Fab's Five Fantasy Football Sleepers For Week 6: Start Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt  has a plus matchup against the Chicago Bears in week 6.
Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt has a plus matchup against the Chicago Bears in week 6. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Fab's Five Sleepers is your weekly look at players who aren’t considered must-starts in fantasy football lineups but could exceed expectations based on a plus matchup or simple volume. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em and my weekly player rankings, which are updated daily throughout the season.

Fantasy Football Sleeper Picks Week 6

Matthew Stafford at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Stafford is red hot, throwing six touchdown passes and scoring a combined 53 fantasy points in his last two games. He’s in line for another solid stat line this week, as the veteran faces a Baltimore defense that has fallen on hard times. Believe it or not, but the Ravens have allowed three quarterbacks to beat them for more than 27 fantasy points in 2025.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Bears (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC): Is it finally time for Bill? He got the start and led the Commanders running backs in snaps and touches last week, and he found the end zone twice as a result. I’d start him against the Bears, who have given up 12-plus points to five running backs, including three who have had more than 15 points. They have also allowed 6.1 yards per rush.

TreVeyon Henderson at Saints (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Fantasy managers have been waiting for Henderson to make an impact, and this could be the week.  The Patriots backfield lost Antonio Gibson for the year with a knee injury, so there will more touches to split between the rookie and Rhamondre Stevenson. The Saints have also allowed the 10th-most points to running backs after the first five weeks.

Chris Olave vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Olave continues to see a ton of targets (his 54 are second behind only Puka Nacua among wideouts), so it’s only a matter of time before he has a big stat line. This could be that week, as he faces a Patriots defense that has allowed six wideouts to beat them for 12-plus points. That includes three receivers who have put up 16-plus points against them.

Calvin Ridley at Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Ridley finally had a solid fantasy game last week, catching five passes for 131 yards and scoring 18.1 points. He’s a worthwhile play this week too, as the veteran faces a Raiders defense that’s given up the third-most points to perimeter receivers. Overall, four receivers have beaten Las Vegas for 18-plus points, including two with more than 22 points.


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Michael Fabiano
MICHAEL FABIANO

Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.