Start ’Em, Sit ’Em Quarterbacks Fantasy Football Week 6: Justin Fields Continues to Shine
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2023 NFL season.
Fabs’ Top 10 Quarterbacks
1. Patrick Mahomes vs. Broncos (Thur.)
2. Josh Allen vs. Giants
3. Jalen Hurts at Jets
4. Lamar Jackson at Titans (London)
5. Justin Fields vs. Vikings
6. Tua Tagovailoa vs. Panthers
7. Justin Herbert vs. Cowboys
8. Trevor Lawrence vs. Colts
9. Joe Burrow vs. Seahawks
10. Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals
Complete Week 6 quarterback rankings
Week 6 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES
Byes: Packers, Steelers
Week 6 Start ’Em: Quarterbacks
Start of the Week
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Justin Fields vs. Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Fields has broken out of his statistical slide, scoring a combined 61 fantasy points in his last two games (he had 39.8 points in his first three games). He should continue to roll at Soldier Field against the Vikings, who have allowed 19-plus points to three quarterbacks including two who have had more than 25 points. Fields has top-three upside this week.
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Start ’Em
Kirk Cousins at Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Cousins has been a consistent option for fantasy managers, scoring 19-plus points in three of his last four games. He should remain in our good graces against the Bears, who have allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks on pass plays alone. What’s more, four different opposing signal-callers have beaten Chicago’s defense for 20-plus points in 2023.
Joe Burrow vs. Seahawks (1 p.m. ET, CBS): He’s back! After averaging a mere 7.9 fantasy points in his first four games, Burrow woke up with three touchdowns and 23.4 fantasy points in a win over the Cardinals. He looked good despite the calf injury, and the performance makes it a lot easier to start him against Seattle. Their defense has allowed 22-plus points to two quarterbacks since Week 2.
Tua Tagovailoa vs. Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Tagovailoa hasn’t put up big totals in recent weeks, scoring 16.9 or fewer points in three of his last four games. Still, he’ll be a top-10 option at the position when the Dolphins host the Panthers. Their defense has been good against quarterbacks overall, but it just allowed 27.4 points to Jared Goff playing without Amon-Ra St, Brown or Jahmyr Gibbs.
Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Stafford hasn’t been great in the stat sheets, but he seems to be good for a 14- to 16-point floor on a weekly basis. He has a nice matchup against the Cardinals, who have allowed 21-plus points to three quarterbacks including Daniel Jones and Burrow last week. In all, Arizona has allowed the fourth-most points to field generals based on passes alone.
More Starts
Trevor Lawrence vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Dak Prescott at Chargers (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Patriots (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Bargains (DraftKings)
Joe Burrow vs. Seahawks ($6,300)
Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals ($6,100)
Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Patriots ($5,300)
Week 6 Sit ’Em: Quarterbacks
Sit of the Week
Lon Horwedel/USA TODAY Sports
Jared Goff at Buccaneers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Goff is coming off a huge game at home, throwing for three touchdowns in a win over the Panthers. That was at Ford Field, though. He’s been far less productive on the road, scoring 15 or more points just once in his last 10 roadies dating back to last season. In those games, Goff has just eight touchdown passes and has averaged an awful 11.7 points.
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Sit ’Em
Brock Purdy at Browns (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Purdy has been on fire in recent weeks, putting up 20-plus fantasy points in each of his last three games including 26.1 points against the Cowboys last week. So, while it's tough to sit him, keep in mind that he has a tough road matchup against the Browns up next. Thier defense has allowed an average of just 11.6 points per game to quarterbacks.
Geno Smith at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Smith has struggled to put up good fantasy totals, scoring 16 or more fantasy points just once in his first four games. That trend is likely to continue, as he’ll face a Bengals defense that’s been tough on quarterbacks at home. In fact, Cincinnati has surrendered an average of just 14 points to visiting field generals in their last 12 games on their home field.
C.J. Stroud vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Stroud has been impressive in his rookie year, scoring 20-plus fantasy points in three of his last four games while not throwing a pick in his first 186 NFL pass attempts. However, this week's matchup against the Saints makes him a tough sell. Their defense has allowed just five touchdown passes and an average of fewer than 13 points a game to quarterbacks.
Derek Carr at Texans (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Carr had his best game of the season in Week 5, and he scored just 15.7 fantasy points in a win over the Patriots. He has now averaged 9.7 points in his first five games with the Saints, and an upcoming matchup in Houston will present a problem. Their defense has allowed fewer than 10 points per game to quarterbacks based on passes alone this season.
More Sits
Ryan Tannehill vs. Ravens (London, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)
Mac Jones at Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
Tyrod Taylor at Bills (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
DFS Fades (DraftKings)
Jared Goff at Buccaneers ($6,400)
C.J. Stroud vs. Saints ($6,000)
Geno Smith at Bengals ($5,700)
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