Welcome back to my trust or bust series, brought back for 2022, here we look at the Week 6 matchups.
I’d like to start by apologizing for not getting last week’s picks out in time to help you guys. Were you fortunate enough to have Travis Kelce fulfill your ‘Monday Night Miracle and get you a much-needed win? Maybe you rolled the dice and started Gabe Davis? Or were you one of the ones BOLD enough to plug Taysom Hill into one of your lineups?
Chances are you were. The fun and games start now that Bye Weeks are here. Call me crazy, but I think Bye Weeks can be advantageous for us fantasy players and it levels the playing field. Some fantasy players implement Bye Weeks into their draft-day strategy, at least, the experienced ones do.
Enough about Bye Weeks though. Let’s move on.
For those of you who are reading this for the first time, thank you. Let me tell you what this series is about and what its intentions are. (I promise it will have your daughter home before curfew). Every week I select players inside the FantasyPros Consensus Top 12 that I think will finish outside the top 12 and players outside the top 12 that I like more. All rankings are used with full PPR scoring in mind. This is NOT a ‘start/sit’ article per se. This is more or less how I feel about a player, why I feel that way, suggesting what I would do, what to expect, and who I like more.
Weekly Results
Correct
7
Wrong
1
Week 6 Inside/ Outside Picks
QB Justin Herbert (LAC)
v DEN
Current Ranking 10th
AVG Points per Game 19.4
Week 6 ranking 6th
Even though Justin Herbert has finished as a top-12 quarterback three out of five weeks this season, Herbert hasn’t been the world-beater as fantasy managers had hoped. The Chargers offense has taken longer to get going than expected. Thankfully Keenan Allen should make his return after a four-week absence. Unfortunately, Allen’s return against a ‘dange-RUSS’ Broncos defense that’s only given up three touchdowns to wide receivers all season.
Who I like More
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (SF)
@ATL
Week 6 ranking 16th
People from the South are known for being friendly, generous, and hospitable. Well, the Falcons’ defense is no different! Four of the five quarterbacks that have faced the Falcons’ defense have finished as QB1s and no quarterback has finished with less than sixteen points in any game. Insert Garoppolo who has scored double-digit points in every game but one, and I think we have a sneaky QB1 on our hands.
RB Alvin Kamara (NO)
v CIN
Current Ranking 45th
AVG Points per Game 12.8
Week 6 ranking 8th
It was nice to see Kamara return to form in Week 5 but fantasy managers should save the champagne for a different occasion. While the matchup versus the Bengals has fantasy appeal, the Bengals’ run defense has kept running backs bottled up this year allowing less than a hundred total yards per game and only three touchdowns.
Who I like More
RB Kenneth Walker III (SEA)
v ARI
Week 6 ranking 15th
This may be low-hanging fruit here, but with the injury to Rashaad Penny and Walker’s performance on Sunday, who isn’t starting Walker this week? Facing division opponent Arizona Cardinals who have allowed five rushing touchdowns already this season, expect Kenneth Walker to add to his touchdown total in Week 6 and remind fantasy drafters why he was worthy of an early first-round pick in rookie drafts.
WR Tyreek Hill (MIA)
v MIN
Current Ranking 4th
AVG Points per Game 20.8
Week 6 ranking 8th
I’ll be honest, this is much more about Skylar Thompson than it is about the Minnesota defense. To be fair the Vikings’ defense has been solid this year. Seeing as how they haven’t allowed a team to score more than twenty-five points in a game and have created a turnover every week. Tyreek and the Dolphins’ offense will be kept ashore in Week 6.
Who I like More
WR Tyler Lockett (SEA)
v ARI
Week 6 ranking 17th
As someone who just traded for Tyler Lockett, you better believe I’m hoping for a big week. Personal bias aside I was SHOCKED when I found Lockett ranked as the WR8 on the season. Although the Cardinals have been a top-five defense versus receivers the last two weeks, they’ve allowed the eight most receptions on the year.
TE David Njoku (CLE)
v NE
Current Ranking 8th
AVG Points per Game 11.3
Week 6 ranking 7th
For the most part, Njoku has been a safety net at the tight end position in 2022. The one negative about Njoku this season is he’s touchdown dependent. When you look at the New England defense, one might think “But Paul, the Patriots’ defense is tied with the Raiders for most touchdowns allowed to tight ends” That may be true, when you dig a little deeper you’ll see that three of those touchdowns came in one game. Ask TJ Hockensen how he liked going up against the Patriots in Week 5.
Who I like More
TE Daniel Bellinger (NYG)
v BAL
Week 6 ranking 19th
The Giant’s offense isn’t exciting by any means and outside of Saquon Barkley, there isn’t anyone who is fantasy viable, or so I thought. Insert rookie tight end, Daniel Bellinger, into the Giants equation and you’ll find a player who is averaging over eight points per game and is becoming a focal point in an offense that’s desperately looking for some consistency in the receiving game. Looking at his Week 6 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens who allow over twelve points per game to tight ends, I’m seeing a breakout game for Bellinger this week.
That’s gonna do it for this week’s piece. I hope you found the info useful and actionable.
Thank you for reading. Just a reminder, my fantasy podcast: The ATB Fantasy Show records a new episode every Thursday. You can find the podcast on most major platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. Here’s a link to the most recent episode.
If you use the hashtag #AskATB or send us a DM, we’ll be sure to answer any and all of your fantasy questions.
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
Image Credit: Chuck Cook – USA TODAY Sports
