We are back to a week with just two weeks on bye, but as we progress deeper into the regular season, the decisions get more difficult and more important. At this point we have a better idea about our players and the defenses they are going against that you would think would help you make your calls. However, here are the guys you should consider starting and sitting as we head into Week 6 of the fantasy football season.
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Fantasy Football Start/Sit Week 6
Quarterbacks
Start: Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills vs. San Francisco 49ers. Sure, the Bills don’t have the most exciting offense, but Taylor still has those games that raise your fantasy eyebrows. This is going to be one of them. Have you watched the 49ers this year? For your sake, I hope the answer to that is no because they are awful. Taylor is a dynamic talent that can throw and run when asked to, and without Navarro Bowman on the field for the Niners he will do both. I expect him to throw for two and run for one on Sunday for an impressive fantasy day.
Sit: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks. We said to sit Ryan last week against the tough Broncos defense, and while the Falcons still won the game, Ryan threw just one touchdown. This week he faces another really good defense in Seattle. The Seahawks have allowed the fewest passing yards in the league, have given up just one passing touchdown, and are coming off of a bye. None of this bodes well for Mr. Ryan who is headed for another lackluster performance statistically.
Running Backs
Start: LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Stop 2 on the Tom (Brady) Terrific Tour is going to be Cincinnati. I’m sure Brady hasn’t gotten rid of the entire chip on his shoulder and looks to take it out on the other team in Ohio. That being said, Blount should have open lanes all day long with the Bengals defense focused on stopping the pass. Cincinnati should still be licking their wounds after the Ezekiel Elliott bus rolled over them all last Sunday, and look for Blount to have at least 75 yards and a score, maybe two.
Start: Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints. Obviously this comes with the caveat that he actually has to play the game, but the reports are now that Stewart should be back. He has missed the last three weeks with that hamstring injury suffered early in Week 2, but he couldn’t have more of a cupcake return game than this. The Saints are AWFUL defensively, especially against the run. Sure, they are coming off their bye but they have allowed eight rushing touchdowns in four games, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Stewart scored on them too and topped 100 yards.
Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart practiced today!!! Start em
— Talk NFL Fantasy (@talknflfantasy) October 13, 2016
Sit: Matt Jones, Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles. After a great game against the stinky Browns, Jones had a hard time getting anything going against a tough Baltimore defense in Week 5. Basically, what we have found from Jones this year is that he isn’t able to run against good defenses. Well, he faces another one this week against the Eagles who have allowed just two rushing touchdowns all season long. If you start Jones, don’t expect him to top 70 yards or find the endzone.
Sit: Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. Ajayi had more carries in Week 5 than he had in any game this season. Unfortunately, that number is 13, which isn’t a great amount of usage. The Dolphins barely handed the ball to anyone else last week, but even with that fact, Ajayi failed to overwhelm, or even satisfy any of your expectations. Arian Foster could return this week which makes the picture even more bleak. The offense is just terrible in Miami right now, and they really struggle to move the ball. It won’t get any better this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers who bottled up the Jets run game last week and are allowing just 77 yards per game on the ground.
Wide Receivers
Start: Tavon Austin, Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions. Wow! The Lions must be really, really, really bad if I’m going to tell you to start a Rams receiver! Considering the fact that their quarterback has three games without a touchdown pass in the first five this season, there usually aren’t a lot of reasons to play these guys. However, the Lions have allowed the most passing touchdowns in the league this season with 14 in just five games. That is a ridiculously bad pace. I chose Austin over Brian Quick or Kenny Britt, because he often is used in end arounds or other running plays and gives you another avenue from which to score. Case Keenum should throw a touchdown or two this week, my bet is that Austin gets one of them.
Start: Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons. Do you know the other team that is tied with the Rams in allowing 14 passing touchdowns this season? That would be the Atlanta Falcons, who are the opponent of the Seahawks this week. Seattle is coming off a bye, which was much needed for banged up quarterback Russell Wilson. As much as I hate them, if you give Seattle two weeks to get ready for a game against a really crappy defense they are going to take advantage! I could see Baldwin catching two touchdowns to go with 120 receiving yards.
Sit: DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles. I don’t normally say to start or sit more than one guy on any team, but I’m gonna do it this week with Washington. The Eagles are just as good on defense against the pass as they are against the run, and have allowed just three touchdowns receiving in four games. While Jackson is the veteran of the group, I don’t know that Washington has one receiver for you to focus on. I really don’t think I would be comfortable starting any of them this week, and would definitely keep Jackson riding the pine.
Sit: Terrelle Pryor, Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans. I hate to even write this one because I am starting to feel badly for the Browns, but their offense is really just not good. Rookie Cody Kessler was knocked out of the game last Sunday and they have Charlie Whitehurst???? That’s a sure way to not score any points. Charlie Whitehurst is gone, and they expect to welcome back Josh McCown this week. Whether it is Kessler or McCown, I don’t expect a ton of production this week from Cleveland. The Titans are allowing 220 yards per game through the air, but only four passing touchdowns in five games which is solid. I hope I’m wrong on this one, but I would be shocked to see Pryor find his way to the end zone this weekend.
Tight Ends
Start: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders. Let me start out by saying that I am not the biggest fan of Kelce most weeks. It isn’t that he is good, I just always feel people have a slightly higher opinion of him than I do. That being said, the worst passing defense in the NFL by number of yards allowed is the Oakland Raiders. They are giving up an eye popping 330 yards per game through the air. Let that sink in for a second! Last week the Raiders allowed seven catches to San Diego’s two tight ends for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Look for Kelce to light up the scoreboard this coming Sunday.
Sit: Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans. Against a craptastic Bears defense, Allen had his best game of the season last week with six catches for 50 yards and a score. Yup, you read that right, that has been his best game so far. Allen has been a disappointment through five weeks, and while I do think he can turn it around and improve for the rest of the season, I don’t see it happening this week. The Texans are still a great defense, and are allowing just over 180 passing yards per game. And last week they shut down Kyle Rudolph for two catches for 15 yards in a game that looked like a slam dunk for him to be successful.
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