Ben Roethlisberger (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,700), New England Patriots (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,100)   

Vanishing Wide Receivers

From the Bleacher Report App

We'll start this one off by dispensing with the "maybe." As was already discussed, from all indications Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings won't play in Week 6, so this manager will need to fill his spot.

The best option is the Bucs' Ronald Jones II, who has piled up at least 20 touches and topped 100 yards in each of the past two weeks.

The wide receiver spot is tricky, if only because the options available are all wildly inconsistent at best. With just 14 catches for 119 yards this year, A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals is a hard pass. Christian Kirk of the Arizona Cardinals showed some signs of life last week, but his 11/154/1 line for the year isn't any better than Green's.

Sammy Watkins is out as well. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Watkins injured his hamstring last week against the Las Vegas Raiders and is expected to be sidelined a couple of weeks.

By process of elimination, that leaves Michael Gallup of the Cowboys. Gallup has been mostly underwhelming this year, but Andy Dalton looked his way a few times last week. Hopefully that will continue Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

The flex spot is an easy call. Arizona's Chase Edmonds might technically be the No. 2 running back for the Cardinals, but he's been more effective on a per-touch basis than Kenyan Drake recently. Edmonds has had five receptions and a touchdown in each of the past two games.

The Call: Michael Gallup (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,000), Chase Edmonds (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,200)   

Captain Obvious Will See You Now

From the Bleacher Report App

This question answers itself…maybe.

The flex call here is the easiest of the week. Even after a somewhat pedestrian 70 total yards last week against the Houston Texans, rookie running back James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars still ranks eighth in PPR points among running backs.

This should go without saying, but a top-10 running back should be in lineups every single week—especially against a Detroit Lions defense that has given up the fourth-most PPR points to running backs so far this season.

At wide receiver, Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has missed time of late with a hamstring injury, but the fourth-year veteran is back on the practice field and on track to play against the Green Bay Packers.

If Godwin is active Sunday, he's the start.

However, hamstrings can be tricky. If Godwin misses Week 6, the fallback option would be Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. While CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys faces an uncertain situation under center and a bottom-five fantasy matchup for receivers, Jefferson plays against a reeling Atlanta Falcons team surrendering the ninth-most PPR points to wideouts in 2020.

The Call: James Robinson (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,800), Chris Godwin (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400)   

It's so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

From the Bleacher Report App

 It can be hard for fantasy managers to admit that they screwed up. That the draft pick they spent on a player was wasted. That it's time to move on.

That's where we're at with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

I will freely admit I was a member of #TeamRyan in 2020. Given the offensive weaponry at the veteran's disposal, I didn't see any reason the 35-year-old wouldn't be able to match his sixth-place fantasy finish among quarterbacks from 2019.

Yeah, that didn't happen. Instead Julio Jones got hurt, the Falcons have been a dumpster fire and Ryan currently sits 18th in fantasy points among quarterbacks. He hasn't finished a week inside the top 20 at his position since the Falcons choked in epic fashion against Dallas back in Week 2.

Meanwhile, Teddy Bridgewater of the Carolina Panthers has quietly been turning it on of late. Two weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals, Bridgewater amassed 308 total yards and accounted for three touchdowns. He followed that up with 313 passing yards and two scores in Week 5 against the Falcons.

Bridgewater admittedly has a tough Week 6 matchup, as no team has allowed fewer fantasy points to quarterbacks this year than the Chicago Bears.

But the Falcons are in complete disarray right now, and outside of Calvin Ridley and maybe Todd Gurley, Atlanta is on the fantasy football 10-foot pole list.

As in do not touch them with one.

The Call: Teddy Bridgewater (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,000)   

Backs to the Future

From the Bleacher Report App

Well, we can rule out Le'Veon Bell right off the bat. In a move that is almost too New York Jets for even the New York Jets, he was released Tuesday.

Yet head coach Adam Gase still has a job.

This sounds more like 2014 than 2020, but the running back spot belongs to Adrian Peterson.

The 35-year-old just keeps chewing up yardage, averaging 4.5 yards per carry for the Detroit Lions this season. He got 33 carries over Detroit's last two games—a stretch in which he ran for 111 yards and scored a touchdown. Those numbers aren't great, but the touches have been there, and Peterson draws a Jacksonville Jaguars defense Sunday that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs.

There's an argument for putting Devonta Freeman of the New York Giants in that spot and flexing a wide receiver. But the target share for Laviska Shenault Jr. of the Jaguars has varied quite a bit this season, and Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals faces an Indianapolis Colts team allowing the seventh-fewest PPR points to receivers this season.

So it's Freeman in the flex. The veteran back played his best game of 2020 in Dallas last week with 87 yards on 19 touches. Since both running backs play on teams with a real chance of winning in Week 6, both should see 15-plus touches.

And a short-yardage score isn't out of the question for either.

The Call: Devonta Freeman (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900), Adrian Peterson (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,700)

DraftKings DFS Question of the Week

From the Bleacher Report App

DFS players who were hoping that Dalvin Cook's injury might provide them with a bargain at running back are out of luck. Minnesota's Alexander Mattison carries a $7,200 Week 6 price tag commensurate with his upside in a plus matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

Mattison is still the least expensive of this trio, though.

Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers has been fantastic this year—only Carolina's Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints have more PPR points per game among running backs. But in addition to carrying the highest ($7,600) price point of this bunch, Jones also has the least favorable matchup against Tampa's top-ranked run defense.

Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans offers DFS players a middle ground of sorts. He's less pricey than Jones but more proven than Mattison. The Texans have been a favorable matchup for running backs, allowing the 10th-most points to the position at DraftKings. And the last time Henry faced Houston, he rolled for 211 yards and three scores.

There are some lower-cost options this week that stand out as potential value plays (Jacksonville's James Robinson and Chicago's David Montgomery come to mind), but of this threesome, Henry is the best combination of price and potential.

The Call: Derrick Henry (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,300)   

Rapid Fire

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Now it's time to close out the Week 6 edition of this column with the speed round. With some hurry-up offense. 

With rapid fire.

Kenyan Drake's pedestrian numbers have donalddrilling ready to make a switch. "Antonio Gibson or Kenyan Drake? .5PPR."

This is what it's come to with Drake, who ranks outside the top 30 among running backs. Meanwhile, Washington's Antonio Gibson (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500) has quietly posted top-20 numbers and draws the more favorable fantasy matchup of the two. Provided that Gibson's toe injury doesn't prevent him from playing, he gets the start.

SicEmBears1 has Claypool fever. "JuJu (Smith-Schuster), Justin Jefferson or Chase Claypool at flex full PPR?"

OK, everyone just take a deep breath and relax. Claypool was admittedly fantastic last week and draws a favorable Week 6 matchup against the Browns. So does Minnesota's Justin Jefferson against a pitiful Falcons defense. But neither of those rookies is the No. 1 wide receiver for their respective teams. Pittsburgh's JuJu Smith-Schuster (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600) is.

jedistone has a quarterback question. "Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kirk Cousins or Ryan Tannehill?'

This is a relatively close call between three comparable options. Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans had a great game in Week 5 against the Bills, but passing-game volume is a concern. Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings gets a great fantasy matchup, but he hasn't been especially productive this season. Ryan Fitzpatrick (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900) of the Dolphins, on the other hand,, is the best of both worlds—a top-10 quarterback for the season with a favorable fantasy matchup (vs. NYJ) for his position.

For DonPepito, it's a flex query. "Michael Gallup, Odell Beckham Jr. or Will Fuller at flex?"

Gallup's rather disappointing season has already been mentioned. Beckham has a tough matchup with a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Fuller's matchup isn't sunshine and kittens either, but he's been hot of late—a 14/220/3 line over the last three weeks. It's a really close call, but I like Fuller's (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,800) Week 6 ceiling a little more.

Pete19 wants some wide receiver help. "WR2: DeVante Parker, Terry McLaurin or Justin Jefferson?"

Minnesota's Justin Jefferson is all kinds of talented, but his target share isn't as reliable as that of Miami's DeVante Parker (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300) or Washington's Terry McLaurin. The latter pair are essentially a toss-up, but Parker doesn't have the concerns under center that McLaurin does. Parker has the edge here, but it's a slight one.

YEMIYO has a running back problem. "Damien Harris or Darrell Henderson? Full PPR."

Oh goodie. Two running backs whose carry shares ping-pong around from week to week. Henderson racked up 18 touches and two scores last week for the Rams, but he also averaged just 2.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, when we last saw Damien Harris (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,000) of the New England Patriots, he was piling up 100 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even with Cam Newton potentially returning to vulture goal-line looks, Harris gets the call here.

Finally, samkarl is getting his overthink on. "Travis Fulgham or Tyler Boyd?"

Come on, man. Yes, Fulgham had a good game last week, reeling in 10 passes for 152 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it was one game. Tyler Boyd (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800) of the Cincinnati Bengals has topped 1,000 receiving yards each of the last two years and ranks inside the top 20 in PPR fantasy points for the season. It's Boyd easily.

DFS player salaries courtesy of DraftKings. Fantasy scoring data courtesy of FFToday. Fantasy points against data courtesy of My Fantasy League.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year.