Week 5 of the NFL season is officially in the books! The NFL landscape has already been riddled with injuries and unexpected twists. If you’re facing tough lineup decisions, I’ve got you covered.
Let’s break down my start/sit fantasy football picks for Week 6.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em: Kirk Cousins (Falcons) at Panthers
There’s the Kirk Cousins we — well, some of us — know and love.
After an extremely underwhelming start to his Falcons tenure, Cousins exploded last Thursday night against the Bucs. The veteran scored 35.4 fantasy points with a whopping 509 passing yards and four touchdowns. Cousins was QB7 in points per game last year before tearing his achilles, and this was truly the first time he looked like the “old” Kirk under center.
I needed to see that before trusting him in my starting lineup, and now that I have, I’m quite confident in Cousins this week against a poor Panthers secondary. With the offensive weapons at his disposal — including one who will show up later in this article — he should keep the positive momentum rolling.
Sit ‘Em: Brock Purdy (49ers) at Seahawks — THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
It’s been a struggle for San Francisco without Christian McCaffrey.
While Purdy has actually thrown the fourth-most passing yards in the league up to this point, it hasn’t translated to consistent fantasy production. The 24-year-old has scored more than 16 fantasy points just once, and a lot of that can be chalked up to his lack of touchdowns. It’s worth noting that Purdy took a step in the right direction regarding his rapport with top receiver Brandon Aiyuk last Sunday, but coming off a short week it’s hard to trust the former Mr. Irrelevant.
The Seahawks only allow 183 passing yards per game and have limited opposing QBs from a fantasy perspective. I expect those trends to continue on Thursday.
Check out my full Week 6 quarterback start/sit picks here!
Running Back
Start ‘Em: D’Andre Swift (Bears) vs. Jaguars
Through the first three weeks, it looked like Chicago had made a horrible mistake signing Swift. After his last two games, the shifty back has become a must-start. How quickly things change…
Swift racked up 49.5 PPR points across Weeks 4 and 5, drastically improving his rushing efficiency while also posing a legitimate threat through the air. The 25-year-old would have added even more points to his tally if Matt Eberflus didn’t pull him from a deserved goalline opportunity, handing Roschon Johnson the touchdown.
Regardless of Johnson’s touchdown-vulturing tendencies, Swift’s elite production has propelled him into low-end RB1 territory against a vulnerable Jacksonville run defense.
Sit ‘Em: Najee Harris (Steelers) at Raiders — IF Justin Fields remains Pittsburgh’s starter
Good news: Harris is the clear lead back for Pittsburgh.
Bad news: It hasn’t translated to strong fantasy production up to this point.
Najee has received 82 carries through five weeks, but he’s only averaging 3.3 yards per attempt and has failed to find the end zone so far. As a result, he’s scored more than 11 PPR points in just one game. With Justin Fields under center, I expect his ceiling to remain capped, as the dual-threat quarterback has already racked up 44 carries and two touchdowns on the ground. While the Raiders are an enticing matchup, if Fields remains the starter, leave Najee on your bench. If Russell Wilson gets the surprise start, Harris would be upgraded to a low-end RB2.
Check out my full Week 6 running back start/sit picks here!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em: Darnell Mooney (Falcons) at Panthers
It’s time to buy into the Mooney hype. After years of wondering if the guy was a good player who just consistently got overthrown by Justin Fields or an overrated vertical threat, we may have our answer just five games into his stint with Atlanta.
The 26-year-old has emerged as one of Kirk Cousins’ go-to-guys. After strong outings in Weeks 2 and 3, Mooney made a statement last Thursday, racking up nine catches on 16 (!!) targets for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
This week, he’ll take on a Panthers secondary that has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. I expect Mooney to stay hot.
Sit ‘Em: Jameson Williams (Lions) at Cowboys
Williams has racked up at least 14 PPR points in three of his four outings. He’s coming off a strong 80-yard performance against Seattle in which he scored. There’s just one problem…
His usage has dropped off a cliff since Week 2.
After amassing 20 targets over his first couple games, Jared Goff has only looked Williams’ way five times over Detroit’s last two matchups. One of them just happened to be a 70-yard score on a broken play. Don’t be deceived by the numbers, it will be impossible for Williams to maintain this production at his current target share. Leave the dynamic playmaker on your bench until he re-establishes his consistent role in the Lions’ offense.
Check out my full Week 6 wide receiver start/sit picks here!
Tight End
Start ‘Em: Tucker Kraft (Packers) vs. Cardinals
After three weeks of scoring fewer than six PPR points, Kraft exploded for 42.1 over his last two games.
Those outings were enough to elevate him all the way to TE3 on the year. That’s how shallow the fantasy tight end landscape has been thus far. We’ve been left to play catch-up at this position every week, which can lead to overreactions on the waiver wire. That said, it’s fair to assume Kraft will continue to rack up targets after his pair of productive games, especially against a porous Cardinals secondary.
Sit ‘Em: Cole Kmet (Bears) vs. Jaguars
Kmet’s snap rate is up, but his production has tapered off since his Week 3 outburst.
The 25-year-old has been tasked with keeping Caleb Williams safe as a blocker more often than not this season, and that will likely remain the case until Chicago’s offensive line gets its act together. This week, the Bears take on the Jaguars, who are surprisingly stout against opposing tight ends. Jacksonville allows fewer than 10 points to the position on a weekly basis.
After seeing just seven targets across his last two games, Kmet is best left on your bench this week.
Check out my full Week 6 tight end start/sit picks here!
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 6 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
