NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 6

We definitely didn't have a fantasy bonanza today. Two hours into the early-game window, 12 of 16 teams had 14 points or fewer on the board. The Saints, Falcons and Jaguars were the only teams to have 21 or more points. Tom Brady was unable to take advantage of a depleted Pittsburgh secondary. Lamar Jackson was unable to take advantage of an seemingly overmatched Giants defense. And Nick Chubb was unable to find room to run against the Patriots. To say it was a slow start to the fantasy day was an understatement. It didn't get much better in the late games. When those three games went to the half, no team had more than 10 points. 

I'll always try to give actionable advice at the end of each reaction. In addition to the fantasy takes, hopefully, some of these observations can also give you some ideas if you're thinking about placing some Week 7 NFL bets https://www.rotowire.com/betting/nfl/odds/week-7 . Let's take a look at the Sunday afternoon action. 

Sunday Takeaways

• Here's a lesson in sports psychology 101. When someone takes an opponent for granted, it usually results in disappointment. Tom Brady was facing a Steelers defense that was without its top three cornerbacks. They also were missing Minkah Fitzpatrick at free safety. Throw in the fact that the Steelers have a bottom-10 pressure rate, and this was the ultimate smash spot for Brady. The bottom line is that he was terrible. He wasn't able to generate a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. He was extremely inaccurate throughout the game. And he only targeted Mike Evans four times. Consider this game an anomaly. Brady was hot coming into this game. It won't take him long to get back on track as a top-12 weekly QB option. The Bucs simply overlooked an opponent.
• The Bills beat the Chiefs, greatly increasing their chances of having home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. Although others were involved, in a game that Buffalo needed to win for numerous reasons, they put it in the hands of their best players. After catching five passes for 76 yards in two meetings against the Chiefs last year, he erupted for 148 yards and a TD. Josh Allen took a while to get the scoring rolling, but when the game was on the line, he took over. Otherwise, we confirmed that Gabe Davis and Devin Singletary are strong weekly fantasy options. Although Davis had just six targets, his downfield role is extremely valuable.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster had his first good game with the Chiefs. He benefited from poor tackling. His 42-yard TD came with three defenders around him, and none of them were able to make an easy play. Regardless, he's averaging six targets over the last five games, and he has a solid PPR floor.
• Nick Chubb had a high-floor game this week. In the early going, the Patriots sold out to stop the run and had some success. But in the second half, New England started extending the lead. As a result, the game script worked against Chubb, and he ended up with 70 yards on 13 touches. Overall, he's in the midst of a special season. In most weeks, he should remain a high-end DFS option and an obvious top-5 RB in seasonal leagues. 
• Over the years, I always enjoyed watching superstar RBs wearing down defenses late in games. Those players would either turn a good fantasy game into a great game or a mediocre one into a solid one with late production. Breece Hall fit that profile today. As the Green Bay defense wore down in the second half, Hall broke a 34-yard TD run. He ended the day with 20 carries while Michael Carter had just six. On a Jets team that has shown an emerging defense, Hall may have more positive game script than anyone would have imagined before the season began. But that may not even matter, as his receiving skills could make him immune to game script. It's reasonable to rank him as a top-10 option at RB going forward. 
• Rhamondre Stevenson had to deal with a Browns defense that was intent on stopping him. And although they had success in the first half, it didn't last for long. Stevenson broke off a long TD run. He also capped off his day with a short score in the last four minutes of the game. Including four receptions, he had an impressive 23 touches. With Damien Harris having put in limited practice time going into this game, he may not be out very long. Whenever he returns, Stevenson likely goes back into a timeshare. In that scenario, he'll typically be in RB2. But while Harris is out, start Stevenson with high expectations. 
• The Packers are a mess right now. AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones haven't had many ceiling performances. Green Bay has been disappointing on defense. That may lead to the team having more negative game script than anticipated heading into the season. That usually would be good for an Aaron Rodgers led offense. But the Packers offense seems to be stuck in neutral. Allen Lazard has emerged as a strong weekly fantasy option. He's been great in each of the last few weeks. As the most consistent receiving option in the offense, expecting Lazard to continue this production makes sense. Although Romeo Doubs has shown promise, he hasn't been turning his target volume into the production we need to see. Right now, Doubs is looking like a volatile flex option while Lazard is looking like a top-25 WR. 
• To the best of my recollection, Matt Ryan has been one of the most maddening QBs in fantasy football over the last decade. In games in which he seems to have no chance, he goes off. In games that he has the ultimate cake matchup, he underperforms. Facing a Jacksonville defense that shut him out in week 2, of course Ryan threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns. However, Michael Pittman did miss that first matchup. And Pitman dominated by catching 13 passes for 134 yards. In terms of Ryan, he'll be a volatile QB2. We've already seen the highs and lows, and the lows are incredibly low when he doesn't take care of the football. Pittman should be Ryan's best chance to get rid of the ball before opposing pass rushes get home. That should ensure that Pittman gets a ton of targets. Pitman can easily finish the season as a top-eight receiver.  but that's not really a surprise, as he was drafted very highly going into the season.
• The Bengals had one of their best offensive game approaches of the season. Of course, it also helped that they were trailing for much of the game. Against a Saints defense that's strong against the run but struggles to get consistent pressure on the QB, the Bengals threw far more than they ran, resulting in Joe Burrow posting four total TDs and over 300 yards. In terms of Burrow, it's already becoming apparent that when he faces a strong pass rush, his fantasy performance suffers. But when he has time to throw, he's capable of high-level production. He's difficult to bench in season-long lineups, but fantasy managers need to be aware of the volatility he has. 
• Travis Etienne and James Robinson continue to split touches fairly equally. But for the second week in a row, Etienne showed significantly more explosiveness. He had 108 yards on 12 touches while Robinson had 55 yards on 13 touches. Robinson is clearly an excellent player. But Etienne may force the coaching staff to give him more work. I'm still skeptical as to whether that will happen. So we still have to consider Etienee as an RB2. We'll just have to hope for more work down the road. Robinson is  still hanging on as an RB2. But any loss and work could easily move him to the flex range.
• Skylar Thompson unfortunately suffered an injury and was knocked out of the game against the Vikings. That allowed Teddy Bridgewater to finish the game. The change at QB immediately improved the fantasy day for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Both receivers had double-digit targets and both posted at least 129 yards. As long as Tua Tagovailoa or Bridgewater are under center, Hill and Waddle are capable of massive performances against any opponent. On a side note, after seeing seven touches last week, Miami deactivated Myles Gaskin. For now, it seems as if Chase Edmonds is back in a backup role. It's still not enough to make Edmonds fantasy relevant. But if Mostert should miss time, it's possible that Edmonds gets the first crack at the job.
• Dalvin Cook hasn't played like a league winner. But he's definitely been a strong fantasy option. In all but one game this season, he posted at least 84 yards. He's also scored in three of the last four games. Although Alexander Mattison had been seeing a fair amount of work in recent weeks, Cook dominated touches 14 to one against the Dolphins. Mattison Still remains a flex play and has significant downside unless Cook misses time. 
• The Falcons have no desire to throw the football. Playing with the lead for much of the game against the 49ers, Marcus Mariota threw just 14 passes on the day. He actually ran the ball six times. The problem going forward is that it's impacting both Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Pitts did score a TD, but he posted just 19 yards. London ended up with 40 yards. The unfortunate reality is that Pitts and London are probably both going to be NFL superstars. But many of their performances are going to be capped by the lack of high-end QB play and the conservative offense. London is probably a WR3 going forward, but unfortunately, Pitts may struggle to finish in the top 12 at his position.
• If there was any fantasy football benefit from all the injuries on the 49ers defense, it went to the San Francisco pass catchers. Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk each had between 10 and 11 targets and between 79 and 83 yards. Aiyuk also scored two TDs. It's certainly possible that if the defense stays banged up, there could be  strong production in the 49ers' passing game. But if that happens, predicting which player will benefit on a week-to-week basis may be difficult. Also, when there's a tough defensive matchup, Jimmy Garoppolo can always fail to carry the passing attack. 
• Since returning from injured ribs, Alvin Kamara has had two strong games. In those contests, he's posted at least 108 yards. He's also had six catches in each contest. And although he hasn't found the end zone, he certainly could begin to add some TDs in the upcoming weeks. With excellent volume, he's now moving back into the discussion as a top-12 option at RB. 
• It was easy to blame Lamar Jackson's previous two games on terrible weather against the Bills and then a tough divisional matchup against the Bengals. But facing the Giants certainly was a situation in which he should have gotten back on track. He clearly didn't. Although he did run for 77 yards, which certainly continues to keep his fantasy scoring floor high, he threw for just a single TD. Over the last three weeks, he's averaged one TD and less than 190 passing yards over the last three weeks. Although he's a clear starting option each week at QB, it's beginning to look like his amazing first three weeks of the season were simply a hot streak. 
• Guess who led the Rams in fantasy points this week? Yes, it was Allen Robinson. He finished second on the team in targets behind Cooper Kupp. He also was open for a second TD, but he was clearly interfered with, but the referees chose not to throw the flag. If the Rams make it a point of emphasis to get Robinson the ball, it's possible that he can re-emerge as a top-40 fantasy option at WR. But let's see him do well for a second-straight week before going overboard! 
• Christian McCaffrey had 168 yards against the Rams. The pair of Panthers QBs only combined for 119 passing yards. No other player on the team posted more than 22 yards. There is no better definition of a one-man show than McCaffrey. His receiving usage has been extreme over the last three weeks, and that should continue going forward. He doesn't have the crazy upside that he's had in the past, but he certainly has an outstanding floor with a strong ceiling. 
• Fantasy football is certainly a weird game. After DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett had a recent run of solid production, they had an excellent matchup against the Cardinals. Of course, neither had a good day. In addition, Geno Smith was held without a TD pass. Since the Seahawks passing game had been playing well for a few weeks, it wouldn't be surprising to see them play well in the near future. But fantasy managers who are finally trusting Smith, will rightly be nervous using him over a more established option going forward.
• And on the other side of the ball, this was the ultimate get-right spot for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, but of course, he had a terrible NFL performance. He failed to throw a TD. For fantasy, he rushed for 100 yards, the first time this year he went over 42. Although he gets DeAndre Hopkins back next week, hopefully, the injury Marquise Brown suffered is minor. It'll be hard to consider Murray as an autostart for fantasy managers who have other options. But most fantasy managers have no choice to to use him and hope.

Injuries

• Marquise Brown was helped off the field after suffering an apparent lower-leg or foot injury late in the fourth quarter. No update was given as to the potential severity.
• Kenny Pickett sustained a concussion and Mitchell Trubisky finished the game. Although Trubisky played well, it would seem obvious that Pickett will return to his starting role upon his recovery. 
• Randall Cobb likely suffered a high ankle sprain After catching just one pass for eight yards, he had been targeted 13 times last week, though that was mostly an anomaly. He was seeing five or fewer targets in most games. The Packers have been rotating in many wide receivers, so there may not be one particular player to pick up the slack if Cobb misses time.
• Deon Jackson injured his quad and was unable to return to action. With it seeming likely that Jonathan Taylor may be back soon, Jackson would likely return to a reserve role once healthy. 
• Cameron Brate was taken to the hospital after suffering a concussion. If he misses time, Cade Otton would likely see an increased role in the offense.