Start Joshua Palmer vs. Michael Gallup vs. Brandin Cooks vs. Quentin Johnston vs. Jake Ferguson vs. Gerald Everett | Fantasy Football Week 6 Start Decision
The sixth week of the NFL season wraps up with a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers. Let's hope the two teams can deliver an entertaining contest.
FantasySP’s “Who Should I Start? tool is full of intriguing decisions, so let’s tackle a handful of them by comparing some of the team’s wide receivers and tight ends. We'll compare Dallas Cowboys' Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson and Los Angeles Chargers' Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston and Gerald Everett.
Tough start decision? We have you covered. Find out in depth stats, red zone opportunities, projections, breaking news, and crowdsourcing real fantasy owners faced with the same start/sit decision. Check out our Who Should I Start tool.
Why You Should Start Joshua Palmer
Palmer has taken on a bigger role in the Chargers’ offense after the season-ending injury to Mike Williams. Palmer has been dealing with an injury of his own, but is expected to play on Monday.
The Chargers will be getting running back Austin Ekeler back for the contest as well, so the team might lean a little more on the run than it has in the past few weeks. Still, Palmer is one of the team’s top targets in the passing game after Keenan Allen, so there’s still going to be chances to produce.
The Cowboys’ defense is tough to go against for opposing receivers, at least to this point of the season. Dallas allows an average of 24 fantasy points to wideouts a game, which is the third-best mark in the NFL.
Why You Should Start Michael Gallup
After CeeDee Lamb, Gallup and the next guy in this discussion have served as the team’s better pass catchers. Gallup is third on the team with 22 targets, with 18 coming in the past three weeks.
The Cowboys will be taking on a Chargers’ defense that struggles against wide receivers, allowing an average of 47 fantasy points a contest. The 232 receiving yards is the most allowed in the NFL.
Why You Should Start Brandin Cooks
Cooks has been targeted 19 times this season, which is fourth most on the team. He’s made nine grabs for 73 yards.
Cooks has played the fourth-most snaps (180) of any pass catcher. He hasn’t hauled in either of his red zone targets, and had just four targets in each of the past two weeks.
There are four other pass catchers that have scored more fantasy points than Cooks, and after you factor in the running backs, he’s the eighth-highest fantasy scorer on the team so far. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but against a weaker defense, he needs to be in this discussion at least.
Why You Should Start Quentin Johnston
Johnston has also seen his role in the offense increase after Williams went down. The rookie has just 11 targets on the season, including three in the past two weeks.
The rookie wideout has only played 81 snaps, which ranks fifth among the team’s active pass catchers. You'd like to see him on the field more before really considering him as a starting option.
Why You Should Start Jake Ferguson
The reason Gallup and Cooks aren’t higher in some statistics is because Ferguson has been a more consistent receiving threat.
The tight end has 28 targets on the season, although he’s coming off a three-target game after back-to-back seven-target showings. Ferguson has made 20 grabs for 175 yards and a score.
Ferguson has played 223 snaps, the third most among the team’s pass catchers. He’s been targeted a team-leading 11 times in the red zone, making six of the team’s 14 total red zone catches.
Why You Should Start Gerald Everett
It’s been a pretty uninspiring start to the season for Everett so far. He’s been outscored by six other pass catchers or running backs, including backup tight end Donald Parham.
Speaking of Parham, who has three touchdown grabs, he’s questionable for tonight’s game. If he can’t go, that should boost Everett’s stock a touch, so keep an eye on Parham’s status as the game nears.
For the season, Everett has 13 catches on 14 targets, going for 107 yards and no scores. He’s made two grabs on as many red zone targets. Everett has 11 targets over the past three games, but six of those came in one contest.
There’s a chance Everett could break out tonight, as the Dallas defense is below average defending opposing tight ends. The Cowboys allow 13 fantasy points a game, with touchdowns boosting that number the most.
Final Numbers and the Recommended Start
Instead of listing out tons of numbers for players at different positions, I’ll let you play around with the start/sit tool to find the latest numbers.
According to our projections, Palmer was the highest-ranked receiver in this discussion coming into the week. He’s also got higher projections than the two tight ends. Ferguson is ranked higher than Everett.
I like what the projections are saying and think Palmer is the best fantasy option in this discussion. Even with Ekeler back, Palmer will be a big part of the Chargers’ offense, and I like him to exceed his projections despite going up against a tough Cowboys’ defense.
I’d take Ferguson next. He isn’t a super flashy player, but his targets, snaps played and red zone usage is too appealing to pass up. He’s the highest-scoring player in this discussion so far, and I like him to have another solid showing tonight.
This is where things get tougher. I would take a chance on Gallup next, even though the projections like Cooks more. Gallup has been a bigger part of the offense so far and is on the field more, so I like his chances to score more just a touch better.
I’d give the edge to Cooks over Everett and Johnston, especially in PPR formats. None of the numbers that trio has produced this season are all that impressive, but Cooks has the most appealing matchup, so I’d give the nod to him.
I think Everett and Johnston have similar nights in store, but would take Everett over the rookie wideout as I like his chances to score a touch more. If Parham is out, then I’d definitely take Everett, but even if he plays, between Parham and Palmer being dinged up, that should mean an extra couple targets for Everett.
I like the long-term outlook for Johnston, but he’s simply not on the field enough right now to play over the other guys in this discussion. He has the chance to outscore some of the others with a big play or two, but I don’t foresee that against this Dallas defense. I'm not about to use my final roster spot on a boom-or-bust player.
