Week 6 Start'em Sit'em

This is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 6 of the 2018 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.

Please Note: 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 Jameis Winston (TB, QB)
The last four quarterbacks to face Atlanta put up an average of 28.6 fantasy points. If you're looking for a QB with upside, Jameis Winston is it. When he faced the Falcons last year, he put up 299 yards and 3 scores. Winston is ranked 5th this week.

Start 'em Matt Ryan (ATL, QB)
Ryan didn't put the numbers that everyone expected last seek against Pittsburgh, but he should bounce back nicely against the Bucs. It's a great matchup as Tampa Bay is giving up 347 yards and 3.3 scores per game along with a whopping 9.3 YPA in their last 3 games.

Start 'em Andy Dalton (CIN, QB)
Andy Dalton has done well against Pittsburgh in the past, but the Steelers are giving up a ridiculous 351 yards and 3 scores to QBs this year. If he can have a decent outing, he has the potential to come close to the average of 31.4 fantasy points per game the Steelers have given up over the last 4 weeks.

Start 'em T.J. Yeldon (JAC, RB)
If you're suffering from the illness called Leonard Fournettitis, hopefully you have T.J. Yeldon. He's ranked 8th this week (PPR) against a largely-ineffective Dallas defense. Yeldon looked good last week handling 20 opportunities including 8 targets and he's locked in to a huge role, plus the Cowboys have given up 8 catches/game to RBs the last 4 weeks.

Start 'em Sony Michel (NE, RB)
Sony Michel looked great last week on his 19 touches and the Chiefs give up a promising 5.6 YPC and 31.5 FPG to RBs the last 4 weeks. Michel has been fantastic over his last two games, rushing for 210 yards and two touchdowns during that span. He's settled in as an every-week RB2 in fantasy.

Start 'em Alfred Morris (SF, RB)
He's not an every week starter, but if you're looking for a bye-week filler, Alfred Morris is an option that's likely on the waiver wire. He played 40% of snaps last week and had 21 touches. His role should grow with Breida likely out, so he's worth using if you need a RB.

Start 'em Julian Edelman (NE, WR)
Tom Brady's favorite target returned to action last week catching 7 of his 9 targets, so consider Edelman a must-play in what is expected to be a high-scoring affair against the potent Kansas City offense. The Chiefs give up the second-most yardage through the air.

Start 'em Tyler Boyd (CIN, WR)
Tyler Boyd finds himself ranked 17th this week among wide receivers in our PPR scoring facing a Steelers defense giving up the 4th-most yards through the air. Boyd should avoid top CB Haden who will be on AJ Green most of the time, meaning his matchup will be as good as it gets, as they give up 49.5 FPG to WRs the last 4 weeks.

Start 'em Amari Cooper (OAK, WR)
If you believe in the every-other-week roller coaster theory, then Amari Cooper is about to climb the tracks back to fantasy relevance...at least for this week. Seattle just gave up 20 fantasy points (PPR) to both Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods last week. Look at Cooper as a solid WR3 or FLEX play this week.

Start 'em Eric Ebron (IND, TE)
The Jets are great against TEs and give up just 8.6 FPG to TEs the last 4 weeks, but it's not looking good for T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle, and the guy did have 15 targets last week.

Start 'em George Kittle (SF, TE)
George Kittle has shown a strong rapport with quarterback C.J. Beathard, which is nothing new since the two were college teammates together at Iowa. He's also given fantasy owners a surprisingly consistent floor this year, eclipsing 75 yards in four of five games. The Packers give up a decent 12 FPG to TEs the last four weeks.

Start 'em Minnesota Vikings (MIN, DEF)
The Vikings haven't been as dominant a defense this year as many expected, but the Cardinals do give up the 2nd most points to defenses over the last 4 weeks plus the Vikes are playing at home.

Start 'em Stephen Gostkowski (NE, K)
Look for points to be scored across both the goal line and through the uprights. Stephen Gostkowski should have plenty of opportunities to put up points in this one.

Sit 'em Joe Flacco (BAL, QB)
Ranked 20th this week, Joe Flacco will face the Titans who are giving up the 3rd-fewest yards through the air. He put up 261/2 in this matchup last year, but he was pretty bad last week and the Titans give up a stingy 19.1 FPG to QBs the last 4 weeks.

Sit 'em Eli Manning (NYG, QB)
On paper this isn't a good matchup, but Eli averaged an insane 400 yards and 3 scores in this matchup last year. With the exception of Mariota and Ryan Fitzmagic, the Eagles have kept solid QB's like Kirk Cousins, Andrew Luck, and Matt Ryan to less than 14 fantasy points.

Sit 'em Mitchell Trubisky (CHI, QB)
Trubisky had a huge game in his last outing and QBs are averaging 300 yards passing/game in last 4 against the Dolphins, but this matchup with Miami is certainly not easy. From a fantasy perspective, QB's have put up an average of just 12.5 fantasy points.

Sit 'em Royce Freeman (DEN, RB)
Royce Freeman rushed 5 times for 31 yards and caught 3-of-4 targets for 16 yards last week marking single-digit touches in three of his last four games. He continues to lose steam to Phillip Lindsay, who out-touched him 15 to 8 in Sunday's blowout loss. Freeman will remain a touchdown-dependent flex option.

Sit 'em Jamaal Williams (GB, RB)
Ranked 45th this week and stuck in a timeshare situation, Jamaal Williams has been a big disappointment through five weeks. Still playing 39% of snaps but only 8 touches last week and continues to be incredible unproductive, averaging only 6.6 FPG. Aaron Jones should get more chances to earn increased snaps moving forward making Williams more of a low-upside RB3.

Sit 'em Derrick Henry (TEN, RB)
Derrick Henry has done next to nothing for 5 games in a row now, so it'd be stunning if he did something here. The Ravens have given up single digit fantasy points in both standard and PPR formats to running backs all year including talented ones like Joe Mixon, LeSean McCoy, and James Conner.

Sit 'em Kenny Stills (MIA, WR)
Stills was invisible in a game Ryan Tannehill threw for 185 yards. He couldn't get anything going down the field and finished behind Albert Wilson in targets. After a fast start, Stills has been held 50 yards the last two weeks. He'll be a boom/bust WR3 for a Week 6 matchup with Chicago.

Sit 'em Robby Anderson (NYJ, WR)
Anderson made the best of his 3 targets last week putting up monster numbers. The problem is that his lack of volume has rendered him highly untrustworthy from a fantasy standpoint. He's ranked 46th this week in our rankings.

Sit 'em Devin Funchess (CAR, WR)
It's been tough for Funchess to meet some of our expectations this year. He was nothing special last week with 7 targets, but the Redskins do give up a promising 44.8 FPG to WRs the last 4 weeks and were terrible in coverage last week. Look at Funchess as a WR3/Flex option.

Sit 'em Greg Olsen (CAR, TE)
As expected. Olsen is preparing to play this week after missing the past four weeks (three games) following a foot fracture in Week 1. It'll be a nice boost to the fantasy position, which has been ravaged by injuries, but owners will have to take Olsen week by week. He's likely to be on a snap-count and remains a threat to re-injure his foot.

Sit 'em Antonio Gates (LAC, TE)
Gates only saw 2 targets last week and Virgil Green scored, but the Browns do give up a promising 14 FPG to TEs the last 4 weeks. With the exception of Jared Cook in Week 4, no tight end has gotten double digit fantasy points in any format.

Sit 'em New England Patriots (NE, DEF)
Mahomes threw 2 picks last week but is tough to sack and protecting the ball well, so you'll need to find another option. The Patriots are ranked 26th this week against one of the most potent offenses in the NFL right now.

Sit 'em Ryan Succop (TEN, K)
The Ravens defense has been stout this year. In fact, no other team has allowed fewer points on the board than Baltimore. That's not good for Ryan Succop. Kickers have averaged just 5.4 fantasy points.

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