Bye weeks continue in Week 6, but most fantasy managers are dealing with an onslaught of injury news from earlier this week. The game continues to change on a dime. Identifying risers and fallers to help guide difficult lineup decisions can help keep our teams on the right path toward the playoffs. As always, I’ll also name one player on the hot seat. If they don’t turn things around soon, we may be sending them to free agency.
Week 6 Risers, Fallers, and Who is on The Hot Seat
Risers
Breece Hall, Running Back, New York Jets
Ahead of the Jets’ Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos, head coach Robert Saleh made the claim that Breece Hall was no longer restricted in his playing time. He wasn’t kidding. After 32 total carries in his first four games this season, Hall carried the rock 22 times in Week 5 alone. He rushed for 177 yards, found the end zone, and scored 28.4 fantasy points, easily his most of the season.
Breece Hall now faces a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense before heading into the Jets’ Week 7 bye. After that, though, Hall’s rest of the season schedule is extremely fantasy friendly for any running back which makes him a major riser. He is a set-and-forget top-10 option the rest of way. If the manager with Hall is nervous about his Week 6 matchup followed by the bye, do what you can to get your hands on him. League winner.
Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison is an obvious riser in the wake of the Justin Jefferson injury news. Jefferson is now on Injured Reserve following a Week 5 hamstring injury. There is some legitimacy to the idea that Jefferson could be done for the season. As the Vikings sit at 1-4, if they continue to lose games, Jefferson has little to no incentive to return, especially while looking for his big contract extension. We do know that Jefferson is out at least four weeks and, factoring in the Vikings Week 13 bye, fantasy managers have to prepare for at least five games without him over the rest of the season.
While tight end T.J. Hockenson and wide receiver K.J. Osborn will benefit from Jefferson’s absence, Addison should see the biggest boost in value. He’s averaging nearly six targets per game despite playing the third-most snaps amongst Minnesota wide receivers. With an increase in playing time, Minnesota’s first round pick should eat into Jefferson’s 26% target share he leaves behind. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings lead the league in pass attempts thus far, as well, and I expect that trend to continue. That makes Addison a high-volume, high-upside WR2 as long as Jefferson is unavailable.
Josh Downs, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Another rookie wide receiver on the riser list is Josh Downs. Unfortunately, quarterback Anthony Richardson is out four to eight weeks with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. There’s a potential scenario we do not see the rookie quarterback until the 2024 season.
While Richardson will be heavily missed for the Colts and fantasy football, it’s actually good news for rookie Josh Downs. In five games this season, Downs has already played with two different quarterbacks. He has 33 total targets which is the second-most amongst all Colts. With Gardner Minshew under center, Downs’ target share increases from 13.5% with Richardson to 25% with Minshew.
Downs may have gotten overlooked on your league’s waiver wire. Go see if he’s available and pick him up. He has yet to record a 100+ yard effort or even find the end zone. When that happens, sooner than later, it will be too late to add him.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty
Fallers
Derrick Henry, Running Back, Tennessee Titans
We all knew the dominance of Derrick Henry couldn’t last forever. Some people have been predicting his decline for years, only to be proven very, very wrong. Well, they may finally be right. Putting Henry on the Week 6 fallers list doesn’t mean he can’t still hold value to your fantasy team. He’s just not the same player in the same position as he’s been to rush 25 or more times for over 100 yards and two touchdowns any given week.
Rookie Tyjae Spears is starting to eat into his workload just enough to relegate Henry to RB2 status. It doesn’t seem to matter anymore whether or not the Titans are ahead, behind, or in a close game. In fact, in a narrow Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Derrick Henry played just five more snaps than Spears and saw four more opportunities to touch the ball.
This time last season, Derrick Henry had two 100-yard rushing performances and five rushing touchdowns, all on a whopping 104 rush attempts. Through five weeks this season, he has just one 100-yard effort and two rushing touchdowns on 86 carries. Henry is not so much a faller that he’s in jeopardy of getting benched on fantasy rosters. He just doesn’t provide the same trustworthy floor at the running back position we’ve known him to provide year after year. Keep an eye on Tyjae Spears as a matchup-based flex option, especially in PPR leagues.
Terry McLaurin, Wide Receiver, Washington Commanders
Nearly half of Terry McLaurin’s 8.9 fantasy points in Week 5 came on a 32-yard catch with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Things have gone from bad to downright worrisome with McLaurin as he now finds himself sitting as the WR43 on a points-per-game basis this season. He’s barely averaging six targets per game and saw just five in Week 5 in a game in which Sam Howell threw the ball 51 times.
Of the three fallers I have in this piece, McLaurin is the one I’m worried about the most. McLaurin has unfortunately never had steady, or even good, quarterback play. While there was hope that Sam Howell could improve, especially with Eric Bieniemy as his offensive coordinator, McLaurin continues to suffer from a fantasy football standpoint.
McLaurin and the Commanders have a Week 14 bye. As soon as he has a somewhat big performance, I would be looking to trade him away to someone in need of wide receiver help. Most managers can use him up until that late bye of his. After that, his fantasy playoff schedule looks bleak with two road matchups against the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets before returning home to face the San Francisco 49ers.
Chris Olave, Wide Receiver, New Orleans Saints
Putting Chris Olave on the faller list is a major gut punch. His 2023 season should be a lot better than it’s been thus far. Olave currently sits at WR32 on a points-per-game basis. That’s a long way down from his top-15 value ahead of most fantasy football drafts. To make matters worse, Olave is on the Week 6 injury report dealing with some sort of toe issue.
There is some hope to be had with Chris Olave. He is the 11th-most targeted wide receiver in the league this season. Unfortunately, after drawing 10 or 11 in each of his first three games, Olave has 11 total in the last two combined. Chris Olave also ranks second in air yards (605) this season behind only A.J. Brown, but ahead of Puka Nacua, Tyreek Hill, and Davante Adams. Everyone I just named ranks inside the top 10 wide receivers except Olave.
Olave does have some favorable matchups in the near future before the Saints’ Week 11 bye. Hopefully, he logs a full practice or two to put together a solid Week 6 performance so fantasy managers can trust him enough in lineups moving forward.
The Week 6 Hot Seat
Rhamondre Stevenson, Running Back, New England Patriots
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Okay, the bad news is that Rhamondre Stevenson obviously finds himself on my Week 6 hot seat. Over the first five weeks, Stevenson ranks as the RB13, RB17, RB32, RB41, and RB51 respectively by week. Putting him on the above faller list simply wasn’t enough given how bad things have gotten.
The good news is that in the three articles prior, two of my hot-seat players, Justin Fields and Joe Burrow, have bounced back in a major way! Let that be the sliver of hope you hold onto in Rhamondre Stevenson’s case.
If not for anything else, his schedule is the biggest reason for optimism that things can get better. Four of his next five opponents rank inside the top half of the league in points per game allowed to opposing running backs. After the Patriots’ Week 11 bye, five of his six remaining opponents rank inside the top-10 in points allowed.
As of now, it’s hard to imagine starting any New England Patriots players. They’ve been outscored 72-3 over their last two games. Still, given the draft capital used to get Stevenson on your team, and the current state of fantasy running backs, I’m still rolling with Rhamondre especially given his schedule. I can’t imagine the Patriots all of a sudden improving their passing attack. Hopefully, they take advantage of their upcoming opponents and lean on the run game.