One quarterback who I struggle with ranking this week is Baker Mayfield. I consider him a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues, but this is a difficult matchup for him in Week 6 at New Orleans.
Mayfield failed to score at least 20.8 Fantasy points only once this season, which was Week 3 against Denver. Since then, he's scored at least 29.4 Fantasy points in consecutive games against the Eagles and Falcons, and I'm hopeful he can stay hot against the Saints.
But New Orleans has yet to allow a quarterback to score more than 15.2 Fantasy points, including matchups with Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Kirk Cousins, and Patrick Mahomes. That's an impressive group of quarterbacks, and the Saints will make things uncomfortable for Mayfield in this matchup.
Now, Mayfield averaged 24.6 Fantasy points against the Saints in two games last season, and I hope he can stay in that range again. I have Mayfield ranked at No. 12 as of Wednesday morning, and this should be another 20-point outing for him despite the difficult opponent.
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Here are the rest of the quarterbacks that I recommend starting in Week 6, as well as the ones to avoid. And make sure you check back later in the week for my sleepers column for an update on the Colts situation since we don't know the health of Anthony Richardson (oblique), which will impact the status of Joe Flacco.
QBs to Start
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I didn't expect Prescott to play well in Week 5 at Pittsburgh, but he managed to score 20.4 Fantasy points despite three turnovers. He's now scored at least 20 Fantasy points in three games in a row, including two outings with at least 350 passing yards. He has the chance for another solid performance in Week 6 against the Lions, who have allowed two of four quarterbacks to score at least 20.8 Fantasy points. This game has the highest projected total of the week at 52.5 points, and Prescott has top-five upside in this matchup at home.
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Love had a disappointing performance in Week 5 at the Rams with 19.9 Fantasy points, but I expect him to get back on track in Week 6 at home against the Cardinals. Arizona's pass defense has actually performed better than expected this season, and the Cardinals just held Brock Purdy to 15.1 Fantasy points in Week 5. But the last time Love was at home, he scored 36.2 Fantasy points against Minnesota, which makes five consecutive games in Green Bay where he's scored at least 21.5 Fantasy points going back to last season. Love seems to love playing at home, so start him with confidence this week.
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Murray was a pleasant surprise in Week 5 at San Francisco with 26.1 Fantasy points, which was only the second time all season he's scored more than 16.8 points. He ran for a season-high 83 yards against the 49ers and scored his first rushing touchdown of the year, and it was only a matter of time before he would start producing at a high level since he has 45 rushing yards or more in four of five games. This game should be a high-scoring affair with a projected total of 49.5 points, and I like Murray to finish Week 6 as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback for the third time this season.
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Something clearly clicked for Cousins in Week 5 against Tampa Bay since he passed for 509 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, and he scored 42.4 Fantasy points. He said after the game that he's feeling closer to 100 percent from last year's Achilles injury, and hopefully more big games are coming, including this week at Carolina. The Panthers are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Justin Herbert in Week 2 failed to score at least 20.3 Fantasy points against Carolina this year. Cousins should once again be considered a top-10 quarterback in all leagues.
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Purdy was a huge disappointment in Week 5 against Arizona as the Start of the Week when he only scored 15.1 Fantasy points. And he's only scored more than 16.6 Fantasy points once this season, which was Week 3 at the Rams. But this is a good setup for him to get on track Thursday night at Seattle. The Seahawks are beat up defensively with injuries to linebackers Uchenna Nwosu (thigh) and Derick Hall (foot), defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (hamstring), and cornerback Tariq Woolen (ankle). Jared Goff and Daniel Jones each scored at least 26.1 Fantasy points against Seattle in the past two games, and Purdy will hopefully be next. I'll trust him again despite last week's underwhelming performance.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Goff is coming off his best game of the season in Week 4 against Seattle with 31.2 Fantasy points when he went 18-of-18 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and he also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown. Hopefully, Goff will stay hot after Detroit's bye in Week 5, and this is a good matchup against Dallas. Three of the past four quarterbacks against the Cowboys have scored at least 20 Fantasy points, and Goff should be used as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in Week 6.
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Is it time to actually trust Jones as a starter in one-quarterback leagues? He has scored at least 22.3 Fantasy points in three of his past four games, and his performance in Week 5 at Seattle was his most impressive of the season. Without Malik Nabers (concussion), Jones was 23-of-34 passing for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and he added a season-high 38 rushing yards. Nabers will hopefully return in Week 6 against the Bengals, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. You can consider Jones a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues against Cincinnati, and it might be time to start using him as a consistent starter in all leagues.
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Williams is taking advantage of the soft part of his schedule, and he scored a season-high 27.6 Fantasy points against Carolina in Week 5. He gets Jacksonville in Week 6 in London, and he should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues against the Jaguars, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Three quarterbacks in a row (Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and Joe Flacco) have all scored at least 27.5 Fantasy points against Jacksonville, and hopefully, Williams will continue that trend in Week 6.
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QBs to Sit
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Watson scored a combined 24.6 Fantasy points in his past two games against Las Vegas and Washington, and now he has his third road outing in a row at Philadelphia. With one game this season over 15.4 Fantasy points, it's easy to bench Watson in one-quarterback leagues. And the Browns might decide to bench Watson soon in favor of Jameis Winston, which could happen in Week 6 if Watson once again gets off to a slow start.
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As of Wednesday morning, the Jets had not traded for Davante Adams, which is clearly a situation to monitor. We'll see if a deal gets done this week, but I would only start Rodgers in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues against the Bills. The Jets are in turmoil after firing Robert Saleh on Tuesday, and while they might end up being a good thing in the long run, I don't expect that to help Rodgers against the Bills. Buffalo has allowed just one quarterback to score more than 17.9 Fantasy points this season, which was Lamar Jackson in Week 4, including matchups with C.J. Stroud, Kyler Murray, and Trevor Lawrence. Rodgers has scored more than 19 Fantasy points just once this season in Week 3 against New England, and he combined for 27.4 Fantasy points in his past two outings against Denver and Minnesota. Rodgers should improve if Adams is added, and we'll adjust our outlook for him moving forward if a trade actually occurs.
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Herbert went into his bye in Week 5 with 15 Fantasy points as his best outing in the first four games of the season. There's little reason to expect him to become a standout Fantasy option in this offense moving forward, especially in Week 6 at Denver. The Broncos are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Geno Smith's 19.8 points in Week 1 is the best game against Denver this year, including matchups with Justin Fields, Baker Mayfield, and Aaron Rodgers. Herbert is only worth using in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I expected Lawrence to play well in Week 5 against Indianapolis, and he had his best game of the season with 25.2 Fantasy points. But that was a favorable matchup against the Colts, and this game against the Bears in London should be much tougher. Chicago is No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only C.J. Stroud in Week 2 has scored double digits in Fantasy points against the Bears, who have two passing touchdowns allowed and six interceptions. Lawrence is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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