Fantasy Football Must-Start Players for Week 6

We’re into Week 6 of the NFL season, meaning the campaign is officially 1/3 of the way done. What a ride it’s been already, right?

Whether you’re a returning reader or a newcomer, welcome to my weekly fantasy must-start column. I’ll be here for the entire season to bring you a selection of the players you should want in your fantasy football lineups in season-long and/or DFS formats. These guys are screaming starts for one reason or another – it could be an advantageous matchup, a recent hot streak or a value salary in DraftKings contests, among others – so we’re looking to find an edge through the lens of actual analysis. I just want to help you win your week!

Let’s jump in with some must-start players for fantasy football in Week 6.

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Fantasy Football Week 6 Must-Start Players

QB: Bryce Young, Panthers at Eagles ($5,700)

I’m generally not in favor of paying up for quarterbacks, so as usual, I’m looking about midway down the board at the position. Bryce Young is a screaming value at this DFS salary, and in season-long leagues, he deserves to be in weekly lineups. He’s averaging a cool 24.7 FPPG – trailing only Josh Allen on this slate while leading names like Patrick Mahomes – and has been put in position to succeed by a coaching staff that now has him airing out the football plenty. The Panthers’ PROE of 9.2% ranks second in the NFL, which has Young taking 44.0 dropbacks per game. He ranks eighth in EPA/dropback and eighth in YPA with 1,268 passing yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions across four appearances. He’s put up 24 DKFP in three of those four games with a high mark of 35.4, and on Sunday, the conditions are ripe for another great outing. Carolina is coming off the bye week and breakout receiver Jalen Coker is healthy again alongside Tetairoa McMillan. Against an Eagles secondary allowing the 12th-most FPPG to QBs while ranking 24th in EPA/dropback allowed, Young should pop off again.

RB: Cam Skattebo, Giants vs. Saints ($5,800)

I’m admittedly not a huge fan of Cam Skattebo and faded him for much of the offseason. To this point, I feel a bit justified in that call since he’s failed to record double-digit FPTS since Week 1, but I’m also willing to slot him into lineups this week even despite his shortcomings. The second-year runner averages 10.5 FPPG and has 294 rushing yards and one touchdown to his name. It’s not stellar production at just 3.63 YPC, but he has posted 58.8 YPG and has seen a healthy workload of 16.2 attempts per contest. The downturn in receiving usage has hurt him in comparison to last year since he’s seeing just 2.4 targets per game with 10 catches for 79 yards in total, but that’s less of a concern due to this week’s matchup. The Giants host the Saints, who allow an NFL-high 31.9 FPPG to RBs this season. Moreover, 25.3 FPPG of that tally comes via rushing production alone, also more than any other team. With New Orleans giving up 5.09 YPC and an NFL-worst 10 rushing touchdowns to halfbacks while also ranking 30th in EPA/rush allowed, Skattebo should have a nice day at the office.

WR: Rome Odunze, Bears at Falcons ($4,900)

This next pick is a riskier one, but it could pay off in a big way. Caleb Williams is back in the saddle for the Bears as they head to Atlanta for a meeting with the Falcons. The quarterback is coming off a hamstring strain that sidelined him for multiple weeks, but there’s not a ton of reason to worry about his performance in his return. Figuring out which – if any – of Chicago’s receiving weapons has been a source of fantasy frustration in recent weeks, but they’re far more worthy of slotting into lineups now that the team’s young quarterback is back in action. While Rome Odunze averages only 8.7 FPPG and has fallen below 10 DKFP in all but one game, there’s much more upside for him with Williams active. The wideout has healthy snap and route shares, and even better, he ranks 12th in separation score and 33rd in win rate among 113 qualified receivers. Odunze has produced 273 yards on 17 catches with a 16.9% target share, but he runs a lot of routes that take longer to develop, which plays well with Williams’ love of improvisation outside of the pocket. The Falcons’ defense has also been quite effective against the run, meaning we may see a bit more aerial volume from Chicago than usual this week. There’s risk to playing Odunze, but I like him particularly for DFS formats at his salary given that Atlanta concedes 37.7 FPPG to wideouts, sixth most.

TE: Tyler Higbee, Rams vs. Cardinals ($3,400)

The Tyler Higbee resurgence over the last few weeks has quietly been one of the most interesting stories in the NFL. The 33-year-old is an 11th-year pro and has battled some injuries over the last couple of seasons that left speculation open about a potential retirement in the not-so-distant future. He put forth a couple of quiet weeks to open the campaign, but then exploded in Week 3 with 20.2 DKFP. Higbee followed it up with 11.7 and 13.3 FPTS, showing he still has some gas left in the tank. He’s averaging 9.5 FPPG on the year with 20 catches for 224 yards and one touchdown on 25 targets. Adding to that, he also ranks 14th at tight end in YPRR and 16th in TPRR. Higbee is seeing 5.0 looks per game, but his involvement has spiked to 7.7 targets per outing over the last three weeks with slightly over 15.0 FPPG across that span – his route share has jumped to 69.8% over the same sample. The opposing Cardinals allow 19.3 FPPG to TEs, fifth most in the NFL, and their pass-happy nature should keep the Rams fairly aggressive. Higbee belongs in lineups until proven otherwise in all formats.