Fantasy Football Rankings Week 6: Mark Sanchez and 5 Players with Rising Stock

Week 6 of the 2011 NFL season is going to be a very important one, especially in a fantasy football context.

Teams on the field and in the fantasy football realm are starting to either prove themselves as contenders or expose themselves as pretenders.

Not everything is that clear cut, though.

There are certain teams, players and fantasy owners that should have been major factors, but instead they have been anything but.

That seems to happen quite a bit, but Week 6 is the perfect time to turn things around.

Be it your favorite team or your fantasy team, it's time to step up and make necessary changes.

We all know that the players are the lifeblood of the teams, so it's all on their shoulders.

Here are five players that need a rise in stock and will get it starting this week:

Mark Sanchez, QB Jets:

Sanchez has quite a favorable matchup this week as his Jets take on the pathetic Miami Dolphins at home on Monday Night Football. Head coach Rex Ryan still believes that the Jets can be Super Bowl contenders, so if that's true Sanchez is going to have to go off on the Dolphins defense.

Alex Smith, QB 49ers:

I never thought I would say this, but I think Smith is actually becoming a halfway decent quarterback under Jim Harbaugh. He's going to have to be on his toes against a very tough Lions front seven, but I think he can take advantage of their weak secondary this week.

Victor Cruz, WR Giants:

Cruz has been incredible since bursting onto the NFL scene. He's racked up 19 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns. He's a great fantasy option, even as the Giants third option.

Ryan Torain, RB Redkins:

Tim Hightower is banged up, which means Torain is going to get a lot of looks this weekend. He's going to be running against a Eagles defense that cannot stop the run.

A.J. Green, WR Bengals

Green is starting to step up and is on his way to being a great wide receiver. He's got a matchup against an inferior and—quite frankly—horrible Colts team this weekend. Should put up some great numbers.