A look into week 6 of fantasy football in the NFL

Upcoming is week six of the NFL season, and there is not anything more exciting than some of our favorite NFL stars returning from injury. Not only does it increase our fantasy football team’s output, but it also helps the real teams win more football games.

Some notable names that are looking to return this week include running backs Christian McCaffery and Dalvin Cook who have both been dealing with multi-week injuries. It is not confirmed these two will be returning this week, as there is a chance they won’t, but if they do they are must starts in any format. 

The two have been fantasy monsters in previous years, but injuries have halted their performance this year. Instead we’ve got to see the likes of Austin Ekeler and Najee Harris boom into top three fantasy running back roles so far this season.

Ekeler and Harris have been PPR format must haves to this point in the season, averaging 23.9 and 19.3 points per game respectively. Both running backs are clear workhorse guys, having a lone role in the offense. 

On top of that each player has elite pass catching ability which collects them extra points most running backs across the league don’t see. If you have these guys keep them, and if you don’t, make sure you buy them as soon as possible before their value climbs even higher than it already is.

On the wide receiver side of the spectrum guys like Deebo Samuel, Mike Williams, and Cooper Kupp have all made huge jumps in the rankings compared to their average draft position. Coming into the season all these guys were falling outside of the top four rounds in most leagues, and now seem to be must haves at this point in the season.

Stefon Diggs, Calvin Ridley, and DeAndre Hopkins have also done the opposite. The three had been round one and round two draft locks but haven’t performed to expectations. So that brings up the question: What do you do?

It has only been five weeks, and most of the guys above claim a large percent of their team’s target share, one of the most important stats when evaluating a wide receiver in fantasy. Your top draft targets will be fine and their production will come, so if you currently don’t have them, see if you can buy them low before it is too late.

Quarterbacks and tight ends have remained about the same in their fantasy value up to this point, but a few big name players like Russel Wilson and George Kittle have suffered injuries that may have you scrambling to find replacements. A risky but sometimes rewarding strategy is to stream a quarterback or tight end, meaning picking one up week by week based on matchup grade.

Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins might remain on the waiver up to this point, and have been decent fantasy options this season at the quarterback position. At the tight end position, depth is an issue as far as finding value outside of the top few guys. 

Some guys who probably weren’t top adds at the start of the season include Dawson Knox and Dalton Schultz, but recent outings could change that. One who has done well but is not rostered above 70% is New England tight end Hunter Henry. Henry has been consistent so far this season and has some great matchups ahead.

As far as defense goes I recommend streaming a defense also. There are always a few defenses that might be a good add for the whole season, but most of the time, you might end up drafting a defense that ends up in the middle of the pack.

Teams playing the Jaguars, Jets, and Dolphins are good options if you stream your defense. 

Feature photo by Don Wright/Associated Press