Welcome to the NFL week six! Time keeps marching on, in both real and fantasy football. It is absolutely mind boggling that we are a five weeks into the pro football season. The good news, however, since that is the case, many trends have become clear. No question, managers will want to keep track of these trends when determining who will be, and won’t be in their starting fantasy lineups. The good news, fortunately, is this Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition is here to help do just that.

For clarity’s sake, as was pointed out the past two weeks, all position rankings are taken from ESPN. Without doubt, there surely will be disagreements about the players listed below. When that happens, let’s talk about it! Further, if there will be questions about players that are not included here. Get me the players and I will do some research and get back to you.

Reminder: As was the case last week, there are four teams are on bye: Kansas City, LA Rams, Miami and Minnesota. Additionally, as was the case last Sunday, there is an early game in London. The start time for that one is 8:30 AM central time. Set your lineups accordingly. With all of that out of the way, let’s get down to it.

Week Four Starts

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers

Last week, I recommended sitting Andy Dalton. Not one to toot my own horn, but that recommendation was on the money. The Chicago defense held him to 136 yards passing and no touchdowns with an interception thrown in. Thankfully, he and the Panthers are finished with the Bears defense.

This week, we move on the the Atlanta Falcons. On paper, the Falcons aren’t at the bottom against quarterbacks, ranking 19th. However, this is the same defense that allowed Baker Mayfield to throw for three touchdowns. Dalton himself had five in his previous two games. Look for him to have a bounceback game, which lands him in starter’s territory.

Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers

First, let me say that for this to work, you will have to wipe Sunday night’s game from your memory banks. Once that’s done, we can proceed. Obviously, Justin Fields didn’t burn brightly in the Sunday night game against Dallas. As proof, Fields only passed for 131 yards. Even so, he did throw for two TDs and had the Steelers in position to win the game late. It just didn’t work out for Pittsburgh.

Now that’s out of the way, we can move forward. In their next game, the Steelers face the Las Vegas Raiders at home. Vegas comes into this game having the 21st ranked defense against QBs. That will be enough to get Fields back on track, even if Russell Wilson is healthy, which he hasn’t been all year.

If Fields is the team’s starter, which he will be, he is thoroughly recommended to start on this Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition.

Running Backs

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

In the last episode, it was recommended to sit Ezekiel Elliott. Just 17 yards later, needless to say, that worked well. No worries, the brain is still functioning, so there will be no kind words for Elliott in this column. No, instead I turn my attention to his backfield mate, Rico Dowdle.

Against the Steelers’ number one ranked defense at the time against RBs, Dowdle showed out in the game. He finished with 20 rushes for 87 yards and caught a 22 yard TD pass to boot. No question, against that D, that’s a solid game. In the contest, Dowdle set season highs with his rushes, yards and YPC (4.4).

Coming this Sunday, there is a marquee matchup with the Lions at home. When last seen, the Detroit defense allowed Kenneth Walker of the Seahawks to rush for three touchdowns. The Lions have one of the most explosive offenses in football.

Doubtless, it is critical that Dallas keep those playmakers off the field. To accomplish that goal, Dowdle will have to step up big. Here is betting that he will do exactly that. Get him into starting lineups this weekend.

Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders

In week five, there would have been every justification for sitting Brian Robinson. After all, he was going up against the number six RB defense in Cleveland. Pay no attention to the 18 yards gained on the ground. However, do take a look at the two touchdowns that Robinson scored.

WIthout question, Robinson has a nose for the endzone, having scored four TDs in the last three weeks. Further, he has five on the year. Even though he didn’t have the yards against the Browns, Robinson has logged two 100 yard games so far this season. Firmly, that last stat proves that he isn’t just a touchdown dependent player.

Certainly, the next team on the schedule, Baltimore, can defend the run, ranking fifth. Even so, it figures they will have to focus much of their attention to quarterback Jayden Daniels. When doing so, it should give Robinson some open space. Truly, it is a tough matchup, at least on paper.

Even so, both teams have special offenses. There are plenty of fantasy starters in this game. In my estimation, Robinson is one of them.

Note: As of Saturday morning, Robinson is listed as questionable for the game Sunday. Unless he is fully cleared, it would be best to look for a starter elsewhere.

Wide Receivers

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

As a Seattle fan, I was completely disgusted with them this past Sunday. As an analyst, though, I have to put such feelings aside. What this game showed, among other things, is the Giants have a wide receiver not named Malik Nabers.

That player’s name? Darius Slayton. With Nabers out with a concussion, Slayton stood tall against the Seahawks. Slayton caught eight of 11 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown. Not surprisingly, all of those totals were season highs.

More than likely, Nabers should return this weekend. Even if that does happen, managers should keep Slayton in starting lineups. If he does play, Nabers will draw coverage to him. Doing so will open the field for Slayton against a Cincinnati defense that just allowed Zay Flowers to post a 7/12/111 stat line. This Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition says keep him on the field.

Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

Often, starting players in games overseas can be tricky. That’s not the case with Rome Odunze, however. In the game against the Panthers, Odunze caught five of six targets for 40 yards. I realize that’s nothing to get excited about. That’s completely understandable.

Take a look, however, at the Bears opponent in London. It’s Jacksonville, which ranks dead last versus fantasy WRs. Expect a repeat of his week three outburst against Indy, when Odunze produced a healthy 112 yards and a score. Unquestionably, getting him into lineups this week is the correct answer here.

Tight Ends

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

When Kyle Pitts came into the NFL a few years ago, who could have predicted it would take this long to appear as a starter in fantasy? Better late than never, as they say as Pitts makes an appearance on this Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition.

Last week against Tampa, Pitts set season high water marks across the board with seven catches of eight targets for 88 yards. Fortunately, the good news continues for Pitts and his managers this Sunday. The Falcons go up against Carolina, which ranks a sorry 26th in defending tight ends. There’s no reason to overthink it. Get Pitts into your lineup.

Week Four Sits

Quarterbacks

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Regrettably, in last week’s start/sit article, I recommended starting Deshaun Watson. Rest assured, that is a mistake that will not be repeated. It doesn’t matter who the matchup is. It doesn’t matter if the game is at home or on the road. Watson shall remain in the sit jungle forever more.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Up until this past Sunday, we have been waiting for a Trevor Lawrence sighting. It took five weeks, but he finally surfaced against the Colts. He threw for 371 yards against Indy, besting his previous season high by 151 yards. Further, Lawrence threw for two touchdowns. He has thrown for four TDs in his last two games.

Unfortunately, that is the end of the good news. This Sunday, Lawrence and the Jags fly across the Atlantic to take on Chicago in London. These kind of trips tend to play havoc on preparation, and, of course, game performance.

Additionally, the Bears just happen to be the number two fantasy defense against quarterbacks. When taking all of that into account, this Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition says sit Lawrence, if at all possible.

Running Backs

Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders

Truly, it was unfortunate that Alexander Mattison had to go up against the number nine defense against runners in Denver in week four. Mattison rushed the ball (if one wants to call it that) 15 times against the Broncos.All he had to show for it was a measly 38 yards. That equates to an awful 2.5 YPC.

Even worse, Mattison hasn’t gotten into the endzone in his last two games. If that was the end of the bad news, Mattison could possibly be allowed to smile a bit. Sadly, a sunny sky isn’t to be for him or Vegas on Sunday. They play Pittsburgh next and the Steelers rank fourth against the run in fantasy.

The game is at home, but that matters little. For sure, this Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition says to plant Mattison firmly on the bench this week.

Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers

Looking at the numbers that Miles Sanders generated against the Bears, it is almost beyond belief, and not in a good way. Sanders rushed the ball just twice for a grand total of six yards. Six. In the passing game, he caught two of three targets for 27 yards. On the season, the most carries that Sanders has had in a game is seven. The most catches: three. That’s not exactly burning up the field, is it?

The Bears do a lot of things right on defense, but they only rank 20th against running backs. Clearly, that did nothing to help Sanders in his last game. Even so, it’s still an uphill battle in week six, however.

The Atlanta Falcons are next up on the Panther schedule. Atlanta ranks 13th going against RBs in fantasy. Clearly, that isn’t a solid ranking, but it good enough. It is unclear if anyone has been starting Sanders this season. If so, this game needs to break that pattern. Sit Sanders until further notice.

Wide Receivers

 Gabe Davis, Jacksonville Jaguars

If Odunze is the exception, Gabe Davis proves the rule in not starting players in overseas games. Here we are five weeks into the 2024 season, and Davis has yet to hit pay dirt. Even more disheartening, he doesn’t have more than three catches in any game. Amazingly, he had one catch in week four for a total of -2 yards. Read that again. How is that even possible?

With the Bears up next and their number six ranking against receivers across the pond, there isn’t a more deserving sit candidate on this Week Six Fantasy Start/Sit edition than Davis.

 Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

Coming into the season, I was high on Keon Coleman. The rookie was coming into a Buffalo receiving room that had a lot of production to replace. I thought Coleman would fit right in. Needless to say, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.

After catching four of five targets for 51 yards in his debut, Coleman has just eleven targets in the past four weeks. Even worse, he has managed to corral just five of those passes. The one catch he had this past weekend went for a 49 yard touchdown, but that was the end of his production.

The outlook doesn’t look any better for Coleman on Monday, either, as he faces the Jets. New York’s problems have been well chronicled the past few days, but defending receivers isn’t one of them. They come into the game ranked fifth. Further, the Bills play the Jets on the road. All of the above calculates that Coleman needs to ride the bench in week six.

Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

As was pointed out in last week’s edition, the tight end position has been poison this season. Of course, that is true most every year, but 2024 has taken it new heights, or depths as the case may be. Even though Baltimore has two tight ends, they are not immune. Isaiah Likely clearly proves the point.

After catching nine passes in the Ravens’ first game, Likely has a total of seven in the four weeks since. His last game is a definite head scratcher. He brought in all three targets, but for only 13 yards. He somehow produced two touchdowns in that mess. However, we know that TDs can dry up just as fast as they appear.

In week six, that figures to be the situation for Likely and his fantasy managers. The Washington Commanders are next up on Baltimore’s schedule. Washington just happens to rank fifth against tight ends this year. Undoubtedly, that does not help Likely’s situation. In the final analysis, it would improve a manager’s chances of winning the matchup if another tight end is selected as the starter.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this Week Six Fantasy Starts/Sits edition! Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to bellyupsports.com/ and bellyupfantasysports.com/ for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!