Week 6 Flex Rankings for Fantasy Football

Week 6 is the first one of the 2022 NFL season in which bye weeks are prevalent. Cue the collective groans from the fantasy community, but I like it. I know, I’m a weirdo. But hear me out. This is the time of the year when roster depth and savvy management begin to have a greater impact. Add that to the weekly dose of injuries and matchup data, and the fun is truly about to commence. Because of the byes, I have fewer players than normal in this week’s Flex rankings. Usually, I have a little over 300 players ranked. This week, that number is closer to 275. That should still be enough to help you with any lineup decisions you may have but comment below with any specific questions you may have. Now let’s get to the Week 6 Flex rankings!

Running Back Notes

Rashaad Penny suffered a broken fibula in Week 5 and will miss the rest of the season. It is a tough blow for Penny, who has dealt with his fair share of injuries during his brief NFL career. Seattle has shown surprising competence on the offensive end so far this year. Their offensive line has provided an average of 1.78 yards per rush before contact which is the highest rate in the league. It now appears that Kenneth Walker will be the primary beneficiary of that cushion going forward. Penny was a top-24 half-PPR back through five weeks, and I would expect Walker to carry a similar designation. I would certainly start Walker as a Week 6 Flex if you already have two solid running backs on your roster. DeeJay Dallas can also make some noise, but I would hold off on starting him unless you are in a pinch.

Like Walker, Rhamondre Stevenson was thrust into a larger role last week when Damien Harris was taken out by a hamstring injury. Stevenson, who had posted decent results through four weeks (RB29), was last week’s RB14. And that ranking doesn’t do his effort justice. Stevenson amassed 161 rushing yards on 25 carries in New England’s victory over Detroit. He also chipped in a pair of receptions. Harris is likely to miss this week’s contest against the Cleveland Browns. If that is the case, Stevenson goes from potential Flex play to no-brainer RB1. The Browns have allowed opposing running backs to gash them at a 5.8 yards per carry clip. Harris did take part in a limited practice, but I do not expect him to play this week.

Raheem Mostert is another AFC East running back whose value continues to climb. The former 49er has earned at least 14 touches in three of Miami’s last four games. During that stretch, Mostert has been the overall RB23. Last week he dominated the work in the backfield, rushing for 113 yards and out-touching Chase Edmonds 19-1. Mostert’s Achilles’ heel has always been durability, not talent. Sure enough, he popped up on the injury report this week with a knee issue. It could just be simple wear and tear, but this could be something to monitor given his history. For now, I have Mostert as an RB2 but pay attention to his participation in practice as the week rolls on. If Mostert is good to go, I would not trust Edmonds as a Week 6 Flex. I would hold him though if Mostert is bitten once again by the injury bug.

Not every running back is seeing their value increase as we approach Week 6. Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers has yet to post as many as 12 fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) in a single game this season after reaching that threshold in 13 of 17 contests in his rookie season a year ago. I do not expect his fortunes to suddenly turn around this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have allowed the fewest fantasy points in the NFL to opposing running backs this year. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has also expressed a desire to continue to incorporate undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren into the fold. I currently have Harris ranked as a mid-range RB2, but that is probably overly optimistic given the circumstances. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but I would seriously consider benching Harris this week.

Wide Receiver Notes

The most anticipated matchup of the week pits the Kansas City Chiefs against the Buffalo Bills in a rematch of last year’s instant classic playoff contest. There will be no shortage of Week 6 Flex options in this contest. Of course, you are starting the usual suspects such as Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. I expect both Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to be solid Flex players in this matchup. Buffalo is still dealing with some injuries in their secondary, and Patrick Mahomes will be tasked with matching Josh Allen point for point. Both Chiefs wideouts are averaging just north of 50 receiving yards per game so far this year but have yet to score. I believe that at least one of them will score on Sunday, and I would not hesitate to start either player depending on your other options.

This could be a game where some ancillary players get some fantasy love as well. Mecole Hardman posted season-highs with four receptions and 73 yards in Monday night’s come-from-behind victory. I have Hardman outside my top 60 wide receivers this week, but you could do worse than chasing points in what should be a very high-scoring affair. On the other side, I feel that Isaiah McKenzie is a top-100 Flex option, and he could also be an interesting play this week. McKenzie cleared the league’s concussion protocol and should be good to go Sunday. He has scored in three of four games this year. In his absence last week, rookie Khalil Shakir had 75 yards and a score. Assuming no further setbacks for McKenzie, I would not trust Shakir in fantasy lineups this week.

Alec Pierce has moved his way up the pecking order in Indianapolis in recent weeks. The second-round rookie has eclipsed the 60-yard mark in three straight, including 80-plus yards in his last two outings. Among receivers who have run at least 100 routes, Pierce’s 2.06 yards per route run is the 17th-best. The Colts placed fellow wideout, Ashton Dulin, on injured reserve this week, which should cement Pierce’s status for the time being. A Week 6 matchup with Jacksonville will be an interesting test for Pierce. Their weak link so far has been slot corner Darious Williams, but Pierce does not usually operate out of the slot. Instead, he will likely have to deal with Shaquill Griffin and Tyson Campbell. I expect Pierce will be up to the task, and I believe he is a viable Week 6 Flex play.

I mentioned Allen Robinson’s disappearing act in this column last week, and that trend continued once again. Robinson mustered just 12 receiving yards on a handful of targets. Sadly his 2.7 half-PPR points were the third-highest total he has posted in five games as a Ram. Robinson has been dropped in several leagues and is now available in 11 percent of Fantrax leagues. I would entertain the thought of grabbing him off the wire if I have an obvious drop. Otherwise, I don’t have an issue with leaving him there for another week. The Rams have a bye next week, followed by a difficult matchup with San Francisco in Week 8. Perhaps Sean McVay uses the bye to figure out how to better incorporate Robinson into their passing hierarchy. But fantasy managers can safely leave him on the bench until that happens.

Through the first four games of the season, the New York Jets had six different players with at least 15 receptions. No other team in the NFL had more than three such players. While this ambiguous approach may be helpful in real life, that is not the case for our purposes. This is especially true for those who invested an early draft pick on Elijah Moore. Moore has yet to score more than 7.4 fantasy points in a single game this season. Unless something changes from a schematic or injury standpoint, fantasy managers cannot trust Moore in lineups. I currently have Moore ranked third among Jets receivers this week behind Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis, but none of them are must-starts. I consider all three WR4-WR5s in 12-team leagues in any given week.

Tight End Notes

As per usual, only six of my top 90 Week 6 Flex options are tight ends. After that, it’s a matter of personal preference more than anything. I preached patience with Kyle Pitts last week, and then he ended up not playing due to injury. Pitts is expected to play this week, but the matchup versus San Francisco is not kind. I would still start him where possible because his upside is quite high compared to his contemporaries, but I can understand those who want a “show me” week out of Pitts first.

The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals have ceded the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends so far this season. As luck would have it, the two face off on Sunday afternoon. You don’t need me to tell you to start Zach Ertz. Ertz enters the week as the overall TE6, and Arizona will be without DeAndre Hopkins for one more week. Ertz should see plenty of opportunities in a game with an implied total of 50.5 points. As for Seattle, it is Will Dissly (and not Noah Fant) who has produced TE1 numbers through five weeks. The volume is still a little fluky for my liking, however, Dissly has been targeted just 14 times in five games, while Fant has earned 13 targets. I have Fant ranked slightly ahead of Dissly this week, but both are currently outside my top 15 tight ends.

Week 6 Fantasy Football Flex Rankings

More Week 6 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings