RADIO
If you are like me, you are in a toxic relationship with fantasy football. This season, more than any, reminds me of that scene in Brooklyn 99 when Jake Peralta and Rosa Diaz have to prove they are dirty to Melanie Hawkins to infiltrate her gang. Adrian Pimento becomes relatable to fantasy managers as he lays down the rules for what they can do to him, and he'd be okay with it.
Me talking to my #FantasyFootball roster heading into week 6 pic.twitter.com/y0lx9VHBl1
— Matt Donnelly (@MattDonnellyFF) October 7, 2024
As we enter week 6, we need to monitor one of the elite receivers in the game today, as Nico Collins appears to be, like the rest of us, day to day after injuring his hamstring last Sunday. We also need to be aware that, once again, four teams are on bye this week. The Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings will sit this out.
It's time once again to look at the wide receivers you are starting and the ones you are sitting in this week's Rotoballer Start' Em and Sit Em for week 6.
Week 6 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Terry McLaurin - WR, Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens is a fearsome fantasy defense, nevermore. What once was a matchup to avoid has now become one that opposing offenses can exploit, at least in the passing game.
While the Ravens allow a league-low 60 yards per game on the ground, they rank next to last in passing yards allowed per game, allowing 280 passing yards per contest. From a fantasy perspective, they are allowing 45.75 fantasy points per game this season to opposing receivers, having allowed 968 yards and eight touchdowns to the position.
Has there been a hotter receiver over the last couple of weeks than Terry McLaurin? After starting the season with 39 yards over the first two weeks, McLaurin has now registered 264 receiving yards over his past three contests, including two in which he has had at least 100 receiving yards.
People have forgotten or chosen to ignore how good of a passer Jayden Daniels truly is. Daniels' deep ball accuracy during his final season at LSU was 64%, along with 22 touchdowns. People forgot that he completed 72% of his passes, so what he's doing now really shouldn't come as a surprise.
JAYDEN DANIELS WITH A 66-YARD DOT TO TERRY MCLAURIN 🎯 🔥
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/xMsIqZZg0P— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 6, 2024
The McLaurin and Daniels connection has put McLaurin in the low-end WR1/ high-end WR2 conversation. Over the last three games, we have looked at 17.2 fantasy points per game with a 30% target share.
Digging a little deeper, you'll find the connection has hit 61% of the Commanders' air yards, as McLaurin has an 84% route participation. It's not a must-start combination, at least not yet, but it's well on its way.
Expect that deep ball to connect with McLaurin once again this week after seeing this Baltimore secondary get lit up by Joe Burrow, who threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns a week ago.
DJ Moore - WR, Chicago Bears vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Don't look now, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are now the friendliest defense for receivers in fantasy football. After allowing a pair of receiving touchdowns to Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. of the Colts last week, the Jaguars are now allowing just over 46 fantasy points per game to the position.
I'm not great with math, but if we look at what the Jaguars allowed to Colts receivers and factor in Moore's two-touchdown performance last week in which he finished with 105 receiving yards add another 29% target share, then we can reasonably assume that Moore projects to be a top-12 receiver once more this week.
Interestingly, just 15 receivers have accounted for 30% or greater red zone target share this season. Moore's 31.8% ranks him 13th in that category. Caleb Williams looks for Moore when the Bears are looking to score, and we love touchdowns in fantasy.
It appears that the game is slowing down for the rookie Willams. He is progressing through his reads and connecting with his receivers, and he has now thrown for 300 or more yards in two of the last three contests.
WR DJ Moore (CHI): I tabbed DJ Moore as my WR10 in the offseason coming into the 2024 season. It was a bold take that I still believe in. 105 yards and 2 TDs certainly helps his cause. He’s a stud, and what a joy to witness! pic.twitter.com/5JuDkMQ1Em
— Joshua Cho (@jbchoknows) October 7, 2024
Zay Flowers - WR, Baltimore Ravens vs. Washington Commanders
Perhaps the Washington Commanders are improving as a fantasy defense. Or, more than likely, the Cleveland Browns need to admit that Deshaun Watson is no longer that guy.
Last week, a Commanders unit allowing nearly 40 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers in fantasy held Watson to 15 of 28 passing for just 126 yards, 60 of which went to Amari Cooper on his six grabs on 10 targets.
A tiger can't change its stripes, and the Commanders are still not good when it comes to deafening opposing wideouts. Last week, Flowers played a significant role in the Ravens 41-38 overtime victory against the Bengals. In that contest, Flowers would see 12 targets, hauling in seven of them for 111 yards, an average of 15.9 per reception.
NFL Week 5 WR Usage (No MNF)
1. Garrett Wilson (32.8 exp half PPR)
2. Darnell Mooney (23.0) (again!!!)
3. Tee Higgins (20.6)
4. Justin Jefferson (20.5)
5. Drake London (17.9)
6. Zay Flowers (17.2)
7. Josh Downs (16.5)— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 7, 2024
Jalen Tolbert - WR, Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions
If you are looking for a deep sleeper, you may have gotten a glimpse of him during Sunday Night Football last week. Jalen Tolbert took advantage of coverages rolling towards CeeDee Lamb and would post teams hughes in receptions with seven, targets with 10, receiving yards with 87, and finish the night off with the game-winning touchdown.
We know Lamb is going to bounce back this week against a Lions team that had already allowed 873 yards to receivers through four weeks. There may also be enough meat on the bone for Tolbert, who had seen a 12.5% target share before week 5's 24.4% target share while running more routes than Lamb.
Over the past four Dallas Cowboys games:
Targets
31 - CeeDee Lamb
27 - Jalen TolbertPPR points
62.7 - Lamb
54.5 - Tolbert— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 7, 2024
With a great matchup this week, Tolbert figures to be a solid flex option. Four teams are on bye, and injuries are decimating the position.
Week 6 Sits - Fantasy Football Busts
Michael Pittman Jr. - WR, Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
It was a fun run while it lasted. After 113 receiving yards in Week 4 against the Steelers, Pittman continued to produce for fantasy managers thanks to a touchdown grab against the Jaguars last week.
Targets have been there all season for the Colts receiver, whose 37 targets are nine more than the next closest pass catcher, Josh Downs. Even with those additional targets, Pittman has just two more receptions than Downs and has two fewer touchdown grabs than Alec Pierce, with 130 receiving yards fewer than that of Pierce.
Tennessee is coming off its bye week. However, prior to the rest, it had been allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing receivers, just 19.78 per. Through the first four contests, the Titans' secondary has allowed just 95.75 receiving yards to the wide receiver position per game and has yet to allow a touchdown.
We also may see Anthony Richardson's return, which limits Pittman's ceiling from what we have seen early on this season.
Joe Flacco completions vs. the Jags: 33
Anthony Richardson completions this season: 39 https://t.co/4z0K2NiVlA pic.twitter.com/YmXfu2TaY5
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) October 6, 2024
Garrett Wilson - WR, New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
It's a scary world when Zach Wilson is a better fantasy option for both Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson than Aaron Rodgers.
That said, Wilson is coming off his best game of the season in London, where he had 13 receptions and 113 yards, along with a touchdown grab on 22 targets against the Vikings, In London. The last time a player saw 22 targets in a single game was back in 2015 when Antonio Brown was the benefactor.
Minnesota is allowing the third most fantasy points per contest this season. Meanwhile, the Jets' opponents this week are their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo is allowing the fifth fewest fantasy points on a per-game basis this season, averaging just 24.76 per against.
Considering Wilson has been held to 60 or fewer receiving yards in four of the Jets' five contests this season, it may be wise to fade the Pro Bowl receiver in this one.
Christian Kirk - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears (London)
I can admit when I am wrong. It turns out I was wrong about Christian Kirk. He is no longer the No. 1 receiver in Duval County; that distinction belongs to rookie Brian Thomas Jr.
Through five games, Thomas leads Kirk in every statistical category, from receiving yards, receptions, targets, yards per reception, yards after the catch to touchdowns and fantasy points. Everything.
Brian Thomas Jr. has been UNSTOPPABLE these past two weeks:
• 17 targets (leads team)
• 11 receptions (leads team)
• 208 receiving yards (leads team)
• 13 rushing yards
• 2 receiving TD’sThomas and Lawrence already look like a TOP-5 DUO.
The Jaguars got a STEAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9MTyhcayX2
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) October 6, 2024
This week doesn't help. When the Jaguars host the Bears in London, they will be facing a defense that held Andy Dalton to just 136 passing yards and limited Diontae Johnson to just three catches for 23 yards.
Kirk still holds PPR value, but if you had to start a Jags receiver this week, it would be Thomas against a Bears unit that allows 25.8 fantasy points per game to the position, the sixth-fewest.
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