Sunday, December 22, 2024

Fantasy Football

Week Six Sunday Studs And Duds

A quarterback’s best friend is usually their wide receiver. After all, that’s who they mainly throw to, right? Sure, you have your running back and tight end to catch passes too. But, receivers are receivers for a reason. This position group relies on the number of receptions and touchdowns to boost their fantasy stock.

Take this into perspective: five top-scoring fantasy leaders in the top 10 were wideouts. We saw a QB-WR duo find their groove again, and another receiver continues to produce no matter who’s under quarterback (Kansas City misses you, Tyreek Hill).

Let’s dive into the overachievers and underperformers in week six. Also, the New York Football Giants are 5-1. Take that for data.

Fantasy Studs From Sunday’s Slate

The Cincinnati Bengals entered Sunday 2-3 and needed a win to get back on track. In New Orleans to face off against the Saints, one concern for many fantasy owners was if Ja’Marr Chase could get things rolling after five straight underwhelming performances.

Chase recorded 11 receptions for 131 yards and no touchdowns in weeks four and five. He woke up against the Saints and showed out in a big way.

The former LSU product torched New Orleans with seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe it was deja vu since he and Burrow had an outstanding performance the last time they played at the Superdome in college. 32.2 fantasy PPR points are something fantasy managers can smile and be happy about.

His quarterback wasn’t too shabby himself. Joe Burrow (32.5) threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the win. It helps he also ran in a touchdown, and his fantasy performance led all players on the Sunday slate.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills game was one many looked forward to. Although it wasn’t as high scoring as the last time, it was still exciting to the end. A late Patrick Mahomes interception helped Buffalo secure the 24-20 win.

Stefon Diggs (30.8) had 10 catches for 148 yards, giving the Chiefs’ secondary nightmares all game long.

Josh Allen (26.36) threw a total of three touchdowns for the Bills and had the ninth-best fantasy performance on Sunday. Although failing to rush for at least forty yards for a fourth straight time, he continues to be impressive for fantasy owners who drafted him.

Finally, it’s time to give props to a particular player from the New England Patriots. With Damien Harris out, Rhamondre Stevenson (25.1) took advantage of being the lead back. Rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns, he is starting to be a lineup lock for fantasy owners everywhere. Finally, a Patriot we can rely on in fantasy.

The Busts of Sunday

Now, it’s time to get to the guys who make you want to pull your hair out. Here we go.

Diontae Johnson was a target machine last year for the Steelers and was a solid fantasy asset to have. This season, however, things have declined a little. Facing off against the Buccaneers, the wideout only finished with five catches for 28 yards on his way to 8.6 fantasy points. Projected to score 13.31 points, this was underwhelming.

It’s understandable, as it was Kenny Pickett‘s first-ever start at quarterback. But, Johnson has failed to record a touchdown despite having double-digit targets in four of the six games this season. Things could be on the rise soon, but he may no longer be a lineup lock every week until we see the chemistry between him and his quarterback.

The Green Bay Packers are not the team of old, as they fell to the lowly New York Jets 27-10. Aaron Jones (7.4) was terrible, rushing for 19 yards on nine carries. Even though he had three receptions, it looks like the duo of him and AJ Dillon is not working for him.

Despite being the 13th-best fantasy running back, he’s been quite inconsistent throughout the season. He rushed for 132 yards in week two, then only ran for 36 against the Buccaneers in week three. A bounce-back performance of 110 rushing yards in week four helped, but he has failed to even touch 100 in the past two weeks combined. Keep this in mind too: he has not scored a touchdown in four weeks.

I never liked the two-running-back system except when the starter needs a breather. This is an example of why.

D.K. Metcalf (5.4) was supposed to have a fourth-straight solid fantasy performance against the Cardinals. After all, Geno Smith has been outstanding numbers-wise and the chemistry between the two has led Metcalf to record at least 17 fantasy points in the past three weeks.

Unfortunately, the wide receiver was limited to two receptions for 34 yards. Ouch.

Well, that is all for this Sunday’s Studs and Duds. Before we end things here, can we agree to get D.J. Moore out of Carolina? He is suffering down there, and fantasy owners should consider benching him.

Thank you for reading! If you want more player spotlight articles or fantasy football Studs and Duds, make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter! Check out my last article here. Thank you for your continuing support, and be on the lookout for more quality content! Also, check out my podcast here!