Blue Rated Wideouts Week 6 2023

The volatile scoring nature of the wide receiver position may cause more start-sit headaches for fantasy managers than any other position, but when things go well wide receivers can post point totals capable of winning fantasy games.

How does one know which wide receivers are capable of posting those game-winning point totals? My player grading system (a full version of which can be found at TheFootballScientist.com) aims to identify these players via an overall/upside/downside approach. A player's overall grade measures his likely performance, the downside the grade indicates how a player is apt to fare if things go poorly for him that week, and the upside grade measures the scoring ceiling of a player if things go well in a given contest.

This grading system also uses five color-coded categories: blue (indicating someone who can post elite point totals), green (a strong starter), yellow (a solid backup or a potential starter in bye weeks or deep leagues), orange (a desperation play), and red (someone who should not be started).

This means fantasy managers who are looking for big scoring potential at wide receiver should aim for someone who has a blue-rated upside grade (which is 90-100 in my system). This weekly article series will identify all the blue-rated upside wideouts in a given week and then provide details on a few of the unexpected candidates on this board. It will also detail the strength of the matchup each of these receivers is facing via a matchup points total of 1-100, with 100 being most favorable.

Week 6 wide receivers with blue-rated upside

 

Zay Flowers, Baltimore

Flowers has posted a double-digit PPR point total in four out of five games this year, but he could reach a season high in points due to a matchup against Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton. Per Stathead, Fulton has allowed an unacceptable 10.5 yards per target on the 12 targets he faced in Weeks 2-5. It's possible the Titans will bench Fulton because of this, which means Flowers will face a backup cornerback, but either matchup should provide Flowers with the ability to hit his upside score.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis

Pittman has faltered a bit the past two weeks after a strong start to the season, but he should be able to bounce back in a matchup against Jacksonville cornerback Tyson Campbell. Per Stathead, Campbell's yards per target pace has held up well over the past four weeks at a 6.3-yard mark, but he is allowing a very high 15.0 PPR points per game due in part to allowing three touchdown catches. Darious Williams and Tre Herndon also have allowed 15+ PPR PPG in that span, so it isn't as if Jacksonville has a strong alternate option to cover Pittman. This is why Pittman belongs in all lineups this week.

Christian Kirk, Jacksonville

With four straight games with 14+ PPR points, Kirk has already shown that he is a good flex or WR2 candidate, but a matchup against Colts nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II offers a solid upside path since Moore has allowed a team high 11.8 PPR PPG in coverage since Week 2. With Zay Jones possibly being out for this game, Kirk will retain his prime role in the Jaguars passing attack and may return a WR1-caliber point total in Week 6.