5 biggest Week 6 fantasy football sleepers: Rashod Bateman, Tank Dell and more

Another week of NFL football is upon us. The week started out Thursday night when the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 36-24.

Credit to Seattle for making a game of it. The team trailed 16-0 at one point but was able to get it to 23-17 in the third and 29-24 in the fourth. Resilience, right? Of course, it might not have been so close if it wasn’t for Laviska Shenault Jr. scoring on a 97-yard kickoff return.

To count as a sleeper, quarterbacks and tight ends need to be ranked outside the top 15 at their position on FantasyPros’ weekly rankings, while running backs are ranked outside the top 20 and wide receivers are ranked outside the top 25.

Will Levis - QB - Tennessee Titans

Week 6 ranking: QB20

For the quarterback spot this week, we’re going really deep with the current QB20, Will Levis.

I’m not saying to start Levis in a single-QB league over any top 15 options. But let’s say you’re a manager with Patrick Mahomes as your QB1. You’re in a 12-team league and you only have one quarterback on your roster, but most of your league subscribes to the belief that you should roster two quarterbacks, so the waiver wire is thin.

Levis is a perfect streaming play in that situation. He has just one finish all year as a top 20 quarterback and has been picked off in every game he’s played, even the one where he got injured and attempted just four passes, but he has such an appealing Week 6 matchup against the Colts.

Indianapolis has been one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses, allowing the third-most fantasy points to the position so far. Trevor Lawrence, who has also struggled early in the season, threw for 371 yards against this team last weekend.

Tank Bigsby - RB - Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 6 ranking: RB27

One of the best stories over the past few weeks has been the emergence of Tank Bigsby. The second-year back was a complete non-factor as a rookie, finishing with 132 rushing yards.

He almost surpassed that in Week 5, as Bigbsy finished with 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Add in his 28 receiving yards and you get 129 scrimmage yards, which is just three fewer yards than Bigsby’s 2023 rushing total.

In Week 1, Bigsby carried the ball 12 times, but his usage dropped sharply in Week 2 and Week 3, with two total carries in that span. But the Jags started using Bigsby again in Week 4 when he had 90 yards on seven carries, which prompted another increase in role for Week 5.

On a per-touch basis, Bigsby is playing like one of the best backs in the NFL right now, and in Week 5 he more than doubled Travis Etienne in carries, so it appears that the Jaguars are adjusting quickly to Bigsby’s breakout campaign.

Ty Johnson - RB - Buffalo Bills

Week 6 ranking: RB46

James Cook has dominated the Bills backfield, but a foot injury has kept him from practicing this week and puts him in a tough spot for Monday night’s game against the Jets. If Cook is a go for that one, you have to play him in fantasy despite a tough matchup with a strong Jets run defense, as he has five total touchdowns over the past four games.

But if Cook is out, you need a contingency plan, right? That’s where Ty Johnson comes in.

Rookie Ray Davis hasn’t done a whole lot this season, to the point where he didn’t record a carry in Week 5 against Houston, though he was targeted twice in the passing game. Meanwhile, Ty Johnson played a season-high 34 percent of snaps in that game.

If Cook misses this game, I’d expect the Bills to continue to trust the veteran Johnson over the rookie who has yet to really produce anything in the NFL. I don’t think he has a high ceiling or anything, but he’s a nice handcuff play if you have Cook on your roster and have the room to grab Johnson off the wire.

Tank Dell  - WR - Houston Texans

Week 6 ranking: WR27

With the NFL’s leading receiver, Nico Collins, on the IR due to a hamstring injury, the Texans are going to need second-year receiver Tank Dell to step up this weekend against the Patriots.

As a rookie, Dell was a threat to find the end zone every time he touched the ball. In 11 games, Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns, but his season ended early due to a broken leg.

Dell is back in 2024, but he’s seemed like he’s still a bit hampered by that injury. He averaged 15.1 yards per reception and 64.5 yards per game in 2023, but is down to 10.5 per catch and 34.3 per game in 2024.

Still, he’s about to move into the No. 2 role in this offense, playing across from Stefon Diggs. He’ll get an opportunity to stretch his downfield muscles in a way he hasn’t been able to yet this season. It’s not clear if he’ll have the juice in him for a big game, but his increased opportunities and his overall NFL track record makes him an upside play.

Rashod Bateman - WR - Baltimore Ravens

Week 6 ranking: WR54

Rashod Bateman in Week 6 is an example of something I like to call the Play People Against The Washington Commanders rule. Washington has allowed 11 passing touchdowns this season, tied with Carolina for the most allowed through five games.

The obvious must-start in this situation is Ravens No. 1 receiver Zay Flowers, but Rashod Bateman has plenty of appeal as well if you’re in a deeper league and are looking for a streaming play who is likely still available on the waiver wire.

Bateman has just one game all season with more than three receptions, catching four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in Week 5 against the Bengals. He saw a season-high eight targets in that one,

Bateman has a fairly low floor, but he’s found the end zone in two of the past three games. There’s certainly some touchdown-dependent appeal here based on the matchup.