Fantasy Football Week 6: Start ‘em/sit ‘em
By Leo Howell
Week 6 of the NFL season is upon us, and you need to make sure you’re ready to set your fantasy football lineup. So here are some players to start and sit to make sure you have the best possible lineup for this weekend’s action.
Players to Start
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Romo frustrated Dallas fans last week by throwing an interception in the dying moments of a shootout with the Denver Broncos. But he had a fantastic game for his fantasy owners, with over 500 yards passing with five touchdowns. This week against Washington, he has a chance to do it all again.
The Redskins defense is ranked 29th by ESPN in terms of fewest points allowed to quarterbacks, which is one spot lower than the Broncos that were chasing Romo’s receivers around last week. Very few teams are as QB friendly as Washington, so expect Romo to have another spectacular game against his division rivals. I would argue that no quarterback has a higher upside than Romo this week, because he has the potential to repeat last week’s incredible stat line.
Knowshon Moreno and Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos
The Jacksonville Jaguars are unlikely to keep their game against the Broncos competitive, which means Denver will get a chance to run down the clock early and often. Peyton Manning will get his fair share of throws in, so don’t fret if you own Peyton. But if you own Moreno or Hillman, this is a week where you can use either with confidence.
The Jaguars have allowed 160 rushing yards per game, and are among the worst in every run defense category. They’re also 2nd in the league in rushing attempts against, as teams have been busy running the clock against the Jags all year. That means both Moreno (that clear-cut starter) and Hillman (the preferred backup and more talented pure runner) will get their chances this week. Expect both to have 17 or more carries, and both post either 100 yards or a touchdown.
Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chad Henne will start at quarterback for the Jaguars this week, and that might be better news for Blackmon than facing the aforementioned Denver defense. Henne has the better arm of the two quarterbacks, and will occasionally show signs of brilliance amongst moments of frustrating failure.
For Blackmon, those moments of failure matter not. He isn’t penalized for interceptions and sack-fumbles. He only reaps the benefits when he’s thrown the football. And going up against a not-so-great Denver defense in what should be a lopsided game is a great opportunity to rack up fantasy points. This won’t be a good “real life” football day for Blackmon, but for fantasy it should be a great game to earn a lot of garbage time yards and scores.
Garrett Graham, Houston Texans
Need a bye week filler for Tony Gonzalez or Charles Clay? Head to your waiver wire quickly and check to see if Graham is still there. With Owen Daniels out for the season, Graham’s role will only increase and his opportunities will continue to grow.
Graham was already a reliable target for Matt Schaub, who tends to favor throwing to tight ends (especially in the red zone). But now he’ll be his third best option behind the “injured but playing” Andre Johnson and rookie DeAndre Hopkins. Graham is a top-10 tight end with Daniels out, as he will find the end zone at least 6 more times this season, and will see a good amount of targets and catches otherwise.