Ride or Die: The Fantasy Footballers Predictions for Week 6

New name, same great segment. “Ride or Die” pits The Ballers against each other with three players to meet a certain number each week. Each Baller will pick the player to “Ride” or “Die” with the stat, similar to a “prop” bet.

Each week I will be here to recap where each of the Ballers took the wheel or gave a nice tuck and roll out of the vehicle for each one. Of course I’ll weigh in as well and we’ll keep score throughout the season so you can see how smart I really am.

As always, let me know if you’re jumping in the passenger’s seat with me or think I’m driving the crazy train here or on Twitter: @KurtKnowsBest.

“Ride or Die” Scoreboard

It wouldn’t be a competition without keeping up with who’s winning. Mike got his first “W” of the season, getting two of three right last week while Andy, Jason, and I each got one right. In the big picture, the Big Shimmy still leads the season standings through five weeks by two.

Week 6 “Ride or Die” Predictions

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE) at Cleveland: Top-10 RB Finish

The RB situation in New England clears up a good bit with the injury to Damien Harris last week. Fantasy managers will finally get a chance to see what Stevenson can be as the true lead back for the Patriots. Stevenson finished as the RB14 in Week 5 with 160 rushing yards after Harris left with a hamstring injury.

Jason is a “Ride” with Rhamondre, hoping the Cleveland defense will continue to be as porous as they were last week when both Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley finished in the top-18 RBs. Mike and Andy also jumped in the car, both arguing the juicy matchup is too much to resist for a top-12 finish. It’s worth noting, the Ballers were split on a top-6 finish, since Mike was the only one with him ranked that high.

I’ll make it 4-for-4 on this prediction.

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Melvin Gordon (DEN) at LA Chargers: 12 fantasy points

Unlike the New England backfield, Denver’s backfield hasn’t cleared up after one of their lead runners went down. Melvin Gordon split work with Mike Boone last week and that was before Latavius Murray was available to play for the Broncos.

Mike and Jason are each a “Die” on this prediction. The Fantasy Hitman is skeptical that Gordon will be enough of a “hot hand” for him to get to 12 points this week. Jason agrees and thinks the path for 12 fantasy points means you’re betting on a TD from Gordon.

Andy is the lone “Ride” from the Ballers, arguing Gordon should be the back getting the most work again for the Broncos. I’ll hop in the passenger seat with Andy. While I think that Mike Boone has value, Gordon probably has more trust from the coaching staff to see higher value carries. Last week against Indianapolis Gordon had six carries inside the red zone compared to Boone’s one.

Michael Pittman (IND) vs Jacksonville: Top-18 WR

Pittman made an appearance in the “Bonus Picks” last week, correctly missing the top-15 WR mark I predicted. The Jaguars’ defense might be tougher than expected for Pitty City, only giving up 24 points to opposing WRs on a weekly basis.

All that said, the Ballers are each a “Ride” on this prediction. Andy thinks Pittman is due to get into the end zone after not scoring a TD since Week 1. Jason made the point that Pittman is definitely a guy you’re wanting in your lineup based purely on talent, but it makes it hard to put him there because the production hasn’t shown up. Mike agrees with Jason’s hesitancy, noting that Pittman’s longest target on the season is 17-yards downfield.

I’m riding with the Ballers on this one.

Kurt’s Week 6 Bonus Picks

CeeDee Lamb (DAL) at Philadelphia: 6+ Receptions

The Cooper Rush experience has been hot and cold for CeeDee Lamb through three weeks. After a slow start, Lamb put up back-to-back WR8 finishes averaging seven receptions for 92 yards and a TD over Weeks 3 and 4. While Philadelphia may seem like a negative matchup for WRs, you may be surprised to know that the Eagles’ defense has given up a top-24 WR in four of their five games and has given up a top-10 WR finish two weeks straight.

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The biggest challenge for fantasy managers will be deciding if they can take the risk while possibly not knowing who will be throwing the ball to Lamb. If Dak is back, I’m not sure it will change much of how I feel about Lamb seeing the ball thrown his way. Despite who’s at QB, I’ll take the “Ride” with this prediction for Lamb to bounce back.

Justin Fields (CHI) vs Washington: 230+ Passing/Rushing Yards Combined

It hasn’t been pretty at all so far this season for Justin Fields, but for two weeks in a row, the Bears have thrown the ball at least 20 times. Shocking, I know! Fields’ most redeeming quality as a fantasy QB is his rushing upside. He’s rushing for nearly 40 yards a game, so an increase in passing attempts should make 230 combined yards obtainable.

The ‘Manders’ defense ended their three-game streak of allowing top-12 fantasy QB outputs last week, but have only not allowed a combined passing-rushing total of 230 yards to the QB once this season. I’d like to see Fields show he’s not the problem in the Chicago offense Thursday night, so I’ll “Ride” with this one.

Najee Harris (PIT) vs Tampa Bay: Top-24 RB Finish

Pittsburgh’s offense is in transition to rookie QB Kenny Pickett, and Najee Harris has been a victim of that transition the last two weeks, finishing as the RB39 and RB48. The biggest difference through a game and a half of Pickett at QB has been in the receiving game, where Harris has only mustered 16 receiving yards on three receptions. That decrease could possibly be due to Pickett’s ability to run the ball, making it less likely he’s finding Harris out of the backfield for a dump-off.

The Steelers take on a Tampa Bay defense this week that is surprisingly giving up over 115 yards on the ground a game this season, but I wouldn’t bet on this being a “get right” week for Najee. I’ll have to “Die” on this prediction.