Week 6 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: 4 Quarterbacks You Should Bench

We're about one-third of the way through the 2011 NFL season, and the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders.

Some offenses are simply unreliable, and some are just doomed to fail in Week 6 considering the defenses they're about to face. As a fantasy owner, it's important to identify which quarterbacks to avoid starting each week.

Here's this week's list of signal-callers to bench:

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Smith is coming off a solid performance last week, but don't get too excited. He still passed for just 170 yards at home against a mediocre Tampa Bay defense.

This week, he's on the road against the red-hot Detroit Lions. Even if San Francisco's offensive line plays a great game, the Lions' front line will wear them down. They'll put pressure on Smith and make him uncomfortable. Detroit is minimizing their opponents' yardage and holding them to 17.8 points per game.

I would put the over/under on Smith's touchdown passes at 1.5 and his passing yards at 175. Fantasy owners should steer clear of Smith vs. the Lions in Week 6.

Curtis Painter, Indianapolis Colts

Curtis Painter is making progress in Indy, but he's not ready to shine against Cincinnati.

The Bengals have the third best pass defense in the NFL, and they will give Painter a tough time on Sunday. He needs to prove that he can consistently put scoring drives together in order to be a worthwhile fantasy investment.

Rey Maualuga, Reggie Nelson and the rest of the Bengals defense will make it tough for the Colts to score more than 20 points—the Colts average 17 points per game so far.

Painter should be on fantasy owners benches for the near future.

Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars

A rookie quarterback facing the best pass defenses in the league? Sit Gabbert for sure.

With a 49.5 completion percentage and only three touchdowns so far this season, Gabbert has struggled at the helm for Jacksonville. This week he heads to a hostile environment against a hostile defense when he faces the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

Gabbert hasn't been able to rack up yardage or points yet this season, so don't expect him to do so against a tough opponent.

Start anyone but him.

Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

Schaub is a solid quarterback, but the Texans have struggled to put points on the board against premiere defenses. A premiere defense is exactly what they will face Sunday at Baltimore.

Schaub's efficiency is decent this year, but his production has been inconsistent. In their 17-10 loss at Pittsburgh a couple weeks ago, Schaub threw for 138 yards and one touchdown.

The Ravens won't be any easier on him, as they have held their opponents to an average of 8.8 points per game.

Keep Schaub on your roster. Just don't start him this week against Ed Reed and company.