Fantasy football advice, Week 6: Who to start/sit for Washington vs. Jets

By virtue of the struggles of all of the NFC East, the 2-3 Washington team is only a game out of first place in the division. By virtue of ... well, playing really well, the 3-1 New York Jets are also one game out of first in their division, the AFC East. Sunday, these two teams play one another, with the winner putting themselves in better shot at an eventual playoff berth.

Washington will be without tight end Jordan Reed for another week as he deals with a concussion. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has yet to be ruled out, but his hamstring injury doesn’t appear to be behind him quite yet. Running backs Matt Jones and Chris Thompson and wide receiver Pierre Garcon were all also on the weekly injury report, but all three are expected to be fine for Sunday. On the Jets side, running backs Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, wide receiver Eric Decker and tight end Jeff Cumberland are all on the injury report. Cumberland still needs to finish his path through the league’s concussion protocol, but assuming that happens, the Jets should have all four ready to play Sunday.

The Jets play host for Sunday’s game, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at the fantasy names to consider:

Start ‘em?: With DeSean Jackson appearing likely to miss one more game, Pierre Garcon is a reasonable low-end flex, with at least five fantasy points in every game this season. ... Derek Carrier is no great shakes at tight end, but whoever the Washington starter is at the position has had at least eight fantasy points in every game except the one where Jordan Reed got hurt. The position gets heavy use. ... Since Dustin Hopkins took over as the Washington kicker, he’s averaged 8.5 fantasy points a game.

Sit ‘em: Right after his best game of the season, Kirk Cousins bounced back with one of his worst in Week 5. His propensity for interceptions just makes him hard to use, especially against a good New York defense. ... Between Alfred Morris, Matt Jones and Chris Thompson, Washington running backs have combined for three player-games of double-digit fantasy points this season, and six one-point games. The workload is just too split to use any of the three reliably. ... The Washington defense has performed well, if not great, but the Jets do well enough on offense to make Washington a stay-away.

Start ‘em: Now that he appears to be healthy again, Chris Ivory is a must-start at fantasy; he has at least 21 fantasy points in both of his healthy games, and even against a strong Washington run defense, he should do well enough. ... If you’re going to beat Washington, it’ll be through the air, and the Jets’ best weapon is Brandon Marshall, who has 12 fantasy points in every game. ... Nick Folk has been strong all year, with at least seven fantasy points every week. ... The Jets’ defense is strong, and now faces the always-at-a-risk-for-an-interception Cousins.

Start ‘em?: With a decent offense around him, you’d have expected more out of Ryan Fitzpatrick so far this season. He’s maxed out at 15 fantasy points. The flip side, though, is that he hasn’t had fewer than 13 in a game. He’s a high-floor, low-ceiling option. ... Eric Decker has had a good season; in fact, he and Marshall are the only wide receivers with at least nine fantasy points in every game played this season.

Sit ‘em: Ivory’s return to health renders Bilal Powell a fantasy afterthought. ... Even when healthy, Jeff Cumberland hasn’t been a good fantasy option.

Start in every league: Chris Ivory, Brandon Marshall, Nick Folk, New York defense
Start if you’re desperate: Pierre Garcon, Derek Carrier, Dustin Hopkins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eric Decker
Bench: Kirk Cousins, Alfred Morris, Matt Jones, Chris Thompson, Washington defense, Bilal Powell, Jeff Cumberland