Week 6 Fantasy Rankings & Tiers
Week 6 QB Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Josh Allen (@ KC)
Allen continues to prove why he is the unquestioned QB1 in fantasy, posting a 424/4/1 and 5/42/0 line despite the Steelers not putting up a fight in their 38-3 win. This week, Allen will face the Chiefs in a game that he’ll have to keep his foot on the gas for all 60 minutes.
Tier 2
Lamar Jackson (@ NYG)
Jalen Hurts (vs. DAL)
Both dual-threat QBs have had fairly lackluster passing games the past two weeks. Jackson has failed to clear 200 passing yards in back-to-back games, while Hurts has failed to throw a TD pass in back-to-back games. They both carry elite floor/ceiling combos and are due for performances closer to their ceiling.
Tier 3
Kyler Murray (@ SEA)
Patrick Mahomes (vs. BUF)
Kyler Murray has a mouth-watering matchup against a Seahawks defense that can’t stop anyone right now. He’ll also get DeAndre Hopkins back next week, and the latest Call of Duty game comes later this month. It’s safe to say Murray is about to have a fantastic October.
Tier 4
Justin Herbert (vs. DEN)
Tom Brady (@ PIT)
Tom Brady has now cleared 350 passing yards in two straight games, thanks to having most of his top receivers back in action. He now gets to face a Steelers defense that not only gave up 424 yards through the air to the Bills last week, but every starter in the secondary is dealing with an injury and is questionable for Week 6.
Tier 5
Joe Burrow (@ NO)
Matthew Stafford (vs. CAR)
Geno Smith (vs. ARI)
Kirk Cousins (@ MIA)
Aaron Rodgers (vs. NYJ)
Geno Smith is my favorite streaming option for Week 6, and he has played well enough to possibly maintain low-end QB1 value going forward. He has one of the best WR duos in the game in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and the Seahawks defense is so abysmal that the offense has to try to post 30 or more points just to have a chance to win.
Tier 6
Russell Wilson (@ LAC)
Daniel Jones (vs. BAL)
Trevor Lawrence (@ IND)
Justin Fields (vs. WAS)
Jimmy Garoppolo (@ ATL)
Russell Wilson has apparently been trying to play through a partially torn lat near his right shoulder. It could explain some of his recent struggles, but he has been a huge disappointment so far in his first season with the Broncos. I’m treating him as a high-end QB2 this week and would prefer his Seahawks replacement, Smith, who has played like a top-10 QB this season.
Daniel Jones and Justin Fields continue to offer plenty of rushing upside but lack the volume through the air to be treated as anything more than mid-range QB2 options. Jones specifically will be limited until Kenny Golladay, Wan’Dale Robinson and Kadarius Toney are all healthy. Toney is someone, in particular, I would be interested in stashing right now because he could end up being the unquestioned No. 1 target in this offense once he’s closer to 100%.
Trevor Lawrence’s 53.5% on-target percentage was the lowest of Week 5, according to SportsInfoSolutions. If he can’t come through for us against the Texans defense, we can’t be trusting him as a QB1 option against a better defense like the Colts. The one silver lining from last week was the fact that Lawrence rushed for 29 yards. It was the first game this season he rushed for 10 or more rushing yards. He’ll have to tap into his rushing upside a bit more and be more consistent before he can be an every week QB1 option.
Tier 7
Jacoby Brissett (vs. NE)
Matt Ryan (vs. JAX)
Carson Wentz (@ CHI)
Kenny Pickett (vs. TB)
Skylar Thompson (vs. MIN)
Zach Wilson (@ GB)
Skylar Thompson appears to be getting the start for the Dolphins, and he has some sneaky rushing upside and will be throwing to one of the top WR duos in the league in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. You could do worse if you are in a bye-week pinch in 2QB/Superflex formats.
Tier 8
Andy Dalton (vs. CIN)
Marcus Mariota (vs. SF)
Mac Jones (@ CLE)
Cooper Rush (@ PHI)
Marcus Mariota finally showed some signs of life last week with 61 rushing yards, but he still leaves much to be desired with his passing stats. He is a must-bench this week against a stingy 49ers defense.
This could be Cooper Rush’s final start before Dak Prescott is able to return to action. He faces a tough test against an Eagles defense that ranks third in DVOA against the pass. There is a slight chance that if Rush is able to beat the undefeated Eagles team, extending the Cowboys’ winning streak to five games, they might let Dak Prescott “heal up” for another week.
Tier 9
P.J. Walker (@ LAR)
P.J. Walker seems likely to get the start for Baker Mayfield who is “day to day” with a high ankle sprain. He would be an emergency play for QB-needy teams in 2QB/Superflex formats.
Week 6 RB Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Rhamondre Stevenson (@ CLE)
Saquon Barkley (vs. BAL)
Jonathan Taylor (vs. JAX)
Nick Chubb (vs. NE)
Monday night when I started running my initial Week 6 projections, I was shocked to see Rhamondre Stevenson as my No. 2 RB. Once I wrapped up my initial projections on Tuesday morning he was atop the list.
I will note that Damien Harris got in a limited practice on Wednesday. I’m still projecting him to miss Week 6, although my final tiers on Saturday will be adjusted if he’s trending toward playing. Fortunately, we have days, not hours, before we have to lock our lineups.
Let’s breakdown why Stevenson tops my list if Harris does miss Week 6:
- Harris is likely out due to a hamstring injury, so Stevenson will inherit much of the early-down and goal-line work.
- Stevenson will likely maintain his dominance in the passing game. He’s averaging a 60% routes run rate over the past four games.
- Whether it’s Bailey Zappe or Mac Jones under center, the Patriots will likely lean heavily on Stevenson, who has been extremely efficient on the ground this season. He’s averaging 5.5 yards per rush and according to NextGenStats, he has an expected yards per rush of 4.62, thanks to the scheme/blocking around him. Similar to Nick Chubb, we can bank on him to maintain a high yards per rush thanks to an ideal blend of blocking, scheme, and Stevenson’s efficient running style
- The Browns currently rank dead last in DVOA against the run, so it should be easy sledding for Stevenson. The Browns also play zone coverage at the 8th highest rate, which should also give Rhamondre a slight boost in the passing game
- Derrick Henry is on a bye week, Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor are dealing with injuries, Christian McCaffrey is dealing with playing for the Panthers, and Nick Chubb doesn’t offer enough receiving usage to be ranked ahead of Stevenson.
Tier 2
Christian McCaffrey (@ LAR)
Austin Ekeler (vs. DEN)
Leonard Fournette (@ PIT)
Alvin Kamara (vs. CIN)
Considering the Panthers are 10.5-point road dogs this week, we might not see McCaffrey get too much work on the ground, but he has massive upside in the passing game this week. In P.J. Walker’s lone start last season, he fed CMC with a 10/66/0 receiving line. We could see a similar performance this week as CMC feasts against zone coverage, and the Rams play zone at the highest rate in the league.
Tier 3
Joe Mixon (@ NO)
Aaron Jones (vs. NYJ)
Dalvin Cook (@ MIA)
Jeffery Wilson (@ ATL)
I’m treating Dalvin Cook more as a low-end RB1 option this week. Alexander Mattison has been eating into his workload quite a bit recently, and both backs split receiving usage with each seeing a 39% route participation last week. The Vikings could be limiting Cook’s workload as he plays through a shoulder injury, so maybe this is more of a short-term trend, but it’s something we will need to monitor. The Vikings will be playing in 85-degree weather in Miami this week, so it’s likely Cook’s workload will be limited either way.
Tier 4
Miles Sanders (vs. DAL)
James Conner (@ SEA)
David Montgomery (vs. WAS)
Breece Hall (@ GB)
Raheem Mostert (vs. MIN)
Kenneth Walker (vs. ARI)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (vs. BUF)
I have been sounding the alarm for Breece Hall and last week he solidified the fact that he should be considered a mid-range RB2 value going forward after posting a massive 18/97/1 and 2/100/0 performance in Week 5. It’s worth noting that both of Hall’s receptions came up just a yard short of a TD and in both instances, Michael Carter vultured with a one-yard TD run.
My comp for Hall heading into the season was an ideal blend of Joe Mixon and Kareem Hunt. He seems well on his way to becoming a fantasy football stud:
Look at the talent. Look at the effort.
LET'S GO @BreeceH!!#MIAvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/z2wVQ2wIyK
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 9, 2022
With Rashaad Penny suffering a season-ending injury, Kenneth Walker is set to become the lead back for the Seahawks and I view him as an RB2 option the rest of the way. He was the second-best RB of the 2022 draft class (behind Hall) and should benefit from the Seahawks offense being far better than we anticipated heading into the season.
Walker reminds me of a blend of Josh Jacobs and Dalvin Cook, and I’m very excited to see him in more of a workhorse role going forward:
Sunday gave us the best game in the young career of @Kenneth_Walker9. 😤 pic.twitter.com/ePk3zic9JZ
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2022
Tier 5
Kareem Hunt (vs. NE)
Devin Singletary (@ KC)
Najee Harris (vs. TB)
Melvin Gordon (@ LAC)
Cam Akers (vs. CAR)
James Robinson (@ IND)
A.J. Dillon (vs. NYJ)
Travis Etienne (@ IND)
Ezekiel Elliott (@ PHI)
Devin Singletary was held to 6/42/0 and 1/4/0 last week, and it was likely due to the Bills blowing out the Steelers 38-3. I would imagine in what should be a playoff-like game against the Chiefs this week, Singletary operates as a workhorse back, and I’m cautiously optimistic he can provide low-end RB2 value this week.
Tier 6
J.K. Dobbins (@ NYG)
Tyler Allgeier (vs. SF)
J.K. Dobbins is still having his workload managed as the Ravens are still being cautious with his return from a 2021 ACL tear. He isn’t seeing enough underlying usage for us to treat him anything more than a fringe RB2/3 option. Gus Edwards might be healthy enough to return this week, which will only further complicate this backfield.
Tier 7
Michael Carter (@ GB)
Eno Benjamin (@ SEA)
Tony Pollard (@ PHI)
Michael Boone (@ LAC)
J.D. McKissic (@ CHI)
Antonio Gibson (@ CHI)
Mihcael Carter’s usage is trending down with Hall taking over the Jets backfield. The time to sell high on Carter is likely over, but he will still command enough touches to provide RB3/Flex value in the meantime and is a Hall injury away from providing RB2 value.
Eno Benjamin will shoot up my Tiers if James Conner ends up getting ruled out this week. Darrel Williams has already been ruled out, so Eno Benjamin should be able to provide RB3/Flex value this week (at worst) and could become an RB2 option if Conner can’t suit up.
Antonio Gibson’s fantasy value predictably took a massive hit with the return of Brian Robinson. He will need either Robinson or McKissic to miss time before we can trust him as anything more than a dicey RB3/Flex option.
Tier 8
Darrell Henderson (vs. CAR)
Joshua Kelley (vs. DEN)
Brian Robinson Jr. (@ CHI)
DeeJay Dallas (vs. ARI)
Chase Edmonds (vs. MIN)
Rachaad White (@ PIT)
Alexander Mattison (@ MIA)
Khalil Herbert (vs. WAS)
Jerick McKinnon (vs. BUF)
Caleb Huntley (vs. SF)
Darrell Henderson failed to see a single carry last week against the Cowboys, as Cam Akers operated as the clear lead back. Henderson still dominates third-down and 2-minute work, but that isn’t as valuable in the Rams offense given how infrequently Matthew Stafford targets his RBs. In a game where the Rams should win easily, Henderson should be left on everyone’s bench.
Raheem Mostert has been operating as the clear lead back for the Dolphins, which has been devastating news for Chase Edmonds fantasy value. His stock took an even bigger hit in Week 5 where he only saw one touch and was out-snapped by Myles Gaskin. Edmonds is more of a high-upside bench stash than a RB we will be inserting into our starting lineup anytime soon.
Rachaad White, Alexander Mattison and Khalil Herbert remain as three of the top high upside RB bench stashes. White has been eating into Leonard Fournette’s role of late, and there is a chance he could push RB3/Flex value if this trend continues. He carries RB2 upside if Fournette was to miss time, which means I would strongly recommend stashing him on your bench if he’s A) available, and B) you can afford the roster space.
Tier 9
Nyheim Hines (vs. JAX)
Mark Ingram (vs. CIN)
Samaje Perine (@ NO)
Kenneth Gainwell (vs. DAL)
Jaylen Warren (vs. TB)
Tevin Coleman (@ ATL)
Isiah Pacheco (vs. BUF)
Zack Moss (@ KC)
Isiah Pacheco will have weeks where posts RB3/Flex type of numbers, but they’ll typically come when the Chiefs have a 10-point lead for the majority of the game. This week against the Bills, the Chiefs are a rare underdog, which means Pacheco will likely have minimal involvement. He’s nothing more than a high-upside bench stash for now.
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Week 6 WR Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Cooper Kupp (vs. CAR)
Justin Jefferson (@ MIA)
Stefon Diggs (@ KC)
Cooper Kupp’s ceiling is probably a bit lower this week since the Rams should beat the Panthers with ease. Either way, he is still the clear No. 1 wideout, as always.
Stefon Diggs is a top-three WR this week in what should be a shootout against the Chiefs.
Tier 2
Deebo Samuel (@ ATL)
Deebo is coming off of a fairly quiet Week 5 where he posted a 2/12/0 rushing and 2/20/1 receiving line. It’s notable that his usage as a runner has been declining, with just 2 rush attempts in each of the past 2 games. He should get back on track this week against a Falcons defense that ranks 27th in DVOA.
Tier 3
Ja’Marr Chase (@ NO)
Marquise Brown (@ SEA)
Courtland Sutton (@ LAC)
D.K. Metcalf (vs. ARI)
A.J. Brown (vs. DAL)
Tyler Lockett (vs. ARI)
Mike Evans (@ PIT)
CeeDee Lamb (@ PHI)
With teams using more Cover 2 against the Bengals in order to limit the Bengals lethal downfield connection between Joe Burrow/Ja’Marr Chase, we have seen the Bengals shift their approach on offense. They are getting Chase involved on quick, low Average Depth of Target routes, as seen by his route tree provided by NextGenStats:
This means we could see Chase becoming a more consistent, high-floor player as opposed to having a massive ceiling. Either way, he remains a solid mid-range WR1.
Tier 4
Tyreek Hill (vs. MIN)
Michael Pittman Jr. (vs. JAX)
Mike Williams (vs. DEN)
Chris Godwin (@ PIT)
Christian Kirk (@ IND)
Gabriel Davis (@ KC)
Gabe Davis!
After a quiet 2 week stretch, Davis went nuclear and dropped a 3/171/2 line against the Steelers. I think it’s fair to say that his recent struggles may have been caused by the ankle injury that kept him out of Week 2. He appears to be 100% now and could be in store for another big game against the Chiefs.
Aside from the amazing one-handed catch on Gabe’s 62-yard TD reception, one of my favorite things about that play was Josh Allen deciding not to get the ball to Diggs, who was wide open for a 20-30 yard gain. Instead, Allen decided to heave it deep despite Minkah Fitzpatrick already deciding to get into a foot race with Gabe Davis before the throw.
This was the exact moment I’m referring to in the NextGenStats highlight:
Tier 5
Keenan Allen (vs. DEN)
Adam Thielen (@ MIA)
Amari Cooper (vs. NE)
Diontae Johnson (vs. TB)
DeVonta Smith (vs. DAL)
Tee Higgins (@ NO)
Romeo Doubs (vs. NYJ)
Terry McLaurin (@ CHI)
Keenan Allen is tentatively expected back this week. I’d imagine the Chargers wouldn’t let him return to action unless his hamstring was close to 100%.
Romeo Doubs is going to be Aaron Rodgers’ No. 1 target for the rest of the season, and it’s only a matter of time until we see a ceiling game from him. The window to buy low will slam shut once that happens.
Tier 6
Curtis Samuel (@ CHI)
Juju Smith-Schuster (vs. BUF)
Jerry Jeudy (@ LAC)
Allen Lazard (vs. NYJ)
Jaylen Waddle (vs. MIN)
Drake London (vs. SF)
Brandon Aiyuk (@ ATL)
Jakobi Meyers (@ CLE)
Chris Olave (vs. CIN)
Rondale Moore (@ SEA)
Jaylen Waddle gets a massive downgrade with Skylar Thompson expected to get the Week 6 start for the Dolphins. Waddle is a low-end WR3 option, but I would still lean on starting him in close sit/start decisions.
Drake London picked up a knee injury last week, so it’s worth monitoring his health heading into Week 6. The Falcons have a brutal matchup against a stout 49ers defense, but with Jimmie Ward and Emmanuel Moseley ruled out and Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead shaping up to game-time decisions, San Francisco’s defense won’t be at full strength this week.
Tier 7
Darnell Mooney (vs. WAS)
Rashod Bateman (@ NYG)
Michael Gallup (@ PHI)
D.J. Moore (@ LAR)
Zay Jones (@ IND)
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (vs. BUF)
Elijah Moore (@ GB)
Garrett Wilson (@ GB)
Marvin Jones (@ IND)
Michael Thomas (vs. CIN)
Alec Pierce (vs. JAX)
Corey Davis (@ GB)
George Pickens (vs. TB)
Tyler Boyd (@ NO)
Donovan Peoples-Jones (vs. NE)
Michael Gallup is trending up as his playing time has increased from 83% to 89% routes run in his first two games back. He has a tough matchup this week against James Bradberry and Darius Slay, but his stock is about to shoot up with Dak Prescott nearing a return.
Tier 8
Richie James (vs. BAL)
Chase Claypool (vs. TB)
Noah Brown (@ PHI)
Ben Skowronek (vs. CAR)
Devin Duvernay (@ NYG)
Allen Robinson (vs. CAR)
Randall Cobb (vs. NYJ)
Isaiah McKenzie (@ KC)
A.J. Green (@ SEA)
Allen Robinson’s stock has hit rock bottom and not only is it impossible to trust him in our starting lineups, but he’s borderline droppable at this point. He has enough upside to hang onto for another 1-2 weeks, just to see, but if you are in a bye week pinch and it makes sense, you may want to cut bait.
Van Jefferson will be returning in the next couple of weeks and Odell Beckham Jr. could possibly return to the team next month. It’s hard to see a path where Robinson becomes the WR2 option we thought he would be in this offense.
Tier 9
K.J. Osborn (@ MIA)
Russell Gage (@ PIT)
Darius Slayton (vs. BAL)
Josh Palmer (vs. DEN)
Jarvis Landry (vs. CIN)
Robbie Anderson (@ LAR)
Week 6 TE Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Travis Kelce (vs. BUF)
Mark Andrews (@ NYG)
Coming off of a four-TD game and facing a potential shootout against the Bills, Kelce has a firm grasp on the No. 1 TE spot this week.
Tier 2
Zach Ertz (@ SEA)
Tyler Higbee (vs. CAR)
Dallas Goedert (vs. DAL)
George Kittle (@ ATL)
Zach Ertz should feast against a Seahawks defense that has recently surrendered big games to Kyle Pitts (5/87/0) and T.J. Hockenson (8/179/2).
Tier 3
David Njoku (vs. NE)
Pat Freiermuth (vs. TB)
As predicted, David Njoku has settled in as a high floor/ceiling mid-range TE1 option. He’s posted three solid games in a row — 9/89/1, 5/73/0, 6/88/0 — and his underlying usage fully supports these types of games to continue. It’s hard to imagine, but his floor/ceiling combo has room to grow once Deshaun Watson takes over as the starter. Njoku could push top-five value once that happens.
Tier 4
Gerald Everett (vs. DEN)
Taysom Hill (vs. CIN)
Hayden Hurst (@ NO)
Evan Engram (@ IND)
Dawson Knox (@ KC)
Hunter Henry (@ CLE)
Kyle Pitts (vs. SF)
Cameron Brate (@ PIT)
I have been saying it for weeks now, but Taysom Hill has the widest range of outcomes of any TE in fantasy football history. We have now seen the best-case scenario for Hill in the form of a monster 34-point game against the Seahawks.
Yes, there is certainly a chance Hill could drop a scoreless dud as soon as this week, but guess what: We could say that about every TE outside of the top 5-7. If you don’t have an elite TE you might as well just roll the dice on Hill every week in your TE slot, because what is there to lose?
Gerald Everett was a top streaming option to begin the season, but he could devolve into more of a TE2 option over the coming weeks as Keenan Allen and Donald Parham returning to action could eat into his playing time and target share.
I made it a point to highlight Hayden Hurst as one of my favorite TE2 options heading into the season and urged you to keep him on your radar these past couple of weeks. The public is now well aware of his upside in this offense as he just posted a 6/53/1 line on Sunday Night Football.
With opposing defenses using more Cover 2 against the Bengals, forcing Joe Burrow to throw underneath more, Hurst has seen one of the main beneficiaries. He will offer TE1 value whenever Chase, Higgins or Boyd misses time, so his rank could shoot up if Higgins is held out this week.
Tier 5
Irv Smith Jr. (@ MIA)
Cole Kmet (vs. WAS)
Robert Tonyan Jr. (vs. NYJ)
Dalton Schultz (@ PHI)
Will Dissly (vs. ARI)
Noah Fant (vs. ARI)
Daniel Bellinger (vs. BAL)
Dalton Schultz has been struggling to play through his PCL injury and he should be nowhere near our starting lineups until he’s closer to 100%. He’s someone who could be a nice buy-low option considering he could be back on the TE1 radar once his knee is closer to 100% and Dak Prescott is back under center.
Tier 6
Tyler Conklin (@ GB)
Mo Alie-Cox (vs. JAX)
John Bates (@ CHI)
Mike Gesicki (vs. MIN)
Harrison Bryant (vs. NE)
Tyler Conklin was leapfrogged by C.J. Uzomah last week, and it’s a reminder that the Jets tight end usage may be closer to even when both are healthy. Conklin is off the re-draft radar, for now, until we start seeing his route participation clear 70% again.