| |
 |
| Sunday, October 15, 2023 |
Unlike last week, where we had significant injury questions looming over pretty much every part of the NFL schedule, Week 6 doesn't have too many situations we're keeping track of right now. That's not to say there aren't injury issues this Sunday; it just means that most of them have already been solved, more or less. |
We've got the latest injury news for you in today's newsletter to make sure you're ready to lock in your lineups for Week 6. Of course, you might need more specific help with some of your decisions, and the FFT team is here for you. Go to Twitter and use the hashtag "#AskFFT", where our whole team will be answering questions all morning; and go to the FFT YouTube channel to chat with Adam and I starting at 11:30 a.m. ET . We'll be there right up until kickoff answering as many questions as we can, so make sure you're in the chat early to get your questions in. |
| Now, here's everything you need to set your Week 6 lineup, plus the latest on injuries and more: |
| |
| Injury report updates |
| We're publishing earlier than usual again this week because of the London game, so I don't have quite as much information on injuries as on a typical Sunday. Here's what we do know, or what we think we know based on reports: |
| Out or probably out |
| |
Watson's injury remains kind of mysterious. According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, Watson is making progress in his recovery from a rotator cuff injury, and could return in Week 7 against the Colts ; other reports indicate he could still be multiple weeks away. The Browns have given very few details about the injury, which didn't seem terribly serious when he suffered in Week 3 but has now kept him out at least three weeks. It's a bruise to the back of the shoulder, and has impacted Watson's ability to throw the ball, and at this point, I'm not planning on trusting Watson for a while. |
And I'm not trusting PJ Walker, either. He'll start ahead of rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and while it should go better than DTR's first career start in Week 4, we've seen enough of Walker to know he's not a great option either, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt and completing 57.5% of his passes. The hope here is that Walker is at least aggressive enough to take a few shots to Amari Cooper, keeping him in the boom-or-bust WR3 conversation for an awful matchup against the 49ers. My preference would be to avoid everyone else from this offense. |
The Giants offense is also in a tough spot against the Bills with backup Tyrod Taylor in at QB. I don't expect Taylor to be a huge downgrade from what the Giants have gotten from Jones, but that isn't saying much at this point. Darren Waller is a low-end TE1, and he's the only pass-catcher here I'd use. |
There's an interesting debate to be had about whether you'd rather use Chuba Hubbard with Sanders out or D'Onta Foreman with Johnson (and Khalil Herbert , who was placed on IR Saturday) sidelined. I think I lean in Foreman's direction, with what I think is a better-than-it-appears-on-paper matchup with the Vikings, though if you wanted to give Hubbard the edge in PPR scoring I can certainly see the case for it. Ultimately, I think Foreman is just the better player, as seen when they shared a backfield last season, but both look like RB2 options this week. |
And the other interesting name here is Wilson's, whose 21-day window to come off IR opened this week. But he apparently didn't progress quickly enough to get back on the field this week, even with De'Von Achane added to IR with a knee injury. Salvon Ahmed should be back from his groin injury this week, and he and Christopher Brooks are both desperation plays in a game the Dolphins should win fairly comfortably. You're hoping for garbage-time work from either if you are desperate enough to need them. |
| Likely to play |
| |
Thankfully, there's little drama around Ekeler's status heading into a Monday night game, as he enters without an injury designation. There's always the chance he'll be rusty against a tough Cowboys defense, but there's no world in which I'm sitting Ekeler after losing him for four weeks. |
Ingram's status creates an interesting question, as the Cardinals don't necessarily have a clear successor to James Conner , who was placed on IR with a knee injury. I suspect Ingram and Demercado will split time. Ingram is listed as RB1 on the depth chart, but who knows how much that will matter, especially after Demercado looked solid in Conner's absence last week. I'd bet on an early-down split, with Demercado seeming more likely to handle passing downs, if you want to give him the edge on that account. But, I don't see much reason to have confidence in either of them as much more than RB3 options this week. |
| We love to see all of these wide receivers expected to play. Adams and St. Brown are must-start options when active, and Evans and Meyers have certainly played up to that level so far this season, so I'm probably starting all four of those guys. It's a bit harder to say with Higgins and Metcalf, because neither has lived up to expectations, but both are in my top 30 at the position this week, so I'm probably starting them as well. |
| Legitimately questionable |
| |
| Barkley is listed as questionable for Sunday's game, and honestly, there's a part of me that wants him to sit out. I mean, in the leagues where I have him and don't have a viable alternative, I'll start him if he's back, don't get me wrong. But, the Giants offense has been a disaster this season; they're missing three starting offensive linemen, and Jones, obviously. It's a tough matchup, and Barkley will have a lot going against him if he's active, but I'd have a hard time sitting him, even if I won't rank him quite as high as I typically do. Reports Sunday morning indicate Barkley has a pretty good chance to play, but with the Giants not playing until the night window, if you have to choose between him and options playing earlier, you might just have to avoid him. |
| Dell is a WR3 if he plays, but per Sunday morning reports, he's probably not going to play. LaPorta suffered the dreaded midweek injury, but he was able to get back to a limited participation in practice Friday. He told reporters he expects to play, which is a good sign, and as long as he's active, you're starting him after the way he's played this season. However, there's definitely more risk here than usual, given the injury. |
| Knox and Kincaid are both listed as questionable, and it sounds like Knox has a better chance of playing. If Kincaid is out, it would at least make Knox a better bet to find the end zone, but if both play, you probably can't trust them. |
| Week 6 rankings updates |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Flex top 125 rankings |
| |
| |
 | |  | | | | | Saturday, an SEC on CBS doubleheader begins at 12:00 PM ET with #1 Georgia taking on Vanderbilt. Then at 3:30 PM ET, Texas A&M is on the road at #19 Tennessee. Catch it all on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Watch Live
| | This Sunday, the week six slate features the Seahawks stepping into the jungle against Burrow and the Bengals and an AFC South showdown between the Colts and Jets. It all begins at 12:00 PM ET with future hall-of-famer JJ Watt joining JB and the guys on The NFL Today. Watch on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ Watch Live
|
|
| |
| |
