NFL Players You Should Start & Sit in Fantasy Football for Week 6

Things are getting very real in the world of fantasy football. Playoff positioning is starting to come into focus, and some managers have already given up on their 2019 campaign. There’s always next year, chumps.

Week 5 gave us plenty of highlights. For one, Will Fuller—have a day, young man! The 25-year-old from Notre Dame put together easily his best game of the season. Previously, his target high was seven (two times), but he received a whopping 16 against the Falcons, catching 14 balls for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Talk about volume.

And then there was Aaron Jones. In three of his four games to start the season, Jones had yardage totals of 39, 19, and 21. Yet on Sunday, in Green Bay's massive NFC win over Dallas, Jones racked up 107 yards and...a casual four touchdowns. That's not to mention his eight catches for 75 yards. This guy’s inconsistency will forever drive fantasy managers insane.

We didn’t tell you to start Will Fuller or Aaron Jones, but we were on the money about Adam Thielen’s bounce-back. So, who should you start and sit for Week 6? Find the answers below.

If you’d like to keep tabs on how we’ve performed to date, you can check out our picks for Weeks 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Ryan has been hit or miss this year. Last week, he was hit, completing 32-of-46 passes for 330 yards and three TDs to one INT against Houston. Ryan is now second in the NFL in passing yards, but Atlanta is 1-4 and desperate for a W.

Luckily for the Falcons, they’re facing one of the worst overall defenses in the league. Arizona has struggled in the secondary without Patrick Peterson, and in the DB’s last game out as he finishes up a six-game suspension, Ryan will exploit the opposing birds

Maybe Rex Ryan isn’t that far off? Mayfield is going through some second-year QB struggles at the moment. On Monday, he was dreadful in the Browns' 31-3 loss to San Francisco, completing 8-of-22 passes (36.3 percent) for 100 yards and tossing two picks. For the season, he has four touchdowns and eight INTs. Ouch.

However, Mayfield draws a favorable matchup this week. Seattle has a stout run defense but has struggled against the pass, a product of its poor pass rush. Despite the short week, a motivated Mayfield should bounce back.

In his big return to the gridiron, Melvin Gordon was...a big flop. Following his holdout through the first four weeks of the regular season, Gordon got 12 carries for 31 yards (a whopping 2.6 yards per carry) and four catches for 7 yards (1.8 yards per reception). He said he wouldn’t be rusty because he’d been working out hard, but...yikes.

Nonetheless, count on a big night from Gordon in prime time against the Steelers. Pittsburgh has struggled to stop the run this season, and Gordon will be driven to prove himself—and disprove those clamoring for Austin Ekeler to be the No. 1 back—on the big Sunday night stage.

Breida exploded in Week 5, running 11 times for 114 yards and a score and hauling in three passes for 15 yards and another score. Previously, he hadn't reached the end zone yet this year, but he looked unstoppable Monday.

We’re not telling you to hurry aboard the Breida hype train, but the matchup—against the Rams—is right this week. LA has been average against both the run and pass, and has allowed big days to opposing backs in each of the past three weeks. Time for another big day for Breida.

This week we get a rematch between the Bucs and Panthers, which Tampa won, 20-14, amid some wild weather conditions in Week 2. And this time, they’re meeting at The London—err, playing in London.

In the first matchup between the two teams, Moore had nine catches on 14 targets, accruing 89 yards for his best fantasy game of the season. He’s proven to be Kyle Allen’s favored receiving weapon (next to Christian McCaffrey, of course), and Tampa has the worst passing defense in the NFL (323.6 yards per game).

No QB wants to face the 49ers’ pass defense right now. As we noted above, Mayfield looked horrendous against Richard Sherman & Co. on Monday night.

Goff is a step above Mayfield in the QB hierarchy, but he’s had an underwhelming 2019. He's had some big-yardage games and is third in the league in passing yards, but he’s also tossed seven picks to match his seven touchdowns. The 49ers lead the NFL in takeaways, and Goff is prone to turn the ball over in the afternoon matchup this Sunday.

Lindsay and Royce Freeman are never no-brainers, given their split workload, but that’s especially the case this week. The Titans have a solid run defense. Though they allowed Frank Gore to break through late this past week, they had the Bills’ run game on absolute lockdown for the vast majority of that defensive battle.

Lindsay had a great day against the Chargers last week, running 15 times for 114 yards and a score, marking perhaps his best effort of 2019. But, given the matchup, the 25-year-old is a tough play this week.

Saquon Barkley is most likely out, and Wayne Gallman (concussion) definitely is, so you might be tempted to turn to Hillman, an undrafted free agent from Rutgers and presumably the next man up in the Giants’ backfield. You’d definitely look like a genius and win your friends’ respect if Hilliman had a big day. But Barkley might still play, and even if he’s the featured back, Hilliman would split touches with fullback Eli Penny.

Adding to the case against Hilliman, the matchup—against New England—is a nightmare. New England has the third-best rushing defense in the league. Save your risk-taking move for a different context.

It’s not that the Steelers’ pass defense (No. 12 in the NFL) has been anything special, though Minkah Fitzpatrick has helped. It’s really just that Williams hasn’t shown us anything this year. What’s happening, Mike?!

Though he was an early pick in most drafts, the 25-year-old, who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft, has only 14 catches for 231 yards and no touchdowns. He hasn’t played a starting-caliber game once this season, and until he shows some indication of life, you shouldn’t put him into your starting lineup.

Cook had a slow start to the season, but he had a strong Week 5, catching four balls for 41 yards and a touchdown. So, maybe some chemistry with Teddy Bridgewater is developing, and maybe you’re feeling inclined to give the vet a starting opportunity.

The chemistry may well be there, but the matchup this week just isn’t in his favor. The Jaguars have strapped up opposing tight ends. In the Panthers’ win last week, Jacksonville held Greg Olsen without a catch. Promising signs notwithstanding, Cook should be a sit this week.