Stars of Week 6

QB: Joe Burrow, CIN: 28-37, 300 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs (plus 1 rushing TD)                                   

RB: Deon Jackson, IND: 12 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD (10 catches, 79 yards 0 TDs)

WR: Ja’Marr Chase , CIN: 7 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Mike Gesicki, MIA: 6 catches, 69 yards, 2 TDs

The Cincinnati Bengals have shown shades of a Super Bowl hangover, having struggled to a 2-3 start in their first five games. But, the Bengals got on track this past Sunday, moving to 3-3 with Sunday’s win over the Saints. Quarterback Joe Burrow had his best game of the season, tossing 3 TDs and reaching the 300 yard mark, while rushing for another score. Burrow remains who we thought he was…a fantastic young QB and a weekly start QB1 in fantasy leagues.

Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor entered the season as the consensus number one overall pick in fantasy leagues, having had clean health and massive production in his first two NFL seasons. Well, Taylor has missed the last two games due to injury, and generally left those with the number one overall fantasy pick disappointed thus far. Enter second year player Deon Jackson, who put the Colts on his back versus the Jaguars. Jackson rushed for 42 yards plus a TD, while also hauling in 10 passes for 79 yards. While Jackson’s playability in fantasy lineups wholly depends on Taylor’s active status, Jackson has made himself a must-add handcuff for Taylor owners.

Quite often the top performing QB has a WR or TE from his team join him in the weekly honor roll. No surprise for the Bengals, star WR Ja’Marr Chase joins Burrow at the podium. Chase took advantage of the absence of Saints’ star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, catching two TD passes on the way to 132 receiving yards. Chase resides comfortably in the top 5 fantasy WR group.

Welcome back to relevancy, Mike Gesicki! The Dolphins’ tight end has largely been lost in the shuffle this season as the Dolphins brought in star WR Tyreek Hill and new head coach Mike McDaniel’s new offense. Gesicki scored twice off of 6 catches. While Gesicki has talent, given the Dolphins’ usage of Gesicki thus far in 2022 (just 9 receptions over 5 games entering Sunday’s contest), you’d be wise to look at this game as an aberration, rather than a sign of what’s to come.

Week 6 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Kenneth Walker, RB – SEA: 21 carries, 97 yards, 1 TDs

Analysis: Sadly, but not shockingly, the Seahawks lost starting RB Rashaad Penny for the season last week due to injury. Penny has been snake bitten throughout his NFL career, and it’s heartbreaking to see a player with good talent endure season after season of rehab, and now succumbing yet again to a terrible injury. Unfortunately, that’s not uncommon in the NFL…with the next man up becoming today’s focus. Enter rookie RB Kenneth Walker, who inherited the starting gig for the Seahawks. Walker starred at Michigan State in 2021, winning the Doak Walker award as the nation’s top college football running back. Walker has both shiftiness and breakaway speed, making him a hard back to tackle. Walker also benefits from a favorable roster situation, with only fellow RB Deejay Dallas currently taking any carries away from him. Walker saw the field on 47 out of 68 snaps this past Sunday versus the Cardinals, with 97 rushing yards and a TD affixed to his box score. Walker will be the early down back for the team, likely ceding some carries on 3^rd down and the majority of carries in two minute drills. That’s plenty of usage for Walker to play as a fantasy RB2 the rest of the season. Don’t be surprised to see some boom-bust variance from week to week (more boom than the latter), but Walker presents a plug and play option for everyone fortunate enough to have him on their fantasy rosters. He’s the real deal…start Walker with confidence.

- Caleb Huntley, RB – ATL: 16 carries, 59 yards, 0 TDs

- Tyler Allgeier, RB – ATL: 15 carries, 51 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: The Falcons lost starting RB Cordarrelle Patterson to a knee injury a few weeks back, opening the door for young RBs Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley to show off their skills in the veteran’s absence. Allgeier was viewed as the favorite to lead in carries, but this past Sunday’s game put that hypothesis into question. The backs split carries fairly evenly in the win versus the 49ers, with each rushing for ~ 3.5 YPC and no TDs. Looking at the snap count, Allgeier won by a 33 to 20 margin. So what to make of the Falcons’ RB situation? You would be wise to avoid this group. Neither Huntley nor Allgeier has shown much burst or ability to carry the rushing attack, unlike the injured Patterson. In addition, starting QB Marcus Mariota is usually good for a handful of rushes a game. Finally, while the Falcons beat the favored 49ers, they’re likely to find themselves in many upcoming games with unfavorable rushing scripts (i.e. falling behind to a superior opponent). If picking between the two backs, give a slight nod to Allgeier. But he’s an RB3/flex option in very deep leagues (i.e. 14 plus teams) at best. Look elsewhere if you can for your lineup needs.

- Wan’dale Robinson, WR – NYG: 3 catches, 37 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Give it up for the 5-1 New York Giants - easily the biggest surprise of the young NFL season! We’ve witnessed the rebirth of star RB Saquon Barkley, and otherwise a collection of no-names on offense, to go with lightly regarded starting QB Daniel Jones, who’ve led the G-men to the 5 win mark in mid-October. How’re they doing this? New head coach Brian Daboll has had his team playing in a disciplined manner, with a rising defense…and that Barkley guy. So besides Barkley, who’re the skill players to target from the Giants? Take a close look at Wan’dale Robinson, the rookie from Kentucky. Robinson scored his first NFL TD versus the Ravens, hauling in a modest 3 passes for 37 yards. While the stats don’t pop off the page, Robinson should be on fantasy radars. As for his game, Robinson has a knack for getting open, with strong hands and good route running skills. Looking at the Giants’ WR corps, it’s a thin group with lead WR Sterling Shepard out for the season. This means that Robinson has a great shot to lean into more usage. His competition at WR? Marcus Johnson, Darius Slayton and Richie James. In other words, Robinson has the chance to become Jones’ favorite target. In case you need a WR, make an upside play and add Robinson to your roster.

- Alec Pierce, WR – IND: 3 catches, 49 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: The Colts have put up a few stinkers on offense this season, but the Colts found their way to 34 points and a victory versus the Jaguars. Fantasy owners largely viewed RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Michael Pittman as the fantasy relevant Colts entering the season, but should WR Alec Pierce get more attention as well? The rookie second round pick caught 3 balls for 49 yards and a TD, making this the third straight game in which Pierce has scored at least 12 PPR points. Importantly, Pierce has been targeted 22 times by Matt Ryan over these games, showing that Pierce’s stats have sustainability due to opportunity. Pierce has a well rounded skill palette, boasting good size, route running skills and hands. Pittman remains the alpha WR for the Colts, but Pierce can continue to carve out enough of a niche to garner fantasy attention as well. Consider Pierce a flex option in deeper leagues (12+ teams) in PPR leagues, with some upside.

* All snap count information is referenced through statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case a player 1) who has NOT been featured above, and 2) remains available in more than 50% of leagues.

QB: Jimmy Garappolo, SF (vs KC)

RB: Rachaad White, TB (@ CAR)

RB: Latavius Murray, DEN (vs NYJ)

WR: Rondale Moore, ARI (vs NO)

WR: Nico Collins, HOU (@ LV)

TE: Will Dissly, SEA (@ LAC)

Personal Note

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