Week 6 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

At this point in the NFL season, there's plenty of data to help with difficult lineup decisions in fantasy football. For the past five weeks, we've watched the league's 32 teams and learned more about each of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as which players are either exceeding or failing to meet expectations.

Still, there are sure to be tough decisions to make regarding which players should be in your lineup and which should be on your bench on a week-to-week basis. And now, with teams having bye weeks, it can be hard to find strong fill-in players to help you stay competitive in their absence.

Here is some start/sit advice to potentially help with some of those tough lineup decisions for Week 6.

If you're not buying into Fitzmagic yet, it's time to start. Because as long as Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to be the Dolphins' starting quarterback, he's proving he's a start-worthy option for fantasy teams.

Fitzpatrick had what was expected to be a tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, yet he had his best performance of the season, going 22-for-28 for 350 yards and three touchdowns, both season highs. He's passed for at least 315 yards in three of the past four weeks, and he's thrown multiple touchdowns three times during that span as well.

Now, Fitzpatrick is set to face a New York Jets defense that is allowing 394.2 total yards per game, eighth most in the NFL. The Jets are also in total disarray as they've started the season 0-5, so this should be a game that the Dolphins win.

Fitzpatrick is once again a solid streaming option for fantasy managers needing a quarterback in Week 6.

Another week, another tough matchup for Carson Wentz and the Eagles' offense. And again, Wentz needs to be left on the bench in fantasy.

The Baltimore Ravens are allowing only 335 total yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. They're one of the best teams in the league, and they're likely going to be in control for the majority of Sunday's game.

Even though Wentz could pass a good bit, he hasn't played well enough this season to merit starting consideration. He's thrown multiple interceptions in four of Philadelphia's first five games, and he hasn't passed for more than 270 yards, which he did in the season opener at Washington.

It's been tough sledding for the 1-3-1 Eagles so far in 2020, and that's unlikely to change this week, so leave Wentz on the bench. (And potentially even consider dropping him if you need the roster space.)

Over the past two weeks, David Montgomery has 20 carries for 56 yards and 10 receptions for 60 yards. He at least scored his first rushing touchdown of the season last week, but it's been a slow start nonetheless. However, this is the week that Montgomery could finally put up big numbers.

The Carolina Panthers are allowing 133.4 rushing yards per game. And in what could be a low-scoring game featuring strong pass defense, Montgomery may be in position to finally have a big showing on the ground. He had 82 rushing yards in Week 2, but he hasn't had more than 45 since then.

In points-per-reception leagues, Montgomery has been a start-worthy back anyways because of his involvement in the passing game (14 targets over past two weeks). That should continue this week, so feel confident in starting Montgomery despite his lackluster play early in the season.

Le'Veon Bell may be out of the Jets' backfield picture for good after he was released on Tuesday, but that still doesn't make Frank Gore a good fantasy starting option moving forward. And that's because the 37-year-old veteran has not been faring well this season despite getting plenty of opportunities.

Gore has rushed for 204 yards this season, and he's been held to 30 yards on the ground each of the past two weeks by the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. He's averaging only 3.2 yards per carry, hasn't scored a touchdown and is a non-factor in New York's passing game, hauling in only two receptions so far.

Even though the Dolphins' defense may not be the most intimidating unit (although they held the San Francisco 49ers to 259 total yards last week), it's best to bench Gore and find better options to start at running back or in the flex spot.

Laviska Shenault's only touchdown of the season came in Week 1, and he's still yet to have a huge breakout game. But that should be coming soon, potentially as early as this week's matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Over the past several weeks, Shenault is becoming a bigger part of the Jaguars' offense. He had five receptions for 86 yards in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals, then had a season-high seven catches for 79 yards last week against the Houston Texans. Shenault also has nine carries this year, so it's possible Jacksonville will try to mix in some rushes for him as well.

That should all bode well against the Lions, who have allowed 405 total yards per game (fifth in the NFL). One of the only teams that has allowed more is the Jaguars (416.8), so this could be a high-scoring matchup with plenty of offense. And that could lead to a big day for the rookie Shenault.

Last week, DJ Moore finally got into the end zone for the first time in 2020, as he had four receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. However, he's been targeted six or fewer times in each of the past three weeks, and now the Panthers have a difficult matchup against the Bears.

Chicago has allowed only one touchdown to an opposing wide receiver this season (Tampa Bay's Mike Evans last week). So it's likely going to be tough for Carolina quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to find several of his primary targets in the end zone.

Even if he does, Robby Anderson has emerged as the Panthers' top receiver, as he's been targeted at least 10 times in three of the past four weeks. That's not likely to lead to much success for Moore this week, so leave him on the bench in favor of a player with a better matchup in the flex spot.