Fantasy Football Week 6 Quarterback Preview: Joe Flacco to the Bengals, streamers, DFS plays and more
Everything you need to know about quarterback for Fantasy Football in Week 6
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3 min read
If you are like me, you drafted too many Cleveland Browns this preseason because you were excited about what Joe Flacco could do for them. After all, Flacco had been a well-above-average passer the last two years in Cleveland and Indianapolis. He averaged an impressive 7.5 yards per attempt and posted a 5.5% touchdown rate in 2023-24. He was not that guy the first four weeks of this season, and the Browns benched him for rookie Dillon Gabriel. As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and after three weeks of watching Jake Browning play QB, the Bengals have decided they would rather have Flacco as their QB1, trading for him on Tuesday morning.
The reaction to this news at the quarterback position is probably minimal in one-QB leagues. Neither Flacco or Browning matters much in that format. But in Superflex leagues, Flacco does become a must-roster again. If Flacco can get comfortable in Cincinnati and find the magic of the last two years, he could be a must-start QB in leagues where you can start more than one quarterback.
Speaking of Flacco regaining his magic, I also have a little bit more hope for the Bengals offense. Ja'Marr Chase never lost his must-start status in our eyes, but Tee Higgins certainly has. He is averaging eight Fantasy points per game and has only topped 12 once all year. Assuming Flacco becomes the starter, Higgins would at least have the potential to have boom weeks once again. He probably won't justify his ADP even with Flacco, but he could at least be startable again.
In Cleveland, Dillon Gabriel is now firmly entrenched as the starter, but he may have already taken care of that with a solid debut against the Dolphins. This also moves Shedeur Sanders up the depth chart, potentially, and I would say the odds of us seeing him on the field at some point this year went up.
Let's get to the rest of the preview:
Week 6 QB Preview
QB Preview
Numbers to know
- 42.5 -- Joe Flacco's 42.5 drop-backs per game are second only to Mac Jones. Wherever he has been, he has been a high-volume passer.
- 3.7% -- Sam Darnold's 3.7% off-target rate is the best in the NFL. The only thing holding him back in Fantasy is his low pass volume most weeks.
- 14 -- Trevor Lawrence has had 14 passes dropped this season. No other QB has had more than 11 passes dropped.
- 8.6 -- Daniel Jones is averaging 8.6 yards per attempt. Only Darnold and Lamar Jackson have been better by this metric.
- 17 -- Drake Maye has been sacked 17 times this season. Only Cam Ward has been sacked more.
- 8.5 -- Patrick Mahomes has averaged 8.5 air yards per attempt, the third-highest mark in the league. He was ranked near the bottom of the league in this metric last year.
- 28.2 -- The Ravens are giving up the second-most FPPG to opposing QBs. Expect Matthew Stafford to keep producing like a top-six QB.
- 135 -- The Falcons are only giving up 135 passing yards per game. They'll face a big test on Monday night against Josh Allen.
- 22.4 -- Brock Purdy and Mac Jones have averaged 22.4 FPPG in five starts. They only have one game below 20 between the two of them. Whoever starts Week 6 is in play against Tampa Bay, who has given up the fifth most Fantasy points to QBs.
QB Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
Brock Purdy was not participating in the 49ers' early practice on Monday, so we could get at least one more week of Jones at QB. The 49ers have no reason to rush Purdy back after Jones lit up a good Rams defense for 342 yards and two touchdowns. This is a much better matchup against the Buccaneers, who are a pass-funnel defense. They have been very good against the run and poor against the pass, which matches up perfectly with a 49ers offense that is averaging below four yards per rush but leads the NFL in pass attempts. Just watch Purdy's practice participation before you lock Jones in.
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Seattle opened the week as an underdog at Jacksonville in Week 6. This makes some sense with one of the longest road trips in football, and it is exactly the recipe Darnold needs for Fantasy success. He has been fantastic all year, but their Week 5 loss to Tampa was only the second time he had thrown more than 26 passes. He's thrown for at least 295 yards with two touchdowns in both of those games.
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One To Stash (QB Preview)
Rattler was flat out good against the Giants in Week 5. Not good enough for me to want to start him against an improving Patriots defense this week, but if he shows well again, he gets the Bears in Week 6. They have been one of the worst defenses in football and could put Rattler in position to throw 40 passes with their offense.
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QB Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Stafford's recent surge isn't quite factored into his price, and his matchup against the Ravens certainly isn't. Baltimore has allowed eight passing touchdowns in their past two games against Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud. The Rams have scored 11 of their 14 touchdowns through the air this year. Stafford and Puka Nacua will be a popular cash game stack, and it is not one I am fading.
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Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Smith's highs have been high, and his lows have been disastrously low. He has the second-most turnover-worthy throws and the fifth-most completions of over 20 yards. While this could be a gross game, and most will stay away from it, I like a Raiders stack as a contrarian play this week. As bad as Smith has been the last two weeks, he already has a 362-yard game and a three-touchdown game on the season.
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QB Preview
Heath's projections
My full set of Week 6 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 5. Projected stats for all starting quarterbacks are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.
