For those interested in a weekly look at who makes us cheer and who makes us cringe, welcome to Sizzle/Fizzle! Bad players make fantasy owners cringe and so do bye weeks. But they are going to hit with a vengeance over the next several weeks. This weekend, Buffalo, Chicago, Oakland, and Indianapolis will get time off. Returning from the bye are Miami and Detroit. We always like to start with that information because byes can sneak up on anyone. Now onto the rest of the show and our Week 6 fantasy trends!
Week 6 Rankings | QB | RB |WR | TE |
Sizzle
Deshaun Watson, QB/Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans – When you finish with a perfect 158.3 quarterback ranking, you had a great day at the office. Watson walloped Atlanta’s junior varsity defense for 426 yards and five touchdowns. Fuller had 14 receptions for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Houston’s offense can be absolutely incredible at times, making it frustrating when they fail to live up to expectations. But when everything clicks, fantasy owners benefit in big ways. They will need to be in rhythm for a road trip to Kansas City on Sunday.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, New Orleans Saints – Now 3-0 as a starter, Bridgewater had his best game in a victory over Tampa Bay. Teddy tossed four touchdown passes and threw for 314 yards. The return of Drew Brees continues to draw closer. This weekend’s trip to Jacksonville will be no picnic, Jalen Ramsey or not. But at a minimum, Bridgewater should keeping helping owners in 2QB and superflex leagues.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers – When you combine McCaffrey’s massive workload with big plays, you have a quintessential fantasy superstar. McCaffrey raced past the Jacksonville defense for an 84-yard touchdown on Sunday. The long touchdown occurred two weeks after he scored a 76-yard touchdown in a win over Arizona. McCaffrey already has 866 total yards and seven touchdowns. If McCaffrey’s workload catches up to him or if Carolina determines he needs more breathers, Reggie Bonnafon solidified himself as McCaffrey’s handcuff with a 59-yard scoring scamper against Jacksonville.
Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers – Jones, who has significant ties to Texas, thrived in his Lone Star State return. Having played high school and college ball in El Paso, Jones demolished the Dallas defense, scoring four touchdowns. He also added a whopping 182 total yards. The absence of Jamaal Williams was as factor. Additionally, the Packers may have been inclined to run more with Davante Adams out of action. So this will almost assuredly be Aaron’s best performance of the season. Nevertheless, as the NFL’s leader in touchdowns, Jones will keep proving his worth.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders – I have Jacobs on one of my teams and made the decision to sit him last week. Fortunately, that team survived my bad decision, but even in victory, many fantasy owners still regret wrong moves. Sitting Jacobs was one choice I wish I could take back. I figured he would be bottled up by the Bears. Instead, he rushed for 123 yards and a couple of touchdowns. With Jacobs mastering the Monsters of the Midway, he will be a no-brainer weekly starter the rest of the way.
D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – Some are so caught up in Gardner Minshew that his receivers are getting overlooked. No one needs to be overlooking Chark at this point. He has scored a touchdown in all but one game this season. He played his best game against Jacksonville’s 1995 companion in expansion, the Carolina Panthers. Chark pulverized the Panthers for eight receptions, 164 yards, and two touchdowns. Enjoy the ride if you picked up Chark in free agency and now can use him as a weekly lineup fixture.
Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears – Far and away the only consistent component of the Chicago offense, Robinson played his best game of the season. Allen pulled in seven passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns in Chicago’s shocking loss to Oakland. The two scores came via backup quarterback Chase Daniel. Some believed Daniel was going to spark a quarterback controversy in the Windy City. Instead, Mitchell Trubisky should be back in the lineup after Chicago’s bye. Regardless, Robinson ought to remain a steady presence for fantasy owners the rest of the way.
Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings – A big performance from Thielen takes away the drama in Minnesota for now. In his best showing of the season, Thielen gashed the Giants for seven receptions, 130 yards, and two touchdowns. His dismal showing in Week 4 where he caught two passes for six yards seems like a complete aberration.
Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Rams – Over the past couple of weeks, Everett’s emergence has been a pleasant surprise at fantasy’s neediest position. First, he caught a touchdown against Tampa Bay in Week 4. Last week, Seattle’s defense had no answers for Everett as he caught seven passes for 136 yards. Game flow went well for Gerald in both games as the Rams got into high-scoring affairs. San Francisco presents a stiff test for Everett on Sunday. The 49ers have a great defense and tend to avoid shootouts. So expectations can be lowered for Gerald at this moment. That does not change the fact Everett has played his way onto the low-end TE1 radar.
New York Jets – The Jets helped Philadelphia produce one of the greatest streaming defensive performances in fantasy football history. So why are they listed in Sizzle? Sam Darnold should be back in the lineup on Sunday when Dallas journeys to Jersey. While Darnold needs to grow in his second season, he gives hope to everyone else on the roster. New York’s next three games will be rough. Following Dallas, they draw New England and Jacksonville. But after that, they have Miami, the Giants, and Washington. In Weeks 13 and 14, they play Cincinnati and then have a second game with the Dolphins. In other words, do not completely write off the Jets due to their recent run of misery. Provided Darnold stays healthy, they have assets capable of helping your team down the stretch.
Fizzle
Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns – At least Baker elevates the quality of Progressive Auto Insurance commercials. Unfortunately, conquering the NFL happens to be way harder than conquering the infuriating duo of Flo and Jamie. Now residing in Bust City, Mayfield was responsible for three turnovers and threw for just 100 yards Monday night. Plus, no cake matchups are on tap for Mayfield. He draws Seattle, New England, Denver, and Buffalo in his next four games.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Indianapolis Colts – As most of us know, fantasy and reality do not always intertwine when it comes to football. Indianapolis devises a dazzling plan to beat Kansas City, but Brissett turns into a fantasy disappointment as a result. Those figuring Brissett would have to compete with Patrick Mahomes in a shootout wished they had a different streamer. Jacoby managed a rushing touchdown but that was his only score as Marlon Mack dominated.
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals – No longer a fantasy superstar, Johnson continues to be a steady producer on a weekly basis. However, a back issue might limit or sideline him on Sunday. It would a shame, as Arizona has an awesome matchup with Atlanta. Should Johnson be unable to play, promising backup Chase Edmonds would be poised for a big day.
Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams – Gurley scored a couple of touchdowns last Thursday in Seattle and has five scores overall. But he has been missing practice and there are rumblings he could sit out Sunday’s key showdown with San Francisco. The injury factor caused Gurley to drop in drafts. He has looked limited all year and now the risk rises again. Malcolm Brown benefits the most if Gurley happens to be absent. Maybe Los Angeles will have to involve Darrell Henderson more.
Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers – With Tevin Coleman back and Matt Breida in a groove, Mostert returns to a secondary role. We all know things can change in the San Francisco backfield at any given time. So Mostert could still be a factor at some point. But for now, if you have a roster crunch, Mostert can be cut.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Highway enthusiasts know Interstate 35 traverses from Duluth, Minnesota to Laredo, Texas. What does Interstate 35 have to do with Mike Evans? Well, at times this year Evans has been as hot as Laredo in the summer. Other times, like on Sunday, he has been as cold as Duluth in the winter. How can someone as good as Evans fail to catch a single pass? Evans will move back in the right direction and have another monster game at some point. But it might not be against the Panthers in London. Evans had four catches for 61 yards against Carolina back in Week 2 and the Panthers held him in check in 2018. Of course, after last week, a mediocre game would look good.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs – Sammy’s three-touchdown performance on opening day looks like one of the biggest outliers of the 2019 season. Since then, he has scored zero touchdowns. And 64 yards marks his highest yardage output. Watkins left Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis due to a hamstring injury. The bad hammy may keep him out this week. Injuries and Watkins always seem to be on a collision course. Dropping any components of the Chiefs offense can backfire. Nevertheless, Watkins seems unlikely to be a notable contributor anytime soon.
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals – Eifert seemingly was set up for success last week. Matched up with Arizona, who previously allowed tight ends to run wild, Tyler mustered two receptions for 14 yards. At this point, not even the most desperate of streamers will look in Eifert’s direction.
Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers – Olsen failed to catch a pass in Week 5 after catching two passes for five yards during Week 4. Luckily, Greg gets to play a Tampa Bay defense that just revitalized Jared Cook. Cook, a bust so far in New Orleans, caught four passes for 41 yards and a score against Tampa. Olsen also had success in Week 2 when the Panthers and Buccaneers squared off, compiling 110 yards. Olsen deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt for one more round.
Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans – After a hot start, Walker has faded over the last couple of weeks, totaling two catches for 14 yards. His Sunday opponent, Denver, has largely faced teams lacking productive tight ends. The Broncos did surrender seven receptions and 70 yards to Darren Waller in Week 1. But the Broncos are coming off an impressive showing against the Chargers. In the end, the matchup is not the biggest problem for Walker. It remains the inefficient Tennessee offense. Will the Titans have one of their better days in Denver or sputter again? Whether or not Walker belongs in your lineup depends on your other options. You can start him if needed, but ponder alternatives.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Already reeling from losing Ben Roethlisberger for the season, injuries continue to plague Pittsburgh. Jaylen Samuels and James Washington are now slated to miss several games. Roethlisberger’s replacement, Mason Rudolph, was involved in a very scary situation in Sunday’s overtime loss to Baltimore and remains in the league’s concussion protocol. At least third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges performed better than expected. Nonetheless, this season shapes up as “one of those years” for the Steelers. It will be a struggle for players such as James Conner and Juju Smith-Schuster to hit their ceilings on a weekly basis given the chaos around them.
We look forward to seeing you again next week for another round of Sizzle/Fizzle!
