| | | | Thursday, October 14, 2021 | | Week 6 kicks off tonight with a game that has plenty of Fantasy ramifications as the Eagles host the Buccaneers. And, given how many injuries are out there waiting to be resolved this week, it'll be nice to lock in big names like Tom Brady, Jalen Hurts, Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, and Chris Godwin, knowing that's one less roster spot you have to worry about come Sunday. | | Of course, you still need to know who else besides the obvious players to start from Thursday or which of your other options are the better plays. And you need to know which of your players may not even be able to help you at all this week due to injuries. | | And that's the point of today's newsletter! Dave Richard took on the task in his Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts column, as he goes through every game on the schedule trying to help you figure out who should be in your lineup. We'll take a look at some of his calls in today's newsletter before getting to all of the injury news you need to know about and a preview of tonight's big game. | | And, in case you missed it, Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column came out yesterday with all of his favorite picks to start and players to avoid. Plus, if your team is 0-5, I wrote about how you might be able to turn that around for CBSSports.com, with five 0-5 teams as examples. | | If you've still got questions after all that, make sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Football Today YouTube channel and join Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings and me at 2 p.m. ET today for our start/sit live stream , where we'll be answering as many of your questions as we can for Week 6. And, if you have even more questions, email me at [email protected] with the subject line "#AskFFT" to be included in Sunday morning's mailbag. | | Get ready for Week 6 with our other preview content here: | | Week 6 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WRStarts, sits and sleepers for every gameWeek 6 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE My Week 6 Rankings: Flex Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE | | Keep an eye out for tomorrow's newsletter, where I'll preview every game this week, including full injury report updates from around the league. Here's what else today's newsletter will cover: | | 6️⃣Dave Richard's Week 6 Preview🚑Week 6 Injury Watch🆚TNF Preview: Buccaneers at Eagles | | | | 6️⃣Dave Richard's Week 6 Preview | | | | There are the obvious calls, and then there are the ones you need help with. Dave Richard goes through each game to identify the most interesting matchups and biggest lineup dilemmas for Week 5. Here are some of his top picks for this week. You can find the rest of his advice for Week 6 here: | | Starts | Zach Ertz -- "It's all about opportunity for Ertz, who has been spotted at least six targets in each of his past three games. It didn't help him last week as three of six passes sent his way bounced off parts of his limbs and hands for incompletions. Without Dallas Goedert on the field, Ertz should expand into an every-down role (which he was pretty much in to begin with), setting him up nicely for a safe floor of around six non-PPR/10 PPR points. That makes Ertz a low-end starter with potential to score."Michael Pittman -- "Since Week 2, Pittman is tied for seventh in the NFL with 39 targets. That alone makes him appealing in PPR formats as a heavy volume getter. His timing with Carson Wentz has
improved quite a bit and he flashed his ability to gain yards after the catch on two plays last week against the Ravens. Houston is allowing a 69.8% catch rate to the opposition but they've consistently done a nice job of limiting them after the catch. It's partially helped in preventing any touchdowns to wideouts over the last four weeks, a pretty impressive stat. Still, receivers have come through for over 200 yards against the Texans in 3 of 5 games; only the Browns (without Odell Beckham ) and Patriots were held below that number. If Wentz is in a position to throw 30 times like 4 of 5 passers against Houston, Pittman should have a floor of 80 yards or so on seven catches. That's great for PPR and not terribly shabby in non-PPR as a flex." | | Sits | | Tyler Boyd -- "So far this year, Boyd has seen at least seven targets in games in which the Bengals were trailing in. He scored to help Cincy build a lead against the Steelers in Week 3, but it was on a funky play where he bounced off defenders and scored from 17 yards out. The Lions have hung around with many of their opponents but they shouldn't have the lead and force Burrow to throw a bunch in the second half. I'd keep Boyd on the bench with the idea of using him in Week 7 when the Bengals play in Baltimore."Latavius Murray -- "The Ravens probably figured out last week that their running backs leave a lot to be desired. But I couldn't help but notice Devonta Freeman working in the fourth-quarter hurry-up offense, then giving way back to Murray in overtime when they weren't up against the clock. Murray is clearly an inefficient touchdown-or-bust runner who should continue dropping playing time to others in Baltimore (and potentially to Freeman before anyone else). The Chargers sport a bottom-10 rush defense in terms of Fantasy points allowed, but even they should be able to keep Murray from gashing them." | | Sleepers | | Darnell Mooney -- "For the fourth straight week, Mooney picked up at least 20% of the Bears' targets while Allen Robinson's 20% target share in Week 5 was his highest in Justin Fields' three starts. Mooney continued to run routes further downfield than Robinson, though their average target depths were basically the same (8.8 to 8.4). And finally, last week the Bears were able to win without throwing very much -- that figures to change in a matchup against their bitter rivals. Quarterbacks are averaging 35.0 pass attempts per game against the Packers, which is pretty close to league average but a full 15 attempts more than Fields has thrown in a single game. Maybe that passing volume benefits Robinson and finally gives him another game with more than four receptions, but it's Mooney who has more pop in his wheels and can challenge a Packers zone-friendly secondary downfield." Davis Mills -- "Brandin Cooks wasn't double-teamed much by the Patriots last week, making his five-target outing all the more perplexing. Bank on a bounce-back this week against the Colts, whose already shaky secondary might be down to backups at safety and at the outside corners. Tack on Indy's low-pressure pass rush (25.3% ranks second-worst in football) and Mills should have time to get reacquainted with Cooks downfield. This duo belongs in some DFS tournament lineups." | | Bust Candidate | | Tee Higgins -- "The Bengals are in the bottom-10 in time of possession (28:57) and pass plays per game (56.5% pass), and bottom-5 in total plays per game (57.0). This trifecta doesn't help the passing offense in terms of volume, which is exactly half of Higgins' equation for Fantasy success. Last week he had a solid 18% target share from Joe Burrow , but that's way down from the 26% he had in Weeks 1 and 2. That was in a high-scoring matchup with the Packers -- this week figures to be more of a ball-control type of plan against a Lions offense that's averaged 16.3 points per game in its past four. The other half of Higgins' game that helps in Fantasy is touchdown scoring, of which Higgins has only done in the red zone through his pro career. Burrow currently ranks 29th in red-zone pass attempts this year in large part because the Bengals rank tied for last in red-zone drives (10). Detroit has somehow allowed just 13 red-zone drives through five weeks, seventh-best in football." | | | | 🚑Week 6 Injury Watch | | | | I'll have a full breakdown of the injury report in Friday's newsletter along with my preview of each game, but here's a look at some notables from the first practice participation reports of the week. | | Designated to return from IR | | T.Y. Hilton (neck) -- Hilton practiced Wednesday, officially opening his 21-day window to be activated. It's not clear if he will be in time for Sunday's game against the Texans, but I would guess he'll get his feet under him and come back in Week 7 -- and I wouldn't trust him even if he does play Sunday. He's worth stashing, though I think it's safe to assume Michael Pittman will remain the No. 1 WR even when the soon-to-be 32-year-old is active. Tua Tagovailoa (ribs) -- Tagovailoa is hoping to get through this week of practice without issue, at which point he may be cleared for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. I'm cautiously optimistic about his chances at this point, and it would be a good thing for Miami's offense. | | | | Injuries to watch for Week 6 | | It's not clear what these injuries mean quite yet. | | Kyler Murray (shoulder) -- Limited practice. This is the first we're seeing of this, and the fact that Murray was limited seems like a good sign for his chances of playing. However, it's worth noting that Murray ran for just 1 yard in Week 5, and his rushing production took a real hit in 2020 after he suffered a shoulder injury, as he averaged just 30.7 yards per game with one touchdown from Week 11 on; he averaged 67.1 with 10 touchdowns in his first nine games. It's something to watch. Justin Fields (rib/knee) -- Limited practice. Fields told reporters he'll be good to go for Sunday's game against the Packers. Daniel Jones (concussion) -- Did not practice. Jones has to go through the concussion protocol, but coach Joe Judge told reporters Wednesday Jones is "on track" with his progress, and he could be cleared to play against the Rams. We should have a sense of whether that'll be the case within the next few days, and he could play without practicing. Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) -- Limited practice. I think McCaffrey is likely to make his return this week, but coach Matt Rhule was non-committal, saying McCaffrey is 50-50 to play against the Vikings. Of course, that's right now -- if he makes it through the next two days without issue, I'm sure McCaffrey's chances of making his return would be higher. He's obviously a must-start player whenever he is active. Dalvin Cook (ankle) -- Limited practice. That's a good sign for Cook, who hasn't practiced in the previous two weeks, playing in one game and sitting out the other. Obviously, we'll want to see him get through the rest of the week without issue. Alexander Mattison (shoulder) -- Did not practice. This is a surprise. Mattison took on a huge role with Cook inactive in Week 5, and we didn't see him suffer an injury, so it's not clear if this is a concern for Week 6 or not. If Cook doesn't play and Mattison does, he would be a top-five RB for Fantasy. If neither is able to play, Ameer Abdullah would likely see a larger role, though the team would also likely add someone from the practice squad to help out. We'll watch this one closely tomorrow for any signs. Kareem Hunt (wrist/knee)/Nick Chubb (calf) -- Did not practice. It's not clear if these were primarily precautionary absences or if these two are really at risk of missing Sunday's game against the Cardinals, so we'll obviously have to keep a close eye over the next few days. Demetric Felton could see a larger role if either has to sit out and would be an interesting PPR option in that instance, though I'm not sure the Browns would be willing to use him as a lead back if both were out, because he doesn't have a carry this season. D'Ernest Johnson would likely be the primary back if that were to happen, with Felton likely handling passing situations. Chris Carson (neck) -- Did not practice. It's actually surprising to see Carson not practicing Wednesday, but Pete Carroll told reporters the plan is for Carson to try to practice Thursday. That should tell us a lot about his chances of playing Sunday against the Steelers. Alex Collins would start in Carson's place if he does have to sit. Damien Williams (foot/knee) -- Maybe that's why Khalil Herbert played such a big role in the second half of Week 5's game. Williams will be a solid starting option in Week 6 against the Packers if he is healthy enough to play, but this is just one more reason to add Herbert to your bench. Damien Harris (ribs) -- Did not practice. Harris left Sunday's game on two separate occasions with the injury, and it was serious enough to sideline him Wednesday. I haven't seen much to suggest he's at risk of sitting out Week 6, but add Rhamondre Stevenson just in case. Tyreek Hill (quad) -- Did not practice. We'll see whether this injury is enough to put Hill at risk of missing Sunday's game against Washington, but the good news for the Chiefs is that Travis Kelce is not listed on the practice report despite leaving last week's game with a stinger. He seems OK, going by that. Adam Thielen (foot)/Justin Jefferson (ankle) -- Did not practice. The Vikings were missing quite a few players Wednesday, but it's not clear whether Thielen and Jefferson's absences put their status for Week 6 at risk. We'll keep an eye on their status Thursday before getting worried, but definitely take note. Mike Williams (knee) -- Williams is a new addition to the injury report, and while I didn't see anything to suggest this injury is much to be concerned about, it's obviously something to watch over the next few days. If he can't practice Thursday, then there will be real risk that he'll miss Sunday's game against the Ravens. Allen Robinson (ankle) -- Did not practice. This is the first we're hearing of this, so it'll be something to watch the rest of the week. Not that you can really trust Robinson at this point even if he is healthy. Kadarius Toney (ankle)/Sterling Shepard (hamstring) -- Limited practice. That's the first we've seen of Shepard, and a good sign for Toney after he suffered the injury in Week 5. It looks like the Giants could have both healthy for this week, which is a good sign, because Kenny Golladay is not expected to play with his knee injury. Both Toney and Shepard could be interesting PPR plays in Week 6 against the Rams, especially if Daniel Jones plays, but neither would likely be a top-24 WR for me. Sammy Watkins (thigh) -- Did not practice. Watkins left Monday's game due to the injury and it was serious enough to keep him out of practice Wednesday. We'll see what the rest of the week looks like, but it's possible first-round pick Rashod Bateman could make his return from core surgery this week as the team's No. 2 WR. That's something to watch for sure. T.J. Hockenson (knee) -- Did not practice. Hockenson has been dealing with this injury for a few weeks now, and it's fair to wonder if that's why he's struggled to put up numbers of late. He's been healthy enough to play, and if he is active, it's hard to justify sitting Hockenson, but he needs to start producing soon to maintain that level of trust. | | Trending up for Week 6 | | This doesn't mean they will play, but we got good news about them Wednesday. | | Joe Burrow (throat) -- Full practice. Burrow is being instructed by his doctors to not talk as much this week after getting poked in the throat, but otherwise, I think he'll be fine. There doesn't seem to be any risk of him missing Week 6's game against the Lions -- a matchup he should have success against. Joe Mixon (ankle) -- Limited practice. Mixon played through the ankle injury last week and appears to have gotten through that without any setbacks. It'll be interesting to see if he ends up progressing to a full practice, because he was limited to just 28% of the team's snaps in Week 5. It would be nice to see him back to his normal workload in a dream matchup. Julio Jones (hamstring) -- The Titans didn't release an official injury report Wednesday since they don't play until Monday, but this was apparently the first time he's been on the practice squad since suffering the injury in Week 3 against the Colts. It would be hard to trust him if he does play, but Jones would probably be in my top 36 at wide receiver if he's active. | | Trending down for Week 6 | | This doesn't mean they won't play, but they aren't moving in the right direction yet. | | Kenny Golladay (knee) -- Did not practice. Golladay is expected to miss at least one week with his injury, so don't expect him to play Sunday. DeVante Parker (hamstring) -- Did not practice. Parker suffered the injury during practice last week and was unable to play through it in Week 5. We'll see if he can get on the field Sunday against the Jaguars, but it's not looking likely. | 🆚TNF Preview: Buccaneers at Eagles
| | | | All lines from Caesars Sportsbook | | Line: Buccaneers -7; 52.5 O/UImplied totals: Buccaneers 29.75-Eagles 22.75 | | What to expect: Based on what we've seen from both teams, very little rushing. The Eagles rank 27th in the NFL in rush attempts, while the Buccaneers are down at 30th. What's interesting about that from the Bucs perspective is that Tom Brady is dealing with a thumb injury; not one that is expected to keep him out, but he did have the thumb heavily wrapped Tuesday before getting in a full practice Wednesday. | | Key injuries: Tom Brady (thumb) -- Expected to play and doesn't have an injury designation for the game. Still, I do wonder if the Buccaneers might go a bit less pass heavy than normal if they go up early -- they've had a tendency to keep throwing even when they are leading, as Brady threw 41 times despite the injury and the 45-17 win over the Dolphins last week ... Rob Gronkowski (ribs) -- Gronkowski remained out at practice all week and will miss his third game in a row as a result of this injury ... Dallas Goedert (COVID) -- Goedert is not expected to be cleared to play in time for tonight's game, so Zach Ertz should see a much larger role than normal. He's a top-12 TE this week. | | What to watch for: On the Eagles side, will they just completely abandon the run? That's what teams tend to do against the Buccaneers, who have had just 79 rush attempts against them this season. And, with an average of 2.9 yards per rush, it's not hard to blame them. The Eagles haven't shown a willingness to put much trust in Miles Sanders, so don't expect much from him on the ground in this one -- we're just hoping he catches enough passes to be productive. On the other side, I'll be watching the RB split. Leonard Fournette remained a solid starter in Week 5, but he also ran the ball just 12 times, while Ronald Jones and Giovani Bernard combined for nine. Bruce Arians' history in Tampa suggests he doesn't tend to ride just one running back, so can Fournette be a weekly starter in a three-way split? I could see this becoming a frustrating situation again, though I'm still viewing Fournette as a top-15 RB for this week. | | | | | | | | |
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