Making the right lineup decisions can make or break your weekly fantasy football outlook. There is no worse feeling in fantasy football than leaving a player who is having a career day on your bench while your starter struggles. This type of game management is what separates the elite fantasy football coaches from the casual.
Heading into Week 6, the pack has separated which players should be every-week starters, and which you might have to make difficult decisions with. In this article, we will dive into five names facing difficult situations that you may be better off leaving on the bench.
In each of these cases, your alternative options dictate how seriously you should consider putting one of these names on the bench. But here are five typical starters who may not be in line for their best success in Week 6 of the NFL season.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints (97.3% rostered)
Chris Olave is coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. However, the Ohio State product is not off to a strong start this year. Through the opening five weeks, he has tallied 22 receptions for 275 yards and a touchdown. He also is coming off a performance last week in which he had just two receptions for 10 yards. This marks the second-worst performance of his NFL career.
Heading into this week, the Saints have been forced to make a change at the quarterback position. Derek Carr suffered a strained oblique last week and is considered week-to-week. He has been ruled out for this week and rookie Spencer Rattler will be stepping into the starting role. The fifth-round draft pick will face off with the Buccaneers in his debut.
With Olave already struggling on the season and the uncertainty at the quarterback position, keep him on the bench in Week 6. Better performances are ahead for the star pass-catcher but don’t count on Week 6 being a strong performance.
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (37.4% rostered)
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off their bye week and are set to face off with the Denver Broncos. They hold a 2-2 record on the year but have a tough test against this Denver defense. Through the opening five weeks, the Broncos have allowed the third-fewest points and second-fewest yards to opposing teams.
While Herbert has played better overall football this year, it has not shown in his stats or fantasy football impact. He has not thrown for more than 179 yards in a game. Herbert ranks 30th among all quarterbacks this year based on DraftKings scoring.
There are far better quarterback options out there weekly and this is especially the case against a tough Denver defense. Herbert probably should be considered on the outside looking in from a fantasy football perspective for the remainder of the season.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (32.7% rostered)
After a disappointing 0-4 start to the season, the Jaguars produced their first victory last week in Trevor Lawrence’s best performance. The former number-one pick threw for 371 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This was good enough for him to produce 25.2 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring. He was last week’s sixth-best fantasy scorer at the quarterback position.
Heading into this week, the Jaguars are set to face off with the Chicago Bears in London, England. Through the opening five weeks, Chicago ranks fifth in points allowed and seventh in yards allowed. They also have allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks of any team in the NFL. Expect the Chicago defense to make their impact felt and for Lawrence to look more like the version of himself that showed up through the first four weeks of the season.
Overall he ranks 19th among quarterbacks in fantasy production based on DraftKings scoring. There are better quarterback options out there, so don’t fall for the outlier performance last week and keep Lawrence on your bench.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots (92.3% rostered)
The Patriots decided to make a quarterback change. This week, they’ll start third-overall pick Drake Maye at after keeping him on the bench to start the year. The North Carolina product will look to provide a positive jolt to the offense, but there are deeper problems than just the quarterback play. Jacoby Brissett was sacked 17 times through the first five weeks which is tied for the third-most in the league. Overall, New England ranks 31st in both scoring and yards tallied.
Looking at Rhamondre Stevenson, he has tallied 77 rush attempts for 356 yards and three touchdowns on the year. However, much of this was produced in the opening week when he ran for 120 yards against the Bengals. He has been held under 45 rushing yards in two of the last three weeks and, after having 21+ touches in each of the first two games, has recorded 31 combined carries over the past three weeks. As the Patriots prepare to face off with the Texans this week, don’t expect things to change.
Houston has a great chance to jump out to a big lead and eliminate some notable rushing opportunities. With a decreasing workload and a rookie quarterback getting his first start, don’t have lofty expectations for Stevenson in Week 6.
UPDATE: Rhamondre Stevenson has been ruled OUT for Week 6 with a foot injury.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Dallas Cowboys (69.2% rostered)
The Dallas Cowboys have continued to put more and more on Rico Dowdle’s plate as the season continues. He is coming off a career-high in carries as Dowdle tallied 20 rush attempts for 87 yards on the ground last week. Dallas will now prepare to match up with the Detroit Lions in Week 6.
Detroit has defended the run well this season. They rank fourth in yards allowed this season and have held opponents to 83 yards or fewer in three of their four games. The Lions also are coming off of their bye week and will have the rest advantage. Even with the uptick in carries, Dowdle has yet to be on the field for more than 50% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps. Dallas is a pass-first team and will live and die with the production of Dak Prescott. Expect some regression in opportunity from Rico Dowdle against a tough defense and seek alternative options in Week 6.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
