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The conclusion of week 6 means we are halfway through the fantasy regular season for most leagues. This is also around the time where fantasy teams will start to fizzle out if their managers haven't been adding depth from the wire throughout the season. Don't be that manager! Two teams are on bye this week; Panthers and Cowboys. Good luck!

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Alex Smith (KC) - 28% owned - Well Alex Smith ended up being a bust last week as the Chiefs went full rushing attack with a lead against the Raiders all game. I still like him as a streamer for week 7 as he goes up against the Saints where he will need to pass to try and keep up with Drew Brees.  Smith should easily be a QB1 this week.

Honorable mention: Joe Flacco (BAL) - 29% owned

Running Back

Jay Ajayi (MIA) - 31% owned - With Arian Foster limited this week, Ajayi took advantage with a breakout performance against the Steelers putting up 204 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries and added a catch for 3 yards. He will have definitely earned himself more playing time going forward and I think at worst case he will split carries with a healthy Foster.

Devontae Booker (DEN) - 27% owned - Booker makes the list for the second week in a row after he continues to out produce C.J. Anderson on limited carries. On the season Booker sports a 4.7 yards per carry average compared to Anderson's 3.5. At the moment he is still a bench stash until we see an uptick in volume from him.

Honorable mentions: Dion Lewis (NE) - 25% owned, Jacquizz Rodgers (TB) - 22% owned (must grab if Doug Martin sits this week)

Wide Receiver

Ty Montgomery (GB) - 1% owned - Montgomery should be heavily involved in the Packers offense on Thursday night against the Bears as he will get snaps both at running back with James Starks out and Eddie Lacy hobbled as well as snaps at receiver with Davante Adams most likely out with a concussion. He played this dual role in week 6 and ended with a stat line of 10 catches for 98 yards and 3 rushes for 6 yards. Considering Montgomery a WR3 with a lot of upside this week.

Kenny Britt (LA) - 11% owned - Britt has quietly been performing very well this season as he is the 15th best WR in standard scoring and has the 8th highest receiving yards compared to other WR so far. With his numbers this season he should be considered a go as a WR3 until we see otherwise.

Honorable mentions: Robert Woods (BUF) - 22% owned, Corey Coleman (CLE) - 39% owned

Tight End

Hunter Henry (SD) - 35% owned - Henry appears to be a fixture of the Chargers pass happy offense as he has put up 290 yards and 3 touchdowns over his past four starts. He's currently the number 3 TE in standard scoring and has a great matchup against the Falcons coming up.

Honorable mention: Eric Ebron (DET) - 46% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Baltimore Ravens (BAL) - 33% owned - The Ravens defense has put up consistent fantasy points all season and they have a great matchup against a NY Jets team that can't get anything going on offense. There's also upside here that the Jets may start Geno Smith who is a proven turnover machine. Easily my streaming defense for the week.

Taking a look at the player trends over the past few weeks can reveal some surprising things - it's important, though, to temper expectations in some cases and realize that some great (and some awful) performances can be the product of gameflow as much as the talent and/or rising production of a player. But since each player can only be owned by one team at a time in most standard fantasy leagues, you've got to scoop them up before anyone else and make smart decisions as far as when to play a rising (or falling) star. What do you think about these scenarios? Will the players listed below live up to expectations based on recent weeks? Make sure to check out the podcast to find out which side we take on each player.

Quarterbacks:

Marcus Mariota (TEN)

Week 4 @ HOU – 13/29, 202 yds, 1 INT, 9.08 pts

Week 5 @ MIA – 20/29, 163 yds, 3 TD, 1 rush TD, 30.52 pts

Week 6 vs CLE – 17/24, 284 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, 28.76 pts

Mariota has exploded the last two weeks, throwing for 6 touchdowns against just one interception. Mariota is still only owned in 61% of yahoo leagues, but he’s the #8 overall QB so far this season. Mariota has a very favorable schedule ahead of him, with 5 of his next 6 games against bad teams before going into his week 13 bye. Mariota has finally found some receiving targets and could easily finish the season as a top 10 QB. We’ll start the line on him at 22 points this week, at home vs IND.

Aaron Rodgers (GB)

Week 3 vs DET – 15/24, 205 yds, 4 TD, 26.40 pts

Week 5 vs NYG – 23/45, 259 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT, 17.86 pts

Week 6 vs DAL – 31/42, 294 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 13.46 pts

Anyone who follows us tracking trends knows that this one was coming. Rodgers is traditionally the gold standard for fantasy football consistency, but this year, especially the last few weeks, he has looked like fool’s gold. So far this season, Rodgers looks much like he did last year in completion percentage and yards per passing attempt, two categories that he used to excel in. Now Rodgers has a short week at home vs the Bears, but he’s likely to be without both Eddie Lacy and James Starks. Will the Bears be just what he needs to get his mechanics corrected, or do his struggles continue? We’ll start the line at 19 points.

Running Backs:

James White (NE)

Week 4 vs BUF – 4/12 yds, 5 rec/50 yds, 6.20 pts

Week 5 @ CLE – 5/26 yds, 4 rec/63 yds, 8.90 pts

Week 6 vs CIN – 7/19 yds, 8 rec/47 yds, 2 TD, 18.60 pts

James White is trending up in both points and touches, mostly thanks to the return of Tom Brady. Everyone knew that the focus of the offense would be much more towards passing once Brady returned, so White’s uptick is to be expected. The biggest question with the Patriots backs has always been – How long will this last? Dion Lewis is waiting in the wings to return, though it may not happen until after the Week 9 bye. With White playing better, do you keep starting him, or offer him up as trade bait? This week, the Patriots go to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers without Big Ben. We’ll start his line at 11.

Isaiah Crowell (CLE)

Week 4 @ WAS – 16/120 yds, 1 TD, 20.20 pts

Week 5 vs NE – 13/22 yds, 4.00 pts

Week 6 @ TEN – 9/16 yds, 3.60 pts

Isaiah Crowell started out the season like he was fired from a cannon. He put up just shy of 400 yards and 3 TDs in his first four games and looked like he was headed towards top-10 RB status for the season. Then it’s like he suddenly remembered what team he plays for, and promptly saw his production drop like a rock. This is partly due to the uptick in touches for Duke Johnson Jr, but when your yards per carry goes from 6.45 (Wk 1-4), to 1.72 (Wk 5 & 6), it’s hard to keep giving him the ball. Crowell is still 90% owned, and started in 51% of Yahoo leagues last week. This week he faces the Bengals in Cincy, and we’ll set his line at 9 points, and ask, would you start him this week?

Wide Receivers:

Jamison Crowder (WAS)

Week 4 vs CLE – 3/2 rec, 21 yds, 2.10 pts

Week 5 @ BAL – 3/3 rec, 35 yds, 1 Return TD, 9.50 pts

Week 6 vs PHI – 4/3 rec, 52 yds, 1 TD, 10.30 pts

Jamison Crowder has a larger role on the Redskins offense with Jordan Reed out with a concussion. It’s not settled if he’s coming back this week, but Reed is often out multiple weeks when he has a concussion. Crowder has made some big plays helping the team win each of the last two weeks. With the decline of DeSean Jackson, can Crowder step up to start filling some of that role? We’ll start the line for Crowder at 7 points for his matchup against the Lions, giving up the 5^th most points to opposing WRs.

Antonio Brown (PIT)

Week 4 vs KC – 5/4 rec, 64 yds, 2 TD, 18.40 pts

Week 5 vs NYJ – 11/9 rec, 78 yds, 1 TD, 13.80 pts

Week 6 @ MIA – 8/4 rec, 39 yds, 4.50 pts, 4.50 pts

Antonio Brown was the consensus #1 pick going into the 2016 season, and he already has 2 games where he’s scored under 5 points. It’s not time to panic with Brown, but this week looks like it’s about as tough as matchups get. His starting QB will be Landry Jones and the opposing team will be the New England Patriots. It seems like this so-called juggernaut of an offense can never get going because of injuries and/or suspensions. Brown is the only consistent part, but even this week you may consider benching him. We’ll start our line for Brown at 12 points.

Tight End:

Hunter Henry (SD)

Week 4 vs NO – 7/4 rec, 61 yds, 1 TD, 12.10 pts

Week 5 @ OAK – 4/3 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD, 13.40 pts

Week 6 vs DEN – 8/6 rec, 83 yds, 1 TD, 14.30 pts

Now those are some numbers that are just screaming consistency. Hunter Henry is easily the most impressive rookie TE this season (there were only 3 drafted, after all). Having scored a TD in each of the last 3 games, he’s also drawn 19 targets and is 2^nd in scoring over the last 4 games at the TE position. With Antonio Gates hobbled and on the way out anyways, Henry is in a perfect position to continue his breakout rookie season on a team that is always starving for pass catchers. This week, Henry faces the Falcons, who have given up the 5^th most points to opposing tight ends. Can he continue his impressive streak? We’ll start his line at 13 points.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck (IND, QB)

Week 3 vs. SD – 24/37, 331yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 14.24pts

Week 4 @JAX – 27/42, 234yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 18.66pts

Week 5 vs. CHI – 28/39, 322yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 22.18pts

After a huge fantasy performance in week 1 against the Detroit Lions where he put up 35.5 points, Luck and the Colts offense in general has been having issues, starting with the offensive line play which has Luck currently on track for 60+ sacks this season. Still, there’s something to be said for playing from behind and Luck is always capable of a good performance. How will he fare this week in Houston – can he put up at least 18 points to stay afloat as a weekly starter?

Kirk Cousins (WAS, QB)

Week 3 @NYG – 21/35, 296yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 19.34pts

Week 4 vs. CLE – 21/27, 183yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, 18.32pts

Week 5 @BAL – 29/41, 260yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 13.30pts

Cousins was ranked pretty highly overall by most experts this preseason, but his recent performance has most of us sliding him to the bench in favor of other upside QBs. Week 6 does not bring Cousins any favors, statistically, as he’ll be going up against the Eagles’ #2 ranked passing defense, allowing only 194yds per game on average and only 3 total passing touchdowns so far this season. Can Cousins buck the trend, scoring at least 17 points in a standard scoring league?

Running Backs

Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, RB)

Week 3 vs. CHI - 30/140yds, 0 TD, 2rec, 20yds, 0 TD, 16.00pts

Week 4 @SF – 23/138yds, 1 TD, 1rec, 19yds, 0 TD, 21.70pts

Week 5 vs. CIN – 15/134yds, 2 TD, 3rec, 37yds, 0 TD, 29.10pts

Elliott has actually been trending up from his very first NFL game this year. Each week he has performed better than the last. It doesn’t look like he’ll be very involved in the passing game at all (for now, at least), but that doesn’t really impact his fantasy value. The Cowboys are full-speed ahead now, even with a rookie under center. Is it possible for Elliott to keep it going and bring owners at least 22 points on his first trip to Lambeau field to face the Packers?

Duke Johnson Jr. (CLE, RB)

Week 3 @MIA – 10/69yds, 0 TD, 5rec, 12yds, 0 TD, 8.10pts

Week 4 @WAS – 8/45yds, 0 TD, 6rec, 31yds, 0 TD, 5.60pts

Week 5 vs. NE – 4/1yd, 0 TD, 2rec, 21yds, 0 TD, 2.20pts

The Browns are a disaster this year, and although Johnson was drafted as the more valuable running back before the season started, Isaiah Crowell has taken the mantle thus far. Although one could argue that Johnson has some PPR value, he has not shown up as a productive fantasy player so far this year in standard leagues. Will he continue to fall off of benches everywhere? Will Johnson score less than 5.3 points this week against the Titans?

Wide Receivers

Cameron Meredith (CHI, WR)

Week 3 @DAL – 2/3, 24yds, 0 TD, 0.40pts

Week 4 vs. DET – 4/5, 28yds, 0 TD, 2.80pts

Week 5 @IND – 9/12, 130yds, 1 TD, 17.60pts

Welcome to the NFL, Cameron. Sorry you’re on the Bears! Regardless of his situation, though, it looks like Hoyer and Meredith are enjoying some great chemistry and – due to Cutler’s fall from grace and White’s serious injury – both will probably be starting for the foreseeable future. The real question here is if Meredith can keep up the production on a high level in the weeks to come. Let’s put the number at 8 points or more to continue this trend. Yay, or nay?

Victor Cruz (NYG, WR)

Week 3 vs. WAS – 3/3, 70yds, 0TD, 7.00pts

Week 4 @MIN – 5/9, 50yds, 5.00pts

Week 5 @GB – 0/2, 0yds, 0.00pts

Over the last 4 games, Cruz has had at least 50 yards or a touchdown. At the beginning of the season things looked super promising for a resurgence to Cruz’s career and for the Giants’ offense in general – but things aren’t looking quite so bright now. Will the Giants regain control of their offensive play and utilize Cruz in week 6 in Baltimore? Will Cruz score less than 4 points, continuing the downward trend?

Tight Ends

Martellus Bennett (NE, TE)

Week 3 vs. HOU – 2/3, 10yds, 0 TD, 1.60pts

Week 4 vs. BUF – 5/6, 109yds, 0 TD, 10.90pts

Week 5 @CLE – 6/8, 67yds, 3 TD, 24.70pts

Bennett’s first outing with Tom Brady as quarterback was fruitful, to say the least. Even though Gronkowski was back in action and looking healthier than he has so far this season, Bennett was the primary red zone target for most of the game, scoring 3 touchdowns against the hapless Cleveland Browns. In order to keep up this trend, Bennett will need to put up 12 or more points in a standard scoring league. Can he pull it off?

Time to set your lineups for your Week 7 matchups. Remember that the Giants and Rams are playing in London on Sunday morning, so those players need to be locked in early. This week we really like Alex Smith and Jeremy Maclin to do good things against a bad Oakland Raiders passing defense. We also think you should shy away from DeSean Jackson and Ryan Mathews, at least until they can prove to be more consistent.