Fantasy football is supposed to be fun, but I can already feel the anxiety with the number of questions that are coming in. Granted, the 2024 NFL season has been a crazy one with regard to injuries and underwhelming performances by marquee players, so your concerns are definitely warranted.

 

 

 

But something to always keep in mind, especially when you’re looking at your league standings – you only need to make the playoffs. Don’t worry about coming in first. Sure, we all want the bye week during our fantasy playoffs, but it is not a necessity. You just want the invitation to the big dance. You don’t need to be the prom king or queen, just make it to the prom.

From there, anything can happen. I bring this up, not just because of some of the anxiety-filled questions I’ve received where a 1-4 team that ranks third in overall points is already talking about blowing up their squad with a bad trade, but also because this week is already fixing to have some upheaval thanks to a rash of quarterback changes.

Heading into Week 6, we have three completely new starting quarterbacks, three possible returns from injury and two situations that could see mid-game changes under center. The trickle-down effects are going to be massive, so you need to brace yourself. I’m not saying you bench players due to the unknown. Just hedge your expectations. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Drake Maye starting for the Patriots is less of a negative for fantasy owners than any of the changes. You weren’t worrying about starting Ja’Lynn Polk or Demario Douglas anyway. That’s a situation you look at through optimistic eyes and hope someone emerges from the game as a potential waiver wire darling. 

Even the swap in Las Vegas to Aiden O’Connell is probably a lateral move. But Spencer Rattler taking over in New Orleans affects Chirs Olave, Rashid Shaheed and even Alvin Kamara should the Bucs decide to stack the box and force Rattler to throw. 

For those possibly returning from injury, we simply have to watch and hope. Justin Herbert is coming back for the Chargers, Will Levis should be under center for the Titans and we just might see Anthony Richardson return as well. Minimal changes for your Chargers and Titans pass-catchers, but with Michael Pittman and possibly Josh Downs on the shelf, the Colts are going to have some serious issues.

And then there are the Steelers and the Browns. Justin Fields and Deshaun Watson are expected to start, but do they finish? Most feel like the pass-catchers on both teams will see improvement with the potential changes, but Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston have spent much of their time throwing to other receivers in practice, so there is concern regarding some on-field chemistry.

This is the way the NFL and fantasy football go. It’s out of our control. It’s about taking what the teams and players give you and reacting to it properly. Not overreacting. Just reacting. Take it all in this week and, win or lose, we’ll sort it all out on Monday and Tuesday. So, let’s just look ahead to Sunday’s and Monday’s games and work on things we can control.  

Now let’s get into the Week 6 Fantasy Football Mailbag.

 

 

 

NFL Week 6 Fantasy Football Advice: Start/Sit, Waivers & Trades

Steven S. Asks...

The developing backfield situation in Jacksonville might not be as much of a controversy as some might think. Etienne was dealing with a shoulder injury heading into last week’s game against the Colts and aggravated it during the game which was the primary reason Bigsby outsnapped him.

Many speculated the team could be headed to more of a time-share after Bigsby rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries, but in a recent article in the Florida Times-Union, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was asked if Bigsby would start to see an increase in carries and he responded with:

"No. Travis is our guy. Tank had a good game. That's just the way games go. Happy for Tank. Great for the offensive line, obviously, in some of those situations there. Travis is our guy. Tank had a good game today, though…"

Now, Etienne has been limited in practices both Wednesday and Thursday, so the concern is definitely warranted, but I look at this practice schedule in a very similar fashion as I do to what we are seeing in Atlanta with Bijan Robinson. The Falcons star running back has been dealing with a shoulder and a hamstring issue in recent weeks and people are freaking out about his limited sessions and appearing on the injury report. 

When asked about it, head coach Raheem Morris indicated that the limited sessions were simply lode management and that Robinson would be both starting and taking the majority of reps on Sunday. It sounds like we are in that same realm here with Etienne. I love that you have both and commend you for handcuffing. Whether you did it on Draft Day or added Bigsby via waivers, it is the smart move. Just ask the Christian McCaffrey owners who didn’t add Jordan Mason.

 For this weekend against the Bears who rank 30th in DVOA against the run and are allowing an average of 120.8 rushing yards per game with six rushing touchdowns allowed, I would start Etienne and leave Bigsby on the bench. You can’t predict if a guy is coming out of a game due to injury, so if Pederson tells us Etienne is his guy, we have to believe it. Should something happen, at least you’re immediately covered for Week 7.

 

 

 

Brittney E. Is Wondering...

There is no question that all three receivers are studs. While Marvin Harrison still seems to be finding his way at the NFL level, you cannot deny the fact that he is seeing a solid target-share and has had some productive games. Last week was a bit of a mess against the 49ers, but in the three previous games, he totaled 14 catches for 239 receiving yards and four touchdowns. 

You’re not getting 100 yards and a score every game like you probably expected when you drafted him in the second round, but the productivity is solid and should remain so this week against a Packers secondary that ranks 17th in DVOA against the pass and is allowing the 10th-most receiving yards per game. They’ve also coughed up nine touchdowns through the air. I’m locking him down.

McLaurin has two 100-yard efforts with two touchdowns over his last three games, so the only reason why you would question starting him is because you’re afraid the Ravens defense is going to stifle Jayden Daniels. It’s an understandable fear, but not one you should factor in just yet. 

Yes, the Ravens pass-rush is going to put Daniels to the test and yes, the cornerbacks for the Ravens are going to put up a tough fight. But I’ll take a shot and ride this Daniels wave until it breaks before I ignore the numbers that tell you Evans is the guy who should be on the bench this week.

I don’t know exactly what the bad blood is between Evans and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, but these two hate each other and almost every time they face, there is some sort of a fight. They’ve even been ejected in past match-ups. But even if they play the entire game, the results have not been in favor of the wide receiver. 

Since 2017, Lattimore’s rookie season, Evans has averaged three catches for 52 yards and has three touchdowns over a 14-game span. He hasn’t recorded more than 70 receiving yards in a game against the Saints since 2018 and he hasn’t found the end zone since Halloween of 2021.

Sometimes a guy just has your number. Lattimore clearly knows how to get under Evans’ skin and it’s been happening now for nearly seven years. With that kind of data supporting the case and knowing that Lattimore is at full-health coming into this match-up, we’re going to park Evans on the bench and start Harrison and McLaurin.

Mark P. Wants To Know...

We can extend the McLaurin conversation here for Mark’s question as they tie in nicely. I get it – you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and for the Daniels wave to break. It will happen at some point. Will it happen this week against the Ravens? I hope not because I am keeping Daniels active for all of my match-ups this week. 

Yes, the Ravens are a tall order, but with Daniels’ mobility and his connection with his pass-catchers, I have enough confidence in him for this match-up. Not to mention, the Ravens do rank 16th in DVOA against the pass and are allowing the second-most passing yards per game. They’re tough, but as Joe Burrow showed last week, they are not invincible.

But with all of that, would I still start him over Goff in a game against the Dallas Cowboys with a game total set at 52? The short answer is a resounding yes. The long answer is yes because…

The Lions are a run-first team. They have been since Dan Campbell took over as the head coach and they have remained as such. Get the ball down inside the five and Campbell will run it three-straight times and if they still don’t get into the end zone, he’ll go for it on fourth down and run it again. Ground and pound is the Lions motto and with the tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, you can see why.

But even more so here against the Cowboys who rank 31st against the run, allow an average of 135 rushing yards per game and have given up eight rushing touchdowns. Not only can Dallas not stop the run, but they are also dealing with the losses of both Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence. This run defense is in shambles. 

And before you mention last week’s effort against the Steelers, keep in mind that Pittsburgh was down three offensive linemen and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is a moron. OK, so maybe Campbell isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he is smart enough to know that you run hard against a team like Dallas and you keep running at them until they collapse. 

Can Jared Goff have a strong game? Sure. Maybe there is some late second-half back-and-forth if the Lions defense stumbles against Dak Prescott, but despite the expected point-total for this game, I think the majority of the damage done by Detroit comes from its running backs. I’ll take the upside of Daniels for sure when I don’t think Goff is going to have a “ceiling game” for himself.

 

 

 

Fantasy Football Week 6 - NFL 2024

As always, thank you so much for your questions each week. While I try to answer as many as possible on social media, sometimes I miss a few here and there. What I try to do is select questions for this article that cover a broad range of players in the hopes that, if I do miss your question, the answers here encompass at least some of what you need.

 If you would like to submit weekly questions for the Mailbag, you can find me and the rest of the team in the Fantasy Alarm Discord (just be sure to tag me or send a private DM) or feel free to email me at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.

Let’s crush it here in Week 6!