Whos Hot Whos Not 2016 Week 6

By Jen Ryan

As with each week there were some hits and misses in Week 5. Kudos to Greg Olsen who had a career day with nine receptions for 181 yards. Still, the career day was not enough to edge out Martellus Bennett as the TE1 with three touchdowns. On the other end of the spectrum, Where have you gone Eli Manning? Outside of the top 20 is not Manning’s usual territory. Could he bounce back this week?
Let’s see where the cards fell last week.

I Knew It

Odell Beckham, Jr. – 5 rec, 56 yds, 1TD – WR15
Ok, he did not get BOTH of his first touchdowns of 2016 but he finally scored (and made up with the kicking net).
Ryan Fitzpatrick – 38 att, 25 comp, 255 yds, 1TD – QB16
I’ll admit I was expecting a better day from Fitzpatrick but he needed a turnover-free game more than any quarterback in the league and he got it.
LeGarrette Blount – 18 att, 37 yds, 1TD – RB18
I wanted to put Blount in the section below because 37 yards on 18 carries is disgusting, but when a running back reaches the end zone it is hard to be mad at that.
Dwayne Washington – 9 att, 23 yds – RB37
Of course the injury could not be forecasted, but the poor matchup was.

Matt Ryan – 28 att, 15 comp, 267 yds, 1TD – QB16
Although he finished with the same amount of points as Fitzpatrick, he was a recommended bench last week and rightfully so. I expected him to cool off from his start and he did to the tune of 15 completions.

I Blew It

Zach Ertz – 3 rec, 37 yds – TE21
Ertz needed to score to pay off and he did not.
DeAndre Hopkins – 5 rec, 56 yds, 1TD – WR15
Hopkins finished with the exact stat line as Beckham, Jr. He wasn’t super hot but he wasn’t ice cold either.

Jordan Reed - 8 rec, 53 yds – TE16
This one could have gone either way but I’ll keep myself honest here and say I blew it in recommending sitting a tight end who finished with 13 PPR points.

And now, for Week 6.

Who’s Hot

Fire Starter: Alex Smith – Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders
Smith will be a popular choice this week. He is also worth grabbing if you are a Cam Newton owner. If you take a look at our Ease of Schedule tool, you will see Smith plays against the New Orleans Saints next week. If he is not already owned in your league grab him and play him this week or stash him for the next two (Indianapolis Colts in Week 8). The Raiders let Philip Rivers throw five touchdowns on them last week and if Smith even sniffs that he will have a solid day. The 1,690 yards through the air they’ve allowed quarterbacks to throw are a league-high as well. Fire up Alex Smith as your fire starter and roll with him for the next three weeks if streaming is your thing. Did I mention his favorite toy Jamaal Charles is expected back this week?

WR: DeSean Jackson – Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Revenge games are too fun to ignore and I have a hard time resisting them, especially when you consider Jackson’s career stats against his former team. He turns it up to the tune of close to 95 yards per game. He is a classic example of an ugly departure fueling him and I am expecting the Redskins to go out of their way to make sure Jackson is involved often and scores against his former team on his home turf

TE: Jimmy Graham – Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons
Anyone who has seen Graham’s past two games and isn’t impressed isn’t watching the same football I am. Let’s be honest with ourselves – NO ONE expected Graham to return close to form after his devastating patellar tendon injury. He has been tearing it up, and has stacked back-to-back 100-yard games. The Seahawks get the Falcons at home, coming off of a bye week that allowed Russell Wilson to heal up. The Falcons managed to let Coby Fleener look like Tony Gonzalez against them which effectively makes Graham’s ceiling limitless this weekend.

RB: Lamar Miller – Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts
I get it, I am frustrated with Miller also. Neither of us drafted him in the late first/early second for him to not have scored a few, let alone a single, touchdown yet. We may have even thought about benching him already, but this week should be his breakout game. The Colts porous run defense presents an optimal chance for Miller to taste the end zone. They have allowed running backs to hit the century mark in all but one game, too. This week we will be reminded why we drafted him where we did.

Who’s Not

Ice Cold: Arian Foster – Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
I am going evoke Rich Hribar (if you don’t know him, google him) here when I say I am weary of starting a player who is coming off of an injury. While I expect a full load for Foster I am keeping him on my bench because he could have one of those 15 carries for 60-ish yards type of games. The only Miami Dolphin I can trust this week is Jarvis Landry against the soft Pittsburgh secondary.

WR: Brandon Marshall – New York Jets @ Arizona Cardinals
Sitting Brandon Marshall is tough but playing him against the Cardinals will be even tougher this week. Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu are two of the top defensive backs in the league there is no other receiving threat on the Jets for them to worry about. With Fitzpatrick’s erratic play and the strong double team and/or shadowing on Marshall, I am avoiding him at all costs this week.

QB: Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals @ New England Patriots
Andy Dalton in Foxboro against Bill Belechik’s Patriots? No thanks. He could see a season-high sack total in this game. Jeremy Hill is dinged up, which only adds more pressure on the quarterback. The Patriots are famous for taking away their opponents top option and if (when) they shut A.J. Green down, Dalton will be out of options.

TE: Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers
This is the week my Dallas Cowboys will come back down to Earth. The Packers have shut down running backs all season and the running game of Ezekiel Elliott is what has opened up the passing game for guys like Witten and Cole Beasley. Witten is a perennial top ten tight end and will get his looks today but if you are looking for 6 receptions and 70 yards for a solid PPR day, I’d look on your waiver wire, maybe even at the tight end on the other side of the ball in this game.

Lineup decisions are maddening in redraft leagues and they are supposed to be. We can make informed decisions based on matchups using our Ease of Schedule tool but the fact remains the game is inherently volatile and anything can happen. That is exactly why we love it. Good luck, consider my recommendations, but ultimately go with your gut!