Week 6 Fantasy Football Start/Sits - NFL 2025 (QB, RB, WR, TE)

Week 6 of the NFL season is here and we are just about a third of the way through the regular season. Using data, gut feelings and ethereal projections, we will provide you the tools needed to get that juicy dub week after week with 100% accuracy. We will, of course, omit matchup-proof choices such as Puka Nacua and Josh Allen.

Quarterbacks: @ Endydoe

Start: Sam Darnold @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Darnold had an absolute gunslinging shootout last week against the Buccaneers where he posted 341/4/1, and this week he faces a Jaguars defense allowing the 9th most fantasy points to QBs this season. The Jags just allowed 318 passing yards from Mahomes last week, and as Darnold further ingratiates himself in Seattle, including his connection with Cooper Kupp who has increasingly seen more targets, he looks more and more like a solid fantasy starter. It should also be noted that Jacksonville has 10 interceptions on the season, but Darnold has thrown just 3 all season, including three games with none. In a huge mid-season game between the 3-2 Seahawks and 4-1 Jags, I like Darnold a lot this week.

Sam Darnold

Start: Jordan Love vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:25 PM EST)

Love has had a rocky start to his season from a fantasy perspective, but he is coming off his best game of the season after he and the Packers tied with Dallas. With a 337/3/0 line in that game, Love now takes aim at the sorry Bengals in a home matchup. The Bengals have allowed the 8th most fantasy points to QBs this season, including the third most yards (1,347) and T-3rd most touchdowns (11) to the position. Love is a top 10 QB option this week with all this in mind.

Sit: Kyler Murray/Jacoby Brissett @ Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

The Cardinals and Kyler (he's currently questionable with a foot injury) travel to the terror dome (or retractable roof) in Indianapolis to take on the red-hot Colts. The Colts have allowed the seventh least fantasy points to QBs this season, and that includes just 54 rushing yards to QBs all season as well. Murray's fantasy appeal comes largely from his dual-threat capabilities, but this just isn't the matchup for him. Murray enters this week as the QB17 on the season, and he stays there or drops further after this matchup.

Sit: Bryce Young vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Coming from the matchup guy, DON'T DO IT. Bryce Young has shown us that last season's final stretch was a fluke, and he belongs in the front end of a Market Basket rather than behind center in the NFL. How do you lose to Miami in Carolina? Young has literally the best QB matchup he could ask for in the Cowboys, and look, I know it's enticing but please find some better options than him.

Running Backs: Austin # 1

Start: Cam Skattebo vs. Philadelphia Eagles (TNF, 10/9 @ 8:15 PM EST)

AKA Cam Skattebro, the rookie has been a much needed bright spot in this Giant’s offense that has been riddled with injuries. Through 4 starts this season, Skattebo has rushed 61 times for 243 yards and 2 TD’s, as well as 18 catches on 22 targets and 143 receiving yards. This week the Giants draw a surprisingly favorable matchup against a Philly defense that has been allowing over 338 yards to opposing offenses, and with star WR Malik Nabers on the sideline along with Darius Slayton(hamstring), Skattebo is likely to be busy in the passing game as well as on the ground. Skattebo will look for another breakout performance in week 6, and is locked in as a high end RB2.

Cam Skattebo

Start: Tony Pollard @ Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:05 PM EST)

Pollard this season has been the definition of consistency, garnering at least 14 carries every game so far this season. Although he’s yet to eclipse the century mark in any game, through 5 weeks, Pollard has rushed 82 times for 328 yards, averaging exactly 4 yards/carry. You might be asking yourself, what’s so special about a guy on possibly the worst team in the league averaging 65 yards a game? Great question, the answer? HIS MATCHUP. Pollard is facing the Las Vegas Raiders, who rank 31st in the league in touchdowns allowed on the ground (7). Give a reliable RB like Tony Pollard 14 carries against the league’s second softest rushing defense in the red zone and magic is sure to happen. Tony Pollard is a lock in flex every week, but he could flirt with high end RB2 numbers this week, potentially even low end RB1.

Start: Ashton Jeanty vs. Tennessee Titans (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:05 PM EST)

I know Jeanty was a first rounder and there’s no way you’re benching him anyway, but I wanted to throw this out there. If you just read the column for Pollard above, you’d have read the Raiders are 31st in the league in rushing touchdowns scored against them with 7. Do you know who is 32nd? THE TENNESSEE TITANS BABY. Allowing a league high 8 rushing touchdowns in 5 games, Jeanty is primed to have another breakout performance with a high likeliness of scoring in this game. If I was a betting man, I would be putting my money on Jeanty anytime TD scorer in this game. Lock him in as an RB1 with elite upside this week.

(Disclaimer, this is not legal financial advice, as I am just a man with access to data and am offering my opinionated analysis)

Sit: Chase Brown @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:25 PM EST)

You know it, he knows it, the organization knows it, we all know it. Cincinnati is the laughing stock of the NFL right now, but there is a glimmer of hope; they have finally decided to bench Jake Browning for Joe! Joe.. Flacco? In his 18th season? I’m not sure how much better this offense is going to look, but I will say, in the last three games with Browning starting, Brown has mustered an incredible 28 carries for 70 yards. That’s not even 10 carries a game, that’s not even 25 rushing yards a game. For comparison, in the first two weeks with Joe Burrow starting, Chase Brown had 37 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. Not the most efficient running on the ground, but at least he was given opportunity.

Chase Brown simply lacks opportunity these days, although if Joe Flacco can take care of the ball better than Browning (Browning threw 8 picks in 4 games), then Brown’s opportunities may increase again. But, let’s face it, the guy has a rushing line of 65-160-1 in 5 weeks. “But Austin, Brown’s more of a pass catcher”. Really? Cause even last week when he had 7 catches, he could only muster 21 yards. This offense as a whole is bad without Joe Burrow, and although Joe Flacco is an upgrade at QB, until the Bengals can fix their O-line, Brown is likely to continue to struggle producing for fantasy manager, which really hurts to say as he was my 3rd round draft pick my this year. Brown is a desperate flex play at best.

Sit: Derrick Henry vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Remember learning about the metric system in middle school, and the saying your teacher probably told you to remember it by, “King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk”? Well King Henry is still alive as of now, but he’s been drinking a lot of chocolate milk recently, figuratively speaking of course. In the past 4 weeks, Henry has a rushing yard of 46-148-2. “But Austin he had a monster week 1 he’s still got it” you know what else he has? Fumble problems, a hurt QB1, and a declining O-line. In week 1, Derrick Henry rushed 18 times for 168 yards and 2 TD’s and a fumble. Since week 1, Derrick Henry hasn’t rushed for more than 50 yards in a game. Outside of ball control, like Chase Brown, his efficiency may not be completely on him, but the Raven’s O-line isn’t losing fantasy points because of the poor rushing attack, Henry is. This week, the Ravens face a strong Rams team that will likely be dialed in on stopping the run and blitzing Cooper Rush. King Henry is for the bench this week.

Derrick Henry

Sit: Rhamondre Stevenson @ New Orleans Saints (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

If you’ve watched any New England Patriots games this season, you’ve probably buried your face in your hands every time Rhamondre has rushed the ball, save for his two scores against Buffalo last week. Stevenson has now fumbled 3 times over the past 3 weeks, and all of Pats Nation is begging for his role as RB1 to be succeeded to rookie running mate TreVeyon Henderson, and it is only a matter of time before the change happens. The only sense of job security Stevenson has right now is that Antonio Gibson is out for the season, so the running back room is less crowded for opportunities, but until Rhamondre can find a way to keep the ball in his hands with his touches, he shouldn’t even be rostered. I’m actually shocked he is rostered in nearly 80% of ESPN leagues and I wouldn’t start him if he was the only RB on my team. Maybe that’s bias as a Pats fan, but it is what it is.

Wide Receivers: @jvr1210

Start: Stefon Diggs @ New Orleans Saints (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

After a bit of a slow start to the season, Stefon Diggs has emerged as the star wide receiver the Patriots and Drake Maye so desperately needed. Over the past two weeks, Diggs has brought in 16 receptions for 247 yards, including a 10-reception game against his former team, the Buffalo Bills. The biggest flaw for Diggs has been his inability to find the endzone. There were a few plays against Buffalo where Diggs was fighting hard to find the endzone, but wasn’t able to do so. With the increasing volume and production, it’s only a matter of time until the TDs start to come as well. Until he takes a step back, Diggs is a must-start and may even be re-entering WR1 territory.

Start: Kendrick Bourne @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:25PM EST)

Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne were stars alongside RB Christian McCaffrey in a pretty big prove-it game for the 49ers against their divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Rams. Reading this sentence as a Patriots fan is pretty crazy and hard to believe, but it’s true. In the absence of Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne stepped up in a big way, hauling in 10 receptions on 11 targets for 142 yards. Without Bourne, the 49ers likely would not have defeated the Rams. With Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings both likely out again this week, it will be up to Kendrick Bourne again to get the job done. The Buccaneers defense should be a bit of an easier task than the Rams, and I think Jones and Bourne will get the job done again.

Kendrick Bourne

​Sit: Tee Higgins @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:25 PM EST)

No receiver's fantasy value has suffered more from an injury to their quarterback than Tee Higgins has from Joe Burrow’s injury. It’s been a struggle so far this season for Higgins, who has not recorded more than 3 receptions in a game so far this season. Higgins' only bright spot has been finding the endzone twice, without those TDs, Higgins has been borderline useless in fantasy this season. With a total of 13 receptions for 158 yards and 2 TDs so far this season, the Bengals have clearly been struggling to get Higgins involved without Joe Burrow. Jake Browning heavily relied on Jamarr Chase, who has seen 45 total targets compared to Higgins 27. The Bengals have brought in Joe Flacco, which may slightly increase Higgins production, but I wouldn’t expect much more with Flacco at the helm. Until he proves otherwise, keep Higgins on your bench.

Sit: Chris Godwin vs. San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 10/12 @ 4:25 PM EST)

Godwin has been a bit rusty since his return from his ankle injury. In each of his games, Godwin has recorded 3 receptions for 26 receiving yards. His first week back, he saw 10 targets, and last week he saw only 4 targets. So far this season, it’s been all about Emeka Egbuka, especially after Mike Evans hamstring injury. Egbuka has seen 17 targets over the past two weeks, which doesn’t edge out Godwin by a whole lot, but Egbuka has been much more productive with 11 receptions for 264 receiving yards and 2 TDs over the last two weeks.

This week, the Buccaneers matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, who have been the 8th toughest fantasy matchup for wide receivers this season. I expect Egbuka to continue to be the star of this offense in a tougher matchup this week.

Tight Ends: @BreTT_Shevlin

Start: Dallas Goedert @ New York Giants (TNF, 10/9 @ 8:15 PM EST)

If you told me through five weeks that Dallas Goedert would lead all Philadelphia pass catchers in TD receptions (4) I certainly would not have believed you. Goedert has yet to top 50 receiving yards in a game yet, but he has proven to be very reliable in the red area. Smith and Brown have voiced their frustrations with the scheme in passing down situations as Hurts is either looking to dump off to Saquon in the flat, or connect with Goedert over the middle of the field. Dallas remains as a safe floor play regardless of matchup until we see this offense have more variance to it.

Start: Mason Taylor vs. Denver Broncos (London, England, Sunday, 10/12 @ 9:30 AM EST)

Mason Taylor is a guy that should be picked up in all leagues at this point. Coming off his best game as a pro where he saw 12 targets and caught 9 of them for 67 yards. His involvement has increased each coming week as he’s seen 25 targets in the last 3 games. The Broncos defense is really good, but it’s only a matter of time before Taylor catches his first NFL touchdown. Garrett Wilson should see a lot of Pat Surtain in this one which should allow for more volume to come Taylor’s way. If you have TJ Hockenson who’s on a bye and need a tight end to pickup this week, I highly recommend Mason Taylor.

Mason Taylor

Start: Darren Waller vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Darren Waller has been a revelation so far since coming out of retirement. Despite it taking three weeks for him to ramp up into football shape, he’s shaken out to be Tua’s favorite target in the red zone. With the loss of Tyreek Hill for the season, the opportunity for Waller to have his first 1,000 yard season since 2020 with the Raiders is certainly in play. Last season Jonnu Smith had 884 yards and 8 TD’s on the Dolphins and that was with Tyreek. If Waller continues to be a touchdown merchant you may have snagged yourself a steal considering where he was going in drafts to start the season.

Sit: Mark Andrews vs. Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, 10/12 @ 1:00 PM EST)

Mark Andrews has seen his involvement go down with the return of Isaiah Likely to the lineup. With Lamar Jackson also dealing with injury right now it’s way too risky to start Andrews right now. Outside of week 3 vs the Lions his largest receiving total is 30 yards. If Cooper Rush plays again definitely sit him, but if Lamar comes back and you have no other choice I would not expect much production unless he lands in the end zone.