Fantasy football advice, Week 6: who to start/sit for Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions

Whether it’s injuries, bye weeks, or a hot waiver wire claim that muddles fantasy lineups, the factors which fantasy owners have to consider before hitting the submit button are always present and rarely uncomplicated. There’s only one way to combat this, and that’s parsing each game, one at a time. Here’s what needs to be considered when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Detroit Lions.

The Rams’ defense, usually a capable one, continues to deal with injuries. Starting cornerback Trumaine Johnson has been ruled out, while Michael Brockers, Robert Quinn and William Hayes only practiced once during the week and at a limited capacity. It’s a matchup that favors Matthew Stafford and Marvin Jones, and with the Lions’ backfield so banged up, it won’t be a surprise to see them take to the air early and often. Both need to be in lineups across all formats.

This Lions’ backfield projects to give plenty of snaps to Justin Forsett, who just signed on Tuesday after being cut by the Ravens. That fact should tell fantasy owners all they need to know about how poor the state of the Lions’ backfield is at the moment. It’s not a scenario the Lions would like to have, but with Theo Riddick ruled out and Dwayne Washington getting in only one limited practice session during the week, they potentially don’t have a choice but to get Forsett involved. This is a fantasy situation to avoid.

Todd Gurley carved up the Lions’ defense as a rookie for 147 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. But, as fantasy owners know all too well, Gurley did that to a lot of teams in 2015 and hasn’t had a game like that in his sophomore season thus far. Room for optimism remains, however, as Gurley totaled 108 yards and found the end zone in Week 5, despite another inefficient output. While remaining the focal point of the offense, Gurley is a start-worthy RB1/RB2.

The rest of the Rams’ offense shouldn’t be bothered with as long as Case Keenum’s poor play at quarterback continues. So far, there’s been no reason to expect otherwise, and there isn’t much fantasy value to be expected as a result.