Andy Dalton steps into a great situation with the Cowboys now that Dak Prescott (ankle) is out for the season. And Dalton is worth starting in Week 6 against the Cardinals. He's one of my favorite sleepers this week.
Dalton inherits an amazing receiving corps with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, and it helps to have Ezekiel Elliott and Dalton Schultz as well. And Dalton should have the chance for plenty of volume considering the Cowboys come into Week 6 leading the NFL in pass attempts.
We'll see how much things change on offense in Dallas for Dalton compared to Prescott, but I'd be surprised if there's a dramatic difference. Dalton has been a serviceable Fantasy quarterback in the past with Cincinnati, and the same thing should happen with the Cowboys.
He scored at least 20 Fantasy points in five of his first eight starts last year with the Bengals before surprisingly getting benched, and he did that without A.J. Green. With Green and Tyler Boyd in 2018 -- at least for the first eight games of the season when Green was healthy -- Dalton averaged 21.1 Fantasy points per game.
He's worth trusting as a low-end starter in all leagues, beginning this week against the Cardinals at home. Arizona hasn't faced a tough schedule yet against opposing quarterbacks, but Jimmy Garoppolo (22 Fantasy points), Matthew Stafford (22 points) and Teddy Bridgewater (30 points) have all performed well against this defense. And now the Cardinals are without standout pass rusher Chandler Jones (biceps).
Cooper and Lamb remain starting Fantasy options this week, and Gallup is more of a boom-or-bust No. 3 receiver in all leagues. Elliott's Fantasy value won't change with Dalton, and Schultz remains a low-end starting option against the Cardinals.
As for Dalton, I would start him over guys like Bridgewater, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Joe Burrow this week. Don't get cute and start him over guys like Matthew Stafford or Ryan Fitzpatrick since those quarterbacks have a higher ceiling, but Dalton should perform well in place of Prescott.
And if he does have a good outing against the Cardinals, you should feel comfortable with him as a starting Fantasy quarterback for the rest of the year. Now, let's see how he compares to other sleepers in Week 6.
More Week 6 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | QB | RB | WR | Starts and sits, sleepers and busts | PPR Cheat Sheet | Non-PPR Cheat Sheet | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Biggest Questions | Waivers | Cut List | Trade Values | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
Week 6 Sleepers
Minshew might not have D.J. Chark (ankle) this week, but he should still be a low-end starting option against the Lions, who have allowed at least 240 passing yards and two touchdowns to all four opposing quarterbacks this year. And Minshew has scored at least 23 Fantasy points in four of five games in 2020.
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The Falcons defense has been so bad against opposing quarterbacks that Bridgewater's 313 passing yards and two touchdowns last week was the worst performance against Atlanta this year. Cousins might not have a huge game given his typical low volume of passes, but he should be a decent streamer in deeper leagues. And Cousins does have multiple touchdowns in two of his past three games.
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It's hard to trust Jones since he's gone four games in a row without a touchdown, which seems like an impossible feat in today's NFL. But at some point he's going to have a breakout game, and it could happen this week against Washington. The last time he faced Washington was Week 16 last year, and Jones exploded for 45 Fantasy points. Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson and Jared Goff have all had big games against Washington this season, and hopefully Jones will follow suit.
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The FFT crew breaks down key Week 6 lineup decisions on the Friday Fantasy Football Today podcast. Follow all our podcasts and subscribe here.
Freeman has consecutive games with at least 15 total touches, and he just had his best outing with the Giants in Week 5 at Dallas with 17 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 27 yards on three targets. Look for him to stay hot against Washington, which has allowed six touchdowns to running backs in the past three games.
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I'm hopeful the Lions come off their bye in Week 5 and feature D'Andre Swift, and I consider him a sleeper this week as well. But Peterson is worth using as at least a flex against the Jaguars, who have allowed three touchdowns to running backs and two to gain at least 100 total yards in the past two games. For Peterson, he should have fresh legs coming off a bye and has either a touchdown or 85 total yards in his past two games. And Swift will hopefully get a bigger role now that he's four games into his NFL career. I like Swift as a flex in PPR.
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Edmonds continues to produce in a limited role, and it would be great to see what he could do as a featured option. That likely won't happen while Kenyan Drake is healthy, but Edmonds should be a quality flex in PPR this week against the Cowboys, who allowed six catches to the Giants running backs last week. Edmonds has 10 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in his past two games on 12 targets, and he's scored a touchdown in each of his past two games after running one in at the Jets in Week 5.
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Akers returned from a two-game absence with a rib injury in Week 5 at Washington and had nine carries for 61 yards. Afterward, Sean McVay said of Akers that "I think you can expect his workload to increase next week against the 49ers." Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown will still get touches as well, but Akers might be a decent flex option in deeper leagues.
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With Sammy Watkins (hamstring) out, Hardman should see more playing time and targets opposite Tyreek Hill. Hardman has two games this season with at least four targets, and he's scored in both outings. Watkins has three games this season with at least seven targets, so hopefully those opportunities now belong to Hardman.
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Shenault and Keelan Cole are both worth using as sleepers this week with D.J. Chark (ankle) banged up. Shenault has scored at least 13 PPR points in consecutive games against Cincinnati and Houston, and he's reached that mark in three of five outings this year. And Cole has scored a touchdown in three of five games on the season. I'm starting Shenault as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver whether Chark plays or not, but I would downgrade Cole if Chark is available against the Lions.
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Kirk has 12 targets in his past two games, and he's averaging 11.0 PPR points over that span. He has a great matchup this week against the Cowboys, who have allowed the second-most Fantasy points to opposing receivers this year.
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Beasley should benefit if John Brown (knee) is out against the Chiefs after Brown couldn't play in Week 5 at Tennessee, and Beasley has now scored at least 11 PPR points in four games in a row. This game should be a high-scoring affair with Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen, and Beasley should be used as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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We had Cooks in this spot last week, and he was huge against the Jaguars with eight catches for 161 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. Hopefully, that's a sign of things to come that Cooks can play at this level opposite Will Fuller. I still like Fuller better than Cooks, but both should be successful this week against the Titans, who have allowed four receivers to score at least 11 PPR points in their past two games. Start Cooks as a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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Prior to facing the 49ers in Week 5, Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said, per the Palm Beach Post, of Williams that "we're hoping to continue to work with him to get him some catches. We know he can be a weapon, we know he should be a weapon ... we need him to." The result was Williams having his best game of the season with four catches for 106 yards and a touchdown on five targets. We'd like to see more targets for Williams, but this is a good week to trust him as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver against the Jets, who have allowed four receivers to score at least 12 PPR points in their past two games.
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Graham has scored in three of five games this year, and he continues to be a primary target in the red zone for Nick Foles. He also has at least five targets in four of five games, and hopefully he scores this week against the Panthers.
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Burton has 11 targets in two games this season after missing the first three outings of the year with a calf injury. Now, he only has seven catches for 49 yards with those targets, but he seems to be the preferred tight end target for Philip Rivers. Burton is worth using as a streamer in Week 6 against the Bengals, who just gave up a touchdown to Mark Andrews in Week 5. And Mo Alie-Cox (knee) is banged up.
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Smith has two things working in his favor this week. One, he just had his best game of the season in Week 5 at Seattle with four catches for 64 yards on five targets. And two, he gets to face the Falcons, who allow the most Fantasy points against tight ends this year. He's a great streaming option in Week 6.
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DraftKings
QB: Ryan Tannehill (vs. HOU) $5,900
RB: Alexander Mattison (vs. ATL) $7,200
RB: David Montgomery (at CAR) $5,800
WR: JuJu Smith-Schuster (vs. CLE) $6,600
WR: Kenny Golladay (at JAC) $6,200
WR: Brandin Cooks (at TEN) $5,000
TE: Jonnu Smith (vs. HOU) $5,200
FLEX: Devonta Freeman (vs. WAS) $4,900
DST: Dolphins (vs. NYJ) $2,900
Let's stack Tannehill and Smith, and that duo has connected for a touchdown in three games this season and five total scores. It would be great if this game is a shootout, which would obviously help Cooks.
Mattison is our Start of the Week in Week 6, and I love the setup for Montgomery against the Panthers, who just lost a key defender in Kawann Short (shoulder). I'll play a third running back in the flex with Freeman, who should do well against Washington.
At receiver along with Cooks, I'm expecting a big game from Smith-Schuster and Golladay. I love Golladay going against the Jaguars, and Smith-Schuster is due for a breakout game against the Browns.
FanDuel
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick (vs. NYJ) $7,400
RB: Mike Davis (vs. CHI) $7,500
RB: David Montgomery (at CAR) $5,900
WR: Adam Thielen (vs. ATL) $7,400
WR: A.J. Brown (vs. HOU) $6,500
WR: DeVante Parker (vs. NYJ) $6,400
TE: Mark Andrews (at PHI) $7,600
FLEX: Jonathan Taylor (vs. CIN) $7,300
DEF: Giants (vs. WAS) $3,900
For this lineup, I'll stack Fitzpatrick and Parker, and those two should be awesome against the Jets. Parker has two games this season with at least eight targets, and he's scored in both, so hopefully Fitzpatrick leans on him this week.
I'll play Montgomery again in this lineup, and I'll use him with Davis and Taylor. Davis has been amazing in place of Christian McCaffrey (ankle), and Taylor should have a big outing against the Bengals at home.