Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 6 Matchups to Consider
Goodness gracious, the NFL is fun. We had a funny tie in the Giants/Commanders game; the Texans got Marv; the Patriots seem to be back, and we had not one, but two primetime overtime bangers to cap off Week 5. The bar has been set, but Vegas seems to think Week 6 can live up to the hype, with five games projected for 50+ points. Bye weeks and injuries don’t stop, so knowing your players’ matchups is imperative. Even the slightest edge over your opponent could be the difference between winning and losing.
Here are some matchups and players to consider heading into Week 6:
Quarterbacks
Caleb Williams
QB - CHI
After missing the previous three games with a leg injury, 2024’s first-overall pick Caleb Williams looks like he is ready to get back on the field, and I am sure his receivers are ready for him too. The offense still moved the ball, but didn’t look the same without Caleb under center. It is a great week to come back as well. The Falcons are allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game, while allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game. That works well with what is happening in Chicago, with the receivers ready to feast and the running backs banged up. If you have held on to Caleb, Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland, you should finally be rewarded in Atlanta in this 50.5-point O/U.
Jayden Daniels
QB - WAS
I wanted to write about Jayden Daniels in Week 5, but out of respect, I waited. We have another 50.5-point O/U on Monday Night Football. This time, it is the second-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The only problem is that the Commanders play the 49ers, who, despite having a plethora of injuries, are still dominating on both sides of the ball. San Francisco is the fifth-toughest matchup for fantasy QBs. Not great. Even as a whole, their defense is playing lights out, allowing the sixth-fewest YPG and third-fewest PPG. You can still throw Daniels in fantasy lineups because his legs make him a fantasy cheat code. In Week 5, he tallied his second career 100-plus-yard rushing game. If it comes down to you needing a Monday Night Miracle, Daniels could get it done, but the 49ers defense might have other plans.
Running Backs
Tony Pollard
RB - TEN
There is a clear RB deficit in the NFL. Now, with four teams on bye, it gets even worse. Trust me, I am not excited to tell you that Tony Pollard gets to face the Colts either, who are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to RBs and the highest rushing EPA per play. Of course, a great matchup can only do so much. Pollard’s rush success rate ranks 31st among 41 qualified RBs. That’s just ahead of Ashton Jeanty and Chase Brown, who haven’t been particularly special on the ground either. At least with the two of them, you can point out that they have both faced stacked boxes at a high rate. Pollard has seen stacked boxes only 17% of the time (31st out of 41), according to Next Gen Stats.
It has been bad for the Titans. We clown on the Chargers and the Dolphins, but both of them are infinitely better than the Titans. For starters, the Titans are dead last in PPG (11.6), YPG (246.4), and offensive TDs (6). Like seriously, how do you only have SIX offensive TDs in five games? You can start Pollard, but only if you’re nasty (shoutout to the Nasty Boyz).
Woody Marks
RB - HOU
The Jaguars didn’t face any issues with travel because they stayed in London after defeating the Eagles in Week 5. But the Jags will have their hands full this week as Woody Marks comes to town… David Montgomery sat out Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury, and since his injury has been described as week-to-week, it would be surprising if he boards the flight to London. Neither back has looked special this season, but I think most would agree Marks has been the better of the two.
We have seen Marks in a full-time role just last season. Ironically, his second-best fantasy performance came against the Jags in Week 10. However, this Jacksonville defense has stepped up a lot. They are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to RBs. They haven’t faced stiff RB competition yet, and I am not sure that changes in Week 6. Last week, they put a beating on Will Shipley and held Dameon Pierce to 12 total yards on 13 touches. Again, bye weeks may force you into starting Marks, and volume is king in fantasy football.
Emanuel Wilson
RB - SEA
If you got Emanuel Wilson off of waivers, rejoice! Zach Charbonnet isn’t expected back until Week 7, and Jadarian Price isn’t eligible until Week 8. Whatever you spent to get him looks like it is paying off. Since becoming the starter, Wilson has been great for fantasy, posting an RB6 and RB20 finish over the past two weeks. During those two weeks, he has also fumbled twice, so while I would normally say he is at risk of losing his job, George Holani, the only RB that could steal it in the short term, fumbled twice in Week 5.
The Seahawks are favored on the road against the Broncos, who are allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game. Wilson hasn’t been particularly impressive, but the Seattle offense moves the chains and gets him into scoring position. The Seahawks are eighth in PPG in 2026. Inside the 10-yard line, Wilson has 11 attempts to Holani’s three. Given how suspect the Broncos defense has been on the ground and that Wilson has three TDs in two games, this should give you a lot of confidence in starting him on Thursday Night Football.
Wide Receivers
Tre Tucker
WR - LV
As you may know, this weekly article is not a start/sit article. But I like to think of this spot as my unofficial version of a start/sit column. For the past three weeks, I have featured players I thought could have boom games, and according to NBA Jam rules, I’m on fire. From Drake London to Jameson Williams to George Pickens, I like to think we’re just getting started. This week is the ultimate test as I put none other than Tre Tucker in this lucky spot.
In Week 6, the Raiders face off against the Bills, who are putting up the most points in the NFL. That explains the 53.5-point O/U and the Raiders being underdogs, despite having home-field advantage. There is something else the Bills do well, too: give up fantasy points to opposing WRs. In fact, they have allowed the most in the NFL. So many points that they are the number one for WRs. Tucker ranks 11th out of 73 qualified WRs in air yards per target (14.3 AY/Tgt), according to Next Gen Stats. We love deep shots in fantasy because when they connect, those catches are extremely valuable. It will take a little luck for Tucker to come down with a big catch or two, but luckily, the game is in Vegas.
Jaylen Waddle
WR - DEN
If you remember Jaylen Waddle‘s rookie season, you will remember that he was a PPR machine. He was getting a lot of short-area targets and making the most of them. In year six with Bo Nix at QB, Waddle is back in a similar role. Waddle’s 9.6 air yards per target ranks 50th out of 73 qualified receivers, which makes sense when you factor in that Nix is dead last in air yards per attempt (6.0 AY/Att).
Waddle’s targets have gone down in four consecutive weeks, and now he faces the Seahawks, who are allowing the fewest receiving yards per game. You are probably not finding a trade partner for Waddle, and you may have no choice but to start him. But if you can avoid it, this is the week to do so.
Michael Wilson
WR - ARI
I was starting to think we were on the set of Wes Anderson’s debut film, Bottle Rocket, with all the Wilson brothers showing up (shoutout to Owen and Luke). Last week, the Cardinals suspiciously ruled Marvin Harrison Jr. out for the juicy matchup against the Lions’ poor pass defense. Not only was Michael Wilson coming off of back-to-back great games, but there was no Marv (there has always arguably been no Marv). The game already had a high O/U, and it still exceeded expectations. However, the only thing Wilson beat up was fantasy managers who started him. Shoot, even Kendrick Bourne had a better game than Wilson.
After a bad game, facing the Rams in LA isn’t exactly the rebound matchup you want, but that’s who is next. It is a 51.5-point O/U, but last week’s was high, and the Lions accounted for most of the scoring. The Rams are 12.5-point home favorites, and we know the Cardinals will be airing it out, but what does that actually mean for Wilson? The division rivals play again in Week 10, so perhaps this matchup will give us some insight into whether Wilson can be trusted when they meet again a month from now.
Tight Ends
Brenton Strange
TE - JAX
It seems that the Bengals game in Week 4 wasn’t just a fluke for Brenton Strange. We hadn’t seen him involved in the passing game before then, so I chalked up his breakout to an easy TE matchup. Surely the Eagles would slow him down; they have been great against TEs. Nope, strange as it may seem, he kept chugging along to another double-digit fantasy finish, recording seven receptions for the second straight game. The Texans are another team that has been above average against TEs, and even in 2026, they are allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points. I don’t mind staying in the flames with him.
Oronde Gadsden
TE - LAC
If you reach in the drawer and pull out the titanium underpants, you might be able to start Oronde Gadsden. I am not saying you have to start him, and maybe he is just a DFS play, but hear me out. As of Wednesday, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston were limited in practice; Tre’ Harris did not participate and is considered week-to-week. I went back and watched all of Gadsden’s targets from Week 5… well, target. Yes, a single target. For what it’s worth, Gadsden was open, but Justin Herbert threw it way short, and the two couldn’t connect. The matchup adds to the intrigue because the Chiefs are coming off a bye and are home favorites, so the Chargers will likely be forced to throw the ball. With everyone on the Chargers banged up and the Chiefs allowing the third-most fantasy points to TEs, it is at least intriguing. Whatever you do, don’t forget the underpants.