Week 6 is coming up quickly, and with a great Thursday game and plenty of excitement on the weekend, it should be a great week of football. Even with bye weeks and injuries, there are plenty of great matchups this week in the NFL. The opposite can also be said, as some players will not do much for your fantasy team. Here are some good starts and sits for Week 6 of the NFL season.
Start of the Week Quarterback – Kirk Cousins
The early bye week should help Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins offence make the necessary adjustments to return to the level they were at last season. Cousins has been good this season but gets a relatively easy matchup this week. The health of the team should be better in Week 6. Even if Jordan Reed is not able to do much pass catching or score a touchdown, his presence should open things up for Cousins down the field and in the short game to Chris Thompson.
Sit of the Week Quarterback – Jared Goff
The Jacksonville Jaguars have not been kind to quarterbacks this season. The group is allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and is coming off a five-interception performance in Week 5. Jarod Goff is coming off a tough game against the Seattle Seahawks, who rank fourth in fantasy points allowed. After seeing Goff look pedestrian against Seattle, it is reasonable to expect him to have another lackluster game against the Jaguars.
Start of the Week Running Back – Doug Martin
After spending the beginning of the season suspended, Doug Martin came back in a big way in Week 5. After playing on Thursday night in Week 5, Martin will have extra time to improve his game before his matchup in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are good against the run, but they did show some holes in Week 5, giving up 122 yards to the Eagles. Martin should be able to exploit the holes better than any back on the Eagles and could add some extra yardages through the air.
Sit of the Week Running Back – Adrian Peterson
With Adrian Peterson being traded to the Arizona Cardinals, the future Hall-of-Fame running back will no longer spend the 2017 season toiling on the bench and in fantasy purgatory. As great as this trade is for his prospects going forward, Week 6 should not see him do too much, except get accustomed to Bruce Arians offense. If you still have Peterson, leave him on the bench but get excited for his potential down the stretch.
Start of the Week Wide Receiver – Taylor Gabriel
The uncertainty around the health of Julio Jones, and to a lesser extent Mohamed Sanu, will increase the opportunities for Taylor Gabriel in Week 6. Even though the Falcons are coming off a bye, they would be better served to ease Julio Jones back in or risk losing him for multiple games. If Jones is out, Gabriel is an even better start. Last year in the two games Jones missed, the small slot-style receiver had 142 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor Gabriel is a good start in the second wide receiver spot or the flex.
Sit of the Week Wide Receiver – Amari Cooper
After three consecutive weeks of just terrible games, it is time to leave Amari Cooper on the bench. Cooper has four catches for 23 yards in the last three weeks. Those are the type of numbers you expect from a backup tight end, not from a second or third round pick in fantasy. Until he can show he can put up better numbers with a backup quarterback, or Derek Carr comes back fully healthy, he should be kept on your bench.
Start of the Week Tight End – Zach Miller
With Mitchell Trubisky moving into the starting quarterback role, things should begin to pick up for Zach Miller. Miller is coming off his best fantasy game of the season and has a favorable matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who have given up the third most touchdowns to the tight end position. It is reasonable to expect Miller to be one of the top targets in Chicago in Week 6 and for the near future as Trubisky develops and needs a big-bodied check down option to avoid costly mistakes.
Sit of the Week Tight End – Jordan Reed
Although Jordan Reed is expected to be back for Week 6, it is smarter to leave him on the bench on Sunday. Vernon Davis is supposed to be involved with the offense just as much if not more than Reed. If Reed is not getting much playing time, he will likely struggle to do much against a San Francisco 49ers’ defense that allows the fewest fantasy points to tight ends.
Start of the Week Defense – Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens had a nice game in Week 5 on the road but should be in for an even better game at home. The Ravens welcome the Chicago Bears to town in Week 6 and get to play against rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. This will be the second time this season the Ravens face a rookie quarterback. The first time, in Week 2, the Ravens’ defense put up 17 fantasy points. The Ravens could have another dominant performance on Sunday.
Sit of the Week Defense – Minnesota Vikings
As good as the Minnesota Vikings have been on defense the last few seasons, they still struggle to shut down Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has a 39-6 touchdown to interception ratio against the Vikings in his career and has led the Packers to 30 points or more in two of their last four meetings. Avoid the Vikings defense if you can.
Start of the Week Kicker – Matt Prater
Matt Prater is always a good start, but since he gets to kick in a dome against the New Orleans Saints, he is arguably the best start at kicker this week. No kicker has missed a field goal against New Orleans this season, although kickers are only hitting 75% of their extra points, which is a bit of an anomaly. Prater has hit 94% of his PATs since they moved the line back, so he should be fine against the Saints on Sunday. Expect Prater to get ample kicking opportunities, in what should be an offensive game.
Sit of the Week Kicker – Aldrick Rosas
As great of an environment Denver is for kickers, the fact the Giants will be running with fourth and fifth string wide receivers is a not good sign for anyone on the team. Denver’s defense is very strong against the run and the pass, meaning the Giants will struggle to generate long drives and first downs all game. If they do manage to get going on offense, they may need to score touchdowns, not field goals. Overall, leave Rosas out of your starting lineup this weekend.
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