Week 6 has arrived and begins with TNF. Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike 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).
This week’s TNF game is a matchup between the 1-4 Denver Broncos and the 4-1 Kansas City Chiefs. The game is in KC with a line favoring the Chiefs by 10.5 and an over/under of 47. There’s been only 1 game this season where the Chiefs won by more than 1 score (2pt included) and that was against the Bears. Chiefs are riding a 4-game win streak and I’m expecting them to extend it to 5. My prediction for this game is a 27-17 win for Mahomes and company. Kelce should score and my longshot for this game is a Justin Watson TD.
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.
TNF START/SIT
Start – Isiah Pacheco – Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are both the big names poised to have a great game against Denver’s defense that has been nothing short of exposed and well, just bad. Since week 2 the Broncos have allowed every team to score 28+ points on them and on the season, they are averaging 36. Pacheco has double digit carries since week 2, has a reception in every game, and has scored now 3 consecutive weeks on the ground. Pacheco should get plenty of touches in this game the only concern is if it gets out of hand, they could use back up RBs a bit more.
Sit – Jaleel McLaughlin – McLaughlin has scored a receiving TD in back-to-back games and has ran efficiently. Bad news is he takes on the KC defense that hasn’t allowed ayn RBs to play very well after their week 1 loss. McLaughlin won’t get too many opportunities to rush if the Chiefs go up early, but that does open up his pass catching role a bit. Proceed with caution knowing Samaje Perine and Javonte Williams are playing too.
TGIF and happy Friday the 13th! Last night we had the Broncos visit the Chiefs in what turned out to be a low scoring game, and if I had to pick an MVP it would be Harrison Butker with Travis Kelce next in line. The final score was 19-8 giving the Chiefs 5 wins and now the Broncos 5 losses. The Chiefs are winning but look nowhere near the level they have sustained through their previous years under Andy Reid. Russell Wilson cooked but unfortunately his cooking was terrible. He threw for 95 total passing yards and threw 2 INTs. Sutton scored and finished decently in fantasy but if I can help it I want nothing to do with Denver’s pass game. The Broncos host the Packers in week 7 and the Chiefs will host the Chargers next. Next week’s TNF game will be the Jaguars visiting the Saints. At this moment the line is EVEN and the over/under is 43.5.
Games that I’m looking forward to watching in week 6 include the 49ers/Browns, the Colts/Jags, the Lions/Bucs, and the Chargers/Cowboys. Can Cleveland somehow stop red hot 49ers even without their starting QB? Will Minshew mania take over the game and get revenge on his former squad? Can the Lions continue to roll against a sneaky Bucs team? And how will the Cowboys respond to their 2nd beat down of the year? They’re having to do it against a streaking Chargers team that has Ekeler back. Enjoy your weekend of football and good luck getting that fantasy W.
WEEK 6 BYES: PACKERS, STEELERS
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Raheem Mostert – Mostert is a must start this week. He is RB1 for Miami and Devon Achane is not going to be playing. Full workload sounds about right for a RB that has scored 7 rushing TDs and 1 receiving TD in just 5 games. The Panthers have allowed over 700 rushing yards against them this season and are tied with the Giants for most rushing TDs allowed with 9. Miami is favored by 13.5 so be weary of a blowout in case they rest players. Salvon Ahmed could be a sneaky play if you’re desperate.
Ravens @ Titans (LONDON)
Start – Zay Flowers – Not many teams are successful running on the Titans defense. This week the run heavy offense that is the Ravens travels to London to play Tennessee. Lamar could run it on every down, but they should have success through the air. Flowers leads the Ravens in receptions, targets, and receiving yards. Flowers is a WR that can impact the game and your fantasy team with one play. Let’s see if he can do it overseas.
Sit – Gus Edwards – Like I mentioned above, it’s difficult to run on Tennessee’s defense. Well unless you’re Zach Moss in which case you dominate them. Other than the Moss hiccup in week 5, the defense has been solid against the run. Both Justice Hill and Lamar Jackson rush often giving Gus a less likely chance to score. Titans will most likely want to make a statement after Moss’s performance last game.
Commanders @ Falcons
Start – Logan Thomas – Ok Logan, I see you with those 11 targets last game. He had 14 leading up to week 5 alone. The veteran Thomas has been playing well for Washington catching 2 TD passes this season. Commanders have 20+ points in every game with the exception of the Bills game a few weeks back. Atlanta defense have allowed opposing TEs to excel giving up TDs to Sam LaPorta and Dalton Schultz while surrounding plenty of yards weekly as well. Thomas is up next and should be able to produce given the volume he is getting.
Sit – Sam Howell – Howell threw for 388 yards last week in a 20-point loss to the Bears. The Falcon’s defense has been better than the Bears and should be more challenging for the Commanders in Atlanta. There are 15 QBs minimum that I would prefer this week. For what it is worth Sam Howell is the most sacked QB this season.
Vikings @ Bears
Start – Jordan Addison – The news of Justin Jefferson being placed on IR was tough news unless you’re an Addison or Hockenson owner. Jefferson averaged over 100 yards per game this season and caught 3 TDs. Those targets will have to go to other pass catchers and Addison and Hockenson have proven to be reliable. Addison is going to be the WR1 while Jefferson is sidelined. Kirk Cousins has nearly 1500 passing yards this season so expect him to continue that trend of airing it out. Don’t sleep on KJ Osborn either.
Sit – Darnell Mooney – Its clear who Justin Fields prefers to target in this offense and that’s DJ Moore. That chemistry they have after 5 games together feels greater than the longer lasting relationship that Mooney and Fields have endured in Chicago. Mooney has 8 receptions on the entire 5 weeks of this season which took place in just 2 of the games. Mooney is droppable and I wouldn’t start him unless DJ gets hurt or you have reason to believe he won’t be so inconsistent and somewhat irrelevant.
Seahawks @ Bengals
Start – Kenneth Walker – Mr. Walker has scored 5 rushing TDs in his last 3 games played and takes on Cinci this week. The Bengals are the worst team in regard to rushing yards allowed if you don’t count the Miami massacre that took place earlier this season. Bengals have allowed 770 yards rushing which equates to 154 rushing yards allowed per game. You never know what Bengals team is going to show up this week, but we do know their rushing defense has been consistently bad.
Sit – Geno Smith – Geno is not a terrible option to start this week but I’m willing to bet you could do better assuming you are in a 1 QB league. Cincinnati’s pass defense is not good or bad its more middle of the pack. That being said, Pete Carroll would be smart to pound the ball on the ground until they prove they can stop it. Let Geno hand it off and relax instead of forcing anything. I could see this game ending 10-7 but I could also see a 37-28. Let’s see how it turns out.
49ers @ Browns
Start – Brandon Aiyuk & Deebo Samuel – Christian McCaffrey is the play here, but we all know that. Aiyuk and Deebo should be heavily involved in the offense this week. Cleveland’s defense has been a lot better than most expected and is certainly elite stopping the run this season allowing the lowest rushing yards. Aiyuk and Deebo are top 2 on the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. If the 49ers want to dominate, they might need to air it out more in the event CMC appears human.
Sit – Jerome Ford – The Browns are coming off their BYE week and are hosting the undefeated impressive SF 49ers. This SF defense has allowed the 3rd lowest rushing yards on the season and just 2 rushing TDs have been scored on them. Ford is the main RB in Cleveland with Karem hunt lingering behind him after Chubb’s season ending injury. Ford could get a nice workload, but I am not expecting a lot from him this week.
Panthers @ Dolphins
Start – Raheem Mostert – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Panthers D/ST – Probably weren’t going to start the Carolina defense this week but they haven’t been bad on defense, sacking the opposing QB 2+ times every game. Problem is that they surrender too many scores. Panthers are averaging 28 points allowed per week and you can’t have that against a Miami offense that we saw put up 70 points in a game this season.
Colts @ Jaguars
Start – Evan Engram – Evan has been consistent to say the least. Trevor Lawrence has targeted Engram the 2nd most times on the team this season and is long overdue for a TD. Engram has 8 targets exactly in 4 consecutive games and has at least 4 receptions in every game. His fantasy floor seems set in stone at the moment so hopefully the opportunities continue and grow.
Sit – Tank Bigsby – Tank is the most owned player in fantasy on either team that I would feel comfortable sitting without question. Minshew mania is in full effect without Anthony Richardson playing. Minshew has a good connection with Pittman and Downs. And now Indy has both JT and Zach Moss who can both breakout any game as we have seen this season and the past. Bigsby and Zay Jones are both big questions marks in this game.
Saints @ Texans
Start – Alvin Kamara – Kamara scored his first TD of the season in his 2nd game back in action for the Saints. He had 22 carries for 80 yards and caught all 3 of his targets for 17 more yards. 33 carries and 17 targets in just 2 games. The volume is clearly there, and the matchup is nice. The Texans have allowed 8 rushing TDs this season through 5 games.
Sit – Damien Pierce – Damien has to play the Saints rush defense which has been solid this season. They have only allowed 1 rushing TD all season long and Derrick Henrys 63 rushing yards back in week 1 were the most they have given up to any player that rushes. Pierce isn’t having the strong year he was hoping for, but after his week 7 BYE there are some better matchups for him.
Patriots @ Raiders
Start – Jakobi Meyers – Meyers playing great football for Vegas and gets to take on his only team the Patriots in his new home stadium. Sounds like a good time for Meyers who seems to have gotten the better end of his departure from New England. The Patriots haven’t scored a TD since week 3 for what its worth. Meyers and Adams will be a tough duo to handle for the Patriots.
Sit – Rhamondre Stevenson – Stevenson should be the only Patriot owned in your league that isn’t a kicker. Could argue Zeke or Henry but still a huge gap. In week 5 Rhamondre had his lowest number of carries, lowest rushing yards, and didn’t record a catch in his last game. Zeke stole some volume last game, and it will be interesting how their RBs are used moving forward.
Eagles @ Jets
Start – D’Andre Swift – Swift has shot out of a cannon since his lackluster irrelevant week 1. 14+ carries in 4 consecutive games and an average of over 100 rushing yards since week 1 per game. Not to mention he has 10 receptions on 10 targets for 61 yards in his last 2 games combined. Jets will not be able to stop the Philadelphia run offense; they have allowed 731 rushing yards this season.
Sit – Breece Hall – It pains me to write his name here after going off for 177 rushing yards and a score in week 5. Well, that was Denver, and this is Philly. Denver allows the most rushing yards this season in the NFL. The Eagles have allowed the 2nd fewest rushing yards per game this season with only the Browns having less. Hall will need a fast start if he wants consistent production against the Eagles, but the Eagles might run away with the win literally forcing the Jets to throw more.
Cardinals @ Rams
Start – Puka Nacua – Puka caught 7 of his 11 targets in week 5 for 71 yards and a TD. 71 yards is actually his season low. He has scored in 2 consecutive games and even with the presence of Cooper Kupp. Kupp demanded 12 targets of his own. The 2 stud WRs combined for 23 targets out of Matthew Stafford’s 37 passing attempts. Rams defense is soft and is giving up an average of 27 points per game.
Sit – Tutu Atwell – Struggled to find a pick here that I’m confident in benching. Picked Tutu simply because of what I stated above, the target share is huge on Nacua and Kupp and not so much for anyone else. Atwell caught 2 of 5 targets in Kupp’s first game back and only recorded 9 receiving yards. The TD catch was much needed for fantasy purposes.
Lions @ Buccaneers
Start – Sam LaPorta – All aboard the LaPorta bandwagon. The rookie is currently leading all TEs in fantasy points this season thus far. Among all TEs he ranks 4th in receptions, 1st in receiving yards, and 7th in targets. Sam scored twice last game and now has 3 TDs. Goff clearly enjoys LaPorta targeting 2nd most on the team to only the breakout WR Amon-Ra St Brown. Detroit’s offense is rolling.
Sit – Rachaad White – Rachaad has not been very effective running the ball this season despite 14-17 carries in each game. He has 1 rushing TD, but he can be involved in the pass game. He has 2+ receptions in every game with yardage ranging from 10-30. The Buc’s run game is hardly ideal, and it isn’t expected to get better against the Lions. Detroit has the 4th lowest number of rushing yards given up this season.
Giants @ Bills
Start – Gabe Davis – I know, last week I said bench him, because why would he score again? Well, he scored again and added 100 receiving yards for good measure. So, he can’t score for a 5th consecutive game, right? When playing the Giants, it can rain on them and then it can pour. Buffalo should dominate this game and Gabe Davis is a big-time playmaker.
Sit – Dawson Knox – Knox has played in every game this season even with a questionable tag on him. But if you added up his stats, you’d think he played 2. 11 receptions for 75 yards and 1 TD. That’s for the whole season. Not one game with over 25 receiving yards. Logan Thomas eclipsed his receiving yards and had a score off 9 receptions in week 5 alone. Knox isn’t reliable whatsoever and is mainly TD dependent with Kincaid lurking.
Cowboys @ Chargers
Start – Ekeler/Pollard – Austin Ekeler and Tony Pollard are both in great spots this week as long as health isn’t a big concern. Ekeler is returning from injury and in his only game played this season he went off on the Dolphins for 117 rushing yards, 47 receiving yards, and a rushing TD. Pollard should be heavily involved in the Cowboys gameplan if they don’t want to make a fool of themselves as they did with the 49ers (and Cardinals). Both RBs are great plays this week.
Sit – Either D/ST – Both defenses should be benched in this one in my opinion. Chargers are hot and the Cowboys are trying to build back up. I can see a lot of points going up on both sides here. Dak has a good matchup, but I would bench him too after his recent problems with INTs.