We are just one week away from the midpoint of the fantasy football season. We’ve already seen high draft picks like Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook burn the fantasy owners who took a chance on them, while those who selected Patrick Mahomes and James White have profited handsomely from their investments so far. This goes to show that many players have the ability to produce good fantasy numbers, regardless of their ranking, as long as their situation and opportunity are right.
One of the big questions fantasy owners have each week, and especially so during the byes, is which overlooked players and potential free agents have the highest chances of putting together a stellar fantasy week? Well, our featured experts have you covered with their favorite sleeper starts, while shedding light on some more talented players who may not have the best outing in Week 6.
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Q1. Who is a player (non tight end) outside of our top 100 flex rankings that is a deep sleeper start and why do you think he has upside this week?
Ronald Jones II (RB – TB)
“If you can get a piece of the Bucs/Falcons game, you do it. The cheapest way to do that is to get Jones. Is he a sure thing? No, but against a Falcons defense that’s allowed at least 18 PPR points to every starting running back, it’s not a bad bet to have. He’s not the type to continually gain two-to-three yards; he’s the type who’ll lose yards to take a shot at a bigger gain. All it takes is one play from Jones to make him worthy of a flex start. I believe he’s going to be the Bucs running back to own going forward.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
“The running back position has been a bit of a nightmare this season, so much so that I’m picking Ronald Jones II here. He will be playing in his second NFL game and should see an expanded role. Going up against the Falcons defense helps as they have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Chester Rogers (WR – IND)
“Rogers shouldn’t be a deep sleeper, but he is outside of the top-100 flex rankings. With all indications pointing to Hilton not playing this week, Rogers is an easy play. Rogers has caught eight passes in two consecutive games while seeing double-digit targets. Even though the Colts aren’t always in high scoring games this season, Andrew Luck has only thrown fewer than 40 passes once this season.”
– Matthew Bowe (Razzball)
“It looks like T.Y. Hilton will be out again for the Colts. Chester Rogers has garnered 11 targets and eight receptions in each of the last two games thanks to Hilton’s absences. Rogers isn’t a game-changer, but this kind of volume is usually helpful.”
– John Halpin (RotoWire.com)
Peyton Barber (RB – TB)
“People have been expecting Jones to take over as Tampa Bay’s starting running back since he was drafted at the end of April, but he’s been very unimpressive in practice and could still be a reserve. Barber is more reliable, and he finally has a good matchup after battling some tough run defenses to start the year. The Falcons just saw James Conner run all over them, so Barber should have success. He’ll also be in position to score some touchdowns in a fast-paced, high-scoring game.”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball)
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
“Sutton matched Demaryius Thomas with six targets last week and actually out-snapped the veteran 59 to 47. It’s possible we’re seeing a changing of the guard here. Sutton boasts intriguing upside this week against a struggling Rams pass defense.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Q2. On the flip side, what player inside the top 40 flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy owners this week?
David Johnson (RB – ARI)
“In 2018, the word “disappoint” has often applied to Johnson’s fantasy production. He produced last week thanks to two touchdowns, but carried 18 times for just 55 yards, and they’re still not throwing him the ball in space. The Cardinals’ implied point total this week is a measly 16.5, so Johnson’s TD chances are dicey. Also, the Vikings haven’t allowed a rushing TD to a running back this season. It’s not like you’re going to bench Johnson, but this isn’t a good spot for him.”
– John Halpin (RotoWire.com)
“David Johnson has saved fantasy owners with four TDs over the past three weeks. That’s masked the fact that he’s failed to reach 75 total yards in two of those three outings. I’m not expecting the Cardinals offense to get much done in Minnesota this weekend, making Johnson a poor bet for another TD. Plus, the Vikings are limiting opposing RBs to just 4.0 yards per carry.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Carlos Hyde (RB – CLE)
“It was a disappointing week for Hyde owners against the Ravens, and it’s likely going to be against the Chargers as well. Outside of Todd Gurley, they haven’t allowed a single running back top 10.8 PPR points against them. They also got defensive lineman Corey Liuget back last week, making them that much tougher. Unless Hyde scores, he’s going to bust. ”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Jordan Howard (RB – CHI)
“Howard is a good running back, I think we can all agree there. That doesn’t mean that it will translate to fantasy stats. The Bears are on the road against the Dolphins who rank top six in YPA allowed (3.7) on rushes. We also saw against Tampa that this Bears offense operates better when Tarik Cohen is heavily involved. ”
– Matthew Bowe (Razzball)
Chris Carson (RB – SEA)
“I don’t trust anyone in Seattle’s offense, save for Russell Wilson. Carson is coming off a big game, but he accumulated his yardage against a low-energy Rams team that didn’t take Seattle very seriously. The Raiders play the run well — they just clamped down on Melvin Gordon — so they should handle Carson. Plus, there’s no telling what Pete Carroll will do with his running back rotation, as Carson could disappear without warning.”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball)
T.J. Yeldon (RB – JAC)
“Yeldon is going to have a tough go of things this week. Yes, the volume will be there, but Dallas is a team that does two things well, play defense and slow the game down. Both are bad for Yeldon as the Jags offense as a whole will see fewer snaps due to pace and when they are on the field, Dallas is tough to run on. At best you are hoping for a good PPR day from Yeldon, but that is about it.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Thank you to the experts for giving their sleeper starts and duds for Week 6. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
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