I try to always keep an open mind and my wits about me. Other than that, anything goes! Makes for some unpredictable adventures out there in the real world. I've worked in the publishing industry for 10+ years and have been a member of the FSWA for 5+ years. Go Steelers!
Website URL: http://www.drinkfive.com
Injuries:
Tyrod Taylor (BUF) – missed week 6 with an MCL sprain. Not guaranteed to start in week 7 but as he almost started last week according to some sources, he should be back soon. With both Percy Harvin (hip, may be out for a significant period of time) and Sammy Watkins (ankle sprain, could play next week but it’s an early game in London) possibly out, Taylor is in trouble even if he gets back on the field this week.
Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) – we started the season under the impression that Sanders’ role would diminish a little in the Broncos offense, but he has been performing at a high level this year, and is the 5th most targeted wide receivers, with 65 targets in 2015. Unfortunately, he sprained his AC joint last week, which can be a lingering injury. Thankfully, the Broncos have a bye in week 7 and we’ll have to wait and see if Sanders can get healthy leading up to week 8.
Marcus Mariota (TEN) – a grade 2 MCL injury could have Mariota sidelined for up to 3-4 weeks, so it’s very unlikely that he starts this week. Zach Mettenberger may be the Titans’ QB for a little while. If so, that doesn’t really hurt Kendall Wright and Delanie Walker.
Jeremy Maclin (KC) – A nasty looking hit resulted in a concussion for Maclin, and he is currently moving through the league’s protocol. After the loss of star RB Jamaal Charles for the season, the Chiefs may choose to play it safe and hold Maclin out a week. Make sure to watch for updates on this.
QB - Matthew Stafford 405 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TD's, 37 Rushing Yards, 1 INT, 33 Fantasy Points
QB - Philip Rivers 503 Passing Yards, 2 TD's, 28 Fantasy Points
QB - Andrew Luck 312 Passing Yards, 3 Passing TD's, 35 Rushing Yards, 27 Fantasy Points
RB - Devonta Freeman 13 Carries for 100 Yards, 8 Catches for 56 Yards, 2 Total TD's, 27 Fantasy Points
RB - Chris Ivory 20 Carries for 146 Yards and 1 TD, 3 Catches for 50 Yards, 25 Fantasy Points
RB - James Starks 10 Carries for 112 Yards, 1 Catches for 5 Yards, 2 Total TD's 23 Fantasy Points
WR - DeAndre Hopkins 15 Targets, 10 Receptions for 148 Yards and 2 TD's, 26 Fantasy Points
WR - Martavis Bryant 8 Targets, 6 Receptions for 137 Yards and 2 TD's, 25 Fantasy Points
WR - Calvin Johnson 9 Targets, 6 Receptions for 166 Yards and 1 TD, 22 Fantasy Points
TE - Greg Olsen 11 Targets, 7 Receptions for 131 Yards and 1 TD, 19 Fantasy Points
TE - Benjamin Watson 12 Targets, 10 Receptions for 127 Yards and 1 TD, 18 Fantasy Points
TE - Gary Barnidge 9 Targets, 3 Receptions for 39 Yards and 2 TD's, 15 Fantasy Points
ADD – Blake Bortles, 13k leagues. Duh! Surprised to see he was still not owned in so many leagues.. even against BUF this week, Bortles should perform well.
DROP – Sam Bradford, 9k leagues. Bradford is our QB, says Chip Kelly. Well, things are improving slowly over there but Bradford’s performance is still sub-par.
ADD – Stefon Diggs, 24k leagues. Wow, looks like a breakout here.. 19 targets for over 200 yards in the last 2 games.
ADD – Brandon LaFell, 9k leagues. Will he play this week? That’s up for grabs.. but if he does he’ll immediately be a WR2 and a stud in PPR.
ADD – Christine Michael, 12k leagues. So many sources close to the team are saying that Michael will get his chance this next few weeks to show he can be the starter in Dallas.
DROP – Charcandrick West, 10k leagues. Whoops. Looks like Jamaal Charles can’t be replaced so easily. A committee will likely form in KC.
Week 7 brings us past the tipping point of the regular fantasy football season for most leagues. Will your team perform well enough to make the playoffs? It all hinges on their performance in the next several weeks. We know who a lot of players are now, but there are some who still remain a mystery. Eddie Lacy? Are you out there, Eddie Lacy? Will Peyton Manning have a resurgence before the end of the year, or will his career end as a below average quarterback with an outstanding defense? Listen to the podcast to hear our takes on these situations and more.
(Listen to the Fantasy Football Podcast: 10/20/15, Week 7 Preview)
Need help deciding who to start this week? Our Week 7 Rankings are available as a reference to help you decide who to start, pick up and drop this week.
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to get notifications whenever we release a new episode. We also broadcast the shows live at http://www.mixlr.com/drinkfive on Tuesday nights at 8:30pm CT. Feel free to browse over and join in the discussion in the chat room!
Marching right along to Week 6, aren't we? Here are some starts and sits to keep in mind for this week's games. Do you have any specific questions? Feel free to leave a comment or email me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I'll be sure to respond quickly. Good luck to all of you this week and remember: consistency is generally the name of the game in fantasy unless you're down on your luck with injuries, etc. In that case, it's okay to throw caution to the wind a bit and play someone with more of a risk/reward situation.
Josh McCown (CLE) vs. DEN - McCown has been throwing the ball a crazy amount of times each game and that looks to continue this week. Can we trust newcomers to fantasy football relevancy like Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge? For as long as they are putting up points, of course we can! Denver has a great defense this year, but McCown will still need to sling the football around in order to give Cleveland a chance in this game. At the time this column was written, McCown was our #11 QB for Week 5. That makes him a great bye-week fill in or even a low end starter.
Andrew Luck (IND) vs. NE - Yes, we know that he is Andrew Luck. Lots of experts are very high on him this week. Our advice is to let him sit for one more week and throw in whatever replacement that you were previously using, if possible. The Colts offensive line still looks as bad as it did early on in the season and Luck will be under pressure from a good New England defense during this match-up. Classic recipe for a disappointing performance.
Danny Woodhead (SD) vs. GB - Woodhead lost a few snaps to Melvin Gordon last week against the Steelers, but continues to show that he is productive every time he touches the football. Gordon looked better, but still not as good as Woodhead when catching the ball in the backfield and operating on 3rd downs in general. Expect Woodhead to have more opportunities in a game against the Packers where they are likely to be playing from behind.
Ryan Mathews (PHI) vs. NYG - Mathews had 73 yards and 1 TD on just 8 carries in last week's game against the Saints. He also added on a few receptions to that total. Chip Kelly is starting to realize that using Mathews and Murray as more of a tandem (and ceding goal-line carries to Mathews) may end up being a better offensive strategy. Look for more of the same for Mathews this week from a Giants defense giving up 17+ points per game to Running Backs.
Ronnie Hillman (DEN) vs. CLE - For some reason, Hillman keeps popping up on RB rankings in the top 25. He simply does not get enough opportunities to be treated as an every week RB2 or flex start. Add to that a hamstring tweak from last week and the Broncos' offensive woes in general. Nope.
Alfred Morris (WAS) vs. NYJ - Morris used to dominate all short yardage and goal-line work for the Redskins. The only way he was fantasy relevant was by compiling the majority of carries in any given match-up. Now that he has been joined by two other touch-hungry running backs (Matt Jones and Chris Thompson) in the backfield, this is a full-blown RBBC and it will be difficult to every play Alfred Morris again in a starting role.
Torrey Smith (SF) vs. BAL - Here's a bold one.. I've seen Torrey Smith out on some waiver wires already this year - and while I don't entirely disagree with that move based on Smith's boom or bust way of playing lately, I'm looking at Smith to perform at a high level this week against the dismal Ravens' secondary. WR2 numbers, maybe? At least 80 yards and a TD will be on Smith's stat sheet after week 6.
Mike Wallace (MIN) vs. KC - Wallace is developing some chemistry with Teddy Bridgewater in a time that really calls for some passing plays downfield. The Vikings are starting to realize that they need to throw more in order to balance their offense, and Wallace is becoming the go-to guy in Minnesota. Originally we thought it would be Charles Johnson after some great performances down the stretch in 2014, but injuries have put a damper on his production so far this year. The Titans are giving up almost 20 points a game to opposing WRs - expect Wallace to get most of that.
Donte Moncrief (IND) vs. NE - Assuming that T.Y. Hilton plays, he should continue to sop up the most targets from Andrew Luck, but I'm looking at the mid-season resurgence of Andre Johnson as the Colts' WR2. After gaining more self confidence in last week's 'grudge match' against his former team, Johnson should continue to perform at a high level. Also, the addition of Ahmad Bradshaw in passing downs should give Luck a great target to dish the football off to when being pressures. Don't get me wrong, I like Moncrief - but he'll have less opportunities than he previously found himself with.
Ladarius Green (SD) vs. GB - Even though Antonio Gates is back on the warpath, the Chargers are using Ladarius Green fairly heavily throughout the game. Makes sense, considering their other passing options have not been performing up to their expected potential. We should see Green out there by himself as well as in two tight end sets along with Gates. I expect high-end TE2 production for the foreseeable future.
Zach Ertz (PHI) vs. NYG - Ertz stepped up last week against the Saints, but still has no touchdowns and has been generally disappointing so far in 2015. Some of that can be blamed on the performance of the offense in general, but remember that the Eagles are still splitting snaps between Ertz and Celek. In what could be a tight game between the Eagles and Giants, I think we'll see a lot of Celek because of his skill at blocking. It's all about opportunities, people!
Week 6 already.. geez the season goes by quickly! We visited Scorched Earth Brewery in Algonquin, IL and finished off a growler of their Wet Willie - a wet-hopped pale ale. Delicious! This week reinforced what we already knew about Peyton Manning, showed us the end of Jamaal Charles's 2015 season and continues to shake up what we thought was a pretty consistent group of top RBs and WRs this year. We recommend listening to this week's podcast for more in-depth information about all of the latest news, injuries, team updates and analysis on player trends going forward. As always, good luck out there!
(Listen to the Fantasy Football Podcast: 10/13/15, Week 6 Preview)
We also went over the best waiver pickups for week 6. Make sure you're using our freshly updated Week 6 Rankings to make the best decisions for your lineup.
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to get notifications whenever we release a new episode. We also broadcast the shows live at http://www.mixlr.com/drinkfive on Tuesday nights at 8:30pm CT. Feel free to browse over and join in the discussion in the chat room!