Outside of Myles Gaskin, it was a good week for the “sit” column. Meanwhile, the “starts” at RB and TE panned out nicely but, unfortunately, Corey Davis, Laviska Shenault, and Jaylen Waddle didn’t live up to expectations. In Week 6, the Falcons, Saints, 49ers, and Jets are on a bye, so it will be even more important to locate those sneaky starts moving forward. As always, I’ll be bringing you names at every position that I believe will exceed expectations or fall flat.

Let’s get into the picks.

Starts: Quarterbacks

Taylor Heinicke, Washington vs. Chiefs

Taylor Heinicke is the perfect quarterback to stream this week. He’s delivered a couple big performances already this season against the Giants and Falcons. And now he gets to face the Chiefs, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. When you factor in Heinicke’s mobility–he’s averaging over 25 rushing yards per game–he looks like a slam dunk in Week 6.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars vs. Titans

Trevor Lawrence has rushed for over 20 yards in each of his last four games, and he’s scored a rushing TD in two straight. That mobility boosts his fantasy floor and makes him easier to trust on a week-to-week basis. He finished as the QB9 in Week 5, and I believe another top-12 finish is possible against the Dolphins, who have allowed the 7th-most passing yards per game this season.

Starts: Running Backs

Darrel Williams, Chiefs @ Washington

Okay, let’s start with the low-hanging fruit. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out with an MCL sprain, which means that Darrel Williams will operate as Kansas City’s lead back for the time being. Washington has been middle-of-the-pack against fantasy RBs, but Williams should handle enough opportunities to be worthy of a flex play.

Chase Edmonds, Cardinals @ Browns

In Week 5, Chase Edmonds handled fewer than ten touches for the first time this season. Perhaps we should have seen that coming, though, since Edmonds was reportedly nursing a shoulder injury. In Week 6, another week removed from the injury, you should feel comfortable starting Edmonds again. He had been highly involved, especially in the passing game, and he has looked significantly better than James Conner. Don’t expect many TDs, but Edmonds should continue to deliver RB2 weeks more often than not moving forward.

Kenny Gainwell, Eagles vs. Buccaneers

If you’re desperate for an RB this week with Alvin Kamara and Cordarrelle Patterson on bye, you can turn to Kenny Gainwell. The Buccaneers are excellent against the run, but they’ve allowed the most receptions to RBs this season. This makes sense because teams that are trailing tend to dump it off to the receiving back more often. The Eagles will likely be trailing on Thursday night, which means Gainwell could catch 5 or 6 passes.

Starts: Wide Receivers

Tee Higgins, Bengals @ Lions

In his first game back from injury, Tee Higgins didn’t exactly blow up the box score. He finished with five receptions for just 32 yards. However, he did demonstrate that he is fully healthy, which is enough reason to slide the talented, young receiver back into your starting lineup. Look for Higgins to bounce back against the Lions in Week 6.

Michael Pittman, Colts vs. Texans

Speaking of second-year WRs, Michael Pittman is quietly putting together a nice sophomore campaign. He now has two weekly finishes inside the top 15 this season and a total of four performances inside the top 40. Pittman’s 25.1% target share is the 16th-highest among WRs, and he has the 11th-most receptions at the position. He’s a weekly WR3 moving forward.

Kadarius Toney, Giants vs. Rams

With Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton out, Kadarius Toney broke out in a big way in Week 5. He caught 10 passes for 189 yards against the Cowboys and demonstrated his ability to line up outside and in the slot. Even when the other receivers return to the lineup, I don’t think the Giants will be able to put Toney back in the bottle. He should have a solid role moving forward, making him a weekly flex play.

Starts: Tight Ends

Zach Ertz, Eagles vs. Buccaneers

With Dallas Goedert on the COVID-19 list, Zach Ertz will see a significant uptick in snaps and, hopefully, targets against the Buccaneers on Thursday night. Outside of DeVonta Smith, the Eagles don’t have many reliable options in the passing game, so it’s easy to see the veteran tight end racking up receptions in a negative game script.

Sits: Quarterbacks

Baker Mayfield, Browns vs. Cardinals

Baker Mayfield finally put together a strong performance in Week 5, finishing as the QB8. But keep in mind that 89 total points were scored in the Browns’ matchup against the Chargers. That’s the absolute ceiling for Mayfield and one that he isn’t likely to repeat against the Cardinals’ defense in Week 6.

Ryan Tannehill, Titans vs. Bills

Ryan Tannehill hasn’t really looked like himself so far this season. In fact, the whole Titans’ offense outside of Derrick Henry has been underwhelming. Now he draws a matchup against the league’s best defense. I’d be looking for a streamer this week.

Sits: Running Backs

Miles Sanders, Eagles vs. Buccaneers

Miles Sanders has not lived up to his draft position, which wasn’t even that high to begin with. The problem is that Kenny Gainwell is absorbing a majority of the RB targets, and the carries just haven’t been there for Sanders with the Eagles constantly trailing. I’m not expecting things to improve against the Buccaneers, who have one of the league’s best run defenses.

Nyheim Hines, Colts vs. Texans

After Nyheim Hines received an extension to stay in Indianapolis, I assumed the team would feature him more regularly in the offense, but that has not been the case. Despite the team’s lack of talent at WR and TE, Hines has had two receptions or fewer in three of five games this season. At this point, he’s incredibly difficult to trust, especially in a matchup against the Texans where the Colts should be in more neutral and positive game situations.

Sits: Wide Receivers

A.J. Brown, Titans vs. Bills

Look, I don’t feel good about this. In fact, I feel terrible, like I might be sick. But A.J. Brown just hasn’t delivered this season. Due to injuries and general offensive struggles, Brown has finished outside the top 60 fantasy WRs in each of his last three games. Now he draws an incredibly tough matchup against the Bills, who have already shut out two opponents this season. 

You don’t have to bench Brown, but I’m letting you know that you have my permission if you’ve got other good options.

Allen Robinson, Bears vs. Packers

In his three starts this season, Justin Fields has averaged fewer than 20 pass attempts per game. As a result, Robinson’s best weekly finish this season was WR49. This isn’t just a matter of rookie QB inefficiency or bad luck. The volume simply isn’t there for Robinson to be a viable fantasy starter at this point. Stick him on the bench and pray that Matt Nagy unleashes Fields sooner rather than later.

Sits: Tight Ends

David Njoku, Browns vs. Cardinals

David Njoku finished as the TE2 in Week 5 with nearly 150 receiving yards and a TD. However, his 65% snap was right in line with his season-long average. More than anything, this boom performance was due to game script and a perfect 100% catch rate. Njoku faces the Cardinals in Week 6, who have allowed the fewest points to TEs this season, so you shouldn’t be chasing the points here.

Thanks for reading this article! Look me up on Twitter at @fantasyfreezer if you’d like to hear more from me. I love answering fantasy questions, discussing trades, and engaging in friendly debates, so be sure to drop in and say hello.

You can read the previous articles in this series here:  Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5