The Sporting News fantasy team is back with our fantasy football sleepers for Week 6. Last week was incredibly successful for our sleeper picks with Trevor Lawrence, Joe Flacco, Trey Sermon, D’Andre Swift, Javonte Williams, Josh Downs, and Jordan Whittington all having strong weeks.
There’s no time to rest on our laurels, the fantasy season moves quickly, and we have to adapt as the weeks progress. Week 6 offers a brand new slate of games with matchups that we can look to exploit in fantasy football.
If you don’t have time to dive into the outlook for each game, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve taken a deep dive into each matchup of the Week 6 slate to pinpoint which situations and matchups we should attack in fantasy football. Three of our fantasy analysts have identified a player at each position who is in a position to thrive this week.
WEEK 6 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers
Fantasy QB Sleepers Week 6
Michael O’Hara: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears — The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft is finding his footing in the NFL. After a shaky start to the season, Williams had the best game of his young career in Week 5, throwing for 304 yards and two scores while adding an extra 34 yards on the ground. Williams should be able to put together another strong performance this week against a struggling Jacksonville defense. The Jaguars have allowed three 300-yard passers and have allowed the most fantasy points per game to QBs this season. Williams should ride the talent of his receivers to another day with a stuffed stat sheet.
Ed Williams: Will Levis, Tennessee Titans — This is not a slam dunk sleeper by any means, but Will Levis was a popular sleeper coming into the season. He’s definitely disappointed thus far, and has had some of the worst turnovers you’ll ever see. That aside (if you can stomach putting that aside), the Titans are coming off a bye and facing the leaky secondary of the Colts. If Levis can’t put up a solid performance with the stars aligning for him in this one, then it’s not likely to happen this season.
Vinnie Iyer: Daniel Jones, New York Giants — He’s been sneaky strong in three of the first four games, getting to multiple TDs while avoiding key turnovers. The Brian Daboll play-calling is giving him great support while the wide receivers have been coming through, now including Darius Slayton along with Wan’Dale Robinson and sensational rookie Malik Nabers, who should return from his concussion to suit up Sunday night vs. the Bengals’ disastrous defense in New York. Jones gets it done with his arm and legs again, trying to keep up with Joe Burrow.
WEEK 6 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
Full Waiver Wire list | Top Players to Target | How to spend FAAB
Fantasy RB Sleepers Week 6
O’Hara: Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals — We’re officially seeing the changing of the guard in the Cincinnati backfield. Zack Moss is still seeing more snaps than Chase Brown (45 vs. 22 in Week 5), but last week, Brown saw more opportunities than Moss for the first time all season. It’s completely understandable why Brown is seeing the lion’s share of the touches – he’s far more explosive. So far this season, 22 percent of Brown’s carries have gone for 10-plus yards, the second-highest rate of any running back with at least 25 carries. Moss sits at just 8.8 percent. Brown offers a dynamic skillset that Moss does not, and the needle will continue to move in Brown’s favor as the weeks progress.
Williams: Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants — We don’t know the status of Devin Singletary yet, but even if he is able to shake off his groin injury and suit up, Tracy has earned a larger role in this offense with his explosive performance against the Seahawks. Tracy turned 18 carries into 129 yards, which translates to more than seven yards per carry. The Bengals were also just gashed by Derrick Henry, and while we’re not comparing Tracy to King Henry, it’s not a matchup to shy away from.
Iyer: Braelon Allen, New York Jets — It’s been tough sledding for him and Breece Hall, but they will come through together big-time with a massive combined scrimmage effort as the Bills’ defense struggles terribly against the run and covering running backs in the passing game. With the backfields of the Rams, Chiefs, Dolphins, and Vikings off in Week 5, Allen is a FLEX play who also could come through as needed as a RB2, especially in PPR-leaning leagues.
Fantasy WR Sleepers Week 6
O’Hara: Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys — Third-year receiver Jalen Tolbert had a lot on his plate as the Cowboys prepared to take on a talented Pittsburgh defense last week. Brandin Cooks had been placed on IR in the days leading up to the game, meaning Tolbert would serve as the team’s WR2. He rose to the occasion, leading the team in targets, catches, receiving yards, and hauling in the game-winning touchdown. Against a suspect Detroit secondary, and in a game with a 52-point total, Tolbert is in line for another big day.
Williams: Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons — Darnell Mooney feasted on TNF against the Bucs, hauling in nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. But if you think this was a fluke, that’s really not the case. In fact, Mooney has had at least six targets in every game since Week 1 and had a whopping 16 targets this week. Kirk Cousins has clearly built up a rapport in short order with Mooney, and he is in the WR3 conversation and can definitely be used in the Flex.
Iyer: Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears — If you’re missing some Rams, Chiefs, Dolphins, and Vikings options in Week 6 and need an intriguing one-week play, you could do a lot worse than playing Rome in London vs. the atrocious Jaguars secondary. Although D.J. Moore, D’Andre Swift, and Cole Kmet have become the target bread-and-butter for Williams, this is a chance for Odunze to make some big plays as the rookie first-rounder is certainly a better deep threat than the Colts’ Alec Pierce who thrived last week against the same Jags.
Fantasy TE Sleepers Week 6
O’Hara: Tyler Conklin, New York Jets — A steady stream of targets is all you can ask for out of a sleeper tight end, and Tyler Conklin can provide just that. The Jets’ TE1 is averaging 7.7 targets per game across the last three weeks and has delivered a top-12 performance in two of those weeks. If the Jets are forced to use a pass-heavy approach to keep up with the Bills this week, Conklin could easily clear double-digit PPR points.
Williams: Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans — Schultz has been a major disappointment so far this season, but that was to be expected if you’ve been following our fantasy content this year. With the addition of Stefon Diggs, not only did it add another prominent mouth to feed to the offense, but Diggs operates out of the slot often, and the middle of the field is Schultz’s specialty. What’s different this week, though, is that we expect Nico Collins to sit with a hamstring injury that has left him week-to-week. Look for Diggs to run more routes outside, which could open things up in the middle of the field for Schultz this week against the Patriots.
Iyer: Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — He’s been getting more involved of late, and the Saints’ cornerback coverage has a history of slowing down Mike Evans. That should prompt Baker Mayfield to work more to stretch the field inside to Chris Godwin and Otton. The Saints have been more vulnerable in tight end coverage than expected, and Otton is also overdue for a short TD.
Fantasy Defense Sleepers Week 6
O’Hara: Houston Texans — Picking on the New England offense is about as easy as it gets when it comes to finding defensive streamers and sleepers. The Patriots currently rank 31st in total offense and scoring offense and show no signs of making improvements any time soon. The Texans shouldn’t have an issue shutting them down this week.
Williams: Atlanta Falcons — The Falcons aren’t known as a defensive juggernaut by any means, but they draw Andy Dalton and the Panthers this week. Dalton made a huge splash in his first start after replacing Bryce Young, but he’s come back down to earth since then a bit, and I expect that to continue. While the offense is more competent with Dalton under center, he’s still Andy Dalton, and the Falcons can force him into a couple turnovers in this one.
Iyer: Philadelphia Eagles — The fangs will be out for Vic Fangio’s defense as we get closer to Halloween, and they will definitely suck the remaining life force out of Deshaun Watson. They will be total energy vampires by revving up the pass rush and putting Watson in uncomfortable positions, which will lead to multiple takeaways until the Browns are spooked enough to play Jameis Winston.
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