Week 6 promises to deliver answers to some of this year’s most pressing questions. Will the Patriots make the Colts pay for starting Deflategate? Can the Broncos’ offense return to form against a bad Cleveland defense? What does it all mean for fantasy rosters? Find out in Week 6’s start/sit list.
Start
LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots
Let’s get one thing straight. Tom Brady’s clichè “I’m always pretty motivated” answer to whether or not it’s personal against the Colts, is a bunch of hogwash. Yes, I don’t doubt that Brady is meticulous in his preparation week in and week out, but I firmly believe the Patriots have had their Week 6 tilt against the Indianapolis Colts in Indy circled on the calendar for a long time. This is where the whole Deflategate scandal began and I fully expect the Patriots to score no less than 50 points as retribution for a nightmarish offseason. Don’t let the Colts’ three nail-biter victories over equally bad divisional opponents fool you, they are not a good team and there is not a fantasy-relevant Patriot I wouldn’t start. Running back LeGarrette Blount seems to be the head of the rushing committee in New England. While I like the matchup issues running back Dion Lewis creates in space (owners should start him too), Blount has decimated the Colts to the tune of seven touchdowns in his last two games against Indy as a Patriot. In those games, Brady and the passing game took a back seat to Blount and the running game. I don’t expect that to fully be the case Sunday. Brady will get his, however, statistically you cannot ignore what Blount has done to the Colts in the past.
Related Starts: Fire up all your fantasy-relevant Patriots
Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos
If you can’t start quarterback Peyton Manning with confidence this week, I’m not sure he’s worth a roster spot. The Cleveland Browns have been very generous to opposing quarterbacks the past three weeks. Derek Carr had 314 passing yards and two touchdowns in Week 3, Philip Rivers torched the Browns for 358 passing yards and three touchdowns in Week 4 and Joe Flacco lit the Browns up for 210 passing yards and a passing touchdown and two rushing TDs in a losing effort last Sunday. A porous Browns’ pass defense sans cornerback Joe Haden, who is out with a concussion, is just what the doctor ordered for Manning and his fantasy owners. Let’s just hope the “Sheriff” can take advantage.
Related Starts: Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos, Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos
Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
It’s hard to believe that so many “no-brainers” are on this week’s start list but that just speaks to what a crazy year it’s been in fantasy football. Consider this: Just two of the projected top-five running backs on ESPN and Yahoo! are actually in the top five. From one to five they were Le’Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, Jamaal Charles and Marshawn Lynch. Just Charles (2) and Peterson (5) are in the current top five, along with Devonta Freeman (1), Matt Forte (3) and a resurgent Doug Martin (4). Now, Charles is out with an injury so someone new will join the fold, that will probably be Bell, who was suspended for the first two games of the season. Lacy was a top prospect heading into the season but so far he’s been a big disappointment. After running for 85 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, Lacy was injured against Seattle in Week 2 and just hasn’t put up good numbers since, save for Week 4’s 90-yard rushing outing against San Francisco. This feels like déja vu from last year. Lacy had a very slow start in 2014 and then went on to be one of the top 10 backs in fantasy football. He could very well get back on track against San Diego, which is allowing an average of 132 rushing yards a game.
Sit
Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy owners have been waiting five weeks to unleash the beast that is Pittsburgh’s deep threat and towering red-zone target receiver Martavis Bryant, but I suggest delaying his debut on rosters another week. The matchup against the Cardinals isn’t overly worrisome (even Detroit’s Golden Tate managed an eight-catch, 74-yard day against the Cards last week), but having Michael Vick at quarterback is. The Steelers have shown that they are comfortable minimizing Vick’s passing opportunities and leaning heavily on stud running back Le’Veon Bell. If the Cardinals’ lone defeat to the St. Louis Rams tells us anything, the way to beat the Cardinals is by running the football. Through two games, Vick has thrown for just 124 yards and 203 yards against Baltimore and San Diego respectively. Something to note here is that a large chunk of the 203 yards Vick had against the Chargers came on his lone target and completion to receiver Markus Wheaton for 72 yards and a touchdown. In theory, Bryant could do something similar but I expect the Cardinals to be more disciplined. Consider Bryant boom-or-bust this week with a heavy emphasis on the bust.
Jimmy Graham, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Okay, before you start saying that tight end Jimmy Graham should be a “curb your enthusiasm” pick let’s take a look at the numbers. Graham has just two touchdowns over the course of the season and he has failed to gain more than 40 yards receiving three times. Also, the Carolina Panthers are surrendering the fewest points to fantasy tight ends this year, reports . Granted, Graham is the first real test at tight end the Panthers will face. So far, Carolina has defended against Jacksonville sans Julius Thomas, the New Orleans Saints’ aged tight end Ben Watson, the unproductive Garrett Graham in Houston and a couple of no-names in Tampa Bay. Still, with the Seahawks’ offensive line playing as poorly as it is — Pro Football Focus ranks them 30th overall — it’s been hard for Russell Wilson and company to get Graham involved in the offense. That trend should continue Sunday.
Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins
This has been a rough season for Washington running back Alfred Morris, who has just 276 rushing yards. He’s putting up a career-worst 3.7 yards per carry on 74 carries. Morris has been outperformed by running back Matt Jones, who has 4.1 yards per carry on 54 carries this year. Washington also has a tendency to phase Morris out of games when they get behind in contests, leaving passing back Chris Thompson with the majority of the work in those situations. On top of that, the matchup against the Jets this week is terrible. The Jets are second only to Carolina for fewest rushing yards allowed at 379. However, that is their total through just four games. Even so, the Jets rank in the top ten in fewest rushing yards allowed per game at just around 95 yards. Finally, the Jets have only given up one rushing touchdown this season. There may be a silver lining here though as Jones is listed as questionable this week. If Jones sits out, Morris would see the majority of the team’s carries, but given his lack of production this season and the Jets’ tough defensive front, I’d temper expectations.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck is a 50/50 play this week. For one, he’s currently listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game against New England, but the belief is that after a full practice Friday, he will suit up. Statistically speaking, the Pats are a decent matchup for Luck, but historically the Patriots have found a way to stop him. Luck has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions against the Patriots in their last two regular-season meetings. The Patriots aren’t the same team on defense from a pass and run standpoint. However, the Pats have had Luck’s number long before the they acquired cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner for the 2014 season. Take the 2013 divisional playoff game in New England for example, the Patriots capitalized off of four Luck interceptions to cruise to a 43-22 victory. In 2012, Luck had three interceptions. His best outing against New England came in last year’s regular-season game where he threw for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Luck followed that up with with his worst outing against New England in the AFC championship with 126 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or @HughJohnsonDP
