Week Six Positional Rankings

Week six is probably the most difficult time of the fantasy football season. Is your dynasty team a “contender” or “pretender”? Have you gotten lucky up to this point for your 4-1 record or are you a true powerhouse? Should you look towards next season sitting at 2-3? While we have plenty of dynasty experts to consult on these topics and more, the goal remains the following: get the most out of your team. Every team is still in it at this point; at least one team sitting at 1-4 in my leagues has a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

One of the most challenging aspects of providing this article each week is the possibility of COVID delays. Hence, I will assume that – as of this writing – all games will be played. That way, I can provide the most information possible for you in case these games do wind up occurring.

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.

Without further ado, let’s dive into week six’s positional rankings!

Quarterback

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
QB	Patrick Mahomes II	@BUF	1
QB	Kyler Murray	@DAL	2
QB	Josh Allen	KC	3
QB	Lamar Jackson	@PHI	4
QB	Aaron Rodgers	@TB	5
QB	Ryan Tannehill	HOU	6
QB	Deshaun Watson	@TEN	7
QB	Matthew Stafford	@JAC	8
QB	Kirk Cousins	ATL	9
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	CLE	10
QB	Cam Newton	DEN	11
QB	Gardner Minshew II	DET	12
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	13
QB	Andy Dalton	ARI	14
QB	Tom Brady	GB	15
QB	Jared Goff	@SF	16
QB	Matt Ryan	@MIN	17
QB	Teddy Bridgewater	CHI	18
QB	Philip Rivers	CIN	19
QB	Daniel Jones	WAS	20
QB	Joe Burrow	@IND	21
QB	Carson Wentz	BAL	22
QB	Baker Mayfield	@PIT	23
QB	Nick Foles	@CAR	24
QB	Drew Lock	@NE	25
QB	Joe Flacco	@MIA	26
QB	Kyle Allen	@NYG	27
QB	Jimmy Garoppolo	LAR	28

Start ‘em: Ryan Tannehill, QB TEN

The Titans didn’t miss a beat on Tuesday night after missing their week four game against Pittsburgh due to COVID-19. Tannehill was on fire early and often, completing 75% of his passes with three touchdowns through the air, adding another 42 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Tannehill is quietly the QB8 in fantasy points per game on the season and has shown underrated ability on the ground throughout his time as the Tennessee starter.

In week six, Tannehill gets to face the Houston Texans, and the Titans have the fourth-highest implied team total on the week at 28.5 points. The Texans rank middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, but they are also the only team in the NFL yet to have an interception on defense. Tannehill and the Titans should be involved in a high-scoring game in week six, with Tannehill standing to benefit as a top quarterback option on the week.

Sit ‘em: Carson Wentz, QB PHI

Wentz has been one of the most disappointing fantasy quarterbacks on the season. Averaging under 240 yards per game and more interceptions than touchdowns, Wentz simply cannot be trusted as a startable option in one-quarterback formats. While dynasty managers should have some long-term hope he improves once Jalen Reagor plays consistently and other weapons on the Eagles get healthy, but in a week six matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, it’s best to leave him on the bench.

The Ravens have been a top defense against opposing quarterbacks on the season, and aside from a game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, they have let to allow opposing offenses score more than 17 points. You can certainly do better this week than starting Wentz.

If you’re desperate: Kirk Cousins, QB MIN

A theme you’ll notice week after week in this column is that the quarterback playing the Atlanta Falcons is – at the very least – a desperation option. While Cousins hasn’t lit the fantasy world on fire this season – rankings as just the QB26 in points per game – his week six matchup is too good to ignore. The Falcons have allowed a whopping 30 points per game against opposing quarterbacks, which is six points per game higher than the number two team (the Seattle Seahawks).

The Vikings, despite losing Dalvin Cook for the week, have the second-highest implied team total of the week at 29 points. Expect Cousins to have a multi-touchdown floor with a chance to post top-five numbers this week if all goes right. He’s a mid/low-end QB1.

Running Back

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
RB	Ezekiel Elliott	ARI	1
RB	Derrick Henry	HOU	2
RB	Jonathan Taylor	CIN	3
RB	Kareem Hunt	@PIT	4
RB	Aaron Jones	@TB	5
RB	James Robinson	DET	6
RB	Mike Davis	CHI	7
RB	James Conner	CLE	8
RB	Alexander Mattison	ATL	9
RB	Miles Sanders	BAL	10
RB	Joe Mixon	@IND	11
RB	Todd Gurley II	@MIN	12
RB	David Montgomery	@CAR	13
RB	Ronald Jones II	GB	14
RB	Clyde Edwards-Helaire	@BUF	15
RB	Myles Gaskin	NYJ	16
RB	David Johnson	@TEN	17
RB	Raheem Mostert	LAR	18
RB	Antonio Gibson	@NYG	19
RB	Devin Singletary	KC	20
RB	Darrell Henderson	@SF	21
RB	Kenyan Drake	@DAL	22
RB	Devonta Freeman	WAS	23
RB	Chase Edmonds	@DAL	24
RB	James White	DEN	25
RB	Melvin Gordon III	@NE	26
RB	Adrian Peterson	@JAC	27
RB	Damien Harris	DEN	28
RB	Nyheim Hines	CIN	29
RB	D’Andre Swift	@JAC	30
RB	Le’Veon Bell	@BUF	31
RB	Mark Ingram II	@PHI	32
RB	Jerick McKinnon	LAR	33
RB	Cam Akers	@SF	34
RB	J.K. Dobbins	@PHI	35
RB	J.D. McKissic	@NYG	36
RB	Duke Johnson Jr.	@TEN	37
RB	Phillip Lindsay	@NE	38
RB	Zack Moss	KC	39
RB	Leonard Fournette	GB	40
RB	Frank Gore	@MIA	41
RB	Malcolm Brown	@SF	42
RB	Rex Burkhead	DEN	43
RB	Brian Hill	@MIN	44
RB	Gus Edwards	@PHI	45
RB	D’Ernest Johnson	@PIT	46
RB	Tony Pollard	ARI	47
RB	Chris Thompson	DET	48
RB	Jamaal Williams	@TB	49
RB	Anthony McFarland Jr.	CLE	50
RB	Dion Lewis	WAS	51
RB	Giovani Bernard	@IND	52
RB	Matt Breida	NYJ	53
RB	Boston Scott	BAL	54
RB	Mike Boone	ATL	55
RB	Ke’Shawn Vaughn	GB	56
RB	Kerryon Johnson	@JAC	57
RB	Benny Snell Jr.	CLE	58
RB	Lamical Perine	@MIA	59
RB	Jeff Wilson Jr.	LAR	60

Start ‘em: Myles Gaskin, RB MIA

Gaskin has been a surprisingly consistent option for dynasty players this season. As a second-year back, Gaskin has taken full command of a wide-open depth chart and has performed well. Gaskin, week in and week out, has brought a consistent PPR floor; he has scored at least 5.2 PPR points only as a receiver in every game so far. What’s hurt Gaskin to date has been a lack of touchdowns, as the second-year back has just one on the season.

Going up against a Jets defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs as well as the second-most running back touchdowns, Gaskin should have a good floor and carries top-ten upside on the week. Start him with confidence as a high-end RB2 in your fantasy lineups.

Sit ‘em: Jerick McKinnon, RB SF

Prior to last week, McKinnon had been an incredibly solid fantasy football contributor, scoring at least 13 points in every game from weeks one through four. In week five, however, McKinnon took a noticeable back seat to teammate Raheem Mostert coming back from his injury. McKinnon played just 25% of the team’s snaps as compared to 92% in the team’s week four matchup against Philadelphia.

While his usage in the passing game makes for a solid floor – hence why McKinnon is still ranked as a low-end RB3 – it’s difficult to trust the veteran back heading into a tough matchup against the Rams. Los Angeles ranks 11th-best against opposing running backs on the season. While not amazing, this – combined with the 49ers implied team total of just 24.5 points (seventh-fewest on the week) makes McKinnon a risky play in week six.

If you’re desperate: D’Andre Swift

As a pre-draft rookie favorite to dynasty players, many had Swift pegged to command a lead-back role early on in 2020. With the signing of veteran Adrian Peterson, however, Swift has taken a clear back seat for the time being. The rookie ranks as the RB33 in PPR points per game through five weeks, which itself is not hugely impressive, but this performance has come when Swift has yet to receive more than 43% of the Lions’ snaps in any game. Coming off the team’s bye, it’s reasonable to believe that Swift will be more involved in the team’s offensive gameplan moving into the second quarter of his rookie season.

Despite the relative lack of consistent usage, Swift has managed to score over 11 PPR points in three of his four games. In week six, the Lions have a dream matchup against the Jaguars, where they have the third-highest implied team total of the week at 28.5 points. More specifically, the Jaguars have allowed the ninth-most points to opposing running backs, including over 30 receptions to the position on the season. While Swift’s overall usage makes him simply a high-ceiling FLEX play, there are few running backs in this range who have the ceiling he does in week six.

Wide Receiver

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	@DAL	1
WR	Tyreek Hill	@BUF	2
WR	Adam Thielen	ATL	3
WR	Allen Robinson II	@CAR	4
WR	Calvin Ridley	@MIN	5
WR	Davante Adams	@TB	6
WR	Stefon Diggs	KC	7
WR	Amari Cooper	ARI	8
WR	Terry McLaurin	@NYG	9
WR	A.J. Brown	HOU	10
WR	Cooper Kupp	@SF	11
WR	Mike Evans	GB	12
WR	Kenny Golladay	@JAC	13
WR	Robert Woods	@SF	14
WR	Jamison Crowder	@MIA	15
WR	Will Fuller V	@TEN	16
WR	Robby Anderson	CHI	17
WR	Marquise Brown	@PHI	18
WR	CeeDee Lamb	ARI	19
WR	D.J. Moore	CHI	20
WR	Justin Jefferson	ATL	21
WR	Tyler Boyd	@IND	22
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	@PIT	23
WR	Darius Slayton	WAS	24
WR	DeVante Parker	NYJ	25
WR	JuJu Smith-Schuster	CLE	26
WR	Laviska Shenault Jr.	DET	27
WR	Michael Gallup	ARI	28
WR	Chase Claypool	CLE	29
WR	Brandin Cooks	@TEN	30
WR	Jarvis Landry	@PIT	31
WR	Marvin Jones Jr.	@JAC	32
WR	Tee Higgins	@IND	33
WR	John Brown	KC	34
WR	Deebo Samuel	LAR	35
WR	Christian Kirk	@DAL	36
WR	Jerry Jeudy	@NE	37
WR	Brandon Aiyuk	LAR	38
WR	Julian Edelman	DEN	39
WR	D.J. Chark Jr.	DET	40
WR	Mecole Hardman	@BUF	41
WR	Diontae Johnson	CLE	42
WR	T.Y. Hilton	CIN	43
WR	Golden Tate	WAS	44
WR	Keelan Cole	DET	45
WR	Travis Fulgham	BAL	46
WR	Cole Beasley	KC	47
WR	Preston Williams	NYJ	48
WR	N’Keal Harry	DEN	49
WR	A.J. Green	@IND	50
WR	Russell Gage	@MIN	51
WR	Curtis Samuel	CHI	52
WR	Randall Cobb	@TEN	53
WR	Scotty Miller	GB	54
WR	Zach Pascal	CIN	55
WR	Greg Ward	BAL	56
WR	Tim Patrick	@NE	57
WR	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	@TB	58
WR	James Washington	CLE	59
WR	Gabriel Davis	KC	60

Start ‘em: Marquise Brown, WR BAL

Hollywood Brown might be the unluckiest wide receiver in the league in regards to opportunity vs fantasy points scored. The second-year pro ranks third in the league in total air yard share (43%) behind Adam Thielen and DK Metcalf, the WR2 and WR4 respectively in 2020, yet Brown ranks as just the WR31. Much of this can be attributed to the Ravens’ overall low-volume passing offense, but one might say Hollywood is “due” for a big game. His usage in this offense dictates it.

In week six, Brown goes up against the Eagles secondary that has allowed the eighth-most points per game to opposing wide receivers, and the Ravens as a team have an implied team total of 28 points: fifth-most on the week. This week, Brown ranks well ahead of his seasonal ranking and looks to be in a prime spot for a big game. He’s a mid-range WR2 with massive upside.

Sit ‘em: Golden Tate, WR NYG

With bye weeks starting to get into full swing, dynasty players may be looking to their depth options more frequently for desperation options. While Tate has certainly been consistent for fantasy thus far – scoring between six and ten PPR points in every game since week two – his overall lack of ceiling and difficult matchup in week six makes him an avoid player if possible. Tate has seen at least five targets in every game he’s played in 2020, but the veteran has yet to eclipse 50 yards receiving nor score a touchdown on a struggling Giants team.

In week six, the Giants face Washington, who have allowed the second-fewest points to opposing wide receivers on the season. While the Giants are three-point home favorites, the game’s 43 point over/under is the lowest in week six. This is a matchup to avoid playing Tate unless you want another seven fantasy points.

If you’re desperate: Christian Kirk, WR ARI

As a third-year pro, Kirk has taken a clear back seat to newly acquired stud DeAndre Hopkins. Averaging just 8.2 PPR points per game, Kirk ranks as just the WR76 overall. After a lackluster first three weeks to start the season, Kirk has finally shown some life. Over the last two games, Kirk has managed to earn at least five targets and has scored at least 10 PPR points in each.

While dynasty managers shouldn’t trust Kirk as an every-week starter, he can be a fine FLEX play in the high-powered Arizona offense in good matchups; this week presents one of those matchups. The Cardinals take on the Dallas Cowboys and their defense that has allowed a whopping 36 points per game. The Cowboys have been one of the most generous teams for opposing wide receivers, allowing the second-most points against to the position in 2020. Kirk’s recent uptick in volume and prime matchup makes him a great desperation FLEX or WR3 option.

Tight End

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
TE	Travis Kelce	@BUF	1
TE	George Kittle	LAR	2
TE	Mark Andrews	@PHI	3
TE	Jonnu Smith	HOU	4
TE	T.J. Hockenson	@JAC	5
TE	Robert Tonyan	@TB	6
TE	Zach Ertz	BAL	7
TE	Evan Engram	WAS	8
TE	Mike Gesicki	NYJ	9
TE	Hayden Hurst	@MIN	10
TE	Tyler Higbee	@SF	11
TE	Eric Ebron	CLE	12
TE	Austin Hooper	@PIT	13
TE	Jimmy Graham	@CAR	14
TE	Rob Gronkowski	GB	15
TE	Dalton Schultz	ARI	16
TE	Trey Burton	CIN	17
TE	Mo Alie-Cox	CIN	18
TE	Irv Smith Jr.	ATL	19
TE	Drew Sample	@IND	20
TE	Tyler Eifert	DET	21
TE	Logan Thomas	@NYG	22
TE	Jordan Akins	@TEN	23
TE	Ian Thomas	CHI	24
TE	Gerald Everett	@SF	25
TE	Kyle Rudolph	ATL	26
TE	Darren Fells	@TEN	27
TE	Cameron Brate	GB	28
TE	Dawson Knox	KC	29
TE	Chris Herndon IV	@MIA	30

Start ‘em: TJ Hockenson, TE DET

After the top four tight ends, there’s a clear tier break this week. Hockenson is what I’d classify as “the best of the rest”. The second-year pro ranks as the TE8 in points per game in the 2020 season and has surpassed 50 yards or scored a touchdown in every game this season. Hockenson’s overall usage in the Lions offense has been promising to date, and in a great matchup against the Jaguars – who have allowed the eight-most points per game to opposing tight ends – he’s a mid-range TE1 option for week six.

Sit ‘em: Logan Thomas, TE WAS

If you follow stats like target share throughout the season, you’ll know that Logan Thomas was impressive in that category early on in the 2020 season. There was hope that he could be this year’s Darren Waller rather than 2018’s Ricky Seals-Jones. However, the veteran former-quarterback has yet to surpass 37 yards receiving this season and has been trending in the wrong direction. Over the last two games, Thomas has just two receptions for 12 yards on eight total targets.

Washington faces the Giants this week and have one of the week’s lowest implied team totals of 20 points. This, combined with the Giants only allowed in the third-fewest points per game to opposing tight ends on the season, make Thomas a clear sit for week six.

If you’re desperate: Irv Smith Jr, TE MIN

As a popular breakout tight end target this season, Smith had done little to show fantasy managers why they drafted him before his week five performance. Smith played a similar number of snaps in week five to his season average, but the second-year pro earned five targets, catching four of them for 64 yards.

While Smith still carries a low floor each and every week, he has a solid ceiling in a prime week six matchup against the Falcons. Atlanta’s defense has allowed the third-most points to opposing tight ends on the season, and the Vikings have the second-highest implied team total in week six at 29 points. If you’re desperate at tight end, there are few options with a higher ceiling than Irv Smith this week.

That concludes this week’s rankings article! 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.