Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 6: Smart Matchup Plays, Sleepers and More

You know those fantasy football roster decisions you've been wrestling with all season? 

They're about to get a lot more difficult.

Week 6 of the 2021 NFL season will feature the first round of byes on the schedule. Tack that on to the perpetually growing injury report, and chances are you'll be doing a decent amount of roster maintenance between now and whenever your lineups lock.

We're here to point you in the right direction by identifying a start, a sit and a sleeper at the three marquee offensive possessions for Week 6.

Quarterback

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Start: Matthew Stafford at New York Giants

Life with the Los Angeles Rams is treating Matthew Stafford just well. He holds a 4-1 record, and he has thrown for at least 320 yards or two touchdowns in every game. In two of his contests, he hit both marks.

The numbers should keep piling up against New York, which has been the sixth-most generous defense for fantasy quarterbacks. As long as the contest doesn't get too out of hand too quickly, the 33-year-old could have a field day against a defense that has struggled to force turnovers and get to the signal-caller.

Sit: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Seattle Seahawks

In theory, this should be a great matchup for the Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller. The Seahawks have surrendered the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, and the third-most passing yards per game.

But matchups only matter if a quarterback can exploit them, and Ben Roethlisberger simply hasn't proved that he can anymore. The 39-year-old has just six touchdown passes and four interceptions through five games and just lost one of his most reliable receivers, JuJu Smith-Schuster, to a dislocated shoulder.

Sleeper: Taylor Heinicke vs. Kansas City Chiefs

A recommendation for Taylor Heinicke requires a short-term memory, since the Washington quarterback is coming off a miserable outing against the Saints. But New Orleans has proved to be one of the toughest matchups for fantasy quarterbacks.

Kansas City, meanwhile, sits on the other end of the spectrum, which could allow Heinicke to get back on track. Prior to Sunday's hiccup, he had tallied eight touchdowns (seven passing, one rushing) over his previous three outings.

Running Back

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Start: Leonard Fournette vs. Philadelphia Eagles

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have stopped short of giving Leonard Fournette featured-back duties, he's clearly the preferred option at running back.

If anything, he should have widened the gap in Week 5, when he capitalized on a good matchup with the Miami Dolphins and turned 16 touches (12 carries and four catches) into 110 scrimmage yards and a score.

Count the Eagles as another favorable opponent, as they have surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points to the position. Fournette could have a field day against this defense, especially if the Bucs want to take it easy on Tom Brady after he suffered a right thumb injury on Sunday.

Sit: James Conner at Cleveland Browns

In just about every other case, it makes sense for fantasy managers to get all the exposure to the Arizona Cardinals' offense as they can. But no one can feel great about James Conner's outlook after he failed to crack three yards per carry in either of his last two contests.

The 26-year-old does have five rushing touchdowns in his last three games, but I'd be careful about grabbing a touchdown-dependent player from an offense with so many different scoring options. He's a non-factor in the pass game, so if he doesn't sniff the end zone, his fantasy value vanishes.

Against a Cleveland defense that's been the fifth-stingiest versus fantasy running backs, the reward doesn't outweigh the risk.

Sleeper: Devontae Booker vs. Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants starter Saquon Barkley suffered a bad-looking ankle injury on Sunday, which should shoot Devontae Booker to the top of the waiver-wire priority list this week.

The 29-year-old got busy already this weekend, tallying 16 carries and three receptions (on four targets) in relief of Barkley. Booker wasn't particularly efficient with his chances from a yardage standpoint (58 total), but he did find the end zone twice. The volume he could receive in Week 6 is too much to overlook.

Wide Receiver

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Start: DeVonta Smith vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It feels like a matter of time before DeVonta Smith puts up huge numbers in the stat sheet. Of course, it's not like his last two weeks have been anything to sneeze at, since he's turned 18 targets into 14 receptions for 199 yards.

Still, the Philadelphia Eagles' first-rounder has only scored a single touchdown all season and has the same number of 100-yard efforts. He might check both boxes in this potential shootout, as the Buccaneers have allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers.

Sit: Kenny Golladay vs. Los Angeles Rams

The fact that Kenny Golladay is without a score through his first five games with the New York Giants is the least of his concerns.

For starters, the 27-year-old might not be healthy enough to go Sunday after hurting his knee against the Cowboys. If he is, he could be catching passes from Mike Glennon, as starter Daniel Jones is in the concussion protocol.

And even if Jones is under center, Golladay would still have to deal with a Rams defense allowing the second-fewest points to the position. Stay. Away.

Sleeper: Emmanuel Sanders at Tennessee Titans

The Buffalo Bills' offense is off to the races, and it's pushing Emmanuel Sanders up the fantasy wide receiver pecking order. He may not have a sky-high ceiling—his season high is five catches, and he has only cleared 75 yards once—but he ranks as one of the preferred targets of Josh Allen, which clearly has its perks.

Sanders, who is averaging better than six targets per game, just scored two touchdowns for the second time in three weeks. While it's not always advisable to chase scoring streaks, his high target floor gives him a decent chance to produce even without a touchdown.

Meanwhile, this matchup with the Titans, which have allowed more fantasy points to the position than anyone, might be juicy enough to keep the scores coming.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of NFL.com.