Who to Start in Fantasy Football? NFL Week 6 First Look
Five weeks into the fantasy football season, most fantasy teams are starting to take shape or turn to dust. Week 6 will give us another look at who’s destined for greatness this season.
The Chiefs, Vikings, Rams, and Dolphins will all be on a bye for Week 6. There are still some great matchups to look forward to, including when the Ravens host the Commanders in what should be a matchup full of offensive production.
We have a bevy of picks and projections to consider on PrizePicks to help decide who to start in fantasy football. Let’s take an early look at the board and look at who you should start in fantasy football this week at each position.
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Who to Start in Fantasy Football? Week 6
Here’s our full list of who to start in fantasy football for Week 6. Click the player to view their PrizePicks Projections.
Who to Start: Quarterbacks
Who to Start: Running Backs
Who to Start: Wide Receivers
Who to Start: Tight Ends
Who to Start in Week 6: Quarterbacks
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson 220.5 Pass Yards — More
In a high-scoring game against the Bengals last week, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson attempted 42 passes and threw for 348 yards. He has attempted at least 30 passes in a game three times this season and he threw for at least 247 yards in each of them.
The Commanders have scored an average of 31.0 points per game and have the best passing offense in the NFL by virtually every metric, so expect Jackson and the Ravens to throw a lot to keep pace.
Jackson is also projected for 56.5 rush yards on PrizePicks in this game.
Bears QB Caleb Williams 229.5 Pass Yards — More
Bears QB Caleb Williams lit up the Panthers last week, throwing for 304 yards. The Panthers have allowed 8.07 yards per pass attempt, which is the fifth-highest mark in the league.
Waiting for Williams in Week 6 is a matchup with the Jaguars, who are right behind the Panthers, allowing 8.03 yards per pass attempt and a league-worst .286 expected points added per dropback (EPA), per rbsdm.
The Jaguars have allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw for at least 260 yards in four of five games against them this season. In three of those games, they allowed at least 330 passing yards.
Williams should cook against the Jaguars’ abysmal secondary.
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Who to Start in Week 6: Running Backs
Ravens RB Derrick Henry 84.5 Rush Yards – MORE
The Ravens threw a lot last week to lead a comeback versus the Bengals in overtime. That left Ravens RB Derrick Henry with just 15 carries. Still, he ran for 92 yards. Henry has posted at least 84 rushing yards in each of his last four games, twice topping 150 rushing yards during that span.
Henry is averaging 6.0 yards per carry, which is noteworthy for his matchup against the Commanders.
According to 4for4, the Commanders have allowed a 17.35% explosive rush rate, which is the highest mark in the league. The Commanders are also 27th in rush defense EPA (-.01) and rush defense success rate (44.5%), per rbsdm.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs 70.5 Rush Yards — More
Packers RB Josh Jacobs has received at least 16 carries in a game three times this season, finishing with at least 73 rushing yards in each of those games. He is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and will face a Cardinals team in Week 6 that has given up 4.6 yards per carry this season.
The Cardinals have also given up eight rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the second-most in the league, so look for Jacobs’ touchdown scorer projections when they hit the PrizePicks board.
Titans RB Tony Pollard 57.5 Rush Yards — More
The Titans were off in Week 5, giving Pollard plenty of time to rest after rushing 22 times for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 5.
Despite Tyjae Spears also being in the fold, Pollard has at least 16 rushing attempts and 62 rushing yards in three of four games this year. He’s the clear RB1 in Tennessee.
Week 6 brings a matchup against the Colts, who have given up the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs in PPR scoring formats.
Who to Start in Week 6: Wide Receivers
Bears WR D.J. Moore 60.5 Receiving Yards — More
Since we’re already high on Williams, we are also high on his top receiving option in Bears WR D.J. Moore. Wiliams has thrown for at least 300 yards in a game twice this season and Moore recorded at least 78 receiving yards in both of those games.
He has been targeted on 25.6% of his routes run this season and has received 25.8% of the Bears overall targets. Even with Keenan Allen back in the fold after his injury, Moore had led the Bears in targets in each of the last two games.
Falcons WR Darnell Mooney 55.5 Receiving Yards — More
Falcons WR Darnell Mooney has big-play upside with his average depth of target being 12.5 yards — highest on the team. Mooney has also garnered 24.0% of the Falcons’ total targets, which has helped him record at least 56 receiving yards in four straight games.
Mooney has been a consistent target in the Falcons new look offense that is much more balanced than years past. Atlanta is passing on 63.5% of plays, versus only 52.2% in 2023, and 44.71% in 2022. That’s a significant boost for these Falcons pass catchers.
Up next is a matchup against the Panthers, who have given up the ninth-most yards per target to opposing wide receivers (8.66) in the league. The Panthers rank 31st in dropback success rate (52.3%) and 30th in dropback EPA (.248) this year.
Kirk Cousins and the Falcons pass game should have a field day in this spot.
Packers WR Jayden Reed 65.5 Receiving Yards — More
Packers WR Jayden Reed is tough to tackle when he gets the ball, leaving him to average 8.6 yards after the catch — second best among receivers with at least 20 targets. He’s explosive after the catch.
Despite his average depth of target being a modest 9.1 yards, he is averaging 19.7 yards per reception.
He could cook the Cardinals, who have allowed the eighth-highest explosive pass rate (13.28%) in the league per 4for4, and have the league’s worst dropback success rate (57.4%), 5% higher than the 31st-ranked Panthers.
Who to Start in Week 6: Tight End
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson 50.5 Receiving Yards — More
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson has received at least seven targets in each of the last three games, leaving him with at least 49 receiving yards in each game. When he runs a route, the Cowboys look his way.
Ferguson has been targeted on a whopping 37.0% of his routes run this season, per RotoWire.
The Cowboys will be facing the Lions, who are averaging 26.0 points per game. They will need to throw a lot to keep up, and will still be without WR Brandin Cooks, leaving Ferguson with plenty of upside.
Bears TE Cole Kmet 27.5 Receiving Yards — More
Things weren’t looking great for Bears TE Cole Kmet after he logged just 46.3% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 1. However, he has played at least 75.8% of their offensive snaps in all four games since, including at least 81.0% of them in each of the last three games.
He’s also logged an average of 5.75 targets per game, including an explosive 10 catch, 97 yard, 1 TD line against the Colts in Week 3.
With at least 34 receiving yards in each of his last three games, he could provide value against a Jaguars team that has allowed the most passing yards per game (287.8) in the league.
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Build Your Week 6 NFL DFS Lineup on PrizePicks
With four teams on a bye during Week 6, we have plenty of start or sit decisions to consider for fantasy football to fill your roster. Most notably, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Vikings WR Justin Jefferson will be on a bye.
You can get in on all the Week 6 action by building your Lineup on PrizePicks for the Sunday main slate. There are no salary constraints, so pick two or more projections for your favorite players, finalize your lineup, sit back, and enjoy the games.
Follow Mike Barner for more NFL Picks: @rotomikebarner
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