Week 6 of the NFL season is upon us, and it brings an exciting slate of football with it. Vegas expects games to be on the extreme end of scoring this week, both high and low. Of the fourteen games on this slate, we’ve got three with totals over 50 points, and seven games with totals below 45 points. While that may funnel ownership towards a few games on Sunday’s main slate, we’ve got a better chance to diversify by playing the full slate. This article covers every single game this week, starting with NYG @ NE on Thursday. While we typically get the three extra prime time games by playing this slate, we’re also getting the 9:30 AM London game between Carolina and Tampa Bay, which should be a good fantasy game, at least on the Carolina side.
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Quarterback
Matt Ryan (ATL): $8,100 @ ARI
Ryan was overshadowed by Deshaun Watson‘s 41.74 point performance last week, but the veteran quarterback put up a monster 32.9 points himself in a shootout loss. He draws an even better matchup this week against Arizona, who have allowed the fourth-most points to opposing quarterbacks this season. Arizona’s secondary has taken a huge step back after losing both starting safeties Tre Boston and Antoine Bethea to free agency in the offseason, and will still be without Patrick Peterson in this game. With a 51.5 O/U this game has the second-highest total on the slate and has the makings of another shootout. The Falcons have really struggled to run the ball as well, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and netting the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the league behind a pitiful offensive line. Ryan is in a great spot to rack up points against a porous secondary, especially since Atlanta is just a slight -2.5 road favorite. Their only hope to win (any week, not just this week) is lean on their passing game, the team’s only strength.
Also Consider: Kyle Allen (CAR): $6,500 vs. TB (GPP)
Running Back
Mark Ingram (BAL): $7,500 vs. CIN
The Raven are on the positive side of one the most lopsided games this week as they host the winless Bengals, and Ingram should benefit immensely from this matchup. The Bengals’ defense has arguably the worst linebacker corps in the NFL, and it’s glaringly obvious in their results through the first five games. They’ve have been horrible against the rush, having allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season. The Bengals also allowed the most rushing yards in the league, and are tied for the most rushing touchdowns against. Ingram is the undisputed workhorse in this backfield, and will have plenty of chances at the end zone in what should be a high-scoring game for Baltimore.
Aaron Jones (GB): $7,200 vs. DET
Jones is coming off a career game last week, scoring four touchdowns in Green Bay’s victory over Dallas. He gets an even easier matchup this week, taking on a Lions’ defense that has allowed the fourth-most points per game to opposing running backs. Veteran run stuffer Mike Daniels has been dealing with a foot injury all season, and fellow veteran Damon Harrison Sr. has taken a considerable step back in his age-31 season. This has left Detroit soft in the middle and susceptible to the run. With Jamal Williams on the shelf there is no one to steal carries away from Jones, making him an excellent option in a juicy matchup.
Wide Receiver
Julio Jones (ATL): $8,500 @ ARI
Julio was a massive disappointment last week, managing just three catches for 42 yards in a game where 85 total points were scored, and his quarterback threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns. He is in a good position to rebound this week against Arizona. In addition to the previously mentioned losses they suffered this offseason, Arizona is also starting two rookies, and their best cornerback Tramaine Brock is dealing with a back injury. They got dunked on by Tyler Boyd last week 123 yards and a score on ten catches, and that was with Boyd as the only healthy threat in Cincinnati’s receiving corps. Arizona also has to contend with Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu Sr., and Austin Hooper this week. Jones makes for a nice pairing with Matt Ryan in what should be a high-scoring affair in the desert.
Julian Edelman (NE): $6,600 vs. NYG
Edelman is quite the bargain at $6,600 in this matchup, especially considering injuries to New England receivers Philip Dorsett and Josh Gordon. Edelman was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday due to a chest injury, but unlike Dorsett and Gordon this injury is not expected to affect Edelman’s status for Thursday. Edelman has had at least seven targets in every game but one this season, and the only time he didn’t reach seven targets was in Week 2 when Antonio Brown suited up for the Patriots. The Giants have allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers, along with the most receiving yards and fifth-highest catch rate. The only time New York has held receivers in check was Week 4 against Washington, who didn’t have Terry McLaurin and also pulled Case Keenum for Dwayne Haskins in a futile attempt to kickstart a lifeless offense. Edelman will rack up points as the Patriots look to exact revenge for past Super Bowl losses on Thursday night.
Keenan Allen (LAC): $7,300 vs. PIT
Allen’s price took a nosedive after a dismal Week 5 performance from Philip Rivers, but the matchup softens up considerably this week as the Chargers host the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have been slightly below average against receivers this season, allowing the 13th-most points to opposing wideouts, but that’s still a much better matchup for Allen compared to Denver last week. Allen’s priced is quite depressed this week, making him quite affordable and allowing us to fit in two of the top three receivers per Week 6 ECR. Throw in Edelman and we’ve got three top-15 receivers without major sacrifice at other positions.
Tight End
Greg Olsen (CAR): $5,500 @ TB
Olsen dropped a donut on his owners last week, and caught just two passes for five yards the week prior. Maybe it’s lack of chemistry with Kyle Allen, or maybe it’s because Carolina wants to see just how much Christian McCaffery can carry this offense, but either way, these recent performances have caused Olsen’s price to sink in a juicy matchup against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay’s secondary is so bad they got shredded by Teddy Bridgewater for 314 yards and four touchdowns last week, including a touchdown on a slant route to Jared Cook. The Bucs have allowed the second-most points to opposing tight ends this season, and while they haven’t allowed quite as many touchdowns as Arizona, they are only 16 yards behind the Cardinals. We’ve been piling on the Cardinals all year with tight ends, but Tampa Bay has been nearly as bad and we can get Olsen for much cheaper than Austin Hooper ($6,400) this week.
Flex
Kenyan Drake (MIA): $5,600 vs. WAS
Adrian Peterson ($5,300) is getting a lot of buzz on the Washington side of this toilet bowl, but All-Day has more miles on him than my neighbor’s 95 Corolla. Peterson has only averaged greater than 2.6 yards per carry once this season, and has yet to top 40 yards rushing. Drake is a little more exciting, as he flashed dynamic ability on the ground over the last two seasons, and is doing his best to draw trade interest and get the heck out of Miami. Washington has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs this season, and Ezekiel Elliott is the only strong running back they’ve face so far. Drake is no Zeke and doesn’t have Zeke’s line, but he should get fed in this game as Miami desperately tries to capitalize on what could be their best chance to win a game this season.
Defense
Carolina Panthers: $3,700 @ TB
Carolina has put up at least 13 FanDuel points in each of the last three weeks, and the matchup gets much better for them this week against Tampa Bay. Sure, Tampa can put up points, but they’ve also been the fifth-best matchup for opposing defenses on FanDuel this season. Quarterback Jameis Winston has been careless with the ball at times, with five interceptions through five games along with a 24.7% bad pass rate, tied for the highest among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts this season. Tampa Bay’s offensive line hasn’t been kind to Winston either, as Winston has the second-highest sack percentage among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts as well. The 48.0 O/U is a little higher than I usually like when targeting defenses, but we’re looking for turnovers, sacks, and defensive touchdowns in this one. At this price Carolina is a fine gamble to take while affording us tons of lineup flexibility at more important spots than defense.
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Elliott Baas is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Elliott, check out his archive and follow him @elliottbaasbb.
