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| Thursday, October 15, 2020 |
| Just a friendly reminder: There's no Thursday Night Football this week. While it's always nice to have some midweek football on TV, it's nice not to have to make any lineup decisions yet. Let's save those for Sunday – and Monday, when we'll have another doubleheader. |
| There will be plenty of decisions to make, of course, and we gave you some help last night with Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls, and now I've got Dave Richard's picks for every game right here for you along with updates on all the injuries we'll have to watch for Week 6 after the first day of practice for most teams — and it isn't a short list. |
| Plus, with no Thursday night game to preview, I decided to do another #AskFFT mailbag, with questions from my email inbox and on Twitter. As always, if you want to send in a question — about your lineup, about trade offers, about life — hit me up at [email protected] with the subject line "#AskFFT" and your question may make it into a future FFT Newsletter. |
| Here's what you need to know as we continue to get ready for Week 6: |
| More Week 6 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | QB | RB | WR | Starts and sits, sleepers and busts | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Biggest Questions | Waivers | Cut List | Trade Values | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not |
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Starts & Sits, Sleepers & Busts
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| Three guys Dave likes: Damien Harris vs. DEN, Ryan Tannehill vs. HOU, Chase Claypool vs. CLE |
| Trust a Patriots running back? Really? Well, the thing Harris has going for him is a distinct role — Rex Burkhead and James White overlap a bit, but Harris is the pure runner among this group. However, he also drew good reviews in training camp for his pass-catching abilities, so he's not necessarily a one-dimensional guy like Sony Michel has been. The Broncos are nothing to write home about, and with Cam Newton back, the Patriots should be able to control the clock, so Harris could be in line for another 15-plus carries. |
| Three guys Dave doesn't like: Joe Mixon at IND, Justin Jefferson vs. ATL, Travis Fulgham vs. BAL |
| Fulgham just had a great game against a tough Steelers defense, but he's going to need to do it more than once to be worth trusting. The question is, what if he does have another good game against the Ravens? With Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson nearing a return, can Fulgham lock in a role? The Eagles need help, with or without Jackson and Jeffery, so we'll be keeping a close eye on how Fulgham does. |
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| Week 6 Injury Report Updates |
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| Quarterback |
| Cam Newton (COVID-Reserve list) — Newton was activated off the reserve list and should be able to return in Week 6 against the Broncos, and he's a must start. Drew Lock (shoulder) — Full practice. Lock seems primed to return against a tough matchup, but he should give the Broncos offense a much-needed boost. Sam Darnold (shoulder) — Did not practice. Seems like Joe Flacco will likely start against the Dolphins this week, making Miami a strong DST streaming play. Baker Mayfield (chest) — Limited practice. Mayfield had X-rays taken that came back negative and is expected to play. Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) — Full practice. It's not clear if Garoppolo suffered a setback or wasn't fully healthy last week, but it seems like he's going to play through it again. Hopefully this one goes better than last time. Kyle Allen (head) — Full practice. Allen was at practice and is expected to start Sunday. |
| Running back |
| Dalvin Cook (groin) —Did not practice. Cook is expected to sit out, with the bye week allowing two weeks to recover. Alexander Mattison is Jamey Eisenberg'sStart of the Week in his absence. Leonard Fournette (ankle) — Limited practice. Fournette was available on an emergency basis last week and should be good to go by the time the weekend rolls around. What his role might be after Ronald Jones' consecutive 100-yard rushing games remains to be seen, but he's a risky start. |
| Wide receiver |
| Davante Adams (hamstring) — Full practice. As expected, Adams is good to go for Week 6 barring a setback. Chris Godwin (hamstring)/Mike Evans (ankle) — Limited practice. That's a good sign for both players, though Evans improbably is the more likely of the two to play. Diontae Johnson (back) — Did not practice. It's hard to know how much of this was the result of Sunday's injury, because Johnson hasn't really practiced at all on Wednesdays this season. Will be one to watch. D.J. Chark (ankle)/Laviska Shenault (hamstring) — Did not practice. Shenault seems more likely to play in Week 6, but we'll have to watch both. A.J. Green (hamstring) — Limited practice. This is actually better news than I was expecting, but you're not starting Green even if he's healthy, so it may not matter much. Alshon Jeffery (foot)/DeSean Jackson (hamstring) — Limited practice. At some point, these guys are going to return, but even if they are back in Week 6, I wouldn't start either against Baltimore. Breshad Perriman (ankle) — Limited practice. Perriman has been out since Week 2, and this is the most he's done since. He'll probably have to get back to a full practice to return, but he's moving in the right direction. Denzel Mims (hamstring) — As is Mims. He's not guaranteed to return in Week 6, but he was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday. |
| Tight end |
| Noah Fant (ankle) — Limited practice. I would still expect Fant to miss Week 6, but this is a good sign. We'll see if he can do more moving forward. Hayden Hurst (back) — Limited practice. The Vikings defense has been vulnerable, but I wouldn't feel comfortable starting Hurst even if he is healthy. Eric Ebron (hand) — Did not practice. It's not clear when Ebron suffered the injury or how serious it is, but you'll need to consider contingency plans if he misses Thursday's practice as well. Jordan Akins (ankle/concussion) — Limited practice. Akins is making progress and could return for Week 6. Mo Alie-Cox (knee) — Did not practice. Alie-Cox remains an interesting player, but he's not playing enough to be worth trusting even when healthy. |
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| #AskFFT Mailbag |
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| Your questions, my answers. |
| @Minattz12: If you had Clyde Edwards-Helaire, would you try to ship him just in case Le'Veon Bell lands there? |
| I wouldn't be shocked if Bell ended up in Kansas City — that was one of my top landing spots for him — but I would be shocked if he took Edwards-Helaire's job. It would make him a little riskier, given his struggles near the goal line, but I would think Bell would be more of a role player and insurance policy for CEH. If anything, Edwards-Helaire is a bit of a buy low for me, just because he has to start finding the end zone more. |
| Jack: Would CEH & D.J. Moore be fair for Christian McCaffrey? I worry a little bit about McCaffrey's usage when he comes back. |
| I share your concerns about McCaffrey. We assume he'll miss another week, but it could be a few more — we're at week four of a four-to-six week timeline — and there's no guarantee he'll be himself. While Saquon Barkley eventually returned to full strength, it took a while after his high-ankle sprain last season — he averaged 2.77 yards per carry in his first five games. That does feel like a bit too much to give up for him, but maybe I'm just too risk averse. |
| Chris: I have to cut Joshua Kelley or Miles Gaskin in PPR. Who should I keep rest of season? My gut says Gaskin as Kelley only provides a few weeks before Ekeler comes back. |
| Kelley just hasn't looked good over the last three weeks, and he looks like a backup to Justin Jackson after the first game without Ekeler. Gaskin isn't in a great offense, but he's got a lot less competition for touches, including receptions. He's the one to hang on to here. |
| @notsogoode: Half PPR: Should I trade Joe Mixon or James Robinson for Michael Thomas? |
| This is two separate questions. |
| "Who should I trade: Joe Mixon, or James Robinson?" I'm hanging on to Mixon of these two. Robinson isn't in an appreciably better situation than Mixon, and he definitely isn't a better talent than Mixon. Mixon is a frustrating back to have on your team, but his weekly upside is huge and you know he's going to get the chance to live up to that upside every week. "Should I trade James Robinson for Michael Thomas?" Yes! You should do it even if it costs you Mixon — assuming you can afford the lost week of production in Week 6. If you're 2-3, it starts to get iffier; if you're 1-4, I'm not sure you can risk not having that production this week. |
| @iggymadridrio: Rest of season: Noah Fant or Dalton Schultz? |
| I have enough questions about how Schultz is going to fare without Dak Prescott that I'm not even sure he's a must-roster tight end, whereas there's no question Fant belongs on someone's roster in every league. He may not be back in Week 6, but he shouldn't need much longer, and he might be the next great tight end. I don't think he's the next George Kittle, but he's got a bit of Kittle in him — he's a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands and he might be the Broncos' No. 1 target when healthy. |
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