Fantasy football sit-and-start advice should always be relative and league-dependent. Many starts and sits are obvious too, so we will instead focus on fringe options in this column, the ones that take real thought. Good luck with your Week 6 lineups!
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Chicago Bears (London)
Start: Tank Bigsby
Bigsby ranks first in YPC and first in rush yards over expectation per attempt (by a mile). He’s getting 6.5 YPC after contact with a 51% avoided tackle rate. Bigsby ranks 38th in rush attempts but fifth in broken tackles. Travis Etienne Jr. remains the starter, but he’ll also likely remain limited this week by a recurring shoulder injury that’s a “play-by-play situation” in which he’ll “continue to push through.” The Bears are a run-funnel defense allowing the second fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks but the 10th most to running backs. Bigsby is a borderline top-20 RB in a favorable matchup.
Sit Christian Kirk, who faces a Chicago defense ceding the third-fewest fantasy points to the slot, where he’s run 80% of his routes this season.
Washington Commanders @ Baltimore Ravens
Start: Terry McLaurin
McLaurin ranks 12th in target share (27.3%) and first in air yards share (56.6%) on an offense that’s off to a historic start in points per drive. The Ravens are by far the league’s biggest pass-funnel defense and have allowed the third most fantasy points to wide receivers (and the most passing yards). Meanwhile, Zay Flowers is a top-12 WR in this matchup.
Sit: Brian Robinson Jr., who continues to battle a knee injury (he didn’t play any snaps in the second half last week) and is facing a Baltimore defense allowing an NFL-low 3.0 YPC and just 48.0 RB rushing yards per game.
Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers
Start: Dontayvion Wicks
Assuming Christian Watson sits out one more game (it turns out it wasn’t a high-ankle sprain), Wicks would be worth starting despite last week’s disaster. He’ll have another big role in an offense projected to score among the most points this week. Arizona is toward the bottom of the league in pressure rate, and Wicks ranks eighth in target rate (30.9%). But this hinges on Watson being out.
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
Start: Dalton Schultz
The Texans have one of the league’s worst rushing offenses and will be without Nico Collins. Tank Dell can be started if needed with him expected to see more targets, but it’s unclear if he’s fully healthy right now. Stefon Diggs will be mostly shadowed by Christian Gonzalez, so Schultz should see more opportunities Sunday.
Drake Maye is a sneaky start in Superflex leagues, as the Texans’ high use of man coverage has Houston allowing the fifth-most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Start: Bucky Irving
Rachaad White was held out of Thursday’s practice, so Irving’s time to take over Tampa Bay’s backfield could be Sunday. The Bucs turned back to Irving after the rookie lost a fumble in overtime last week, and he’s been one of the league’s best runners this season. Game script could be positive with Spencer Rattler making his first career start for a banged-up Saints team (Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill and New Orleans’ offensive line are all dealing with injuries).
Mike Evans deserves a downgrade, as Marshon Lattimore has historically shut him down, and the Saints have yielded just one touchdown pass this season.
Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles
Start: Eagles D/ST
Philadelphia’s defense got off to a slow start this season, but the Eagles are coming off a bye and in a prime matchup. Deshaun Watson has the lowest YPA (4.8) through five games in NFL history. He’s been sacked on an NFL-high 24.1% of his dropbacks against the blitz, with the league average 9.5%. The Browns are allowing the second-highest pressure rate and are getting just 3.8 yards per play — a full half-yard less than the next-worst team. The Eagles are nearly double-digit favorites with a healthy offense again, so game script could get ugly for Cleveland.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Start: Tony Pollard
Pollard is the RB11 in expected fantasy points, and the Titans are home favorites coming off a bye. The Colts are dealing with multiple injuries on offense and have a run-funnel defense, as opposing backs are averaging the second-most carries (28.2) this season.
Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins are also both sneaky fantasy starts this week.
Sit: Anthony Richardson, who appears likely to return from his hip injury Sunday. Richardson is getting the fifth-most fantasy points per dropback this year despite facing a tough schedule, but he’s in an extremely difficult spot. Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor will be out, while Josh Downs missed practice Thursday. Tennessee is at home coming off a bye and is ceding an NFL-low 5.7 YPA and by far the fewest passing yards per game (141.8). It’s also possible Richardson’s hip prevents him from running like usual and is an aggravation risk.
Richardson still offers unmatched fantasy potential long-term, but he’s a bench candidate outdoors Sunday. He’ll also be a buy-low candidate soon.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos
Sit: Javonte Williams
Williams had his best fantasy game of the season last week, but it came against the Raiders, and he’s yet to reach 80 rushing yards or score this year. The Broncos have a lowly implied team total (16.8 points) and face a Chargers’ run defense allowing the league’s lowest EPA/rush. Moreover, rookie Audric Estime was designated to return from IR and is expected to be activated for Sunday’s game, so Williams may lose some work.
Start: Ladd McConkey, who’s emerged as L.A.’s clear WR1, should avoid Patrick Surtain II out of the slot and has thrived against man coverage (which Denver has used at the league’s second-highest rate).
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Start: Najee Harris
Harris doesn’t have a run more than six yards over the last two weeks, but he’s set for a big workload in a favorable matchup Sunday. The Raiders have yielded the second most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to running backs, and Aidan O’Connell is starting for them at quarterback. Jaylen Warren is doubtful, and Cordarrelle Patterson is out, so Harris will be busy. He’s due for touchdown regression, having by far the most touches (94) this season without scoring, so start Harris this week.
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
Start: Diontae Johnson
Johnson leads the NFL in red-zone and end-zone targets. His quiet game last week came against a stingy Chicago pass defense and would’ve looked better had Andy Dalton not missed him for a potential 50+ yard touchdown. Johnson is the WR6 in expected fantasy points this season, just ahead of Nico Collins. This matchup should be fast-paced and feature a bunch of plays, with Carolina likely throwing frequently from behind. Keep Johnson in fantasy lineups.
Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys
Start: Jalen Tolbert
Tolbert has been a far improved player this season, and he’s seen just four fewer targets and scored only 1.9 fewer (0.5 PPR) fantasy points than CeeDee Lamb since Week 1. Lions opponents have the third-highest pass rate, and Detroit has yielded the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Brandin Cooks is out against a pass-funnel defense in a matchup with this week’s highest total (52.0 points). Dak Prescott has averaged 8.0 YPA with 2+ TD passes at home during his career, so Tolbert is a sneaky start this week.
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Giants
Start: Wan’Dale Robinson
Robinson quietly ranks third in targets, second in red-zone targets and eighth in target share this season, and Malik Nabers is sitting again Sunday. Robinson is the WR17 in expected fantasy points, just ahead of CeeDee Lamb, Zay Flowers and Marvin Harrison Jr. Daniel Jones is playing well, and Robinson gets a boost in PPR leagues.
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Sit: Josh Allen
Allen remains a borderline top-12 QB this week, but alternatives can be looked at given his situation and matchup. Buffalo’s offense could be limited with James Cook and Khalil Shakir missing practice Thursday, and the Jets have allowed just two total touchdowns and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. The Bills have a lower implied total than the Giants this week.
Allen is coming off arguably the worst performance of all time and doesn’t have a single carry inside the 5-yard line this season. He also enters with an injured left hand, a sprained ankle and is almost certainly coming off a concussion.
Allen has been able to practice fully and is sure to bounce back when the schedule eases, but Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff look like better starts this week.
