Fantasy football projections, Week 6: Broncos-Chargers featuring Demaryius Thomas, Melvin Gordon, Philip Rivers, more

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The Week 6 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers features a really good defense against a high-scoring offense. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has proven that he can perform no matter who is calling the shots at quarterback for Denver. He only managed 49 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, but he did find the end zone for a third straight week. Thomas now has at least five receptions in each of the last four weeks as well. He’s been the most consistent player the Broncos have, so the fact he only has one 100-yard game this season probably doesn’t bother fantasy owners. Thomas has a good chance to cross the 100-yard plateau in Week 5. He will be facing a defense that only ranks in the middle of the pack against opposing wide receivers. With Trevor Siemian likely starting Thursday’s game, Thomas should be golden.

Thomas should get added help this week from teammate and running back C.J. Anderson. After rushing for 166 yards in the first two weeks of the season, Anderson has cooled off considerably. He has just 127 rushing yards in the last three weeks combined. Those who held onto Anderson thinking that he might be back in elite form could be regretting that decision at this point. If there is a silver lining in the clouds, it’s that only one team has given up more fantasy points to running backs than the Chargers. For that reason alone, Anderson will be in starting lineups, particularly in deeper leagues. He should play well above what he’s shown in the last three games and that could push Anderson well beyond his projected totals.

Chargers coach Mike McCoy says the team believes in running back Melvin Gordon wholeheartedly despite the fact he’s lost fumbles in back-to-back games. It hasn’t really affected the mindset of his fantasy owners. That’s because despite being held out of the end zone on the ground for the first time all season in Week 5 (and even then, he did catch a receiving score), Gordon has six rushing touchdowns so far this year after not being able to score his entire rookie year. Despite Denver’s reputation as a solid defense, they’ve actually given up the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Gordon just may find his way back into the end zone in Week 6. Hopefully he can hold onto the ball this time.

Gordon will rely on quarterback Philip Rivers to hand the football off to him. When Rivers keeps the ball and decides to throw, he will be facing a Broncos defense that has done a great job making quarterbacks uncomfortable this season. Even coming off a season-high 359 passing yards against the Oakland Raiders in Week 5, it’s hard to imagine Rivers picking apart the Broncos. He is likely in for a turnover-prone adventure on Sunday which may also include a fourth straight loss. Still, 680 passing yards over the last two weeks combined is hard to ignore. Rivers may flirt with his projected totals against the Broncos, but he’ll need to take care of the football. Only time will tell if he’s able to do that.