Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 6 Matchups to Consider
We’re nearing the mid-season mark in fantasy football which means every weekly matchup feels more crucial than the last. The Ballers weekly rankings are posted and I’m here to put some players under the microscope ahead of the Week 6 games to help you finetune your lineup.
As always, I want to hear from you with your thoughts and questions, so drop a comment here or find me on Twitter: @KurtKnowsBest.
Quarterbacks
Tom Brady (TB) at Pittsburgh
After an extremely slow start to the season, Tom Brady has bounced back with QB4 and QB7 finishes in the last two weeks. The next few games for Brady continue to look extremely favorable if you’re counting on streaming TB12 with Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Baltimore, all in the bottom half of the league in passing defense.
For this week, Brady should be able to continue his top-12 QB streak. The Steelers are giving up the 4th most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs, and have only not allowed a top-12 QB performance once this season. The Ballers all have him ranked as their QB3 for the week. I’d put Brady confidently in my lineups.
Kyler Murray (ARI) at Seattle
For as bad as it feels like the Cardinals have been to start the season, Kyler Murray has finished inside the top-12 QBs all but one week. Kyle Borgognoni points out in the Pace of Play article for Week 6 that even though the Cardinals-Seahawks game currently has a projected 51 points to be scored between the two teams, Arizona has only played in one game that’s hit the over this season. There’s a good chance that changes with this game.
The Ballers each have Murray inside their top-10 QBs for Week 6, with Mike the highest at QB6. Seattle’s defense has given up 27 points four weeks in a row and allowed 84 points over the last two weeks. Kyler is a great play at Seattle.
Running Backs
Kenneth Walker III (SEA) vs Arizona
The guard is changing in the Seattle backfield this week, with Kenneth Walker III expected to take over the main role after Rashaad Penny was placed on IR with a broken fibula. Walker was the main waiver wire pickup this week in Lauren Carpenter’s weekly article but was only available in 42% of leagues.
Seattle’s second-round pick showed he was capable of being a top fantasy option last week after finishing RB19 and only playing 58% of snaps against New Orleans. The Cardinals’ defense has only allowed two top-24 RB finishes on the season, but both of those players did a large portion of their damage out of the backfield in the receiving game. Arizona feels like a slam dunk play for Walker, but if the Seahawks get behind, it may not have the payoff fantasy managers are thinking they are going to get.
Mike is the highest of the Ballers on Walker this week, ranking him as a high-end RB2. Walker is a solid play especially with bye weeks starting, but I’ll be interested to see if Seattle works him into the passing game or if they’ll use another back in those situations and cap some of his fantasy potential.
David Montgomery (CHI) vs Washington
The return from injury was an extremely strong one for David Montgomery. Chicago’s lead back finished as the RB17 just one week removed from a knee injury that kept him out in Week 4. Nate Henry notes in his Snap Count Observations article this week that Montgomery continued to be the unquestioned main back for the Bears.
While Montgomery wasn’t overly impressive on the ground against Minnesota, his four receptions for 62 yards in the passing game (I thought that’s what Khalil Herbert was supposed to take over?) boosted his fantasy finish.
Chicago’s starting RB has the Ballers pretty split this week, with Andy and Jason ranking Montgomery inside their top 12 while Mike clearly hates him at RB20. Washington’s defense has given up 25 or more points to opposing fantasy RBs 60% of the time this season. I’d confidently play Montgomery to start your fantasy week off on the right foot.
Brian Robinson (WASH) at Chicago
It was truly great to see Brian Robinson make his NFL debut last week less than two months after being shot in an attempted robbery before the start of the season. While Robinson’s stat line may not have jumped off the page, in limited usage he got 75% of the ‘Manders RB carries and has a great matchup on Thursday night. Chicago has given up a top-12 fantasy RB performance four straight weeks, so if Robinson continues to see the majority of the running work, he could be a great start to Week 6.
The Fantasy Hitman has Robinson ranked as the RB26, while Jason and Andy still have him inside their top 36. Robinson is a great FLEX play – but not in your FLEX spot because it’s Thursday night. Fantasy managers that have been hit hard at the RB position with injury should be trying to buy Robinson everywhere they can.
Wide Receivers
Jakobi Meyers (NE) at Cleveland
After missing two straight weeks, Meyers returned and posted his second top-24 finish this season for fantasy managers with a huge performance against the Lions in Week 5. As AJ Passman points out in the targets per route run article for Week 6, Meyers ranks 4th in the league, seeing a target on 32% of his routes. The Patriots WR has only caught three TDs in his career, so if there’s some positive regression that eventually comes for Meyers, he could be an elite fantasy option.
The Ballers each have Meyers inside their top-30 WRs for Week 6 ahead of the Pats’ trip to Cleveland. The Browns’ defense has given up a top-10 WR finish three separate times in their first five games. If Meyers is healthy to suit up, he should be in your fantasy lineup this week.
George Pickens (PIT) vs Tampa Bay
In the Ride or Die article for this week, I mention that it seems Najee Harris has been a victim of the Steelers’ switch at QB to rookie Kenny Pickett. It seems George Pickens is the beneficiary of that change in Pittsburgh. In the last two weeks, Pickens has finished as the WR20 and WR22 seeing eight targets for six receptions in both weeks. Still, Pickens finished behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool in targets and the rookie is only seeing a target on 16% of routes run.
Andy and Jason each have Pickens in their top 36 for this week against a tough Tampa Bay defense. While it may be a riskier play, I think Pickens should easily be a FLEX play for fantasy managers just based on the production against a good Bills defense last week.
D.J. Moore (CAR) vs LA Rams
The frustrating case of D.J. Moore has continued this season with the Panthers getting ready to start their third-string QB a week after firing their head coach. Moore has been terrible for fantasy managers this season, not finishing as a top-24 WR once so far. PJ Walker has only started two games with DJ Moore since 2020 and Moore has finished as the WR8 and WR53.
Perhaps the only optimism fantasy managers have for Moore is his matchup against the Rams secondary that’s currently allowing the 4th-most points to fantasy WRs. While the Ballers each have Moore ranked at WR35 or lower this week, it will be interesting to see what changes the Panthers Interim Head Coach Steve Wilks makes to an offense that has underperformed thus far.
As Matthew Betz notes in the DFS Vegas Report for Week 6, the Panthers have the lowest implied point total heading into the week. Moore will be a hard player to fit into your FLEX spots until fantasy managers have seen if the Panthers made any improvements with the coaching change.
Tight Ends
David Njoku (CLE) vs New England
Fantasy managers rolling with Njoku were rewarded with another strong finish from the Browns TE last week after he finished inside the top-6 at the position for the second time this season. Marvin Elequin notes in the Dynasty Stock Watch article for Week 6 that Njoku ranks fourth in targets for TEs inside the 20, making him a weekly threat to at least get into the end zone and that’s all you need sometimes for a top-12 finish at the position.
Andy and Mike each have Njoku inside their top-6 TEs for Week 6. The Patriots’ defense is giving up 11 points per game to opposing fantasy TEs. Njoku should continue to provide a steady baseline for fantasy managers at the shallow TE spot.
Dalton Schultz (DAL) at Philadelphia
Schultz has been a disappointment since opening the season with a TE10 finish. Ryan DeVaney suggests the dip in Schultz production on the field could be cured with a Dak return in Dallas. The Cowboys’ starting TE has seen fewer targets in three games with Cooper Rush than he did in one game with Dak Prescott.
The Ballers’ rankings say they aren’t optimistic about Schultz returning to playable range for fantasy managers this week, especially since he’s nursing a knee injury that has him questionable for Sunday night. If he does suit up and it’s Cooper Rush starting at QB again for Dallas, fantasy managers should wait for signs of life from Schultz before putting him in their lineup again.