Welcome to Week 6. This week includes some great fantasy matchups including the Broncos at the Jets, the Bears at the Falcons and the Giants at the Eagles. Which matchups should owners feel confident about and which should they avoid? The Denver Post has the answers.
Start
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Anyone who remembers T.Y.’s three-touchdown, 121-yard game against Houston last year knows that the Texans have trouble defending against the lightning-fast Hilton. The Texans’ defense can be, and has been, had by receivers throughout the league. Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Victor Cruz and others have all lit up the Texans’ secondary up for big games. Though it’s a Thursday game, expect Andrew Luck and Hilton to shine against a familiar division rival.
Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
After a slow start due to difficult matchups, Lacy owners got a much-needed pick-me-up in the form of Minnesota’s soft run defense. Lacy will be challenged a bit more by the Dolphins 13th-ranked defense who allow slightly more than 100 yards a game. Even so, Lacy should be in line for a good day of running against a defense that will undoubtedly focus on trying to stop Aaron Rodgers and the passing game.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jackson is a good play against the Ravens on Sunday. Baltimore ranks 27th in pass defense and has routinely yielded a solid number of yards to receivers. A.J. Green torched the Ravens for 131 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, and Antonio Brown hung 100 yards on them the week after.
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos
The Jets’ secondary is awful. Gang Green ranks sixth for most fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers. What the Jets like to do is take away primary receivers and force No. 2 wideouts to do the damage. For instance, the Jets kept Brandon Marshall in check when the faced the Bears in Week 3, but Alshon Jeffery had more than 100 yards receiving and Martellus Bennett scored two touchdowns. Similarly, when Detroit went to New York in Week 4, Calvin Johnson was held to 12 yards while Golden Tate had more than 100 yards. So when (if) the Jets are able to shut down Demaryius Thomas, expect Manning to look to his other targets, including Orange Julius, Wes Welker and, of course, Sanders.
Sit
Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins
Morris put up a dud last week at home against the Seahawks and this week doesn’t look to play out any differently. The Cardinals have been a fearsome opponent against the run, allowing just 10 yards to Frank Gore, 60 yards to Ryan Mathews — though he did score a touchdown — and fewer than 100 yards to Denver’s trio of backs last Sunday (again Thompson was able to score). It’s not impossible for a back to score against Arizona, but doing so requires a good offense. The Redskins’ O leaves much to be desired.
Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams
Normally this would be more of a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” play than a “sit” altogether, but Stacy hasn’t been running the ball well. He has a single touchdown through four games and has carried the ball 100-plus just once this season. San Francisco is good against the run, having limited LeSean McCoy, Andre Ellington and Jamaal Charles to fewer than 100 total yards in recent weeks.
Austin Davis, QB, St. Louis Rams
Despite being down 20-7 to the Eagles at the start of the second half, Davis threw for 375 and three touchdowns. He was a hot waiver-wire target after his second consecutive three-touchdown game, but that trend won’t continue when the Rams host San Francisco this Sunday. The 49ers yield the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, according to . Davis lacks the experience to be able to throw well against Harbaugh’s 49ers
Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills
Watkins has had an underwhelming year due to poor play by the Bills’ former starting quarterback, E.J. Manuel. Things were a little better for Watkins last week in Detroit, with journeyman quarterback Kyle Orton under center, but with the Patriots’ third-ranked pass defense heading to town and star cornerback Darrelle Revis shadowing Watkins, it figures to be a long day for the rookie from Clemson.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots
Ridley has generally performed well against the Bills, with three touchdowns in six games and an average of 75 yards per game at 5.2 yards per carry. However, those Buffalo defenses ranked in the bottom five. This year, the Bills have done a 180 and are now the second-ranked rush defense behind Seattle. It’s difficult to sit Ridley after such a promising offensive effort from New England last week, but owners should select a different back this week if they are able.
Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions
Tate has been on fire as of late, racking up triple-digit yardage in his last two games and scoring a touchdown in Week 5 against Buffalo. Much of that success, however, has been due to a less-than-100-percent Calvin Johnson being used as a decoy to draw the attention of defensive backs. The plan has worked so far, but time is running out on Tate’s golden streak. This week, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said he is strongly considering sitting Johnson to allow his ankle injury to heal. The Vikings aren’t the best against the pass, so Tate’s not an unreasonable play, but he’ll be hard pressed to produce as Detroit’s No. 1.
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or
