Week 6 Where to Put em

This is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 6 of the 2015 NFL season. Decisions are based upon the FFN rankings and matchup analysis. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.

This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Aaron Rodgers, Rob Gronkowski, or Antonio Brown. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.

Start 'em Andrew Luck (IND, QB)
Normally you won't find 1st round picks in these columns; however, Andrew Luck has played like anything but a first rounder. He has missed the last two games, but before that he was averaging just 13 points a game leaving many fantasy owners frustrated and angry. Keep in mind that those first two games were against strong defenses. Fear not. If Tyrod Taylor can score 26 points on New England, a fresh and healthy(ier) Andrew Luck should be able to bounce back nicely.

Start 'em Matt Ryan (ATL, QB)
With a dominating run game, Matt Ryan hasn't had to carry the team this year. His numbers show that as he's averaging just 15.2 fantasy points/game including a stinker last week. Cam Newton put up 30 points against the Saints in Week 3 and Carson Palmer put up 26 in Week 1. Look for Ryan to redeem himself on Thursday night.

Start 'em Frank Gore (IND, RB)
Coming into this week's FFN rankings at #11 is Frank Gore who found his way into the end zone last week. It appears that he is finally getting into rhythm in the Indy offense. We don't expect the recent signing of Ahmad Bradshaw to impact his workload yet.

Start 'em Dion Lewis (NE, RB)
Ranked right after Frank Gore and with the same projected points (std) is the running back surprise of the year Dion Lewis. He's averaging 14.5 points per game (std) and 20 points per game (PPR). If TJ Yeldon can score double digits on Indy, so can Lewis.

Start 'em Jeremy Maclin (KC, WR)
Jeremy Maclin is a potential WR1 in PPR formats this week against a Minnesota team that has been schooled by Demaryius Thomas (18 pts), Keenan Allen (37 pts), Calvin Johnson (24 pts), and Golden Tate (14 pts). Alex Smith might struggle a bit in this game, but Maclin should get plenty of targets to make this a decent fantasy day.

Start 'em James Jones (GB, WR)
James Jones may be ranked 17th this week, but he too has the potential to put up WR1-like numbers against the Chargers. If San Diego can let Josh McCown throw for 356 yards and 2 scores, what do you think Aaron Rodgers will do? Jones has solidified his role on that Packers offense and that'll show on Sunday.

Start 'em Antonio Gates (SD, TE)
Antonio Gates' first game back on Monday was a great way to start off a shortened season. On paper he has a tough matchup against the Packers and their resurgent defense, but the Pack hasn't really faced a tight end this season with the height, weight, and talent of Gates. Don't hesitate to keep him plugged into your lineup.

Start 'em Martellus Bennett (CHI, TE)
The lone bright spot on the Bears this year not named Matt Forte has been Martellus Bennett. Even though he has been somewhat inconsistent this year, he's got a great division matchup against the Lions who have given up the 6th-most points this year.

Start 'em Minnesota Vikings (MIN, DEF)
The Vikings are ranked inside the Top 5 this week and should finish there as well. The Chiefs have lost stud RB Jamaal Charles for the season with a torn ACL. They've also allowed Alex Smith to be sacked more than any other QB in the league. Kansas City has given up the 6th-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this year.

Start 'em Robbie Gould (CHI, K)
The Lions allows the 6th-most points per game meaning that Robbie Gould should have plenty of opportunities to get into field goal position. Gould is ranked 15th this week on FFN but we have a feeling he should easily crack the Top 10.

Sit 'em Matthew Stafford (DET, QB)
Matthew Stafford failed to reach double digits in his last 3 games - albeit three very tough opponents in Arizona, Seattle, and Denver. His luck isn't likely to rebound this week against the Bears. Even though Chicago has struggled this year, their defense has surrendered the 3rd-fewest yards through the air.

Sit 'em Cam Newton (CAR, QB)
In weeks 2 and 3, Cam Newton blew past his projected points giving fantasy owners 30 points and 27 points respectively. The Newton Express is going to come back down to Earth this week against Seattle who gives up the 7th-fewest yards per game through the air.

Sit 'em C.J. Spiller (NO, RB)
With the exception of 1 monster play in overtime, the CJ Spiller experiment in New Orleans has not worked out the way anyone had hoped. Sean Payton has said that Spiller is 100% healthy and he wants to get him more touches, but until that happens, he's certainly not worth starting in standard leagues and barely worth starting even in PPR.

Sit 'em Alfred Morris (WAS, RB)
You're going to have to look deep for Alf Morris in the rankings this week. The one-time Mr Consistency is in a backfield that's a mess on a team that's a mess. His #35 ranking this week is indicative of what the industry thinks of his prospects - particularly against a tough Jets defense that kept Lamar Miller, Frank Gore, and Isaiah Crowell to 4 points or less.

Sit 'em Percy Harvin (BUF, WR)
The QB situation in Buffalo is a question mark and so is Percy Harvin's fantasy relevance this year. Even with Sammy Watkins out last week, Harvin saw just 4 targets and couldn't haul any of them in. His 1 rush went for a whopping -1 yards giving him a negative fantasy total on the day. He has been a tiny boom or big bust play this year and that's not going to change anytime soon.

Sit 'em Jarvis Landry (MIA, WR)
When you drafted Jarvis Landry you were likely expecting much more out of him than what you've received. In fact, the entire Miami offense (and defense) has disappointed this year. He'll face a Titans team that gives up the 2nd-fewest yards and the 6th-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers.

Sit 'em Jordan Cameron (MIA, TE)
Yes, Jordan Cameron is ranked 8th this week but the odds of him finishing in the Top 10 are slim. With the exception of Week 1's garbage time to Tampa Bay's ASJ, the Titans have been brutal to tight ends. Charles Clay was able to haul in just 1 catch last week for 7 yards on 3 targets. Gary Barnidge had just 1 catch for 17 yards. Cameron has caught less than half of his targets this year making him a risky play.

Sit 'em Larry Donnell (NYG, TE)
Coming into this week's rankings at #21 is Larry Donnell who is averaging just 5 fantasy points per game this year which is right in line with the average of 4 points that the Eagles are allowing to tight ends.

Sit 'em Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT, DEF)
The Steel Curtain has seen better days. The Steelers defense is allowing an average of 19 points per game and the Cardinals are firing on all cylinders right now. It's tough to believe that Pittsburgh will be able to stop Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and CJ1K/Ellington this week.

Sit 'em Steven Hauschka (SEA, K)
One of the more productive kickers last year was Steven Hauschka and he's played well this year as well even though the Seahawks haven't quite lived up to their super-high expectations. Seattle will take on Carolina and their soul-crushing defense which gives up the 4th-fewest points per game.

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