Fantasy Fallout: Week 6

By: Billy Gabelman (StatATL) and Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start CeeDee Lamb right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams.

49ers at Seahawks

• Niners RB Jordan Mason, the NFL's leading rusher at the time of his exit, left the game with a shoulder injury. A situation to monitor. Rookie Isaac Guerendo would be the top waiver priority if Mason were to miss time.

• For the fourth time in the past five games, Jaxon Smith-Njigba saw more targets, snaps, and receptions than Tyler Lockett. He appears to be locked into the WR2 role in Seattle, which is noteworthy as Geno Smith leads the league in both pass attempts and passing yards. 

• George Kittle scored two TDs and led the 49ers in receptions and targets. He will likely continue to be inconsistent, but is a must start at TE each week.

Jaguars at Bears (London)

• Caleb Williams put together his second straight solid game, throwing four TDs in a blowout win over the Jaguars in London. The Bears have a favorable schedule upcoming (Commanders, Cardinals, Patriots) where Williams should produce viable QB production.

• After Bears head coach Matt Eberflus stated they were going to give RB Roschon Johnson “a hard look”, D’Andre Swift reeled off three straight games with 20+ touches, scoring a rushing TD in all three. He remains locked in as a weekly starter.

• Evan Engram returned from missing the past four games to produce 102 yards on 10 catches. If he got dropped by an impatient owner in your league, he’s a top waiver pickup this week. 

• Travis Etienne left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return. If he were to miss time, Tank Bigsby would be the biggest benefactor.

Cardinals at Packers

• Marvin Harrison Jr. sustained a concussion and left the game in the first quarter. A situation to monitor. Trey McBride and Michael Wilson would see a boost to their targets if Harrison were to miss time. 

• Josh Jacobs saw 20+ touches again, and while he’s only seeing about two-thirds of the offensive snaps, he continues to be heavily involved in the offense.  

• For the second time in the past three games, Jordan Love threw four TDs passes as Green Bay won for the fourth time in the past five weeks. Love will have to continue to get there on efficiency, as GB has thrown 34 times or less in five out of six games this season. 

• Dontayvion Wicks injured his shoulder in the first half and did not return. The Packers spread the ball around on offense, but if he’s unable to suit up Week 7, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and Romeo Doubs will all see a small boost.

Colts at Titans

• Joe Flacco drew the start and once again attempted 35+ passes (38 this week, 44 last week). He is a viable starter on your fantasy team as long as he continues to start for an injured Anthony Richardson.

• Since returning from injury in Week 3, Josh Downs has led the team in targets for four straight weeks. He’s led the team in receptions each of the past three weeks and is a trade target in season-long leagues. 

• Jonathan Taylor missed his second straight game, and the Colts’ rush game was completely inefficient again - producing just 80 yards on 28 attempts (2.85 yards per attempt). Taylor suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 4 and is likely to miss 1-2 more weeks. JT owners should be looking for help elsewhere, as Trey Sermon has not proven to be the answer.

• Tony Pollard continued to see the lion’s share of the backfield work, rushing for 93 yards and adding three receptions. He’s seen 19 or more touches in all but one game for Tennessee and should continue to be started every week until further notice.

Texans at Patriots

• Drake Maye drew his first NFL start, and while it began a little shaky, Maye threw for 243 yards and three TDs despite being under constant pressure. His three TDs passes are more than Jacoby Brissett threw the first five games of the season. Maye also flashed his rushing upside, accounting for 38 yards on the ground. He should be considered as a waiver pickup for any team needing a QB.

• In the first game with Nico Collins on IR, Tank Dell led the Texans in targets and receptions and scored his first TD of the season. 

• Joe Mixon returned from injury and amassed 132 total yards and two TDs on just 15 touches. He should move back to an every week starter in your lineups.

• DeMario Douglas was Maye’s preferred target in his first start, securing six passes for 92 yards and a TD (on nine targets). He’s an intriguing waiver pickup or trade target for teams needing WR depth.

Bucs at Saints

• Chris Olave left the game in the first quarter with an apparent concussion. A situation to monitor, as the Saints play again on Thursday. 

• After starting the season with two blowout wins over Carolina and Dallas, the Saints have now last four in a row and may be without starting QB Derek Carr again next week. Rookie fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler drew the start and kept the Saints in it through three quarters. 

• Baker Mayfield threw for 325 yards and four TDs as the Buccaneers’ offense exploded for 51 points. Tampa has scored 30 or more points in four of six games this year and Baker remains an every-week starter.

• The Saints have now allowed 290 or more passing yards in four of the past five games and are looking like a potential secondary to target if streaming QBs. 

• Mike Evans left the game with an apparent hamstring issue, and while he returned in the second half, he only saw one target over the final two quarters. A situation to monitor. If Evans were to miss time, rookie Jalen McMillian and veteran Sterling Shepard would likely be the biggest benefactors.

• Chris Godwin exploded for an 11-125-2 line on 13 targets and has led the team in receptions five of six games this season. 

• Drawing the start for an injured Rachaad White, rookie Bucky Irving proved to be much more efficient, turning 16 touches into 105 yards and a TD. Sean Tucker ended as the leading rusher for TB, but a majority of it was when the game was out of hand. As we’ve been saying for weeks, if he’s available on your waiver wire, Bucky Irving is a priority pickup. 

Browns at Eagles

• Jerome Ford exited the game in the first half with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. Nick Chubb may be back next week, but if not, D’Onta Foreman becomes a strong waiver pickup.

• Dallas Goedert also left the game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. His history of lower-body injuries likely doesn’t bode well for his Week 7 availability against the Giants. 

• A.J. Brown returned from injury and exploded for 116 yards and a TD on nine targets. He remains Jalen Hurts’ preferred target and is a welcome site for fantasy owners who drafted him in the first round of drafts.

• Despite an inefficient game, Saquon Barkley once again dominated the backfield on Sunday. He’s seen 20+ touches in four of five games this season as one of few true workhorse RBs in the league. He may be worth a trade offer if his current owner is down after back-to-back performances of 14 or less fantasy points.  

Commanders at Ravens

• In what was probably the best game of the weekend, neither offense disappointed. Jayden Daniels continued his phenomenal rookie season with 269 passing yards and two TDs (with no interceptions) as Washington fell 30-23 to Baltimore.

• Terry McLaurin continues to build chemistry with Daniels and has 317 yards and four TDs the past four weeks. He’s cemented himself as a weekly starter. Coming off injury, Noah Brown appears to have secured the WR2 role in this offense and is an intriguing waiver pickup for team’s needing WR depth.

• Zay Flowers produced back-to-back games of 110+ yards and seems to be coming into his own in his sophomore season. 

• Derrick Henry rushed for 132 yards and two TDs and has scored a TD in all six games this season. He’s been a force on the ground for Baltimore this season.

• Mark Andrews produced his best game of the year with 66 yards and a TD. He remains a thin play at TE, as he’s yet to see more than five targets in a game this season. 

Chargers at Broncos

• Chargers rookie running back Kimani Vidal made his NFL debut and started off with a bang, turning a wheel route into a 40-yard TD reception to open the game’s scoring. J.K. Dobbins had a nice game and is still the lead RB here, but Vidal will be a player to keep an eye on going forward.

• The Broncos continued using a deep WR rotation with five different players seeing meaningful snaps. Courtland Sutton had a nice game with 53 yards and a touchdown, and he is the only one that should be in consideration as a potential weekly starter.

• Chargers QB Justin Herbert completed passes to nine different skill players, none of which reached 50 receiving yards. Los Angeles will continue to be a conservative and spread-out offense, and the Chargers’ strong defense should keep game scripts from getting out of hand – not a great combination for fantasy.

Steelers at Raiders

• Justin Fields showcased his elite rushing ability with two touchdowns on the ground and added one through the air in a Steelers rout. 

• Najee Harris had his best game of the season against the Raiders flailing defense as he busted off long runs for the first time all year.

• Raiders tight end Brock Bowers was targeted 10 times, which he turned into a 9-71-0 stat line. He is averaging 11 targets per game since Davante Adams left the lineup and is arguably the TE1 right now.

• Alexander Mattison had a nice game as the lead back for the Raiders but Ameer Abdullah was still involved and Zamir White should be back next week. It’s a messy situation for fantasy football right now.

Lions at Cowboys

• The Lions’ backfield had a massive game again that was short-circuited only by the Cowboys continuously giving them short fields that limited their yardage and volume opportunities. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are both locked-in every-week starters.

• Jared Goff was dialed in and has been incredibly efficient the last two games. Detroit has scored 89 points over its last two games against alleged contenders Seattle and Dallas.

• There aren’t many takeaways from a usage perspective for the Cowboys as they were on the ropes for almost the entire game. The biggest thing we can learn from this game is that the Cowboys are a team that is going to struggle a great deal when they are made one-dimensional like the Lions’ run defense made them. Dallas continues to be a team that is exposed whenever it faces quality competition.

Falcons at Panthers

• Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson had their way with a porous Panthers run defense. Carolina is a defense we should be targeting weekly, especially with our running backs. Next up, Washington.

• Drake London continued his redemption tour as he shows what he is capable of with a true passer. 

• Kyle Pitts had his second 50+ yard reception of the season and narrowly missed a touchdown. The Falcons’ offense is hitting its stride and Pitts warrants weekly starting consideration and is someone who could take off later this season.

• Rookie Xavier Legette made an acrobatic touchdown catch in the second quarter that showcased what he can become. He should be given more opportunities as the season progresses and the Panthers start looking towards the future.

• Diontae Johnson and Chuba Hubbard are the only Panthers we can trust to start on a weekly basis at the moment.

Bengals at Giants

• Joe Burrow shocked everyone with a 47-yard TD run in the first quarter and then the Bengals’ offense went silent for three quarters. The takeaway here is mainly the Giants defense being better than perceived, as they gave the Seahawks all sorts of trouble in Week 5 and then shut down the hot Bengals passing game this week.

• Chase Brown appears to be taking over the Bengals’ backfield and looks more explosive and better in the receiving game than Zack Moss. It feels like just a matter of time until he is given a true full workload and Moss is put in a pure backup role. BUY NOW on Brown if you can.

• Tyrone Tracy’s explosiveness and receiving ability will be impossible to take off the field for a Giants offense starving for playmakers. This could be a very fun team once they get Malik Nabers back from his concussion.

Join us Tuesday for Week 7 Waiver Targets!