Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Kate Magdziuk shares her Week 6 wide receiver rankings for standard scoring leagues and highlights several streaming options.
Fantasy football managers may find themselves in a tough spot in Week 6 with several key wide receivers either injured or on a bye, including Justin Jefferson (bye), Amon-Ra St. Brown (bye), Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua (both injured and on a bye), Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (bye and without Tua Tagovailoa), Nico Collins (injury), Rashee Rice (injury) … yeah, you get the picture. Tough luck.
Fantasy football may be tough, but your lineup-setting skills are tough-er! And if they’re not, we’re here to save the day. Here’s a look at some sleeper WR options and Week 6 wide receiver rankings.
WR flex of the week: Tank Dell, Houston Texans (vs. Patriots)
Houston Texans wideout Tank Dell hasn’t quite lived up to expectations so far this season. However, he’ll have a tremendous opportunity in Week 6 up against the New England Patriots with WR Nico Collins presumly out with a hamstring injury. Dell hasn’t looked quite like himself this season compared to last, but he should benefit from a concentrated target share this week — especially considering he’s caught just 59.1% of targets so far this season. The Patriots have been a middle-of-the-pack unit against fantasy wide receivers this season but were exposed by the Seahawks in Week 2 and gave up multiple passing touchdowns to the New York Jets in Week 3. This is a spot Bobby Slowick & Co. can help the second-year wieout get back on track another week out from a chest injury that held him out of Week 4 for his first 10+ fantasy-point outing of the year.
Week 6 WR sleepers
Rostership percentages in Yahoo! Fantasy leagues are indicated in parentheses.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (vs. JAX, 20%)
Despite having finished as a top-20 wide receiver in three of five weeks, fantasy managers aren’t overly trusting of the third-year wideout in fantasy lineups due to concerns of volatility. Those concerns are well-founded, having been targeted on just 12.9% of his routes — a rate that ranks sixth among the seven Colts players with five or more targets this season. Pair that with his 55.6% deep target rate (which leads all players with 10+ targets), and you’ll understand why volatility is a pretty huge concern. Those deep targets he’s earning are less likely to be completed, and the target share is already less-than-desired.
This week, the Colts will face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who currently are tied with the second-most explosive passing plays allowed so far this season (37) while ranking bottom-seven in pressure percentage (29.9%). This should provide some upside … even if the floor for Pierce is a bit lower than one would usually like.
Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys (vs. DET, 8%)
An injury to Dallas Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks has placed third-year receiver Jalen Tolbert in a prime position to take advantage of his opportunities, and he certainly did so in Week 5’s primetime showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his 12th career start, Tolbert managed a career-best 7-87-1 stat line and will get another shot at fantasy relevance in Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. Tolbert ranked second on the team in routes run last week while earning targets on 24.4% of them. Coming off a bye week with a strong rushing defense (and a less-than-perfect secondary), expect the QB Dak Prescott and Cowboys to resume their lean on the passing game to provide more opportunities against the Lions.
Fantasy football: Week 6 WR rankings
Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.
