Key Starters and Tough Calls: Lineup Spotlights for Week 6

Below you will find some of my spotlight choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions in Week 6. These selections are based off my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to all of my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the 2021 season. Skill position analysis here is based on my PPR rankings.

This has seemingly turned out to be even more of a challenging Week 6 than we anticipated. Yes, there are four teams on bye weeks, but several significant injuries are forcing us to field lineups that create anxiety and discomfort. That is simply the nature of fantasy football, though, and constant roster and lineup adjustments are needed to remain competitive. Many of your opponents are dealing with similar issues. Reaching to the end of your bench or running back to the waiver wire is simply required at certain points of the season.

You may be considering lower-ranked options for key spots in your lineups this week, but as we indicate here, some of them do have encouraging outlooks. We also help you deal with injury situations that leave you frequently searching for answers. There is one recommended approach that can make your decision-making process on injured players easier.

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Injured Players Listed as Questionable: Start ‘em or Sit ‘em?

-Here is my rule on injured players listed as questionable: If the NFL team clears them to be active without any reports of the player being limited or less than 100 percent, I will play them too. If a player is fully cleared to go, I will not worry about them being “banged up.” If the player is too banged up to play, he will likely not be activated. Of course, this rule is not absolute and every injury has context behind it, so make sure you stay updated on the RotoBaller player news feed to know all the details on every injury.

Running Backs

-Myles Gaskin had a season-high 99 scrimmage yards and a career-high 10 catches last week with two receiving TDs. He has 70-plus scrimmage yards in two of his last three games. The Jaguars allow the fourth-most Fantasy Points Per Game to RBs among AFC teams, although much of that has been on the ground. Gaskin has been unreliable, but in a week with so many injuries and four byes you have to likely roll with him again.

#Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin among all NFL RB’s in Week 5

💥 88.7 receiving grade (2nd)
💥 10 receptions (1st)
💥 2 touchdowns (1st)

His 88.7 receiving grade was also a new personal best pic.twitter.com/W80wF5vzIe

— PFF MIA Dolphins (@PFF_Dolphins) October 13, 2021

-Chuba Hubbard had five catches and a career-high 134 scrimmage yards (101 rushing) in Week 5. He is aiming for his fourth game in a row with 70-plus scrimmage yards. You should confidently start Hubbard as a RB2, as the volume will be there again and it is essential for the Panthers to keep Hubbard involved to ease pressure on Sam Darnold.

-Khalil Herbert led the Bears with 75 rushing yards in Week 5. Now he will be the lead ball carrier for the Bears in Week 6. As Allan Bell of SportsLine has pointed out, Green Bay has allowed 13 TDs in 13 red zone trips this season, so Herbert has a good shot of scoring this week.

-Devontae Booker had his third career two-TD game in Week 6. He does not have much upside as pure runner, but with Daniel Jones ready to go, Booker will have TD promise as a drive finisher for the Giants and should be locked in as your fantasy RB2 because of the projected volume.

-Darrel Williams has a rushing TD in his last two road games. That stat will make you feel even better about starting him as your RB2 this week.

-Javonte Williams had a season-high 86 scrimmage yards last week, including a 49-yard run. You simply have to take the chance that he can deliver his best performance yet against Las Vegas’ 25^th-ranked run defense. This is a week where you must make the riskier plays from among your reserves, and Williams could be on the verge of a very good outing as he continues to make strides forward in his rookie year.

Through five weeks, #Broncos RB Javonte Williams is behind only Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry in forced missed tackles, with 19.pic.twitter.com/vItC1Tu1Hn

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 15, 2021

-Alex Collins has 70-plus scrimmage yards in his last two games and will start again in Week 6 at Pittsburgh. The Steelers allow the fourth-fewest Fantasy Points Per Game to RBs. But Collins will get the bulk of the carries for the Seahawks again, and he will be the TD finisher for a Seattle offense that should still move the ball effectively enough even if it is surely less explosive without Russell Wilson.

Wide Receivers

-Jaylen Waddle leads all rookies with 27 catches so far this season. With Tua Tagovailoa returning, and the Dolphins needing an offensive spark, look for Waddle to get the ball early and often against Jacksonville. Waddle and Tua’s rapport from their Alabama days makes him a better fantasy option when Tagovailoa is playing over Jacoby Brissett.

-Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Lions with seven receptions for 65 yards last week. He has been targeted eight times in each of the past two games. Detroit is now without both Tyrell Williams and Quintez Cephus, and the Bengals will be paying a lot of attention to the Lions TEs and RBs on defense. St. Brown can be considered as a WR3/flex starter this week by those digging deeper for such options.

-Brandin Cooks has five-plus catches in four of five games this season. He is aiming for his fourth game in a row vs. the Colts with five-plus catches and 50-plus receiving yards. Indianapolis has allowed the fourth-most FFPG to WRs among AFC teams, so Cooks should be back in your lineup as a strong WR3 play this week even though he posted disappointing totals in his last two games.

-Mecole Hardman had a career-high nine catches for a season-high 76 yards in Week 5. He was starting to draw extra attention as a potential streamer for this week when Tyreek Hill’s status appeared to be in question. Now it looks like Hill will play against Washington, which has allowed the third-most FFPG to WRs. Hardman has been a disappointment for much of his career so far, yet he still does deserve consideration as a deeper play coming off a good performance in a friendly matchup.

-Jakobi Meyers is one of five AFC WRs with 30-plus receptions (31) and 300-plus receiving yards (302) this season. Meyers never gets in the end zone, but he should at least provide a respectable stat line against Dallas. I would not base starting him on the Patriots being forced to play from behind, because there are far from any guarantees that the New England can pad stats in that manner. But Meyers can certainly provide adequate output no matter what the game flow is.

-Tyler Lockett had five catches for 57  yards in Week 5. Lockett’s big-play promise is heavily impacted by the absence of Wilson, but he could be more of a high percentage pass-catcher working with Geno Smith over the next few weeks. Lockett may be reliable for a decent statistical floor while Smith is starting.

-Emmanuel Sanders has scored twice in two of his past three games. He should be locked in again as a fantasy WR2 for another strong outing, as the Titans have allowed the most FFPG to WRs this season.

Quarterbacks and Tight Ends

-Carson Wentz completed 25 of 35 passes (71.4 pct.) for a career-high 402 yards and two TDs and no INTs for a career-high 128.5 rating last week. He is aiming for his third game in a row with a 70-plus completion percentage, two-plus TD passes, no INTs and a 115-plus rating. Wentz looked like he was healthy last week and played with poise and confidence. He is a very good Week 6 fill-in for those who may be looking to replace Russell Wilson or need a QB fill-in.

Carson Wentz: 142.9 Passer Rating on targets ‘past the sticks’

1st in NFL 👀 pic.twitter.com/lORGeqhaw0

— PFF IND Colts (@PFF_Colts) October 13, 2021

-Ben Roethlisberger passed for 253 yards and two TDs vs. 0 INTs for a season-high 120.9 rating last week. He is another possible Wilson replacement or deeper QB fill-in for Week 6. His WR trio of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington could help boost him to a three-TD outing.

-Tyler Higbee has a TD reception in two of his last three games. The Giants, which have always been a prime team to start TEs against in recent seasons, allow the third-most FFPG to TEs among NFC teams. Higbee should provide quality production again this week.

-Ricky Seals-Jones led Washington with five receptions last week. He was targeted nine times. Kansas City allows the fifth-most PPFG to TEs, so Seals-Jones can be useful if you are without Kyle Pitts or George Kittle this week.

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