Injuries riddle fantasy football currently. Star receivers, running backs and wide receivers are all going down as we start to hit the middle of the season. Sadly, without these star players, there aren’t many highly productive players who can really fill these roles. This week, we’re going to cover the spread for all sorts of players, from the stars to the sleepers. Right now, the key to winning in fantasy is having the guys who nobody is expecting to go off, and we’re here to help you find them. So without further adieu, let’s jump right into who should start, who should sit and which waiver wire guys you should be picking up.
Michael’s Picks
Quarterbacks:
With the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson going down last week with a broken finger, you might need a new quarterback for a week or two. The Washington Football Team’s quarterback Taylor Heinicke is a great waiver wire pickup for your team. Rostered in just 18.3% of ESPN leagues, Heinicke is averaging around 20 points per week and is coming into Kansas City to face a very weak Chiefs defense. Heinicke is a great guy to pick up and start this week.
Taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a bad idea to be starting. Hurts has played well all season, but the Buccaneer defense has played better. The Buccaneers have let up an average of about 21 points per game, most of those games being against the leagues top offenses. Hurts and the rest of the mediocre Eagles offense will get shut down and he should not start in week six.
Tre’s Picks
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is due for a breakout game this week. The past two weeks he hasn’t been as good as he was when the season first started. As the Rams get ready to face the New York Giants, Stafford and the Rams offense should have a field day against the Giants terrible defense and we should see them use this game to their advantage to get back on track after a tough loss to the Arizona Cardinals and almost losing to the Seattle Seahawks last week. .
With the Minnesota Vikings getting ready to take on the Carolina Panthers this week, Kirk Cousins is going to struggle against Carolina’s defense. The Vikings have already struggled this season with a two and three start and with their starting quarterback, Cousins already having his struggles to start the season. I can see him being in a slump for a long time. Do not start Cousins this week.
Running backs:
Michael’s picks
Back to the Thursday night game, Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette has gotten hot recently. He’s ran for 150 yards and one touchdown over the last two games. The Eagles have also struggled stopping the run all year. I foresee Fournette breaking out for another big game and he should definitely start this week.
Buffalo Bills running back Zack Moss has been disappointing all year. On a team that’s played against no good defenses, Moss hasn’t been able to produce yet this season. Now that they have to match up with a good run stopping defense, the Tennessee Titans, Moss will continue to struggle with his production. Do not start Moss this week.
Tre’s Picks
Start Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. He had an outstanding performance this past week rushing for two touchdowns, one being the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to help them secure a win against the Cleveland Browns. This week Ekeler takes on the Baltimore Ravens, although their defense is solid, I still think Ekeler will strive and have another big performance this week.
Do not start Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. For years he has been lacking in performance and has not gotten any better. He has had a couple breakout games, but they happen every once in a blue moon. Conner is not reliable, do not start him.
Wide receivers/tight ends:
Michael’s picks
Josh Gordon is back. After being suspended for two years, the star wide receiver has been signed by the Chiefs. With Chiefs the tight end and best wide receiver being questionable, they’re going to be looking to incorporate Gordon more this week. I can see Gordon having a great game, resembling what he used to do on a weekly basis. He should start this week.
Odell Beckham Jr has been terrible. Ever since coming back from his ACL tear he hasn’t been able to breakthrough. Against Arizona it won’t be any different. The Cardinals have been stifling teams all season long, especially in the passing game. OBJ should see the bench for a long time.
Tre’s Picks
After a great week five performance, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is someone to start next week in fantasy. He had a great performance against the Denver Broncos with five receptions for 130 yards. Now with wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster out for the season, Pittsburgh’s number one option at receiver is now Claypool.
After a poor performance, Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson is someone that should not see your lineup for the next couple weeks. Hockenson only had two receptions last week for 22 yards and he can improve, but not by much. Detroit’s offense is not very good and it’ll take a miracle for them to improve by the end of the season.
Wrap up:
With it being week six of the season, teams are starting to settle in and beginning to get to know their strengths and weaknesses and it makes the games that much better to watch. There have already been upsets and games that people will remember for the rest of their lives. Now that your lineups are set, let’s get ready for another great week of football. Good luck to you all in week six of the Fantasy football season.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
