Fridays are for Five lists of Five, baby. Let’s get you set for Week 6.
Because, honestly—all I want is for you to be better than your friends. You’re going to be surrounded by them on Sunday, probably. How sweet would it be if you could be sure you’ve checked every box possible that might guarantee you a resounding victory this week? Some kick-your-feet-up insights? I’ve got some.
I know my audience. The smoke-break audience. The quick-scan-of-the-phone-on-the-way-to-the-fridge audience. The give-me-as-much-info-as-possible-as-fast-as-possible audience. I’m a man of the people.
And so: the Five Lists of Five series. Think of these as byte-sized, two-minutes-to-yourself lists to scan during your weekend as you foam at the mouth for any competitive fantasy edge. As much relevant analysis as I can fit into, like, 250 words per player.
Kicking it off this week with my five best streamers for Week 6.
Also available from my Week 6 Five Lists of Five:
- Top five fantasy football stashes for NFL Week 6
- Top five wide receivers due for fantasy football breakouts in NFL Week 6
- Top five fantasy football fades for NFL Week 6
- Top five fantasy football must-starters for NFL Week 6
Follow along at my handle @dansby_edits for stat threads with minimal emojis all week long. The minimal emojis thing is how I differentiate myself in the market, you see.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (vs. Cincinnati Bengals; 25.3% rostered)
An alpha wide receiver (or at least one who can stretch the field), some possession gurus over the middle, and some gritty pass-catching running backs seem to be just what Daniel Jones needs. This was, after all, his recipe for success in his best season yet as a signal-caller. Many may think that was his 2022 season, when HC Brian Daboll first arrived and Daniel Jones rushed for seven touchdowns.
I think it was his rookie season in 2019, when he had the following weapons at his disposal: Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Saquon Barkley.
Moreover: Bengals defense stinks. Stinks. If Nabers is back, Jones is a no-brainer start. I’d be considering him now, though.
Joe Flacco, QB, Indianapolis Colts (vs. Tennessee Titans; 5.2% rostered)
Richardson is practicing fully, but Flacco has been absolutely top-drawer filling in for the rawest rookie quarterback in the NFL. Flacco was on last week’s list, and he’s on this one for good reason.
I used this stat in an earlier analysis about Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, but check out how stratospherically-high Joe Flacco’s EPA+CPOE composite score is over the last two weeks.
That’s not just matchup dependent. This is, more or less, a stat akin to Fielding-Independent Pitching. We’re strictly looking at the team contribution and over-expected play of quarterbacks. And Flacco is second in the NFL.
Yes, he lost Michael Pittman, Jr. Boo-hoo. The Colts have an offensive line that’s the envy of many teams in the league, and they have about as deep and high-upside a receiver room as I’ve seen in a while. Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, and Adonai Mitchell are not yet totally household names, but these are guys who are ready to reel in Flacco’s passes.
If he starts Sunday agains the Titans, he’s a hard-yes streamer.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars; 55.3% rostered)
Squeaky wheels usually get the first blast of WD-40, but, for all the noise Cole Kmet is making, we’re all still waiting a bit on his breakout game. Even after including him on this list last week!
Rising tides raise all ships. Look at Caleb Williams’s EPA+CPOE composite score in the graphic above. Just a shade behind Flacco, but with a better Adjusted EPA/play. Kmet and Swift have both shown remarkable leaps forward in their ability to pass block for Caleb Williams. I don’t think this means Kmet will be relegated to a blocker. Instead, I think they’ll be able to disguise him in more packages, and he’ll be a more consistent target going forward the rest of the year.
It’s a London game, so it’s weird. I like Kmet to catch paydirt and swing his imaginary baseball bat for all the jolly spectators across the pond.
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 7.0% rostered)
It’s so rarely a wide receiver on the outside that becomes a binky for a new starting quarterback, right? Let alone a rookie, like Spencer Rattler in New Orleans.
Johnson becomes relevant, mostly, because Taysom Hill and Rashid Shaheed are, as of this writing, trending toward not playing. And yes, I’ve seen the clip where Rattler mentions trying to feed Chris Olave the ball. How fun! It means nothing to me.
I like Johnson to get at least four-to-five receptions over the middle or in the flat, and that’s good enough for TE streaming production. He’s probably going to be the most imposing offensive figure the Saints have in the red zone, too.
Give me a veteran tight end for a rookie quarterback in a legacy Saints offense.
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST (vs. Denver Broncos; 26.0% rostered)
Here’s what I said about streaming the Chargers defense this week against the Broncos in my Fantasy Football Week 6 Defense Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em Picks:
This is sort of a spicy play. Statistically, the Chargers defense has been fine; as a Chargers fan, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
From the jump, I want you to know: I’m only advocating you start this defense on feel. Analysis will be soft. If you want a follow-the-data approach, go Bears. But does anyone else feel like Bo Nix might be feeling himself just a bit too much after last week’s blowout against the Raiders?
Jesse Minter and Jim Harbaugh are going to have this defense foaming at the mouth for a divisional win, especially on the road. Derwin James will be back from his suspension, which makes me less worried about Courtland Sutton’s perennial ability to stretch the field and make wild catches.
This is a quarterback Harbaugh and Minter are familiar with, seeing as all three just graduated from NCAA to the NFL. Something tells me the Chargers defense might absolutely bamboozle Bo Nix, and remind us all that quarterback development is violently nonlinear.
Let’s roll the dice, yeah?
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) 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.
