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Fantasy football lineup advice: Week 6 BOOM or BUST!

By Jake VanZuiden

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 06: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans runs onto the field before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Nissan Stadium on October 6, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Buffalo defeats Tennessee 14-7. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 06: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans runs onto the field before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Nissan Stadium on October 6, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Buffalo defeats Tennessee 14-7. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Fantasy Football - Vikings WR Adam Thielen
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 6: Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen (19) caught a touchdown pass while defended by New York Giants defensive back DeAndre Baker (27) in the third quarter of an NFL football game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images) /

Fantasy football lineup advice – Wide Receiver

BOOM:

Adam Thielen, MIN vs. PHI

Let’s be honest, Kirk Cousins has been bad this season. This had put a damper on Thielen’s value early on, but the two-time Pro Bowler let his concerns be publicly known after catching just two passes for six yards against Chicago. In Week 5, Cousins responded by peppering his top target, leading to seven receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns for Thielen. It’s still worrisome that the Vikings passing-game has struggled so mightily against superior defenses, but their upcoming contest won’t pose that kind of threat.

Dealing with a plethora of injuries in their secondary, aerial-attacks have seen plenty of success against the Eagles. Wideouts have dismantled Philly to an extent of 42.7 FPPG, fifth-most in the NFL. This team has no one capable of stopping a wide receiver of Thielen’s caliber, boding greatly for his outlook this week. Expect Thielen to excel in this smash-spot.

D.J. Chark, JAX vs. NO

One of the most pleasant fantasy surprises in the young season, Chark looks to be coming into his own while emerging as Gardner Minshew’s top target. Chark’s 21.1 FPPG thus far ranks fifth-best among all wide receivers, making him a guy you want in your lineup each and every week (at least until he shows signs of slowing down). He exploded last week against the Chargers’ top-10 pass-defense, drawing a season-high 11 targets in which he turned into a line of 8/164/2.

Chark should be in for another strong week against the Saints, who’ve ceded the ninth-most FPPG to opposing WRs. Normally, a matchup with top-tier cover-corner Marshon Lattimore would have me thinking twice, but I’m not hesitating. Chark has been brilliant and should once again see the volume to produce for owners.

BUST:

JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT @ LAC

Can a guy catch a break? Drafted as a consensus top-10 receiver heading to the season, Smith-Schuster’s value took a massive hit once future HoF quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out of action for the season. To make matters even worse, right when he and Mason Rudolph were beginning to build a rapport, Rudolph suffers a scary-looking concussion that’s going to hold him out a minimum of one week. Now, he’ll be catching passes from undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges. Yikes.

The entire Steelers’ offense looks to be in trouble this week. They’ll likely have a brutal time trying to move the ball with Hodges at QB and will likely lean on James Conner as much as possible. This bodes poorly for JuJu, especially against the Chargers, who’ve granted wideouts the 11th-fewest FPPG this year. It’s tough to sit a player with the skillset of Smith-Schuster, as we’re all aware of his ceiling, but owners are going to have to bite the bullet here.

Golden Tate, NYG @ NE

Tate returned from his four-game suspension last week against the Vikings but wasn’t able to do much with his opportunities. He drew six looks from quarterback Daniel Jones, managing to reel-in just three of those targets for 13 yards. Unsurprisingly, it looks like it’ll take some time for Tate to learn the playbook and be fully integrated into his new team’s offense. To be fair, his first game was one that was dominated from start to finish by Minnesota. Had the game been more competitive, it might’ve been a different story.

His next matchup won’t cut him any slack, however, as the G-Men are set to travel to Foxborough. Statistically the best defense in football through five games, Bill Belichick looks to have built himself a true juggernaut unit. The Patriots are currently allowing the sixth-fewest FPPG to visiting opposing wideouts. Tate may get more looks with Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram both doubtful for Thursday night, but owners shouldn’t be banking on him to produce.

Sleeper:

Calvin Ridley, ATL @ ARI

After a few down weeks, Ridley got back on track against the Texans, turning nine targets into five catches for 88 yards and a TD. Each of Atlanta’s pass-catchers has a chance to eat this week against the Cardinals, whose secondary has been miserable to begin the season in Patrick Peterson‘s absence. Arizona has allowed over 40 FPPG, suggesting there should be plenty of points to go around.

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