Happy Friday fantasy followers! Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike Hubbard Jr here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard). You can tweet me or message me with any questions you might have regarding the fantasy football season.
PAY ATTENTION TO BYE WEEKS. THIS WEEKS BYES ARE DETRIOT LIONS, HOUSTON TEXANS, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, AND TENNESSEE TITANS. PLAN YOUR LINE UPS ACCORDINGLY.
Last night was the TNF matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears. I thought last week’s TNF game was boring and ugly, but yesterday’s game might have been worse. Washington won 12-7 despite both teams playing very bad. A muffed punt return was the play that let Washington score easily and quickly to give them the lead which was insurmountable due to how terrible the offenses are. Both teams now sit with a 2-4 record. Washington gets a tough matchup with the Packers in week 7 and the Bears get the Patriots next. I think I’ll take the Packers and Patriots in those games. Next TNF game is between the Cardinals and Saints in what must be a better game than the last 2 TNF matchups.
Week 6 has some great games to pay attention to for fantasy purposes and just for competitive fun. The 2 games I look forward to the most are the Bills/Chiefs game and the Eagles/Cowboys game. The combined record for those 4 teams is 17-3. 2 teams are going to lose (no ties please) so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Chris Godwin – Chris Godwin was out in week 2 and 3 but returned in week 4 where he was targeted 10 times. He caught 7 of those for 59 yards and in week 5 he caught all 6 of his targets for 61 yards. Bucs gets the atrocious Steelers secondary this weekend that Godwin and Evans should tear apart. Tom Brady showed up to his presser wearing a Godwin t-shirt which leads me to believe he not only is a fan himself but plans to feed him repeatedly. I like Godwin to expose Pittsburgh (like everyone else has) and find himself in the endzone this week.
49ers @ Falcons
Start – Jeff Wilson Jr – Jeff finished week 5 with 120 rushing yards and a rushing TD. Since week 1 concluded Wilson has been steadily producing for his fantasy owners. This week the 49ers get the weak Falcons defense that allows every position to succeed. Wilson has 4 consecutive games with double digit rushing attempts and 3 of those games he had 17+. Wilson isn’t a big threat as a pass catcher, but his rushing is in good form and the 49ers should continue to put him in good scenarios. I like Jeff to finish top 10 in fantasy RB points this weekend.
Sit – Kyle Pitts – Pitts has struggled this season and even missed last week’s game in Tampa. Pitts returned to practice and should be able to play at home Sunday. The 49ers defense has been smothering and against TEs is no exception. Pitts has 2 receptions or less in all but I game this season. A month into the season and Pitts still hasn’t scored. I’m fading all Falcons this week.
Patriots @ Browns
Start – Rhamondre Stevenson – News has come up that Damien Harris could miss multiple weeks. Stevenson will most likely not have to share much of the spotlight in the backfield and he gets to go against the Browns. RBs have scored 6 TDs against the Browns this season. It helps that Rhamondre’s confidence should be sky high after his impressive week 5 performance against the Lions. He finished with 161 rushing yards and 14 receiving yards. I’m expecting a nice workload for Stevenson this week.
Sit – Mac Jones & Jacoby Brissett – Both QBs should be on the bench this weekend as I have them outside top 20 fantasy QB options. Whether Mac can play, or his backup Zappe starts, both are not appealing. This game is expected to be run heavy with Stevenson and Chubb. Brissett has played decently enough, but he has just one game with 2 passing TDs. Jones and Zappe have both failed to have multiple passing TDs in any of their games. Easy fade here and hopefully you aren’t in a position where either of these options are needed.
Jets @ Packers
Start – Aaron Rodgers – Rodgers get the Jets at home this week which already makes him an attractive play. Aaron might not be hitting the passing yards he has been accustomed to, but he has thrown 2 passing TDs in every game since that week 1 loss to the Vikings. The loss to the Giants in England last weekend probably has a fire under Rodgers and you know he can’t accept back-to-back losses against New York teams. I see a few Lambeau leaps in Green Bays future.
Sit – Elijah Moore – Moore has struggled this season, at least to the standard of his potential and playmaking ability. Moore is getting targeted (just under 6 per game) but hasn’t been able to find the end zone or rack up yardage. He has been consistent; we just want the consistency to represent more than 40 receiving yards per game and maybe find the end zone for the Jets. Moore has the 3rd most targets on the team, 6th on the team in receptions, and is 4th in receiving yards. Packer’s defense has been great defending WRs this season which lowers Moore’s chance of success. I would steer clear from Moore this week.
Jaguars @ Colts
Start – Christian Kirk – Kirk may be playing Indianapolis’ defense which is the best against opposing WRs this season, but let’s rewind to week 2. The Jags hosted the Colts and shut them out 24-0. Kirk went off with 78 passing yards catching all 6 of his targets. Kirk also was responsible for 2 receiving TDs in that game. Kirk may have cooled off in the past 2 games, but he is surely going to want a repeat performance that I am hoping Trevor Lawrence can help create. Kirk leads the team in targets, receiving yards, and receiving TDs.
Sit – Matt Ryan – Matty Ice was flat out terrible in week 2 when he lost to the Jags. Yes, this game is in Indianapolis, but I don’t expect that to change much. Ryan threw a trifecta of INTs in Jacksonville and was held to 195 passing yards. Matts season is not going the way he hoped with the Colts. He has thrown 7 INTs this season and 5 passing TDs. Only Matt Stafford has as many INTs.
Vikings @ Dolphins
Start – Kirk Cousins – Cousins has been okay this season, he’s led the Vikings to 4 wins in 5 weeks and if you eliminate the week 2 Philly game, his TD to INT ratio is 3:1. Kirk has thrown for a minimum of 221 yards and a maximum of 296 yards this season. Justin Jefferson is dominating week in and week out and Cousins will feed the hot hand. The Miami defense is struggling to defend WRs so this week the Vikings should feast on the secondary and hopefully that leads to some Cousin’s TD passes.
Sit – Mike Gesicki – Gesicki has been irrelevant for Miami this season. Other than his 4 receptions for 41 yards and a score in week 2, he has not come close to looking like a fantasy TE worth owning. 3 games with 1 reception and 1 game with 2 receptions is less than ideal especially knowing he has only played 5 games. Even more unideal is he will not be playing with Bridgewater or Tua this week. Avoiding Mike.
Bengals @ Saints
Start – Hayden Hurst – Hurst takes on the Saints this weekend who have been very good defending opposing TEs this season. In fact, New Orleans has yet to allow a TE 50 receiving yards and have yet to let any TEs score. I like Hurst to break that streak and hopefully excel in yards and score a TD. Hurst has scored in consecutive games for the Bengals and has had 3 games with 7+ targets and 5+ receptions. Tee Higgins has still not practiced and seems to be a game time decision scenario so monitor that closely. If Higgins doesn’t play or is very limited, Hurst should just get more attention from Joe Burrow.
Sit – Jarvis Landry – After a hope jolting performance in week 1 where Landry had 114 receiving yards catching 7 of his 9 targets, he has done nothing close to that. His receiving yards the next 3 games went 25, 22, and 7. He missed week 5 and like most Saints players he is questionable for week 6. He hasn’t done much to give fantasy owners confidence, especially with Kamara, Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Taysom Hill all producing when healthy. Landry is not worth the risk this week and is becoming a droppable player if he isn’t already.
Ravens @ Giants
Start – Devin Duvernay – Devin gets the Giants this week in a game that many would’ve expected to be a lopsided affair. Plot twist the Giants have a better record than Baltimore entering week 6. Giants seem to keep finding ways to win and its mostly due to Saquon Barkley who is a must start. Duvernay is in good position to produce this week given that Rashod Batemans status for Sunday is in doubt. Duvernay has 3 TDs on the year and even got involved in the run game last week. He is coming off a 7 target 5 reception game which are season highs for him. Devin also has a 21+ yard reception in every game this season. I like Duvernay to have a good game especially if Bateman is out.
Sit – JK Dobbins – This will be the 4th game back for Dobbins this season after cautiously easing him back into starting. In the 3 games he has played he is averaging under 10 rushing attempts per game. JK did have a 2 TD performance against the intense Bills defense in week 4 but his fantasy numbers were mostly reflective of the TDs. Dobbins seems a little TD dependent at this point in the season. Lamar will rush like he always does, and we will have to hope that the game flow benefits Dobbins and the Baltimore run game. Dobbins is outside my top 25 RBs this week.
Buccaneers @ Steelers
Start – Chris Godwin – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Najee Harris – Najee had a very forgettable week 5 against the stout Buffalo defense. He was held to a season low 20 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Tampa Bay is known for stopping the run so I’m expecting a similar game flow and performance. Tampa should be able to score rather easily making the Steelers have to abandon the run or give Jaylen Warren some playing time. No Steelers appeal to me this week.
Panthers @ Rams
Start – Matthew Stafford – Matthew Stafford is in my start category despite his bad performances. Stafford is getting plenty of passing yards averaging 264 each game, but he simply can’t seem to keep possession. Turnovers are absolutely crushing Stafford and the Rams. Clean up those mistakes and the Rams are a Superbowl contender again. Rams get Carolina in LA which should mean bounce back game for Stafford. He is becoming scary to start but this week feels different. Hope he can turn it around against the Panthers who just fired their coach. Feels do or die in LA this week.
Sit – Allen Robinson – What in the world is going on with Robinson and the Rams? He is averaging under 5 targets and under 3 receptions per game. Robinson has 102 receiving yards this season which Cooper Kupp has surpassed 4 times in 5 games. Allen isn’t top 3 in targets, receptions, or reception yards for LA this season. The door is shutting regarding to the hope that he can turn his season around. It doesn’t help that OBJ is being pursued by Sean McVay yet again.
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Start – Geno Smith – Geno just keeps proving me and many wrong. He currently is the 7th best fantasy QB this season and has thrown 2+ TDs in every game except week 2 vs SF. Geno can be a threat to scramble occasionally but he has been doing his damage passing. Averaging 261 passing yards per game this season and has a total of 9 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD. Geno has also taken care of the football throwing only 2 INTs this season. Cardinals haven’t been great on defense defending QBs to this point in the season. Mahomes threw 5 TD passes in week 1 against Arizona and just last weekend Jalen Hurts rushed for 2 TDs against them. Geno has people’s attention with his production so I’m expecting him to thrive at home given the matchup.
Sit – Greg Dortch – Greg came out of nowhere in weeks 1-3 catching 20 passes for 198 receiving yards on 23 targets. Since then, he has disappeared giving just 6 receiving yards on 1 reception in week 4 and laying a big goose egg in week 5. Rondale Moore is back and has clearly established himself as a superior pass target for Murray. Until Dortch can give us some hope with promising stats, he is droppable.
Bills @ Chiefs
Start – Devin Singletary – I think Singletary is in a good spot this week in a game many are looking forward to. I would be shocked to see either team get blown out by the other, which should leave us with a competitive game. Singletary usually gets more volume in these types of games so I’m expecting him to have plenty of rushing attempts and a few targets as well. Most RBs that have played the Chiefs this season either have a decent rushing day and/or they end up with a bunch of targets. Teams like to throw it to RBs against KC so feels like Singletary should be in for a productive day.
Sit – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – CEH is in my sit spot this week because he feels like a boom or bust TD dependent RB this week. He has the Bills defense to look forward to that is top 5 in defending RBs in fantasy this season. No opposing RBs have reached 50 yards rushing or 40 yards receiving against Buffalo this season including players like Najee Harris, JK Dobbins, and Derrick Henry. Something tells me CEH won’t snap that trend. Mahomes is an underdog at home so he might need to air it out as much or more than usual.
Cowboys @ Eagles
Start – DeVonta Smith – DeVonta Smith is showing why he was a Heisman winning first round draft pick last year. Hurts and the Eagles are feeling and looking like the real deal with Jalen Hurts dual threat presence. AJ Brown was clear WR1 for Philly and for good reason, but Smith has shown out in 3 of his 5 games this season. In those 3 games Smith has 7+ targets, 7+ receptions, and 80+ yards. It is clear the offense is clicking, and Hurts is just securing another weapon to use. Smith should be able to get open and use his speed on Sunday night. AJ Brown will always require a lot of attention which could relieve a little pressure from DeVonta and load him with targets. I love Hurts, Smith, Brown, and Goedert this week.
Sit – Ezekiel Elliot – Zeke has been consistent rushing each week. He is averaging a little over 16 rushing attempts and a little over 60 rushing yards per game. Zeke is under 4 yards per rush this season while Tony Pollard is averaging over 5.5 yards per rush and has scored 2 times compared to Zeke’s 1. They both play but it seems week in and week out Pollard is the more impressive RB. The Eagles defense should be able to contain Zeke and force Cooper Rush to win with his arm.