At this point in the 2025 NFL season, you need to start stacking wins or you’ll risk missing out on the fantasy playoffs. After five weeks, we have a solid sample size to break down, as workloads, target shares, and other trends have been established across the league. With all of that in mind, here are my start/sit Week 6 fantasy football picks.
Quarterbacks
Start ‘Em: Dak Prescott (Cowboys) at Panthers
All it took was CeeDee Lamb going down for Dak to turn into a fantasy QB1!
Through five weeks, Prescott has returned to 2021/2023 form, making the Cowboys’ offense one of the most formidable units in football once again. The veteran has racked up a ridiculous 59.3 combined fantasy points over his last two outings, scoring eight total touchdowns with no turnovers. With Lamb sidelined, George Pickens has stepped in as the top big-play threat seamlessly. Jake Ferguson also looks like a top-three tight end in football, catching virtually everything thrown his way.
Prescott will look to keep the momentum rolling against a mid-tier Panthers secondary. Carolina has put together a couple decent defensive showings this season, but they don’t have enough to curb Dak’s hot streak.
Sit ‘Em: Daniel Jones (Colts) vs. Cardinals
The Indiana Jones MVP hype train has been slightly derailed.
That’s not necessarily a knock on the new Colts’ signal caller. There just so happens to be a running back who is on pace to amass 1,632 rushing yards on the season at their disposal. Shane Steichen is rightfully riding the hot hand in Jonathan Taylor, which has led to Jones taking a secondary role. As a result, the man formerly known as Danny Dimes has failed to score 17 fantasy points in three straight matchups.
With a tried and true formula for success, I would expect another middling performance from Jones against the Cardinals. It also doesn’t help that Arizona has allowed the fifth-least fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2025. Jones could return to elite fantasy form, but there are better options out there this week.
Running Backs
Start ‘Em: Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders) vs. Bills
Bill is… back?
After it looked like Croskey-Merritt would be stuck in RB committee purgatory, the talented rookie finally broke out last Sunday. Bill still didn’t see more than half of the team’s offensive snaps, but he did take 14 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns, also hauling in a couple of receptions. Virtually every time he touches the ball, good things happen. The Commanders simply haven’t been giving him enough opportunities, but I have a feeling that’s about to change.
After yet another strong outing, Croskey-Merritt draws a favorable matchup against Chicago. The Bears allow the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing backfields, setting the stage for a second-straight massive fantasy performance.
Sit ‘Em: Jaylen Warren (Steelers) vs. Browns
Warren racked up three double-digit point outings to open the year, then was a late scratch against the Vikings in Dublin before Pittsburgh’s bye.
The bright side? The speedy dual-threat back is expected to return in full health this week. The downside? He’s facing the Browns, who have a legitimate case as the best defense in the NFL. Cleveland is allowing the fewest rushing yards per contest and the fourth-least passing yards. Better offenses than the Steelers’ have tried and failed to get anything going against Myles Garrett and company.
Warren could have PPR upside as a checkdown option for Aaron Rodgers, but expecting anything more than mediocre production isn’t realistic.
Check out all of my RB start/sit picks for this week here!
Wide Receivers
Start ‘Em: Stefon Diggs (Patriots) at Saints
Diggs was my start of the week in the prior edition of this series, and it’s safe to say that turned out alright…
It was predictable that the veteran wideout would step up in a revenge game scenario, but I did NOT expect him to showcase that type of burst less than a year after his ACL tear. Diggs diced up the Buffalo secondary all night long, hauling in 10 of 12 targets for 146 yards.
The former All-Pro has now eclipsed the 100-yard mark in back-to-back contests, setting the stage for another big outing against New Orleans. Diggs’ high target share should result in a low-end WR2 floor, with plenty of upside if he finally gets into the end zone.
Sit ‘Em: Jameson Williams (Lions) at Chiefs
Fantasy managers have been rolling Williams out in starting lineups this season, hoping for his trademark one or two huge plays to produce fantasy value. Through five weeks, it’s only happened once. In the speedster’s other four outings, he’s racked up a combined 20.6 PPR points.
It’s not like Williams and Jared Goff aren’t on the same page, either. Detroit’s signal caller simply isn’t looking his way as much. Williams is averaging just 4.2 targets and 44.6 yards per contest, which isn’t even enough to justify FLEX consideration.
The 24-year-old will certainly bounce back at some point, but I just don’t expect it to happen against a stout Chiefs secondary.
Check out all of my Week 6 WR start/sit picks here!
Tight Ends
Start ‘Em: David Njoku (Browns) at Steelers
It looks like Joe Flacco may have been the problem in Cleveland, which was certainly not the expected outcome. After weeks of seeing a decent target share but no real translation to production, Njoku finally put up TE1 numbers against the Vikings in London.
The veteran recorded a season-high in targets, receptions and yards, finishing with six catches for 67 yards and his first touchdown of the year. Njoku also saw his highest snap share of the year at 96%. While Harold Fannin Jr. has made a strong impression as a rookie, this type of performance resolidifies Njoku’s status as the top Browns tight end.
This week, the 29-year-old takes on a Steelers defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Look for Njoku and Gabriel to continue strengthening their rapport en route to another solid fantasy showing for the former.
Sit ‘Em: Juwan Johnson (Saints) vs. Patriots
Johnson was PPR TE2 through three weeks, putting the fantasy community on notice as Spencer Rattler’s safety blanket.
Since then, he’s failed to combine for double-digit points over New Orleans’ last two outings. Johnson saw a significantly decreased role over that stretch, receiving seven total targets. Over the first three matchups of the season, he had racked up 28.
Regardless of the specific reason, it’s clear Johnson’s miraculous fantasy run may be coming to a swift end. It’s hard to be optimistic about his prospects in Week 6 against a Patriots team that is starting to look like a juggernaut. Leave Johnson on your bench and pivot this weekend.
Those are my start/sit Week 6 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more start/sit Week 6 positional analysis over the coming days.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
