Weekly Positional Rankings: Week Six

Michael Zingone

In this series, I’ll give you my top 30 quarterbacks, 60 running backs, 60 wide receivers, and 30 tight ends each week to help you with your start/sit decisions in your leagues. To generate this list each and every week, I examine team trends, Vegas over/unders, implied points, pace of play, among various other factors to build a projection for each player and subsequently adjust rankings for upside and more detailed matchup specifics.

Among the rankings, there will surely be some that surprise you or that you may disagree with. At the end of each position section, I’ll give you my thoughts on some players that perhaps are ranked higher/lower than you might expect and insights as to why they are a good/bad play this week. Ultimately, these rankings should help your start/sit dilemmas and ensure you have the requisite resources to make an informed decision. With bye weeks kicking into full gear, start/sit decisions are even more crucial to your team’s success.

Without further ado, let’s dive into Week Six’s positional rankings!

Quarterbacks

Pos Player Matchup Week 6 Rank
QB Patrick Mahomes HOU 1
QB Deshaun Watson @KC 2
QB Lamar Jackson CIN 3
QB Dak Prescott @NYJ 4
QB Kyler Murray ATL 5
QB Matt Ryan @ARI 6
QB Russell Wilson @CLE 7
QB Tom Brady NYG 8
QB Aaron Rodgers DET 9
QB Jameis Winston CAR 10
QB Jimmy Garoppolo @LAR 11
QB Garnder Minshew NO 12
QB Jared Goff SF 13
QB Matthew Stafford @GB 14
QB Philip Rivers PIT 15
QB Carson Wentz @MIN 16
QB Baker Mayfield SEA 17
QB Kirk Cousins PHI 18
QB Kyle Allen @TB 19
QB Marcus Mariota @DEN 20
QB Teddy Bridgewater @JAC 21
QB Joe Flacco TEN 22
QB Andy Dalton @BAL 23
QB Daniel Jones @NE 24
QB Case Keenum @MIA 25
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick WAS 26

Start ‘em: Garnder Minshew, QB JAX

Minshew, after just five games, has already proved himself as a reliable option at the quarterback position in fantasy football. This is extremely rare for a rookie quarterback to achieve such a status, let alone one drafted in the sixth round. Minshew is not without flaws. He has fumbled seven times thus far, and week five was his first game over 215 yards since week one. Despite this, Minshew still ranks 12th in points per game on the back of four multi-touchdown games and over 120 yards rushing on the season. Completing nearly 67% of his passes and only throwing one interception, Minshew is molding himself into one of the better quarterbacks in the league already, considering he is just a rookie.

This week, the Jaguars face a vulnerable Saints defense at home as one-point favorites. The Saints have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season, making this an enticing matchup for the rookie. Moreover, the Saints have allowed a league-high four rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks on the season. Minshew has proven his ability to scramble and make plays with three games of six or more rushing attempts in 2019. Minshew’s upside could come from passing, rushing, or both on Sunday, and that’s worthy of a start over many other options.

Sit ‘em: Carson Wentz, QB PHI

Wentz has been very good this season, finishing as a top 12 quarterback in four of out five weeks so far. The primary reason he didn’t finish as one again in week five was due to the Philadelphia defense having their way with the Jets, scoring twice themselves. In week six, though, Wentz comes in as a high-end QB2 in the rankings. Wentz has upside that makes him a must-start nearly every week, but traveling to Minnesota this week looks to be a difficult proposition. The Vikings have allowed the eighth-fewest points per game to opposing quarterbacks in 2019. With just 20.25 implied team points, the Eagles offense as a whole may struggle against the best defense they will have faced yet this season. Wentz, averaging about 230 yards passing and two touchdowns per game, doesn’t look to have the upside you want this week from your team’s starting quarterback. If you have better options, feel comfortable leaving him on your bench.

If you’re desperate: Kyle Allen, QB CAR

Allen is doing what Cam Newton couldn’t for the Carolina Panthers: winning football games. Now, this hasn’t necessarily translated into fantasy points for the second-year quarterback. Allen has seen his passing yards decline in every game this season and has thrown one touchdown over the past two games. We’ve already seen Allen’s upside in his week three matchup at Arizona where he surprisingly threw for four touchdowns in his first start of the season. In week six, we should see closer to that Kyle Allen than the one of the past two weeks for fantasy. Over the past two weeks, the Buccaneers allowed over 850 passing yards and six touchdowns. This recent stretch has put the Bucs at the second-worst points per game allowed to opposing quarterbacks. While Allen should not be expected to reach such heights on Sunday the Panthers 23 implied points, as well as this plus matchup, make Allen a very intriguing desperation play in this U.K.-based matchup.

Running Backs

Pos Player Matchup Week 6 Rank
RB Christian McCaffrey @TB 1
RB Ezekiel Elliott @NYJ 2
RB Alvin Kamara @JAC 3
RB David Johnson ATL 4
RB Le’Veon Bell DAL 5
RB Dalvin Cook PHI 6
RB Nick Chubb SEA 7
RB Leonard Fournette NO 8
RB Mark Ingram CIN 9
RB Aaron Jones DET 10
RB Joe Mixon @BAL 11
RB Todd Gurley SF 12
RB Kerryon Johnson @GB 13
RB Devonta Freeman @ARI 14
RB James Conner @LAC 15
RB Derrick Henry @DEN 16
RB Melvin Gordon PIT 17
RB Chris Carson @CLE 18
RB Damien Williams HOU 19
RB James White NYG 20
RB Phillip Lindsay TEN 21
RB Matt Breida @LAR 22
RB Chris Thompson @MIA 23
RB Austin Ekeler PIT 24
RB Jordan Howard @MIN 25
RB Carlos Hyde @KC 26
RB Tevin Coleman @LAR 27
RB Sony Michel NYG 28
RB Kenyan Drake WAS 29
RB Duke Johnson @KC 30
RB Adrian Peterson @MIA 31
RB Miles Sanders @MIN 32
RB Rashaad Penny @CLE 33
RB Ronald Jones CAR 34
RB Royce Freeman TEN 35
RB Ito Smith @ARI 36
RB Gus Edwards CIN 37
RB Chase Edmonds ATL 38
RB Wayne Gallman @NE 39
RB Lesean McCoy HOU 40
RB Peyton Barber CAR 41
RB Dion Lewis @DEN 42
RB Latavius Murray @JAC 43
RB Tony Pollard @NYJ 44
RB Giovani Bernard @BAL 45
RB Alexander Mattison PHI 46
RB Malcolm Brown SF 47
RB Raheem Mostert @LAR 48
RB Rex Burkhead NYG 49
RB Dontrell Hilliard SEA 50
RB Darren Sproles @MIN 51
RB Dare Ogunbowale CAR 52
RB Ryquell Armstead NO 53
RB Ty Johnson @GB 54
RB Darrel Williams HOU 55
RB Justice Hill CIN 56
RB Jon Hilliman @NE 57
RB Ty Montgomery DAL 58
RB Kalen Ballage WAS 59
RB Darrell Henderson SF 60

Start ‘em: Chris Thompson, RB WAS

Week six features a matchup between two of the league’s best tanking teams: the Redskins and Dolphins. While it should generally be entertaining from that perspective, there’s also potential fantasy value to be had. Chris Thompson has flown under the radar this season as a reliable option in PPR leagues. Of running backs who have played at least four games, Thompson ranks 24th in points per game, good for low-end RB2 numbers. He’s been remarkably consistent, finishing with between eight and 15 fantasy points in each outing. This week, against a Dolphins team that has allowed the second-most points per game to opposing running backs, Thompson is a high-floor high-ceiling option. For the Redskins to win this game, they’ll need to rely on their best playmakers. Thompson looks to be a clear focal point of the Redskins offense on Sunday and should be started with confidence as a low-end RB2 with upside.

Sit ‘em: LeSean McCoy, RB KC

With the return of Damien Williams this past week, McCoy saw just 22% of Kansas City’s offensive snaps, recording no carries and two targets. This was fairly surprising, as McCoy looked to be securing a role in this backfield even with others stepping up. However, the signs have been there for McCoy’s touch decline. Despite consistently registering upwards to 10 total touches in a week, McCoy has been hovering around a 40% snap share even with Damien Williams sidelined. While we should expect McCoy to see more usage than he did in week five, his opportunities look to be limited with Damien Williams securing the majority of the running back work. McCoy’s one saving grace this week could be his pass-catching, as the Texans have allowed the most running back receptions in the league. However, Damien Williams also out-targeted McCoy this past week so even that is not a lock. Overall, despite a shootout matchup potential, I would be looking elsewhere for running back production.

If you’re desperate: Gus Edwards, RB BAL

Edwards was great last season as a runner once Lamar Jackson took over, and he’s carved out a nice role in this 2019 Ravens offense as well. The second-year back has seen about six to seven touchers per game, even including a few receptions. This week, the Ravens play the league-worst Cincinnati Bengals in terms of fantasy points per game allowed to the running back position. Per our own Ryan McDowell, the Bengals have allowed nine combined RB1 and RB2 games so far in just five games. That’s an average of nearly two very useable running backs per week. We’ve seen Edwards have a touch ceiling in week one against the Dolphins, where the Ravens backup recorded 17 carries in a blowout. That could be the case yet again in week six against the Bengals. If you’re absolutely desperate for running back help, Edwards has a solid touch floor with a reasonable ceiling.

Wide Receivers

Pos Player Matchup Week 6 Rank
WR Julio Jones @ARI 1
WR Amari Cooper @NYJ 2
WR DeAndre Hopkins @KC 3
WR Michael Thomas @JAC 4
WR Cooper Kupp SF 5
WR Keenan Allen PIT 6
WR Adam Thielen PHI 7
WR Julian Edelman NYG 8
WR Chris Godwin CAR 9
WR Tyler Lockett @CLE 10
WR Larry Fitzgerald ATL 11
WR Odell Beckham Jr SEA 12
WR Juju Smith-Schuster @LAC 13
WR DJ Moore @TB 14
WR Tyler Boyd @BAL 15
WR Mike Evans CAR 16
WR Josh Gordon NYG 17
WR Courtland Sutton TEN 18
WR Kenny Golladay @GB 19
WR Will Fuller @KC 20
WR Robert Woods SF 21
WR DJ Chark NO 22
WR Marquise Brown CIN 23
WR Michael Gallup @NYJ 24
WR Terry McLaurin @MIA 25
WR Stefon Diggs PHI 26
WR Calvin Ridley @ARI 27
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling DET 28
WR Jarvis Landry SEA 29
WR Brandin Cooks SF 30
WR Dede Westbrook NO 31
WR Demarcus Robinson HOU 32
WR Alshon Jeffery @MIN 33
WR Mecole Hardman HOU 34
WR Curtis Samuel @TB 35
WR Emmanuel Sanders TEN 36
WR Geronimo Allison DET 37
WR Mike Williams PIT 38
WR Devante Parker WAS 39
WR Paul Richardson @MIA 40
WR Sammy Watkins HOU 41
WR Mohamed Sanu @ARI 42
WR Corey Davis @DEN 43
WR Marvin Jones @GB 44
WR DK Metcalf @CLE 45
WR Dionte Johnson @LAC 46
WR KeeSean Johnson ATL 47
WR AJ Brown @DEN 48
WR Robby Anderson DAL 49
WR Preston Williams WAS 50
WR Darius Slayton @NE 51
WR Ted Ginn Jr @JAC 52
WR Golden Tate @NE 53
WR Deebo Samuel @LAR 54
WR Keke Coutee @KC 55
WR Dante Pettis @LAR 56
WR Jamison Crowder DAL 57
WR Byron Pringle HOU 58
WR James Washington @LAC 59
WR Willie Snead CIN 60

Start ‘em: Josh Gordon, WR NE

Gordon has been a relative disappointment for fantasy owners this season with his on-field play (a necessary remark). Averaging a little over 10 PPR fantasy points per game, Gordon has been on par with other wideouts like Curtis Samuel, Dede Westbrook, and Paul Richardson. There are a lot of signs, though, to Gordon having a big week on Thursday night football. First, the Patriots play the New York Giants, who have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. If you’ve followed this column, you know this has been a matchup frequently featured in the Start and Desperation sections for receivers. Secondly, though, is Gordon’s opportunity this week. Gordon leads the Patriots in air yards this season and has recorded an 18% target market share. While he’s managed to catch just 54% of his targets to date, week six has massive boom appeal for Gordon, especially with Phillip Dorsett unlikely to play. Dorsett leads the Patriots in average depth of target (aDoT) in 2019, and with his absence, Gordon should command the deep target role. Start Gordon with confidence and get out to an early lead in your fantasy matchups in week six.

Sit ‘em: Golden Tate, WR NYG

Tate made his return from suspension in week five and was a non-factor in the Giants passing game. While he did manage to earn six targets on the day, they were extremely low-value looks. On his six targets, Tate saw just 17 air yards, and all of his targets were on the Giants part of the field. Meanwhile, teammates Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton each managed an aDoT of at least 15. In fact, an averaged Darius Slayton target in week five traveled more air yards than all of Golden Tate’s targets combined. The primary reason Tate even makes the “Sit” list is because of the temptation to play him this week given the Giants will likely be without Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram this week. The volume might still be there for Tate by default. However, against a Patriots team that ranks best in the NFL against wide receivers and Tate’s lackluster usage in week five, he’s best left on your bench.

If you’re desperate: Dede Westbrook, WR JAX

With teammate Minshew being a good play against the New Orleans Saints, it only makes sense that Westbrook is in position for a good week as well. This desperation play goes beyond that, though, as the Saints have let up big games to slot wide receivers, specifically, in 2019. Cooper Kupp, Tyler Lockett, Chris Godwin, and even Randall Cobb have all performed well against this Saints defense. Of course, we know that the former three mentioned in that group have been fantastic against most opponents this season. However, what’s notable is that their teammates did not perform particularly well in these games. For the Rams, Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods combined for just five receptions on 13 targets (though Cooks did catch a deep pass). DK Metcalf and Jaron Brown caught just five of 12 targets. Amari Cooper had his worst game of the season, and Mike Evans got zero fantasy points. This is a good indication that there’s a combination of slot wide receivers performing well and outside receivers having tough days. While DJ Chark is still a WR2 in this week’s rankings because of his consistent, high impact targets, Westbrook is a solid WR3 play with upside as well.

Tight Ends

Pos Player Matchup Week 6 Rank
TE Travis Kelce HOU 1
TE Austin Hooper @ARI 2
TE George Kittle @LAR 3
TE Mark Andrews CIN 4
TE Zach Ertz @MIN 5
TE Will Dissly @CLE 6
TE Greg Olsen @TB 7
TE Delanie Walker @DEN 8
TE Jared Cook @JAC 9
TE Gerald Everett SF 10
TE Vance McDonald @LAC 11
TE Jimmy Graham DET 12
TE Jason Witten @NYJ 13
TE TJ Hockenson @GB 14
TE Ricky Seals-Jones SEA 15
TE Noah Fant TEN 16
TE Chris Herndon DAL 17
TE OJ Howard CAR 18
TE Tyler Eifert @BAL 19
TE Geoff Swaim NO 20
TE Vernon Davis @MIA 21
TE Blake Jarwin @NYJ 22
TE Tyler Higbee SF 23
TE Kyle Rudolph PHI 24
TE Rhett Ellison @NE 25
TE Mike Gesicki WAS 26
TE Hayden Hurst CIN 27
TE Darren Fells @KC 28
TE Cameron Brate CAR 29
TE Irv Smith PHI 30

Start ‘em: Greg Olsen, TE CAR

Despite a goose egg in week five, Olsen is a solid play this week against the Buccaneers. All the talk this season, and rightfully so, has been about how bad the Arizona Cardinals are against tight ends. Well, this Buccaneers defense is a close second. Tampa Bay has allowed the most targets and receptions to tight ends and have allowed just 16 fewer receiving yards to the position than the Cardinals. Look no further than week two, when Olsen himself put up 110 receiving yards against this same Buccaneers team. While Olsen has been a disappointment over the last two weeks, recording just two catches for five yards, his peripheral numbers have been ok. He has had a 9% target share and has played over 95% of Carolina’s snaps. In weeks 1-3, Olsen managed a 22% target share, so there’s reason to believe that in a good matchup this week, his opportunity should revert back to close to that average. Even with a conservative projection of a 15% target share against this Tampa Bay defense, Olsen is worthy of a start.

Sit ‘em: OJ Howard, TE TB

Howard is inarguably the biggest disappointment at the tight end position this season. His usage has been downright frustrating for fantasy owners, and he’s yet to post a top twelve finish so far in 2019. Howard checks every box you want from a tight end. He’s athletic, has draft capital, and is in an explosive offense. Something’s just not right, though, with his usage in Bruce Arian’s offense. In week six, Howard is playing against the aforementioned Greg Olsen and the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have allowed just 7.2 PPR points per game to tight ends in 2019, including OJ Howard’s zero catch performance in week two. Howard will likely have his eventual big game on your bench, as his usage week to week is too unpredictable to plug and play. This breakout game, though, is very unlikely to happen in week six. Leave Howard on your bench.

If you’re desperate: Ricky Seals-Jones, TE CLE

Last season, Ricky Seals-Jones (RSJ) saw some of the most opportunity among tight ends in the league, finishing with 69 targets on the season. Despite this volume, Seals-Jones was unstartable in fantasy football because of his inefficiency with his targets. Now with the Cleveland Browns, Seals-Jones has had a decent opportunity over the last two weeks as a weapon in this passing game. Namely, Seals-Jones broke off a big touchdown play in week four and nearly reeled in a 30-yard pass this past week if he got a second foot down in bounds. RSJ has played a consistent 30% of Cleveland’s snaps over the past two weeks. In week six, Cleveland tries to get back on track against a vulnerable Seattle defense against the tight end position. In 2019, Seattle has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, including big games from Gerald Everett and Vance McDonald. After seeing just one target last week in a blowout, expect Seals-Jones to be a bigger part of this Cleveland offense in week six. While RSJ has a low floor, he has as good a chance at any tight end in this range to hit 12-15 fantasy points. If you’re desperate, he’s a solid option.

That concludes this week’s rankings article! As this series is released on Thursdays, be sure to follow any lingering injuries and changing injury status updates for players as Sunday approaches. If you’re wondering about a player I didn’t dive into detail about, feel free to reach out to me @FFzinger on Twitter. Best of luck this week, and I’ll be back next week to give Week Seven’s positional rankings.

michael zingone
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