Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings: Hakeem Nicks and 3 WRs in for Monster Games

The passing game has never been more important in the NFL than it is right now, and because of that the value of quarterbacks is at an all-time high. Quarterbacks have always been highly regarded, though, so the real winners in this new pass-happy NFL are probably the wide receivers.

Receivers were long thought to be dime-a-dozen players, but many teams center their entire offense around a stud receiver. Here are three star pass-catchers that are sure to turn in monster performances in Week 6.

Dez Bryant - Dallas Cowboys

The 2011 season hasn't gotten off to an ideal start for ultra-skilled Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, but he seems due for a breakout any week now. Bryant has struggled through a thigh injury and has just 10 catches for 171 yards through three games, although he does have three touchdowns.

After a bye week, all signs point to Bryant being healthy. He also has an excellent matchup against a New England Patriots secondary that has given up more passing yards than any other team. Miles Austin is coming off a hamstring injury and may be eased into action, so Bryant should be Romo's main man on Sunday.

Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers

Seemingly left for dead with dead-armed quarterbacks like Jake Delhomme, Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen throwing to him, former All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith wanted a trade away from the Carolina Panthers. That never materialized, but with Cam Newton now at quarterback, I'm sure Smith is glad he has stayed put.

With Newton as his distributor, Smith has enjoyed an incredible renaissance. He ranks second in the league with 609 receiving yards through five games and has three games with more than 150 yards receiving. He could certainly put up another 150-plus-yard performance this weekend as the Panthers face an Atlanta Falcons team that has hemorrhaged yards through the air.

Hakeem Nicks - New York Giants

Despite struggling through the early part of the season with a knee injury, New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks has put up excellent numbers thus far. With 28 catches for 412 yards and three touchdowns, he seems to have picked up right where he left off in his breakthrough 2010 campaign.

Nicks has a very favorable opponent this weekend in the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have been surprisingly good as a team this season, but the defense has given up tons of yardage. The secondary has struggled against bigger skill receivers in recent weeks such as Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin, and Nicks fits those criteria. The Bills may find a way to pull out another win, but Nicks should rack up a huge game in the process.