NFL: Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

Had the Broncos and Patriots played in Week 5 as scheduled, it's quite likely we would have seen Jarrett Stidham and Brett Rypien lining up at quarterback. But the game was postponed to Week 6 due to Covid concerns and that was enough time for Cam Newton to get through the Covid protocols and Lock to recover from his shoulder injury. Now we're expecting both to play Sunday.

For Fantasy purposes there's a clear distinction between the two. Newton is averaging 25 Fantasy points per game and looks like a must-start quarterback once again. Lock is making his eighth career start, and the results have been quite mixed. He's really only startable in a two-quarterback or Superflex leagues, and he's a low-end starter in those formats.

But their returns have an impact on their pass catchers as well. Julian Edelman is a solid No. 3 receiver with Newton while N'Keal Harry, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick become more interesting as flexes. Newton's return may actually be a bad thing for the Patriots' running backs. Their quarterback is averaging 11 carries per game and scored four rushing touchdowns in his first three games. It makes me less likely to trust Damien Harris.

The FFT crew breaks down key Week 6 injuries and lineup issues on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Follow all of our podcasts and subscribe here. 

More Week 6 Fantasy prep: Waivers | Trade Values | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not  

Week 6 QB Preview
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Numbers to know
  • 8.2 -- Lamar Jackson's rush attempts per game. That's down 30% from 2019.
  • 12.2 -- The Bears are only allowing 12.2 Fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
  • 6.2 -- Opposing quarterbacks are averaging 6.2 yards per attempt against the Rams and Colts.. League median is 7.5.
  • 26.3 -- Justin Herbert is averaging 25.3 Fantasy points per game, seventh among quarterbacks. That's someone you hold through the bye.
  • 5 -- Kyler Murray has as many rushing touchdowns as games played. That's probably not sustainable.
  • 9 -- Carson Wentz now has nine interceptions and only six touchdowns. He's best left on the waiver wire until he gets some weapons back.
  • 8.7 -- Derek Carr's intended air yards per attempt in Week 6. He only had two weeks higher in 2019.
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Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
Projections powered by Sportsline
LV Las Vegas • #15
Age: 28 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs DET DET -3.5 O/U 54.5
OPP VS QB
16th
PROJ PTS
19.9
QB RNK
11th
LAR L.A. Rams • #9
Age: 36 • Experience: 16 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ JAC DET -3.5 O/U 54.5
OPP VS QB
30th
PROJ PTS
22.9
QB RNK
NR
WAS Washington • #14
Age: 42 • Experience: 18 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs NYJ MIA -8 O/U 47.5
OPP VS QB
21st
PROJ PTS
25.1
QB RNK
17th
CIN Cincinnati • #9
Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ IND IND -7.5 O/U 46.5
OPP VS QB
1st
PROJ PTS
18.1
QB RNK
21st
DET Detroit • #10
Age: 32 • Experience: 10 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs CHI CAR -2.5 O/U 44
OPP VS QB
2nd
PROJ PTS
16.9
QB RNK
8th
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Waiver Wire Targets
Waiver Wire/Streamers
CAR Carolina • #14
Age: 37 • Experience: 14 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs ARI ARI -2.5 O/U 54.5
OPP VS QB
17th
QB RNK
15th
ROSTERED
60%
The Cardinals don't look like a great matchup on paper, but that's because of who they've played. Teddy Bridgewater, Jimmy Garoppolo and Matthew Stafford all scored at least 22 Fantasy points against them. Joe Flacco and Dwayne Haskins did not. I would start Dalton over Jared Goff, Joe Burrow and Carson Wentz.
ATL Atlanta • #18
Age: 36 • Experience: 13 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs ATL MIN -3.5 O/U 55.5
OPP VS QB
32nd
QB RNK
16th
ROSTERED
54%
Cousins' matchup is the best in football, and he just set a season high with 39 pass attempts. But I do have him below Dalton because Cousins has just two games with more than 18.2 Fantasy points, and there's a real risk the Vikings get a lead and run it 40 times against the Falcons. He's more of a bye-week replacement than a streamer over someone you've been starting.
One To Stash
NO New Orleans • #4
Age: 33 • Experience: 11 year
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs TB
OPP VS QB
6th
QB RNK
22nd
ROSTERED
52%
Carr is a top 12 Fantasy quarterback so far, he leads the league in completion percentage and we just saw him air it out against the Chiefs. The health of Henry Ruggs could be huge for Carr, especially if he's willing to throw it deep as he did against Kansas City.
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DFS Plays
Top Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
CAR Carolina • #1
Age: 35 • Experience: 12 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs DEN NE -9.5 O/U 45
OPP VS QB
13th
PROJ PTS
0
QB RNK
7th
FANDUEL
$8,000
DRAFTKINGS
$6,500
No quarterback on the main slate has scored more Fantasy points per game than Newton. Despite that, he's the fourth highest priced quarterback on FanDuel and even lower on DraftKings. He's my No. 1 cash game quarterback and I'll have plenty in tournaments as well.
Top Contrarian Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
LV Las Vegas • #15
Age: 28 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Every week Minshew's price stays about the same and every week he seems to sit below 5% roster rate. Almost every week he delivers at least three times value. Until that changes, I'll keep playing him.
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Heath's projections

So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 6 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.