Fantasy Fallout: Week 6

By :: Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86) and Tony Kneepkens (Tonytk44)

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 Rico Dowdle 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 for the coming week and beyond.

EAGLES @ GIANTS

• Giants’ rookie RB Cam Skattebo had a breakout performance with 110 scrimmage yards and three rushing TDs. He looks like a weekly starter for now, even with his teammate Tyrone Tracy (four carries, six yards) having just returned to the lineup.

• Jaxson Dart passed for 198-1 and added a 58-1 rushing line. He’s shown a fantasy-friendly skill set so far, rushing for 50+ yards and accounting for multiple TDs in each of his three career starts.

• Dallas Goedert led the Eagles with a 9-110-1 receiving line and had a 33% target share. It was his fifth TD in the past four weeks and he's really thriving in the short areas of the field as well, giving him a nice floor-ceiling combo at TE.

• A.J. Brown (6-80) and DeVonta Smith (4-49) took a back seat to Goedert this week but still had a combined 42% target share in what remains a concentrated Philly passing game.

BRONCOS @ JETS

• Bo Nix threw 30 passes for a modest 174-1 passing line, and he added 24 yards on the ground. Evan Engram led the Broncos with six targets, five catches, and 42 receiving yards. Four Broncos WRs received multiple targets but none had more than 30 receiving yards. 

• J.K. Dobbins handled 14 of 18 RB carries for 40 scoreless yards. Rookie RJ Harvey had four yards on the ground and caught all four of his targets for 21 yards. It’s tough to confidently start any Denver players in fantasy leagues right now.

• Justin Fields was infinitely less effective than Nix, passing for 45 scoreless yards and rushing for 31 more. Garret Wilson had an exciting 47% target share, but he caught just three of eight targets for 13 yards.

• Breece Hall rushed 22 times for 59 yards. Isaiah Davis had three touches behind Hall, he’s a bench stash as the primary backup RB on the winless Jets.

SEAHAWKS @ JAGUARS

• Seattle’s passing offense was once again very condensed, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominating things and Cooper Kupp as the clear second option. Tight end AJ Barner had a quiet day prior to a 61-yard reception at the very end of the game to seal it.

• Brian Thomas Jr. had his second consecutive solid game, although it could have been much better as a 50+ yard touchdown was called back for an inconsequential formational penalty. It is safe to say he is back.

CHARGERS @ DOLPHINS

• Kimani Vidal had a terrific day and seemingly took control of the Chargers backfield with 138 total yards and a touchdown. He is the back to own in Los Angeles going forward.

• Ladd McConkey may be a great “sell high” candidate following his best game of the season in Quentin Johnston’s absence. McConkey needs volume to succeed, and it took the absence of a major contributor to get that volume.

• Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden had another solid game with seven receptions for 68 yards and is a good streaming option. He played 75% of the snaps and tied for the team lead with eight targets.

• Miami’s offense is extremely condensed between De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle. Tight end Darren Waller is the only other playable Dolphin and he needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to avoid a complete dud.

RAMS @ RAVENS

• The big news here is All-World WR Puka Nacua suffered a foot/ankle injury in the second quarter, and while he did return for the second half, he didn’t log another target. Given he uncharacteristically disappeared from the offense after coming back in, this is a situation that definitely bears monitoring during the coming days, as head coach Sean McVay is calling Nacua “day to day” for the moment and isn’t guaranteeing his availability for the Week 7 matchup against the Jaguars in London.

• Baltimore’s offense was a complete mess once again without Lamar Jackson. They head into their bye week at 1-5 and will get him back for Week 8. Ravens skill players are good trade targets at the moment if your fantasy team is doing well, as their perceived value will never be lower.

CARDINALS @ COLTS

• Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. suffered a first-half concussion and did not return. His status for Week 7 is in doubt at this point and Arizona has a Week 8 bye, so it seems likely he will be held out through that point. 

• Zay Jones had a big day in place of Harrison and is a solid waiver-wire target for WR-needy teams, while Trey McBride had his best game of the season.

• Arizona ruled QB Kyler Murray out with a foot injury and veteran Jacoby Brissett immediately led them to their best offensive game of the season. Arizona is now 2-4 and faces the Packers prior to their bye. Head coach Jonathan Gannon is on the hot seat, and it wouldn't be shocking for him to be fired and seeing Kyler shut down early in 2025 with an eye toward the future and to avoid injury guarantees in his contract. 

• More of the same for the Colts, as they scored 31 points led by Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren. Wide receiver Josh Downs had his best game of the season and looked good doing it. He and Michael Pittman Jr. will be hard to predict on a weekly basis and have relatively low ceilings due to how this offense is built. 

COWBOYS @ PANTHERS

• Another strong offensive performance for Dallas with no notable or surprising injuries or usage. The biggest thing to watch here is the potential return of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, as he will obviously ding the projections of George Pickens and Jake Ferguson. 

• Rico Dowdle had his revenge. What a run this guy is on, over 230 yards from scrimmage in consecutive weeks. The matchups were as soft as you can find, but he is the RB1 in Carolina going forward. 

• Panthers WR Jalen Coker sat out after practicing in full all week. Expect him to make his debut in Week 7 at full strength. 

PATRIOTS @ SAINTS

• Drake Maye had a great day but spread things out in classic Patriots fashion. Nine players were targeted, but none more than five times. 

• Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson acted as the lead back in the first game without Antonio Gibson, handling 14 opportunities and playing 72% of the team's snaps. He was very ineffective, so it wouldn't be surprising for rookie TreVeyon Henderson to get more chances in Week 7. 

• Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Alvin Kamara are the only fantasy-viable Saints at the moment. 

• Taysom Hill vultured a short-yardage touchdown on his only touch. 

BROWNS @ STEELERS

• Browns RB Quinshon Judkins lost a lot of work to Jerome Ford due to game script, as Cleveland played the whole second half in catch-up mode. This is a concern for a workload-dependent RB on a bad team. 

• Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel attempted 52 passes for only 221 yards. Volume was there for pass catchers, as WR Jerry Jeudy was targeted 13 times and TE Harold Fannin Jr. 10 times. TE David Njoku was once again very involved.

• A name to keep an eye on in Cleveland is rookie WR Isaiah Bond, who played 87% of the snaps as the clear WR2. Both Jeudy and Njoku could be traded by the Browns, with Fannin and Bond the likely beneficiaries. 

• DK Metcalf had another solid game and is the only Steelers WR/TE who can be trusted to see usage on a weekly basis. Pittsburgh is a team who could be in the market for a receiver via trade. 

• Steelers rookie RB Kaleb Johnson played roughly 20% of the team's offensive snaps and took 20% of the backfield touches, while Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren split the rest. Johnson is involved just enough to sap the value from the others, but not enough to matter. Good luck. 

TITANS @ RAIDERS

• Michael Mayer led the Raiders with seven targets and had a 5-50-1 line filling in for Brock Bowers. Mayer looks worthy of fantasy lineups at least as long as Bowers remains out with his knee injury.

• Tre Tucker (5-70) and Jakobi Meyers (4-39) had nine of the teams’ 10 WR targets and a combined 39% overall target share in their victory. They are options to consider in PPR leagues next week against the Chiefs before the Raiders’ Week 8 bye.

• Calvin Ridley left the game with a hamstring injury after a catch for 18 yards. His status should be monitored, but there’s a decent chance we don’t see him play again before the Titans’ Week 10 bye.

• Tony Pollard (12 touches, 47 yards) handled more work but was outgained by his teammate Tyjae Spears (nine touches, 50 yards). A backfield to monitor – they are among the Titans’ best skill players without Ridley, but the offense has been so bad it might not matter.

49ERS @ BUCCANEERS

• Tampa’s budding superstar Emeka Egbuka (2-24) left the game with a hamstring injury, another blow to a Bucs offense already missing Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and Bucky Irving. Rachaad White handled 20 touches for 86 scrimmage yards and a TD in another spot start for Bucky.

• Baker Mayfield, missing most of his top playmakers, passed for a 256-2 line. Kameron Johnson (4-64-1), Sterling Shepard (2-51), and Tez Johnson (1-45-1) combined for the 10 WR targets that didn’t go to Egbuka. Those three, White, and TE Cade Otton (5-51) seem likely to be in the mix for targets on the road in Detroit next week unless Bucky and/or one or more of the veteran WRs are ready to go.

• Kendrick Bourne had exactly 142 scoreless yards for a second consecutive week playing with Mac Jones and an injury-riddled 49ers passing game. Jauan Jennings, highly questionable all week, played but caught just one of three targets for seven yards. He said after the game that he had played with several broken ribs. His nightmare season of injuries and questionable designations seems likely to continue.

• SF TE Jake Tonges caught six of seven targets for 58 yards and has a useful 16-157-2 line over his last three games filling in for superstar TE George Kittle. Kittle has been rumored to be returning from his Week 1 hamstring injury as soon as next week.

BENGALS @ PACKERS

• WR Matthew Golden had 102 scrimmage yards in his best game as a pro. He tied for second on the team with five targets (catching three) and added a pair of rushing attempts. The first-round rookie may have an ascending role coming out of GB’s bye week.

• Romeo Doubs led the Pack with nine targets (35% target share), catching five for 55 scoreless yards. He has three games with low-double-digit PPR points, one dud, and one three-TD explosion, out of five GB games this season.

• Joe Flacco started for the Bengals after being on the roster less than a week and passed for a 219-2 line and didn’t commit a turnover. He threw 44% of his passes to Ja’Marr Chase (10-94-1) and Tee Higgins (5-62) – smart man.

• Chase Brown had 55% of Cincy’s RB opportunities, finishing with 49 scrimmage yards. Samaje Perine handled 45% of the work, finishing with 32 scrimmage yards. A tough backfield to trust for fantasy at the moment, although if Flacco can raise the team’s floor a bit it would certainly help Brown’s fantasy outlook.

LIONS @ CHIEFS

• Patrick Mahomes had a huge fantasy game, passing for 257-3 and adding 32-1 on the ground. It was only his second game this year with multiple passing TDs, but it was already his fourth game with at least 32 yards and a TD on the ground.

• Hollywood Brown caught all four of his targets for 45 yards, including a pair of red-zone TD catches. Xavier Worthy (2-20-1) matched Brown’s four targets and caught a red-zone TD of his own. Travis Kelce led KC with seven targets, six catches, and 78 receiving yards.

• Most of the Chiefs receiving usage outside of Worthy and Kelce can be disregarded for future weeks, as WR Rashee Rice is set to return in Week 7 and will immediately resume a large role in the offense. The “other” receivers can mostly be forgotten in the short term, but Mahomes could be in store for an epic second half with his full cast of weapons. 

• Isiah Pacheco handled two-thirds of the Chiefs RB carries and had 12-51 rushing. Kareem Hunt had the rest of their RB carries and added a catch for 34 total scrimmage yards. Rookie Brashard Smith caught three of four targets for 21 yards, his third consecutive game with three catches.

• Jahmyr Gibbs was afforded 19 of the Lions’ 25 RB opportunities to David Montgomery’s six, but the two played to a near-even yardage split (Gibbs 65 scrimmage yards, Monty 61 scrimmage yards) in their loss on the road.

• Jameson Williams (6-66-1), Sam LaPorta (5-55-1), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (9-45-0) were the only Lions outside of Goff and the RBs with targets and/or scrimmage yards.