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| Friday, October 13, 2023 |
| If you missed last night's game, you didn't miss much. Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco were the only non-QBs on either the Broncos or Chiefs to top 15 PPR points, and Kelce was the only player to reach 20 points, including the quarterbacks. |
| It wasn't a great way to kick off Week 6 of the Fantasy Football season, and I hope most of you didn't start anyone from the Broncos, because that offense looks like an absolute disaster right now. As bad as it ever looked last season, honestly, which is not something I expected to be saying six weeks into the Sean Payton era. |
| I've got more thoughts on that game in today's newsletter, along with some of my thoughts on Sunday's DFS slate, and the latest updates on injuries from around the NFL you need to know about for every position. There are still plenty of injuries we won't know about until Sunday, and we'll have a Sunday morning newsletter to make sure you're all caught up. But here's what we know right now: |
Week 6 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WR
Lineup Decisions from Dave RichardWeek 6 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE Jamey, Dave, Heath's RankingsMy Week 6 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TECheat Sheets: PPR | Non-PPR |
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| TNF recap: Chiefs 19, Broncos 8 |
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| The big takeaway: Neither of these offenses really looks all that great for Fantasy, though it's for very different reasons. For the Broncos, it's because they just aren't very good. Russell Wilson passed for 95 yards, with his lone touchdown coming on a pretty bonkers catch from Courtland Sutton, which he needed to get to even 14.6 PPR points; Jerry Jeudy had three catches for 14 yards, and he might've been distracted by his utterly bizarre feud with Steve Smith. As for the running backs, Jaleel McLaughlin played 20 snaps, Javonte Williams played 17, Samaje Perine played eight, and fullback Michael Burton played 12. This offense is a mess because they aren't moving the ball well, but also because they're just spreading the ball around way too much to too many non-viable options. The other big takeaway: On the Chiefs side, there's a bit of that "spreading the ball around too much" issue, as Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco were the only players with more than four catches, while eight different players caught a pass and 10 were targeted. Rashee Rice continues to look good with his opportunities, catching all four passes for 74 yards, but he also played just 33 of 69 snaps while running routes on 50% of dropbacks. The Chiefs just don't have any go-to options beyond Kelce, and they're content to win by spreading the ball around and even running it a bit. Rice remains the only Chiefs WR who probably should be rostered in most Fantasy leagues, but even he's a longshot to emerge as a consistently useful option. Winner: Travis Kelce. Even though he was questionable coming in with an ankle injury, he had a vintage performance, finding soft spots in the Broncos defense over and over for nine catches and 124 yards. Kelce hasn't been quite his usual dominant self this season, and he still has 17.72 PPR points per game. And now he's got a few extra days to rest his ankle before Week 7. Loser: The Broncos. This thing is a mess. Javonte Williams actually ran the ball pretty well but only got 10 carries in the four-way RB rotation, and since he wasn't targeted and ran a route on just five of 29 pass plays, it was a very poor Fantasy day. Jaleel McLaughlin wasn't much better, running seven times for 30 yards while catching two passes for 12 yards. Samaje Perine played just eight snaps and had a fumble late as the Broncos tried to mount a comeback, and maybe that lands him in the doghouse and allows the Broncos to consolidate playing time between Williams and McLaughlin. But the problem is, a two-way committee in a terrible offense isn't that much better than a three-way committee. This just doesn't look like an offense we want much part of. Let's hope for a Jerry Jeudy trade, for his sake as well as Marvin Mims', who only ran seven routes and wasn't targeted Thursday. They need to get him more involved, though they haven't shown much inclination to do so yet. |
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| Week 6 injury updates |
| Quarterback |
| Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is not expected to play this week , according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson, and this situation continues to be kind of strange. Watson was a pretty surprising inactive in Week 4 due to the injury, so we just kind of assumed he'd be good to go after the bye week. Instead, Watson has been absent from practice this week and hasn't spoken to the media, leaving us in the dark as to the extent of the injury moving forward, too. |
| PJ Walker is expected to start in Watson's place, after rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson flopped in Week 4, but we shouldn't expect too much more from Walker. He's attempted 228 passes in his NFL career, completing 57.5% of them for 6.4 yards per attempt. He's an aggressive QB who could hit on some big plays, but overall he's likely to be a downgrade even from the diminished version of Watson we saw this season. |
| It's an across-the-board downgrade for the Browns offense, which will also likely be playing without All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio (knee) and David Njoku as he continues to recover from a burn suffered before the bye. Theyv'e got a brutal matchup on the way against the 49ers, and if I can avoid relying on Jerome Ford and Amari Cooper, I'd like to do so. |
| The Giants haven't ruled Daniel Jones (neck) out yet, but he's been unable to practice each of the first two days of practice, so you've gotta think there's a pretty good chance we're seeing Tyrod Taylor this week. Things could get even uglier for the Giants offense. |
| Running back |
| Austin Ekeler was a full participant in practice Thursday, a good sign for his chances of playing Monday against the Cowboys. He's been out since Week 1, but has already said he's going to play this week barring a setback. |
| Saquon Barkley (ankle) continues to be limited in practice. The Giants have an interesting question to answer if Barkley is able to go at less than 100% but Jones can't: Do you just hold Barkley out until you can get both of them out there, or let Barkley play to give the offense a badly needed lift? I'm not sure there are any good answers for the Giants offense these days, especially with left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) still not practicing. Barkley would be a high-risk, high-reward RB2 if he plays. |
| Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) was unable to practice yet again Thursday and looks to be trending toward another inactive. David Montgomery is a top-10 RB and maybe a top-five one, while Craig Reynolds has very deep league appeal. |
| Khalil Herbert (ankle) and Roschon Johnson (concussion) have both missed practice all week, so it sure looks like Foreman is going to be the lead back. Johnson seemingly has a better chance, because Herbert was given a multi-week timetable, but we'll need to see him cleared to practice Friday to have a chance. I'm expecting Foreman to be the lead back at this point. |
| Miles Sanders (shoulder) has yet to practice this week, so it looks like there's a real chance he won't play this week. Chuba Hubbard is an RB2 in PPR scoring if Sanders is out, and Laviska Shenault is an interesting DFS play after seeing increased opportunities out of the backfield last week. |
| Jeff Wilson (ribs/finger) was limited again Thursday, so we still don't really know if he's going to play this week. I think he's an intriguing option if he does; if he doesn't, Salvon Ahmed could be a sneaky sleeper. |
| Keaontay Ingram (neck) was limited yet again Thursday, so his status looks truly up in the air heading into Week 6 against the Rams. If he doesn't play, Emari Demercado will be in the low-end RB2 range; if Ingram plays, both are in the RB3/4 discussion as they figure to split time. |
| Wide receiver |
| Davante Adams (shoulder) got up to a limited practice Thursday. He's going to keep playing through this injury, and though Week 5 was disappointing, I'm still keeping him in my lineup. Jakobi Meyers (wrist) upgraded to a limited practice Thursday, so he should be good to go and is a borderline WR2. |
| Tee Higgins (ribs) has been limited both days of practice so far this week, so it looks like his status could come down to Friday. The problem is, this injury comes down to pain tolerance, so a bad hit in-game could force him out again. Higgins is a risky play even with a good matchup against the Seahawks if he plays. |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) worked his way up to a full practice session Thursday, and as long as he responds well Friday should be in line to return from a one-game absence. He's a must-start option if he plays. |
| Mike Evans (hamstring) worked up to a limited practice Thursday, a good sign after he sat out Wednesday. Hopefully that was just the Buccaneers being careful with a veteran, because it was pretty alarming to see him miss practice coming off the bye. I'm starting Evans if he's active. |
| DK Metcalf (ribs) is still dealing with this injury, missing practice Wednesday and Thursday. But he played through it before the bye, and I expect him to do the same this time around. It's a bummer he's still dealing with it, and there's some risk of an in-game setback to consider. He's a risky WR2. |
| Zay Jones (knee) hasn't practiced this week after aggravating the injury last week in his return to action. I'd expect him to sit at this point. |
| Jordan Addison (ankle) has been limited so far this week in practice, which doesn't seem like a significant concern, but it's worth watching just in case there is some negative momentum Friday. At this point, I expect him to play. |
| Tank Dell (concussion) missed both days of practice so far and looks likely to sit. Robert Woods (ribs) did upgrade to a limited practice Thursday, which is a good sign. He's a WR4 and Nico Collins is a WR2/3 in a tough matchup. |
| Treylon Burks (knee) continues to miss practice and seems likely to miss another game. He's just an upside bench stash at this point. |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) hasn't practiced this week and looks like he'll sit. You don't really want anyone from this passing game, but in deeper leagues, Kendrick Bourne could be in line for a bigger role. |
| Tight end |
| Sam LaPorta (calf) was a new addition to the injury report Thursday, which is never a great sign. He didn't practice Thursday, so we'll need to keep a close eye on Friday's reports for his status, because we really haven't seen any details as of yet. |
| Darren Waller (groin) was upgraded to a limited practice Thursday, a good sign after he missed Wednesday's session. |
| Juwan Johnson (calf) hasn't practiced this week, so if you were planning on using him against the Texans, find a different option. |
| Top DFS picks |
| Before you read my rankings, make sure you head over to SportsLine, where Mike McClure and Jacob Gibbs have their rankings and top plays available to peruse at your leisure. They'll help you out quite a bit. |
| Based on my projections and analysis for Week 6, here are my top stack targets and my favorite plays at each position, with an eye on tournament plays: |
| Top Stacks |
| Vikings @CHIJaguars vs. IND Seahawks @CIN |
| The Seahawks aren't my top stack, but I'm probably going to have some kind of combination of Seahawks pass-catchers in my lineups. I still believe Geno Smith is a very good QB, and I think his pass-catchers are pretty universally underpriced right now due to a slow start. |
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| Top QBs |
| DraftKings |
| Geno Smith @CIN $5700Sam Howell @ATL $5500Jalen Hurts @NYJ $8200 |
| The Seahawks offense hasn't quite looked right yet, and you can see it in Geno Smith's Fantasy production – he's down to 15.2 points per game in DraftKings scoring, with just five touchdowns in his first four games. We haven't seen him pushing the ball down the field nearly as often as he did last season, and I wonder how much of that might be because of DK Metcalf playing at less than 100% due to an early-season rib injury – though a few inopportune drops by Tyler Lockett haven't helped. I still believe in Smith's abilities, as well as his terrific receiving group, and I'm hoping we'll see a full healthy Metcalf and a fully unleashed Jaxon Smith-Njigba coming off the bye. |
| FanDuel |
| Jalen Hurts @NYJ $8700Geno Smith @CIN $6800Trevor Lawrence vs. IND $7600 |
| The Colts are a sneaky-good matchup for quarterbacks in Fantasy. Not necessarily because they have a terrible defense, but more because opposing teams are throwing so often against them – they've had the fifth-most pass attempts against. They play fast on offense and they've had a knack for getting ahead early, so let's hope that continues with Gardner Minshew taking over at QB. Lawrence is 5 for 13 on passes into the end zone this season, with only two of them truly uncatchable – he's had like five different plays where his receiver got one foot down in the end zone but not both. He's playing way better than his production so far, and the numbers are going to show it before long. |
| Top RBs |
| DraftKings |
| Rachaad White vs. DET $5500D'Onta Foreman vs. MIN $4400 Alvin Kamara @HOU $6800Dameon Pierce vs. NO $5100 D'Andre Swift @NYJ $6100 |
| Foreman figures to be a pretty chalky option this weekend if Roschon Johnson is out. The Vikings have actually been pretty stout against the run this season, allowing 3.5 yards per carry, though I think that's kind of a misleading stat – they've done well against Rachaad White, Joshua Kelley, Miles Sanders, and Isiah Pacheco, and they got absolutely torched by D'Andre Swift and the Eagles on the ground. I don't think Foreman is much better than any of the guys the Vikings have held in check, but I do think the Bears will run the ball well against them, and with so many injuries at the RB position, Foreman could be in line for a huge workload. He's a top-20 RB for me if Johnson is ruled out. |
| FanDuel |
| Alvin Kamara @HOU $7500Dameon Pierce vs. NO $5900D'Andre Swift @NYJ $7200Rachaad White vs. DET $6300David Montgomery @TB $8100 |
| The Lions have allowed the second-fewest Fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and this isn't one you can just solely credit to a middling crop of opponents – they held Bijan Robinson and the Falcons to 44 rush yards in Week 3, though I will note that even in that game, the Falcons ran the ball just 17 times with their RBs. The biggest thing the Lions have been doing is dominating time of possession and getting out to early leads, leading to the fifth-fewest RB carries allowed. That's less of a concern for White, who has an 11% target share this season and might actually benefit from a pass-heavy game script. He figures to be very low-rostered this week, and could be a good pivot in tournaments. |
| Top WRs |
| DraftKings |
| Michael Thomas @HOU $4900Adam Thielen @MIA $5900 Josh Reynolds @TB $4500Christian Kirk vs. IND $5400Tyler Lockett @CIN $5700 |
| Kirk is a tough one, because he played a very minimal role in the previous matchup against the Colts, catching one pass while playing a season-low 60% of the snaps. That could be because of the matchup, but it might not matter too much if Zay Jones (knee) is out again. Jones hasn't played a full game since that Week 1 matchup against the Colts, and Kirk is averaging 17.1 PPR points per game in that span. I'm hoping his miserable Week 1 scares folks off, because if Jones is out, I'm going right back to Kirk. |
| FanDuel |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba @CIN $4800Cooper Kupp vs. ARI $8700Tyler Lockett @CIN $6600 Calvin Ridley vs. IND $7000Adam Thielen @MIA $7400 |
| I like having Geno Smith in my lineups, and I'm going to be pairing him with multiple wide receivers when I do. Smith-Njigba hasn't done much yet, but I'm hoping the role will grow coming out of the bye week. We know he's a talented player – as a sophomore, he outproduced upperclassmen Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave at Ohio State, which is one of the most impressive college stats of recent years. I wouldn't play him in cash games, but I like him in tournaments a lot as a guy who probably won't be highly rostered … yet. |
| Top TEs |
| DraftKings |
| Zach Ertz @LAR $3600Dallas Goedert @NYJ $4800 T.J. Hockenson @CHI $6600 |
| Week 5 was a good reminder of just how good Dallas Goedert can be when he's going well, and it should have put any concerns about him for season-long Fantasy to bed – just keep him in your lineup and live with the ups and downs. In DFS, obviously, it's different because you have more options available to you, but I still like him as a tournament play precisely because of his inconsistency – those lows will scare many players off, but we're chasing upside, and he's got a ton of it against a defense that has allowed five touchdowns to tight ends so far. |
| FanDuel |
| T.J. Hockenson @CHI $6700Dallas Goedert @NYJ $6200Hunter Henry @LV $5600 |
| I'm a bit worried that Hockenson might struggle with Justin Jefferson out, because he relies so much on short-area volume for his Fantasy production. If defenses don't have to respect the outside receivers as much down the field, that might make it tougher for Hockenson to rack up volume. Still, you've gotta love the matchup against a Bears defense that has largely been overmatched this season, so I'll throw Hockenson out there at a pretty reasonable price. |
| Sample DraftKings lineup |
| QB Geno Smith $5700RB Alvin Kamara $6800RB D'Onta Foreman $4400WR Ja'Marr Chase $8300WR Tyler Lockett $5700WR Michael Thomas $4900 TE Zach Ertz $3600FLEX Josh Jacobs $7000DST Falcons $3600 |
| You might notice I had Sam Howell as one of my QB plays and I've got the Falcons as my DST here. The Falcons are actually one of my go-to DSTs this week, despite the fact that I like Howell quite a bit. He's started six games for the Commanders and has eight turnovers and 32 sacks, and it isn't just because of a bad offensive line. Howell does a good job extending plays, which gives him upside as a passer, and he's an adventurous scrambler, which gives him some appeal as a runner. But he's a mediocre athlete and probably tries to do too much, which I think is always going to be part of his game. We'll be targeting him with DSTs until that changes. |
| Sample FanDuel lineup |
| QB Geno Smith $6800RB Raheem Mostert $8500RB Alexander Mattison $6900 WR Cooper Kupp $8700WR Jordan Addison $6700WR Tyler Lockett $6600TE T.J. Hockenson $6700FLEX Jaxon Smith-Njigba $4800DST Falcons $4100 |
| I'm getting two rookie wide receivers in my lineup this week and hoping I've got breakout games coming for both. I've already talked about my hopes for Smith-Njigba coming off the bye, and Addison's case is even more straightforward – with Justin Jefferson on IR, the Vikings need their rookie first-rounder to step up and be the No. 1 option. It's a terrific matchup, and I'm hoping he turns into a star in this stretch. |
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