Hot Fire Fantasy Football Questions: Week 6
Our “Hot Fire Fantasy Questions” series takes a look at Week 6 following up recent news, fantasy performances, and implications for owners moving forward. Our Hot Fire contributors from our Fantasy Footballers writing staff includes Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive), Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF) and Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg).
Make sure you listen to today’s podcast to get Andy, Mike, and Jason’s reactions from all the Week 6 action.
1. Which fantasy performance disappointed owners the most in Week 6?
Every. Single. Atlanta. Falcon. Was Kyle Shanahan that important? My goodness these guys need to get it together. Matt Ryan missed the QB top 15, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman only had 100 rushing yards combined, Julio was held to 72 yards, and their only receiving TD was scored by a guy who was just signed off their practice squad this week. –Ryan Weisse
Michael Thomas
As a sad Falcons fan, I definitely could add losing to Jay Cutler as a momental letdown. (Seriously how could we lose to Jay Cutler?) I’ll say that it shocked me that the Saints put up 52 points on the Lions and Michael Thomas finished the day with 3 catches for 11 yards. Granted, there were 5 defensive/special teams TDs between those 2 teams. And yet Drew Brees shows no partiality to fantasy teams and his passing weapons as he completed to passes to 7 different receivers. That has been Brees’ mantra his entire career so as a Thomas owner, you just kinda have to take your lump to go with a mostly consistent season thus far. –Kyle Borgognoni
9 carries for 17 yards. This was C.J. Anderson’s stat line against the Giants on Sunday Night Football. This game did not go as anyone expected but Anderson was lined up for what should have been a big game. The expectation was for Denver to be up in this game early leaving the ball in Anderson’s hands for most of the way. The Giants defense had other plans and shut down the Broncos for most of the game. Even when Denver wanted to give Anderson the ball, he was completely ineffective. A big disappointment to fantasy owners and for those who played him in DFS. –Nate Hamilton
2. How are you approaching the Packers offensive weapons after Aaron Rodgers’ injury?
Here’s something you need to know about me…I don’t draft Green Bay Packers. They are always priced too high and besides Jordy and recently, Davante Adams, they are impossible to trust as Rodgers spreads the ball around. If you have an owner willing to sell Jordy or Adams low now that Rodgers is out, I’d listen. Otherwise, I’m continuing my habit of avoiding cheeseheads. –Ryan Weisse
With caution. There are few quarterbacks in this league that make or break the team’s success and Rodgers is one of them. Depending on what QB will get the job for the Packers, you may want to look to trade your Packers WRs while they have value. I’d trade the RBs too as defenses will not have to focus most of their attention on Aaron Rodgers. At minimum, this is a downgrade for all Packers offensive players. –Nate Hamilton
Getty Images Sports / Christian Petersen / Staff
Brett Hundley is athletic but definitely looked lost against a tough Vikings defense on the road with 3 INTs. He could have some streaming value next week at home against the Saints. He needs to show the ability to stay in the pocket and deliver the ball under pressure without always trusting his legs. Jordy Nelson, unfortunately, gets bumped down to WR2 land especially when his calling card has been being a TD monster. Davante Adams is much of the same while Randall Cobb could be a security blanket in the short-to-intermediate route territory. The RBs also could be leaned on heavier but it still seems like a mess with Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery. -Kyle Borgognoni
3. Which RB would you rather have ROS: Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara or Adrian Peterson?
As much as I am a fan of Adrian Peterson’s talent, I have to go Mark Ingram here. Ingram is the unquestioned early down back in a high octane offense that also catches plenty of passes. His volume and opportunity on an offense that scores a ton is what you want out of any player and he has the talent to top it off. –Nate Hamilton
The Saints look like the real deal on both sides of the ball so for me it’s either Ingram or Kamara. I expect Snead to cut into Kamara’s targets so at this point I’d rather have Ingram ROS. –Ryan Weisse
It’s still Ingram who showcased the all-around ability that has made him an RB1 in previous years. His efficiency has always been off the charts. In a PPR league, Kamara should be treated as an RB2 with upside given his receiving floor of at least 4 targets in every game. The most shocking part about AP’s performance was the work of the Arizona offensive line which had been decimated with injuries. The game flow helped a ton as the Cardinals got out to an early lead against arguably the worst defense in the league. He will have his down weeks but looks like an RB2 in standard. -Kyle Borgognoni
4. Give us one fantasy stat line owners need to pay attention to.
14 targets for Christian McCaffrey. While he has looked completely uninspiring in the run game, he has scored a receiving TD in each of the last 2 weeks. Not to mention, Jonathan Stewart has done nothing to prove he deserves to keep his job. CMC is going to see more and more work as the season progresses and, in fantasy, volume is king. –Ryan Weisse
Hyde’s 2 touchdowns on the ground is what most owners will cling to this week. However, seeing 6 targets out of the backfield after a week where Matt Breida received all the publicity is a huge deal. He ended the day with 5 catches for 47 yards. At this pace, he will blow his previous receiving highs (33 targets/27 rec/153 yards) out of the water at his current projections (77/61/379). There were reports that the 49ers were shopping him but Kyle Shanahan has utilized him well. Owners should be happy with his overall numbers even on a bad team. -Kyle Borgognoni