Week 6 NFL Recap: Injuries, Breakout Performers & Game by Game Analysis

A Fantasy Week To Remember (Or Not)

Derek Carr? Andre Holmes? Brandon LaFell? Joe Flacco? If I had told you any of those guys could have helped you win your week heading into this past Sunday, you would told me I’d lost my mind. That said, those were the guys who ended up putting up big numbers. Meanwhile, key contributors like Marshawn Lynch, Matt Ryan and Jeremy Maclin all had relatively disappointing games. You just have to roll with the punches on those lackluster performances and hope for better showings next week. There isn't much you can do about it, so there’s no need to panic on guys who have already proven themselves. Take a breath, vent to whomever will listen, and start looking ahead to next week.

The Week Of The Quarterback

In terms of positions, quarterbacks offered the most intriguing fantasy results on Sunday.  Joe Flacco absolutely torched the Tampa Bay defense, throwing for five touchdowns to four different receivers. Flacco has been a QB2 in two-quarterback leagues up until this point, and this performance really shouldn't change anything going forward. Every proven quarterback in the league is bound to have one of these showings at one point or another, and this was just Flacco’s week.

Arguably the most frustrating starting QBs to own this season have been Cam Newton and Tom Brady. Just when it seemed there was a consensus that neither of these guys would end up in the top 10 or 12 by season’s end, both put up numbers in back to back weeks.  Brady has the nicer schedule coming up, with three home games against the Jets, Bears and Broncos, so I’m more tempted to buy into his “comeback” than Cam’s. That said, Cam has the easier path to fantasy success in terms of on-the-field play. He’s a rushing quarterback who can take off at any time, racking up fantasy points in the process, as evidenced by his 107 yards on the ground against Cincinnati. In the short term, I like Brady’s performance to continue with those tasty matchups coming up, whereas I consider Cam Newton as the more likely candidate to keep it together down the stretch.

The running back position continues to be a wasteland and a total game of roulette on a week-to-week basis.  If you've managed to survive the season thus far with crummy running backs, you're certainly not alone. The position has just been decimated in terms of fantasy, so take what you can get out of your starters and be happy when it’s enough for a win. As for wide receivers, T.Y. Hilton had the biggest game of all this week, with an incredible 223-yard showing on Thursday night against the Texans. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is notorious for spreading the ball around, so it’s probably best to chalk this game up to matchup or strategy. Hilton just had Houston's number on Thursday. We've clearly seen his best game of the season, so if you managed to benefit from it, congrats!  My condolences to those of you who had the misfortune of playing against Hilton this week...

Week 6 Recap - Impact Players & Game by Game Analysis

Colts @ Texans

T.Y. Hilton aside, there wasn't really much else to analyze on the Colts side of things in this game. Everything the Colts did on offense independent of Hilton going wild is pretty much what we've come to expect out of them thus far. Andrew Luck is on pace for a top-three season at quarterback, Ahmad Bradshaw is still the running back to prefer over Trent Richardson and Reggie Wayne will get his when the “other” receiver is running rampant. As for the Texans, Arian Foster is back, plain and simple. For as long as he is healthy, Foster is obviously one of the best backs in the league. If you're a Foster owner and Alfred Blue is still somehow available in your league, pick him up immediately and ride the Foster train till it breaks down. Hopefully it doesn't at all, but it’s better to play it safe. Andre Johnson finally found the endzone in this game, which is a good sign for fantasy owners everywhere. Johnson had been putting up numbers and catching a lot of balls from Ryan Fitzpatrick, so it was only a matter of time before the touchdowns started coming. We don't get a chance to talk about fantasy defenses all that often, but any football blurb discussing the Texans has to mention J.J. Watt. He is an absolute machine and is basically the sole reason the Texans D/ST is worth starting every week from here on out. Just wait until they get Jadeveon Clowney back. Yikes.

Packers @ Dolphins

Aaron Rodgers is the baddest man in the NFL with that fake snap of his. It doesn't mean much for fantasy but it sure was smooth. The Packers couldn't establish the run game whatsoever here, which led to Jordy Nelson’s 107 yards and a touchdown. I've mentioned before that Jordy just might end up a top two receiver at the end of the year and that doesn't appear to be changing any time soon. Here’s something to consider when discussing the struggles of Eddie Lacy: of Green Bay’s 10 remaining games, only three feature opponents in the top 10 against the run in terms of fantasy points allowed. (Bears, Lions, and Bills.) In fact, the next toughest opponent would be the Eagles who are ranked 20^th. Lacy has some really nice matchups coming up and should be viewed as a buy low candidate at this point. I’ve been preaching hanging tight on Lacy so if you own him I still say stay put unless you’re below .500 and desperate for a win. Besides that, I say trade for him if the Lacy owner in your league is panicking. Not a whole lot to report on the Dolphins side of things outside of the enigma that will soon become of their run game. Knowshon Moreno returned to action this week but had very limited work in his first game back. Moreno and Lamar Miller will ultimately return to a time-share, which is unfortunate given the dire state of running back in the league.

Patriots @ Bills

Brandon LaFell? Really? Despite both Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski just missing 100 yard days, it was Brandon LaFell who caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Tom Brady. I am not buying into this at all and neither should you. I know touchdowns are hard to ignore when looking at the waiver wire but be strong and resist. The only pass catchers you can trust on New England are Edelman, Gronk, and now, Shane Vereen due to Stevan Ridley’s unfortunate ACL/MCL tear. Ridley will miss the rest of the season which should mean an increased workload for Vereen as well as Brandon Bolden. Vereen remains the back you want in a PPR format and Bolden is worth a stash but certainly not as a starter if you can avoid it. I’m done revisiting the Fred Jackson versus C.J. Spiller debate. You should know where I stand on that by now. (Reminder: Jackson > Spiller.) As for the Bills passing game, Kyle Orton remains competent and spread the ball around nicely in this game. Sammy Watkins fell victim to Revis Island here so hopefully you were wise enough not to start him. He’ll get his with Orton under center, just a poor matchup here for Watkins.

Panthers @ Bengals

A.J. Green missed this game due to a severe toe injury that will have him missing an undisclosed amount of time. In his absence, both Mohamed Sanu and the returning Marvin Jones are both worth rostering. Jones has yet to see the field this season but could easily step into the number one receiver role with Green out. My expectation is that Sanu and Jones will compete for that top spot, with Sanu having the edge until Jones gets back into the swing of things. Sanu had a big 120 yard day with a touchdown in this game so he’s already shown he can do it if given the opportunity. Giovani Bernard left this game but ended up returning to finish off his big day of 157 total yards. It shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that with how bad running back has been this year, Bernard is going to end up as a top 10, maybe even top five back by the end of the year. (Drink, for those of you playing the “RBs are terrible in 2014” drinking game at home.)

Steelers @ Browns

Yowza, who saw this one coming? The Browns destroyed the Steelers 31-10 in a game that saw every Pittsburgh receiver not named Antonio Brown (shocker) struggle. Le’Veon Bell had a decent enough game with his 82 yards but just couldn’t find the endzone. I wouldn’t sweat this one as the Steelers simply struggled to score at all let alone on the ground. Bell is still easily a top five back going forward.  The Cleveland offense continues to shock and amaze as Ben Tate scored twice here and Jordan Cameron had a solid 102 yard day with a touchdown. Most of Cameron’s production came on one 51 yard reception but sometimes that’s all you need out of a guy. Cameron should be back to being a top eight or so tight end now that he appears fully healthy. Ben Tate has a firm grasp on the top of depth chart but don’t sleep on Isaiah Crowell. Crowell had just as many yards as Tate with less than half the amount of carries. You can forget about Terrance West for now, as Crowell is clearly the Tate handcuff you want to own and with Tate’s injury history that is a valuable position to hold on to for any fantasy team.

Jaguars @ Titans

This game was U-G-L-Y. Blake Bortles should end up being a serviceable quarterback in the NFL but he seriously needs some consistent weapons. Jacksonville simply cannot run the ball whatsoever and as nice as it was to see Cecil Shorts end up with 103 yards, he can barely stay on the field. No one on the Jaguars roster is currently fantasy relevant so I have no issue in dropping any of them in non-dynasty leagues. Remember that big Bishop Sankey breakout performance we were all clamoring for, especially once the news that Shonn Greene would miss this game became clear? Well, 61 yards on 18 attempts isn’t exactly amazing but it’s a start. Hopefully the titans realize Sankey is the most talented back they have and continue to feed him the ball even after Greene returns. At least the Titans decided to drop this whole running-back-by-committee gimmick and give Sankey the clear majority of rushes. The concern over Sankey’s fantasy relevancy was never about his talent but the system he was in. Hopefully this is the beginning of an expanded role in the offense, I just wish he did more with what he was given so we wouldn’t have to keep discussing Sankey in hypotheticals.

Ravens @ Buccaneers

When your starting quarterback throws for five touchdowns in the first half you can pretty much expect all the fantasy numbers to be skewed. Having said that, congratulations Justin Forsett for (presumably) beating out the competition for the “starting” gig in Baltimore. Forsett had the most productive day among Baltimore running backs by far with his 111 yards so the smart thing would be for the Ravens to just give him the bulk of the work going forward. We’ll see if that’s what they actually end up doing. Another subject I’m done revisiting is Steve Smith vs Torrey Smith. Yes I know Torrey got the two touchdowns, but Steve more than doubled him in yardage. One guy you want, the other is droppable. The Buccaneers had a rough showing on both sides of the ball so it’s no surprise that no one on the team had a particularly good fantasy day. Louis Murphy put up 72 yards and did find the endzone, to which I reply with “eh.” He’s an interesting name if you’re desperate at wide receiver but he’s the third best WR on the team behind Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. Not exactly a must-own guy.

Broncos @ Jets

The Denver Broncos are good. The New York Jets are not. How’s that for hard hitting fantasy analysis? The main weapons on the Denver side of things showed up big time with Demaryius Thomas amassing over 100 yards, Julius Thomas catching yet another two touchdowns, and running back replacement Ronnie Hillman racking up 100 yards as well. It’s no secret that the starting running back on a Peyton Manning offense gets a boatload of work and usually puts up numbers since the defense is too focused on Manning but what’s interesting is that Hillman has already outperformed initial starter Montee Ball in just one outing. That’s a legit concern for anyone who owns Montee Ball as it’s conceivable Hillman is able to hold onto the starting gig upon Ball’s return. Peyton Manning-led offenses rarely ever utilize a timeshare at RB so this is essentially Hillman’s job to win. The longer Ball is out, the greater chance there is he doesn’t automatically get his starting position back. I don’t even know what to tell you about the Jets offense other than it’s not good.  Chris Ivory remains a low RB2 despite the terrible showing here and Eric Decker is an inconsistent WR3. Other than that, no thank you.

Lions @ Vikings

Calvin Johnson finally sat out a game this week which actually helps fantasy owners due to how ineffective he was when playing through his ankle injury. Ideally he rests one more game and comes back fully healthy after Detroit’s bye week in week nine. Reggie Bush missed this game as well, allowing Joique Bell to get a big chunk of the touches out of the backfield. I’ve said all along that Bell and Bush were a lot closer in production than most realize but expect Bush to return to the field in their week eight matchup with New Orleans. As for the Vikings, Jerick McKinnon out-snapped Matt Asiata in the backfield 48 to 15. Considering the fact that Asiata ended up with a total of 13 yards, I think it’s safe to assume there’s been a change at the starting running back position for Minnesota. Granted, the offense is still struggling mightily so the adage of “starting RB in the NFL has value” doesn’t fully apply here but if McKinnon can get it going, he just might be a serviceable replacement for those of us who have lost a starter at the position. The Cordarrelle Patterson hype-train continues to derail as he admitted he wasn’t playing at 100% in this game but does it even matter at the point? He hasn’t shown us much of anything yet this season and until he does he’s unfortunately fantasy irrelevant.

Chargers @ Raiders

Talk about a scare for some of those eliminator picks huh? The Chargers just barely squeaked out a win over the Raiders on the heels of yet another big day out of Philip Rivers. Malcom Floyd was the top pass catcher for San Diego with 103 yards and a touchdown but the Chargers have proven that they like to spread the ball around and not hone in on one guy, much to the chagrin of Keenan Allen owners. If you haven’t bailed on Allen yet, do it now if you can. It’s just not happening this year. Like I said last week, temporary starting running back Brandon Oliver should be viewed as just that, temporary. The rest of the backs on the team are banged up at the moment and once Donald Brown and Ryan Mathews return, this team will go back to utilizing a three-headed monster. It’s unfortunate given how productive Oliver has been in such a short amount of time but that’s how it is in the NFL these days with all these running-back-by-committees. Don’t get excited about Oakland receiver Andre Holmes; it happens. 121 yards and two touchdowns from a guy most fantasy owners have never heard of is nothing new. (See: Allen Hurns week 1.) Darren McFadden outran his teammates once again this week but no one really expects him to stay healthy do they? Or productive, even?

Bears @ Falcons

If you were lucky enough to end up with Matt Forte as your first round pick you are one of the few people who shouldn’t be suffering from these RB woes. (Drink again.) Meanwhile, both Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall put up huge numbers against the Falcons and their shaky-at-best defense. When everyone is healthy, the Bears possess one of the most high-powered offenses in the entire league between all the weapons they have. Basically, if you own a Bear, chances are you’re starting him unless you have serious depth at QB with Cutler as your backup. On the Atlanta side of the ball, this Antone Smith thing is just plain weird. Smith had yet another big receiving touchdown for Atlanta and it’s time for him to be rostered in every league. It’s tough when a team has four running backs they want to use like the Falcons do but you can’t argue with production. Smith continues to do more with less and doesn’t even need the amount of touches one would normally like to see a player get to be productive. If you’re looking for a flex play or an RB in a deeper league, you can do worse than Antone Smith on waivers at this point. Sure, touchdowns are hard to predict but when you have the ridiculous breakaway speed that Smith has clearly shown, it only takes one touch to have a shot at the endzone.

Redskins @ Cardinals

Carson Palmer returned to action in this game which finally benefited Larry Fitzgerald. It’s too soon to suddenly declare Fitz as back to normal as Michael Floyd is still the receiver you’d rather own and start on Arizona. The main takeaway from this is that Palmer helps the Arizona offense tremendously and should invoke enough confidence in you to start your Cardinals once again. Kirk Cousins seems to be figuring out that DeSean Jackson is fast and that he should get him the ball when he’s open. Sounds pretty simple right? After all, Jackson needed just three receptions to put up 115 yards and a touchdown for the Redskins. Cousins also managed to throw three interceptions in this game which just goes to show you how much of a QB controversy Washington will be in upon Robert Griffin III’s return. Both guys have shown us the bad with the good so it’ll be interesting to see what direction the team decides to go in. It’s looking like Jackson is the beneficiary with Cousins under center where as Pierre Garcon has always been RGIII’s favorite target. Lastly, Jordan Reed returned in this game as well and immediately put up numbers with his 92 yards. The tight end position is a coveted one in Washington as whoever the starter is puts up points. Feel free to plug Jordan Reed right back into your lineup now that he’s back and a healthy.

Cowboys @ Seahawks

In the most stunning outcome of the day, the Dallas Cowboys took down the defending champs in their home stadium. The Seattle Seahawks had no answer for DeMarco Murray who is beginning to amass an MVP-like season. Only problem is, we all know it’s only a matter of time before he injures himself. It’s a shame that we have to label guys as injury prone as it constantly takes away from their stellar performances but it’s still true. Murray has never played all 16 games in his career so until he does, there’s reason for doubt. Hopefully he can keep up this pace but with at over 30 touches a game it’s difficult to envision him holding up. The Seattle offense was just “ok” in this game with no skill-position player breaking the 100-yard mark. Marshawn Lynch remains the most valuable asset of this offense, Russell Wilson is a matchup play, and Percy Harvin is a boom-or-bust starter any given week. This game had a greater real-life impact than a fantasy one with the 5-1 Cowboys setting off a media frenzy that has the NFC looking much more wide open than many of us envisioned.

Giants @ Eagles

Unfortunately we have to end on somewhat of a sour note this week given that two big injuries occurred in the Sunday night game. The Philadelphia Eagles lost running back Darren Sproles to an MCL sprain that should have him sidelined for at least a week. Luckily for the Eagles, they have their bye week coming up in week seven so they might catch a break with Sproles. With fellow running back Chris Polk also dinged up in Philly, that leaves LeSean McCoy as the only noteworthy guy left standing for the time being. McCoy finally had a big game on Sunday with his 149 rushing yards but didn’t find the endzone. That’s ok, though, as it was reassuring to see McCoy put it together when it counted. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Shady and as much as injuries stink, the positive to McCoy being the only back left is that he’ll have every opportunity to prove he still has it while the other guys rest up. The other major injury in this game was to Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. Crus is expected to miss the remained of the season with a torn patellar tendon. That’s a huge blow to the Giants offense and a real shame to see. This automatically bumps up Rueben Randle and returning rookie Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr could develop into a WR2 easily with the absence of Cruz and Randle was already in the WR3 discussion with Cruz on the field. The Giants offense, however, has struggled throughout the season thus far so don’t expect any miracles just yet. Andre Williams received the bulk of the work out of the Giants backfield as expected and should continue to do so while Rashad Jennings heals. Between Williams, Randle, Beckham Jr, and the roller coaster that is Eli Manning, this team is going to have owners pulling out their hair and jumping for joy all at the same time.

Between the plethora of injuries throughout the NFL to this point and the wacky stat lines, I hope your teams are surviving through week six. If you’re down on your luck and hating fantasy right now, just think back to three weeks ago when tight end Larry Donnell benched himself in his own league, then proceeded to catch three touchdown passes. See, it can always be worse.