Fantasy Football: 5 bold predictions for week 6

Week 6 of the fantasy football season has already kicked off with a bang and now we head into the weekend with some bold predictions.

Last night the Philadelphia Eagles blasted the New York Giants. This game saw plenty of points put on the board and some big performances for fantasy purposes. New York struggled as a team, but Saquon Barkley dominated and made fantasy owners happy.

His ability to gain yards after contact and make something out of nothing is amazing. It’s one of the reasons why he such a save play in fantasy football. The other reason is that the Giants need to feed him the ball if they hope to have any type of success.

It wouldn’t be that bold of a prediction to say Barkley finishes the year as a top 3 fantasy football running back.

Philadelphia saw their offense get on track for the first time this season. Carson Wentz looked more comfortable which obviously had something to do with the return of Alshon Jeffery. The two connected eight times, for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

With Jeffery back in the lineup, Zach Ertz came back down to earth a little. However, he was still able to catch seven passes for 47 yards. That’s a solid fantasy performance, but not on par with is season average.

Philadelphia’s running game is still a bit of a mystery. Wendell Smallwood got the higher number of carries, but Corey Clement looked better with his opportunities.

A bold prediction here is that the Eagles will orchestrate a trade to improve their running back situation.

5. Jameis Winston shines in his first start of the season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rode Ryan Fitzpatrick as far as they could before turning things over to Jameis Winston. However, Winston looked very rusty and didn’t perform much better than Fitzpatrick.

Still, the Buccaneers have named Winston the starter moving forward. This move makes sense as he is still considered the long-term answer at the position.

The fantasy spin on this situation is very interesting. We saw a handful of players like Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard shines with Fitzpatrick under center. It’s possible that things change with Winston in the lineup.

This weekend’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons offers an opportunity for Winston to find some success. The Falcons defense has been awful this season thanks to a string of injuries.

They are currently allowing an average of 277 passing yards per game. Tampa Bay will look to exploit this weakness at all costs. However, they sort of have to lean on the passing game as they have been unable to establish a ground attack.

This is a game featuring two division rivals and should be very entertaining. Look for a lot of points to be scored by both teams.

4. LeSean McCoy improve his trade value against the Texans

There are plenty of rumors swirling around that the Buffalo Bills are looking to trade LeSean McCoy. The latest rumor has McCoy returning to his former team the Philadelphia Eagles. When questioned, Sean McDermott did nothing to squash those rumors.

McCoy’s stats aren’t eye-popping, but he’s averaging nearly four yards per carry behind a poor offensive line. He still has some life left in his legs and could offer a boost to a team like the Philadelphia Eagles.

This week Buffalo has a tough matchup against the Houston Texans who are allowing under 100 rushing yards per game.

However, this doesn’t mean the Bills should abandon the running game. They need to get McCoy involved in the game plan in order to help their young quarterback Josh Allen. If they are able to establish a running game early it would help Allen in the long run.

The other obvious benefit is boosting McCoy’s trade value. Buffalo needs to show that he is healthy and ready to contribute on another team.

It’s unlikely the Bills will get much value in a trade, but it will help them save some money while getting a minor asset.

3. The Indianapolis Colts keep Hyheim Hines involved

So far this year the Indianapolis Colts have struggled to find a go-to running back. However, rookie Hyheim Hines has started to separate himself from the pack. His combination of quickness and ability as a pass catcher has earned him more touches.

This past week Hines saw a team-high 15 carries while also getting nine targets in the passing game. He made the most of those touches by accumulating 90 total yards.

Hines should remain a major part of the Colts offensive attack. They don’t really have the talent along the offensive line to establish a traditional ground attack. This is why someone with Hines’ versatility fits their need.

He is someone who can squeeze through tight running lanes and still provide that big-play threat. His pass catching skills mean that opposing defenses need to account for him on every snap.

This week the Colts face the New York Jets who are allowing just over 100 rushing yards per game. The Jets have a solid front seven, but it’s not a group that should be considered dominating. There’s plenty of opportunities for Hines to have another strong fantasy performance.

Andrew Luck really needs a playmaker like Hines at his disposal in case he needs to get rid of the ball in a hurry.

2. Keenan Allen has a tough day against the Cleveland Browns

Not only have the Cleveland Browns been able to register two wins, they have also shown signs of improvement across the board. On the defensive side of the ball, this group features some young and aggressive talent.

It all starts up front with Myles Garrett who is having himself a breakout season. His ability to get after the quarterback has helped force some poor throws. Cleveland’s secondary has been opportunistic in taking advantage of those mistakes.

One of the more aggressive defensive backs has been rookie Denzel Ward. He has already three interceptions on the young season.

Ward’s interception total doesn’t tell the whole story. He has been very effective as a cover man and is quickly developing into one of the better young cornerbacks in the league. He’s someone who is capable of making life difficult for Keenan Allen.

While the Los Angeles Chargers have seen plenty of offensive success, Allen hasn’t had a fast start to the year. He has only one touchdown catch and one 100 yard game which came in the first week of the season.

Allen is obviously one of the better fantasy wide receivers in the league. However, this week isn’t a favorable matchup against an improving Browns defense on the road.

1. Mitch Trubisky keeps his hot streak going against the Miami Dolphins

I’m in no way predicting that Mitch Trubisky will have another six touchdown game this weekend. That game was a perfect storm with the Chicago Bears defense also helping by creating turnovers. However, that doesn’t mean Trubisky is due for a major regression this week.

The Miami Dolphins defense is allowing over 270  yards per game. They are entering this week with a string of injuries that could keep Cameron Wake and Bobby McCain off the field.

Also working in Trubisky’s favor is the fact the Bears are coming off their bye week. Trubisky has shown great success on opening drives where he’s working off a scripted plan. The extra practice time should allow Matt Nagy to extend his opening game script.

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Chicago’s defense should again play a role in any of Trubisky’s success. Miami is currently one of six NFL teams averaging less than 20 points per game. Their offensive line has had some major issues and will have a tough time dealing with Khalil Mack and company.

The only real negative here for Trubisky is the fact that the game is on the road. However, that isn’t enough to change my prediction.