Top Fantasy Football Stories for Week 6: QB Duel in Baltimore, Drake Maye, Falcons' Offense and More
These are all the top stories you need to know about heading into Week 6.
A Showdown Between Lamar and Jayden
In the game of the week, we get the reigning MVP Lamar Jackson taking on rookie Jayden Daniels, who has all the makings of a future MVP. These are the top two offenses in the league going toe to toe in what should be an electric game.
Both pass defenses have struggled this season and both quarterbacks have been awesome. Football fans and fantasy owners alike will be glued to the screen as not only two elite quarterbacks face off, but two of the top fantasy running backs as well in Derek Henry and Brian Robinson. Then you have other fantasy options like Terry McLaurin and Zay Flowers among others. If you're only going to watch one game on Sunday, this is the one to watch.
Drake Maye Era Begins in New England
It's easy to overlook Maye getting his first NFL start because he's on the Patriots and their offense has been horrendous. However, he could have a significant impact on this fantasy season and be a game-changer for a lot of owners.
While there is a shot he's great and becomes an option at quarterback, no one should be counting on that. Players like rookie Ja'Lynn Polk and Demario Douglas could finally become fantasy-relevant or even fantasy stars with a big-armed young quarterback. All of a sudden, we may be able to find some fantasy value in this passing attack.
Saints Without Derek Carr
Carr went down last week with what they are calling an oblique injury and is expected to miss multiple weeks. Spencer Rattler is slated to start in his place. This could change everything we know about the Saints' offense. Even though Carr is generally viewed as your run-of-the-mill average quarterback, he's very competent and can sustain value in his weapons as fantasy assets. We have no idea if Rattler is capable of doing the same.
The most interesting thing to watch is how he utilizes Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. With Carr, Shaheed looks every bit as good as Olave. That could flip on its head with Rattler under center. There is also a chance the young QB can't move the ball at all. The one player we aren't worried about is Alvin Kamara, who is always part of the gameplan catching a ton of dumpoffs. It would be truly shocking if that changed.
Richardson and Levis Return
The real question here is, do both of these young quarterbacks make their teams worse by playing? While they both certainly bring more upside and athleticism, they also both make disastrous mistakes on a consistent basis.
Anthony Richardson may be the greatest athlete we've ever seen at the position, but the Indianapolis Colts are clearly better with Joe Flacco under center. No one benefits more than fantasy owners who own any of his pass catchers. Flacco is a much better thrower of the ball and can get the ball in his players' hands. That's something Richardson still struggles with, especially on medium depth routes and timing routes. It sounds like A-Rich will be back this week and it will make all his weapons volatile.
Levis, on the other hand, is a mistake waiting to happen. This guy can't stop making bad decisions and turning the ball over at the worst possible times. However, he does give his weapons a boost because he's willing to sling it and has a big arm. Mason Rudolph is a smarter quarterback who will protect the ball, which we are sure his coaches like, but he's also very conservative with limited arm talent, which we don't like.
Is the Falcons' Offense For Real?
The Falcons offense went nuclear on Thursday Night Football last week and finally looked like we all had dreamed it would this offseason when they signed Kirk Cousins. Not that he's a world-beater, but he is by far the best quarterback any of the young weapons in Atlanta have ever had on the NFL level by a landslide.
Fantasy owners got their monster game from Drake London they've been craving for years now. Kyle Pitts showed flashes of the upside we saw out of him as a rookie. The only guy who didn't quite live up to their lofty expectations last week was Bijan Robinson, who we hope is the next to go off.
Of course, Cousins set the team record for passing yards in a game last week and we know that won't be a regular occurrence. Nevertheless, it could be a sign of things to come. The Falcons could develop into a top-10 or even five offense stocked with fantasy studs.
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