Week 6 of the fantasy football season is here, and we’re back with another crop of start/sit options. We have a nice set of data about each team through five weeks, and can make informed decisions on good plays and traps. With that in mind, we’ll pick quarterbacks who should exceed expectations in Week 6, along with three you should probably sit.
Fantasy football, Week 6: Who to start and sit among quarterbacks
We break down the top starting options at quarterback this week, along with some players who should be avoided.
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
Start
We already know that Brees is a much better player at home than on the road — as we like to say, the Superdome is the Coors Field of football. But Brees takes it to a whole other level when he plays home games coming off a bye week. Here’s his key stats in his last three such games:
2016 – 465 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
2013 – 332 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT
2011 – 363 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT
Needless to say, start him.
DeShaun Watson, Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns
Watson put up his third monster game in a row last Sunday night against a decent Kansas City defense. The Browns’ defense, while improved from last year, is still far from elite, especially against the pass. It seems almost inconceivable that Watson doesn’t account for at least three touchdowns in this matchup, and the injuries to the Texans’ defense might allow the Browns to keep things just competitive enough to dissuade Houston’s offense from taking its foot off the gas.
The Titans are the gift that keeps on giving to opposing offenses (non-Cutler division) and Brissett continues to show he has the game to produce yards and touchdowns at a fantasy-friendly rate. We’d like this matchup more if it were in Indianapolis, but Brissett makes for a nice Monday-night hammer in fantasy leagues.
Sit
Roger Lewis, Travis Rudolph and Tavarres King vs. Aqib Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Marcus Mariota, Titans vs. Colts
The real problem here is that Mariota is probably going to be a game-time decision, which is totally untenable in a Monday-night scenario. And even if he does play, even against the porous Colts defense, can you really trust Mariota to be effective enough to help your team. If you have no other options, cross your fingers and hope he plays, but expectations need to be really low here.
Big Ben hit rock bottom last week against the Jags, throwing a pair of pick-sixes in a stunning home loss to the Jaguars. Now Roethlisberger has to face another quality defense, but this time on the road, where his struggles versus home games are well documented. And games at Arrowhead Stadium tend to depress offensive production even more. The way to beat the Chiefs is on the ground, so this should be a Le’Veon Bell game. It’s all adding up to a fade for Ben.
