Fantasy Focus – Week 6 Matchups
Fantasy Focus – Week 6 Matchups
The first of the bye weeks is here. So there are fewer games to pick from. Regardless, here are four matches to apply the Fantasy Focus to this week.
Jets @ Packers
The Jets were rather fortunate to come up against a Dolphins team led by their 3rd string QB. Breece Hall had the breakout game everyone was waiting for. 97 yards and a TD on the ground and an incredible 100 yards from two receptions through the air (which included a catch for 69 yards). The Packers will be happy to return to Lambeau this weekend after their shock defeat at the hands of the other New York team. Rodgers struggled in the second half to take the game out of reach from the Giants. Their proud running game was slightly below par. Really, their only saving grace really was 99 yards for Randall Cobb.
Fantasy Factors
Breece Hall break out
For all those people who drafted Breece Hall with their rookie draft 1.01 picks in dynasty. Or those who “reached” for him speculatively in redraft this season. They are all smiling and finally feeling justified with their decision after this week. This was a statement week for Hall, but there will be game script concerns here at the Packers. Green Bay is a difficult match up at Lambeau. Assuming they get out to a lead Wilson’s arm will need to keep them in the game. Therefore, the Jets receiving group should be the better fantasy play. Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore will see an increased workload in week 6.
Packers to bounce back at home
The Packers faithful that made the long trip to London, will be returning to the US – unhappy with their side’s performance against the Giants. Rodgers will have to deliver a much improved game script this week. They will lean heavily on their elite rushing duo. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon will have to take pressure off their receiving group in transition. Lazard, Cobb and Doubs seem to be leaving Christian Watson behind slightly. But the Packers won’t want to take any unnecessary risks in this game as they control the game with their run offence.
My Predictions:
- Packers bounce back with a win, lead by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon on the ground
- Aaron Jones over 100 total scrimmage yards and a pair of touchdowns
- Game script will force Zach Wilson to throw, Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson to receive 6+ targets each
Ravens @ Giants
Lamar Jackson stuttered this weekend against the Bengals. Yet he was still able to get his team over the line with a crucial divisional victory. There should be a little concern for fantasy owners with Ravens players because, apart from Andrews and Jackson, the remainder of the team are not relevant. As mentioned earlier, the Giants travelled to London this past weekend with a squad plagued with a few injuries. Daniel Jones showed incredible character to facilitate a memorable win for the “G-Men” with the help of 100 scrimmage yards from Barkley and 79 receiving yards from Slayton.
Fantasy Factors
Lamar MVP narrative to be fueled
The Ravens have been arguably one of the better teams in the NFL this entire season to date, with only two last second defeats. Comparatively, the Giants are arguably one of the worst 4-1 teams. However, a win here against the Ravens will go a long way in helping them secure a possible playoff berth. But the Ravens will show their quality this weekend, and Lamar will run the game the way he knows best as a dual threat. Lamar will have explosive throws to Andrews, Duvernay and Bateman (if fit), and should run for close to 100 yards too.
Is Daniel Jones good enough to take the Giants to the playoffs?
The Giants have been quite a limited offence this season so far, relying heavily on Saquon Barkley to do Saquon Barkley things. And yes – Saquon is good enough to win this match up on his own. But the long distance travelled and the strong Ravens rush defence will keep him in check. Daniel Jones will need to keep up with the game script and this Harbaugh Ravens defence will be too much of a hurdle to overcome. The only fantasy play for the Giants in week 6 is Saquon Barkley, who should be starting week in week out, regardless of matchup.
My Predictions:
- Ravens with a comfortable win by 9+ points
- Lamar Jackson 200+ passing yards, 100+ rushing yards
- Saquon over 150+ scrimmage yards, in loss.
Bills @ Chiefs
The Bills ticked all the boxes they needed to in week 5 as they completely outplayed the Steelers. From the first drive, where Gabe Davis went 98 yards for a touchdown catch, it was a total dominance for the team in blue. Allen surpassed 400 passing yards, which essentially carried this team as their rushing department is still their Achilles heel. The Chiefs had an incredible come-from-behind victory against the Raiders in week 5 as they continued their control of the AFC West. After a slow start, Mahomes came good in the second half of the game finding Kelce in the end zone on no less than four occasions!
Fantasy Factors
High Scoring game
Look no further than the incredible matchup between these two juggernaut teams back in January this year. Back then, the Chiefs won 42-36 in Kansas. This matchup has produced a lot of points historically and is orchestrated by two of the best Quarterbacks in the league. This weekend, they will have to step up for their teams. Both Allen and Mahomes should be incredibly productive for fantasy owners.
Allen vs CEH on the ground
The Bills have quite a mediocre Running Back group. Should both defences focus on the passing game, it will come down to which rushing offence can take advantage of the gaps in front of them. Allen will be the lead scrambler/rusher for the Bills and CEH will need to have an elite game to help the scoreboard keep ticking.
Diggs vs Kelce
These are the two receiving studs to watch out for over the weekend. As both sides have more than reasonable secondaries, Diggs and Kelce should see double coverage quite frequently. But both quarterbacks are able to account for double coverage. Gabe Davis and possibly Juju Smith-Schuster should also be exciting fantasy options should this become a shoot out.
My Predictions:
- Home field advantage, and past experience helps the Chiefs win at home
- Mahomes 300+ passing yards, Allen 70+ rushing yards
- Davis and Smith-Schuster – both to have receiving touchdowns
Cowboys @ Eagles
Talk about a cracking prime time matchup! This NFC East divisional game is going to be one of the “early” season highlights – the 4-1 Cowboys travel to Philly to take on the 5-0 Eagles. The Cowboys defence become the main contributing factor to their early season success, whilst the Eagles explosive offence has been theirs. The NFC east top seed (and quite possibly the NFC Conference top seed) is up for grabs for the winner of this game. And that is enough of an incentive. The Cowboys had very little fantasy relevance last week on the offensive side of the ball with only 102 passing yards. But Tony Pollard is their X factor player that the Eagles will have to keep a lid on. The Eagles on the other hand are a very well rounded offence. Hurts has evolved into that QB most franchises hope they draft. Last week’s stat line saw 239 passing yards and 61 rushing yards (2 rushing touchdowns). With a line like that, he could take control of all his matchups in the NFL this season.
Fantasy Factors
The Dak effect
Dak Prescott is scheduled to return – and possibly this weekend. And for arguments sake, let’s speculate a situation with his return. The Cowboys defence are holding up their end of the bargain so far and the Cowboys find themselves at 4-1. The Eagles offence is yet to stutter, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that this could be that game. Dak will need to level up this Cowboys passing offence and Lamb and Gallup will be the biggest beneficiaries. If the Cowboys are able to keep the Eagles offence in check it could also be a big game for their explosive run game. Pollard and Elliott can be heavily leaned on so Dak can get back to fully match fit.
Can this Eagles offence keep their production up?
The Eagles offence has been incredible for fantasy players all around the world this year. Hurts has had a huge breakout season, both as a fantasy player but as an NFL Franchise QB too. Sanders is back fit and running as well as he has in his career. And Dallas Goedert, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are all seeing rough volume to all be relevant starters. The Cowboys defence will be their biggest test yet this season, but the Eagles defence themselves has been answering a lot of questions. If they able to get after Cooper Rush or Dak Prescott back from injury then the Eagles should win this game. Hurts will have a big game as expected, Sanders and AJ Brown will be the other beneficiaries of a high scoring match up.
My Predictions:
- Eagles to win by <6 points, but total match points to be 50+ points
- Hurts the key, 300+ pass yards and 50+ rushing yards
- Dak to throw 40+ passing attempts, Lamb and Gallup both 80+ receiving yards
Nathan @mountaindrew92
