Week 6 around the NFL kicked off with an interesting start, featuring a surprise upset victory by the New York Giants over their divisional rival, Philadelphia, in a game where fantasy managers caught a glimpse of Big Blue’s offensive future in Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.
Despite not having Malik Nabers (knee) or Darius Slayton (hamstring) at his disposal, Dart was able to effectively lead the Giants up and down the field against the Eagles’ formidable defense, upon the strength of his rushing upside and play-action ability. New York totaled an impressive 172 rushing yards and four scores on the ground, chewing up clock and forcing Philadelphia to abandon their strengths early on.
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Saquon Barkley‘s return to MetLife Stadium was a hot topic entering the contest, but he finished with a total of 67 yards on 14 touches and was held in check outside of the game’s first drive. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was under constant duress from the Giants’ daunting pass rush, and Big Blue was able to generate multiple turnovers, while committing none in the process.
Thursday’s game was a good summation of this season so far. Pittsburgh is the only team in the AFC North with a positive record. Indianapolis is off to a 5-1 start on the heels of Daniel Jones, aka “Indiana Jones,” looking like an MVP candidate. San Francisco and Tampa Bay lead their respective divisions, despite a multitude of injuries at key positions. Up is down. Left is right.
We can attempt to predict how things will shake out, but one of the main reasons why the NFL is so successful is the uncertainty that each week brings. Enjoy and embrace the chaos.
Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 6
Quarterbacks
Stud: Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)
Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years. Patrick Mahomes turned in a “vintage” performance on Sunday Night against Detroit, completing 22-of-30 pass attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns, adding another 32 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown.
Kansas City’s offense is finally clicking after sputtering earlier this season, and Mahomes appears to be increasingly comfortable with his cast of receivers. The Chiefs will get downright scary if Rashee Rice comes back close to his 2024 form. Mahomes should find success in the next three upcoming games against Las Vegas, Washington and Buffalo, before the team goes on bye in Week 10. He is a high-upside QB1 moving forward.
Stud: Drake Maye (QB – NE)
Welcome to the party, Drake Maye. Your analyst’s favorite breakout player at the position this year, Maye, is finally rounding into form as the chosen one that the prophecy predicted. On the road against New Orleans, Maye carved up the hapless Saints’ secondary for 261 yards and three touchdown passes, connecting with DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte for long scores.
Even with Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry primarily being held in check throughout the contest, Maye continually looked downfield for big plays and was afforded opportunities behind a much-improved offensive line. The next few weeks will be an actual litmus test for Maye, as he squares off against several outstanding secondaries in Atlanta, Cleveland and the New York Jets. We shall see if he can continue to keep himself within the top 10 at the position moving forward.
I would ordinarily have included Justin Fields‘ woeful performance here, but I don’t think that most analysts had grandiose expectations of him, squaring off against Denver.
Dud: Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)
Matthew Stafford came into Week 6 with grand expectations, squaring off against a Baltimore Ravens defense that couldn’t catch a cold, much less an interception. Widely regarded as a top play on the week, Stafford instead turned in a woefully inept performance, passing for just 181 yards and one touchdown on 17 completions.
Puka Nacua‘s ankle injury is a prime culprit for the diminished totals, but Stafford’s inability to find alternatives was downright concerning. Davante Adams (4/39 on nine targets) and Tyler Higbee (4/40/1 on four targets) led the way, but this offense was a shell of its former self without Nacua available.
Currently described as “day to day” with an ankle sprain, fingers are crossed for the star wideout to return in short order. Los Angeles squares off against Jacksonville in Week 7, a defense that is currently surrendering the third-most passing yards per week (256.3).
Dud: Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
Tua Tagovailoa’s performance echoes the oft-seen meme of someone holding up a cardboard sign that reads: Our expectations were LOW, but holy $*&$!. Yep, it was that sort of performance.
Tagovailoa completed 21-of-32 pass attempts for 205 yards and a touchdown, while throwing three interceptions in the process. Due to his complete and total lack of rushing ability, Tagovailoa’s fantasy numbers are typically anchored by his high passing totals — ones that we haven’t seen since Week 2.
I could harp about Tagovailoa’s turnover issues being the focal point of the Dolphins’ 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but I’d be remiss in suggesting that all of them were his fault. One was a blatant drop by Jaylen Waddle, and the other was a last-ditch effort to close out the game. Regardless, Tagovailoa currently sits as the QB19 on the season, and will square off against a stout Cleveland front in Week 7.
Running Backs
Stud: Rico Dowdle (RB – CAR)
At this point, I’m pretty certain that Carolina is perfectly comfortable allowing Chuba Hubbard to take all the time necessary to recover from his calf injury. Rico Dowdle currently sits as the RB1 on the week, on the heels of yet another massive workload. On 34 touches, Dowdle totaled 239 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, proving he can be a bell-cow back for head coach Dave Canales.
In a revenge game against his former club, Dallas, Dowdle was simply outstanding. His effectiveness allowed quarterback Bryce Young to thrive in the play-action passing game, keeping the Panthers’ offense balanced and unpredictable. Even if Hubbard were to return to full strength for Carolina’s Week 7 matchup against the New York Jets, one would have to imagine that the team would ride the hot hand. Why go away from what is currently leading the team to victories?
Stud: De’Von Achane (RB – MIA)
One can point to a number of factors that have led to Miami’s horrific 1-5 start to 2025, but at least De’Von Achane has lived up to the billing. Drafted as a mid-range RB1 in fantasy circles, Achane turned in the best performance of the young season on Sunday, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, adding another four receptions for 22 yards as a receiver.
This marks the first time that Achane has crossed the century mark on the ground this season, complementing his elite usage in the passing game as an outlet for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Achane has scored six total touchdowns and is one of the few viable fantasy options on Miami worth starting every week.
Dud: Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
At what point do fantasy managers begin to get concerned with Jahmyr Gibbs’ output this season? Selected as a top-three option at the position, Gibbs has failed to record more than 15 rush attempts in four of his six starts, and (even more concerning) he has two or fewer receptions in each of the last three contests.
In a game where he should have been relied upon as the focal point in the offense with the Lions playing from behind out of the gate, Gibbs was rendered a non-factor instead. I’ll give credit to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, but Detroit needs to make a concentrated effort to kickstart Gibbs in Week 7 against Tampa Bay. The Lions have a bye in Week 8, so perhaps a trip to the drawing board is in order.
Dud: Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
I alluded to Saquon Barkley’s poor performance in my introduction, but it is worth reiterating here. He isn’t experiencing nearly the same success as his MVP performance in 2024. Barkley has yet to reach 90 rushing yards in any given game, despite Philadelphia providing him with an ample number of carries.
Averaging just 3.4 yards per carry in the first six weeks, Barkley’s fantasy managers have to be hoping that the light goes on for him over the next two games. The Eagles square off against Minnesota and then New York (again) — two very winnable games for the former Super Bowl champions. For Barkley to thrive, the Eagles will need to take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to their offense. Tilting too heavily towards the run or pass has hamstrung them so far this season.
Wide Receivers
Stud: George Pickens (WR – DAL)
George Pickens currently sits as the overall WR1 on the week, on the heels of a 9/168/1 performance over 11 targets. Pickens’ touchdown marked his sixth score over the last five weeks, and he has emerged as a high-end WR1 for fantasy managers to rely upon in the absence of CeeDee Lamb.
Finally seeing the target volume he has long deserved, Pickens is averaging over 20 points per week in a PPR format, and will look to keep the ball rolling in Week 7 against divisional rival Washington. Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated that he was “hopeful” about Lamb returning for Week 7, which would greatly diminish Pickens’ looks each week. Due to the Cowboys’ inept defense, Dallas will continue to throw early and often to stay competitive.
Stud: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned in his best performance of the 2025 season in Week 6 against Jacksonville, repeatedly torching the Jaguars’ secondary for 162 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. This marks the fourth time over the first six games that he has eclipsed the century mark, and he has cemented himself as a top-five option at the position, regardless of matchup.
Smith-Njigba is the clear alpha receiver in Seattle and will look to keep the momentum going in Week 7 against Houston, even with the Texans’ stingy defense. In the midst of a clear breakout campaign, Smith-Njigba is quickly answering any questions that fantasy managers had about whether he could continue his success last year.
Even though Puka Nacua, Emeka Egbuka and Garrett Wilson finished with poor statistical performances, I shy away from highlighting players whose totals were adversely impacted by injuries.
Dud: Keenan Allen (WR – LAC)
Keenan Allen turned in his worst performance of the 2025 season in Week 6, catching four passes on seven targets for just 27 yards. Surprisingly, this occurred when Los Angeles was playing catch-up the entire evening against Miami. Allen played third fiddle in the target pecking order behind Ladd McConkey and Oronde Gadsden II, on the heels of the Chargers adapting to Kimani Vidal as their new lead option after Omarion Hampton was injured.
After a magnificent start to the season where he scored a touchdown in three consecutive contests (and saw double-digit targets in two of those games), Allen has regressed into a Flex option in PPR leagues, rather than a WR2/WR3. The rise of McConkey threatens his long-term upside.
Dud: Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
Fresh off an 8/99 performance on 10 targets against Philadelphia, the hope was that Courtland Sutton had cemented himself as Denver’s top option in the passing game, ahead of tertiary figures like Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr.. Apparently not. The New York Jets defense made things exceedingly difficult on quarterback Bo Nix, who passed for just 174 yards and a touchdown on 30 pass attempts, targeting Sutton just three times.
Denver still came away with a 13-11 victory on the afternoon and appears to be more comfortable than ever spreading the ball around in a Green Bay-esque style to anyone with a pulse. Better days are ahead for Sutton to be sure — we don’t expect another 1/17 total anytime soon, but his Jekyll and Hyde tendencies are frustrating.
Tight Ends
Stud: Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)
Dallas Goedert continues to be tantalizing from a fantasy perspective, since when he is actually healthy, he produces at a near-elite level. His problem remains staying healthy for extended stretches. The lone bright spot for Philadelphia’s offense on Sunday against New York was that Goedert roasted the Giants’ secondary up the seam, catching nine of his 11 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Goedert already has five touchdown receptions this season, matching a career-high set in 2019. As long as he remains upright, start him with confidence or (better yet) trade him off of his big performance. We’ve seen this act too many times to believe in a true breakout at this point in his career.
Dud: Mason Taylor (TE – NYJ)
One of the more popular additions from the waiver wire over the last two weeks, Mason Taylor finished Sunday’s game against Denver with one reception for two yards. Ouch. Before we point fingers, keep in mind that quarterback Justin Fields passed for 45 yards total on the afternoon and was sacked an absurd nine times.
New York’s offense was unable to get anything going, so this is a case where I’m willing to give Taylor a pass in the hopes of a brighter future. The clear-cut second target for Fields to look for after wideout Garrett Wilson, Taylor will be forced to inherit an even larger share of the workload, with Wilson now expected to miss multiple weeks with a hyper-extended knee.
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