This is where good fantasy managers separate from lucky ones. The right lineup decisions, powered by Draft Sharks rankings, can make all the difference in Week 6.
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Quarterback to Start
Cousins faces a favorable Bills passing defense.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Kirk Cousins is coming off a Week 5 loss to the Patriots that marked the first game this season in which he didn’t produce multiple TDs. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 243 yards and a TD, finishing as the QB20 after ranking among the top 12 QBs each of the previous three weeks.
Despite a season-low performance, Cousins remains one of just eight QBs to finish inside the top 24 all five weeks this season, showcasing a high-end floor.
Cousins’ stretch of high-ranking weeks coincides with the return of TE Brock Bowers. The Raiders TE has supplied 104 receiving yards per game since his season debut in Week 3, which trails only WRs Drake London, Puka Nacua, and Tetairoa McMillan over that span.
It’s helped Cousins throw for 285.3 yards per game in that time, the league’s seventh-highest mark. He’s also averaging 2.0 TDs to just 0.3 INTs.
Week 6 brings a Bills defense allowing the fourth-most points to QBs, making Cousins a start.
QB to Sit
Brissett carries too much risk against a pick-happy Rams defense.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett has benefited from high-volume passing, exceeding 45 attempts twice already and ranking third in the league in attempts through five weeks. Last week’s QB7 finish came on 47 attempts, third-most among QBs for the week.
The Cardinals’ willingness to pass the ball at such high volume has come out of necessity rather than game plan. Their 58.6% neutral pass rate ranks 11th, but the defense has allowed a league-leading 32.4 points per game.
That’s how he’s been able to accumulate 222.0 passing yards per game, which ranks 18th, despite averaging just 5.4 adjusted yards per attempt, which ranks 31st. We saw the effect last week, when Arizona fell behind 31-7 by the middle of the third quarter. Brissett followed a 90-yard first half on just 9-of-21 passing by going 20 of 26 in the second half, which was basically all garbage time.
Passing production will come harder this week, even if forced into another trailing game script. He faces a Rams defense that’s allowing the second-fewest passing yards per game and is forcing the eighth-most INTs, making Brissett too risky to chase in Week 6.
Running Backs to Start
Season-high scoring weeks are in order.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Tony Pollard is the only Titans RB with at least 20 rushing attempts this season, accounting for a 63.0% carry share that ranks 13th among RBs. He’s also producing an 8.4% target share, making him one of 12 RBs to surpass both a 60% carry share and 8% target share.
Unfortunately, that high-end usage has come in an offense that ranks dead last in points, yards, and plays, leaving Pollard at just 8.7 PPR points per game as the RB34.
But this week finds a favorable matchup against a Colts defense that’s allowed the sixth-most rushing yards and the sixth-most fantasy points to RBs.
That sets Pollard up well for his highest-scoring game of the season. The Titans have indicated they’d like to run more, sporting the sixth-highest neutral rush rate in the league at 48.5%.
Start Pollard in Week 6.
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
MarShawn Lloyd is coming off a career-high 16.7 PPR points after logging 10 carries for a 41.7% carry share along with 2 targets for a 6.5% target share last week.
It wasn’t a career-high in rushing volume, receiving volume, or in yardage. He achieved his RB12 finish in Week 5 by scoring a pair of rushing TDs, both from inside the 10-yard line.
Lloyd leads all Packers RBs with a 42.6% carry share on the season, but his usage near the end zone gets even better with a 50.0% red-zone carry share. It has led to 0.4 rushing TDs per game, ranking 19th among RBs.
The Packers’ highest-usage RB gets a favorable spot this week against a Cowboys defense that’s allowed more rushing yards per game than any other team. Start Lloyd in Week 6.
RBs to Sit
Matchups are tougher than they appear.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Jacory Croskey-Merritt manufactures nearly all of his output as a rusher, with 79.8% of his 9.0 PPR points per game coming via rushing production. He leads the Commanders offense with a 46.2% carry share, but that ranks just 25th among all RBs.
His 4.6% target share, meanwhile, ranks 55th and third in his own backfield, trailing Rachaad White and Austin Ekeler.
Croskey-Merritt’s carry share has dipped to 42.9% in the three games QB Jayden Daniels has played this year, vs. 52.1% in the two he hasn’t. Further challenging the rushing volume is a team that’s 1-3-1 so far and allowing the league’s third-most points.
JCM has scored in each of the games Daniels has finished, and we can expect the offense to produce more when the starting QB’s healthy. But the workload issues meet a difficult Week 6 matchup. The 49ers have allowed the fifth-fewest rushing TDs and just 3.7 yards per rush to RBs.
The matchup looks strongly positive by our adjusted fantasy points allowed (49ers sit fourth-highest), but that’s primarily come from allowing the league’s most RB receptions and second-most RB receiving yards (tied with Buffalo).
Combine that with White leading the Week 5 backfield in playing time, and Croskey-Merritt becomes not even the best RB play on his own team.
Sit him.
J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos
J.K. Dobbins is coming off his first week with at least 8.0 PPR points, scoring 15.4 against the Chargers. Even with that, he’s averaging 7.2 PPR points per game for the season and ranks just 44th.
He’s been the rushing leader out of the Broncos backfield, accounting for a 55.7% carry share that ranks 21st. But his 45.8 rushing yards per game rank 28th.
Dobbins’ rushing inefficiency has partly resulted from his low-producing offense. The Broncos have accounted for the third-fewest total yards while scoring just 18.6 points per game, seventh-fewest in the league.
Things won’t come any less difficult facing a Seahawks defense that has allowed the fewest yards and second-fewest rushing TDs.
Dobbins isn’t an RB to be starting in lineups this week.
Wide Receivers to Start
A healthy QB and injured WR leave McLaurin primed for a high-ranking week.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin is overcoming his slow start, averaging 15.9 PPR points per game since Week 3 to rank as the WR20 over that span.
McLaurin is accounting for a 22.4% target share on the season, 24th among WRs — but his 6.5 targets per game rank just 33rd. The Commanders’ reluctance to throw more has played a key role. They’re deploying the 11th-lowest neutral pass rate at 53.8%.
But this week finds their third-worst scoring defense facing a 49ers offense that’s put up the third-most points. That situation points to McLaurin’s offense likely falling behind and needing to push more passing volume, especially when you factor in a sluggish Washington run game against a San Francisco D allowing just 3.7 yards per rush to RBs.
McLaurin could find a target-share boost as well. Stefon Diggs missed practice all last week en route to sitting out the tie with the Giants. He’d leave a 21.2% share available if he’s out again.
Combine those factors with QB Jayden Daniels back from his elbow injury for a second consecutive week, and McLaurin is a start in Week 6.
Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans
Carnell Tate produced the 11th-most air yards among WRs (113) in Week 5 but came away with just 1.6 PPR points to rank as the WR98 in Week 5.
It was the first week that Tate was used predominantly as a deep threat, with his average depth of target coming in at 22.6 yards. That’s a big jump from his previous season-high of 13.3.
QB Cam Ward doesn’t throw deep particularly well, having ranked 19th last season with a 38.9% deep-completion rate. He has yet to complete a deep attempt (20+ yards down the field) this season.
We should not expect Tate to keep running so deep every week, though. Even his final season at Ohio State included just one game with an aDOT deeper than 20 yards.
The rookie WR is commanding a 25.9% target share that ranks 15th among WRs and faces a Colts defense that’s allowed the fifth-most passing yards this season, making him a start in Week 6.
WRs to Sit
Underwhelming WRs are stuck in daunting matchups.
Jaylen Waddle, Denver Broncos
Jaylen Waddle is the WR40 with 9.7 PPR points per game through his first five Broncos games. That’s slightly down from his final two seasons with the Dolphins, where he averaged 10.9 PPR points.
The sixth-year WR is commanding a 21.1% target share that ranks 32nd among WRs while his 40.8 receiving yards per game ranks a mere 52nd.
Blame that in part on an offense that’s produced the third-fewest yards per game this season, but his lackluster marks this season rival his last two seasons in Miami:
- 22.8% and 16.2% target shares
- 56.9 and 49.6 receiving yards per game
So, while Broncos offensive improvement is plausible after the group 10th in yards last season, Waddle isn’t guaranteed a bump to WR2 status if they do.
Week 6 exacerbates the issue with a Seahawks defense allowing the fewest total yards per game.
Sit Waddle.
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Emeka Egbuka’s WR17 finish on 9 targets in Week 5 might make him seem like a fairly easy start this week. But he got a little lucky.
Egbuka caught Jalon Daniels’ lone TD pass against a bad Cowboys defense that played without CB Joey Porter Jr. (illness). Daniels played admirably for an undrafted rookie making his second pro start, but he’s averaging just 168.5 passing yards so far, 31st in the league.
Egbuka managed only 38 yards on 6 catches against Dallas (6.3 yards per catch) a week after posting just a 2-13 line on 4 targets in Daniels’ first start.
Daniels looks like he’ll start at least one more game, this time against a Steelers defense that’s allowing the third fewest passing TDs and 10th-fewest total points.
Egbuka provides limited upside this week. Sit him if you can.
Tight End to Start
Expect Strange’s hot stretch to continue.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Brenton Strange is coming off his two best weeks so far this season. He’s averaging 15.2 PPR points per game to rank as the TE8 over that span. His 26.2% target share and 81.5 yards per game rank top 3 at the position since Week 4.
On the season, Strange’s 19.0% target share ranks ninth among TEs and trails only WR Parker Washington among Jaguars.
QB Trevor Lawrence is also producing a 7.0% passing-TD rate that ranks fourth among QBs and 8.7 adjusted yards per attempt (seventh).
The Jaguars’ high-scoring passing offense takes on a Texans defense that’s allowed the 10th-most passing yards this season. That pass D has improved a bit after a rough start, but the unit remains tough on the run (third in rush DVOA) and modest in TE coverage (19th in DVOA).
That leaves Strange as a solid option in an offense that might need to lean into more passing volume in Week 6.
TE to Sit
Higbee is no longer alone in the Rams TE room
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Since TE Terrance Ferguson went down with a Week 3 ankle injury that landed him on IR, Tyler Higbee has led all Rams TEs with a 71.4% route share. He’s produced 15.1 PPR points per game, sixth among TEs over that span.
His 15.0% target share in that time ranks 23rd among TEs, however, indicating he could struggle to sustain that production.
Ferguson still isn’t projected to return until Week 8 at the earliest, but TE Colby Parkinson returned in Week 5 from knee and shoulder injuries, which cut Higbee’s route share down to 65.0% from 74.6% over the two weeks prior.
Parkinson was the more involved TE over the season’s first two weeks, accounting for a 56.7% route share compared to Higbee’s 13.4%. We’re projecting Higbee to remain the Rams’ lead TE this week, but Parksinon’s presence raises concern about a further cut into Higbee’s usage.
That leaves Higbee as a sit despite an upside matchup with the Cardinals.