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NFL Week 6 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em

2RYK0EX Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) celebrates his touchdown in front of offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) during the first half an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

• Sit Jared Goff: The potential MVP candidate is in a rough matchup in the passing game, but the Lions' running backs are poised to thrive. Goff might not see much volume this week.

• Start James Cook: The Buffalo Bills’ running back recorded -4 rushing yards last week but should be able to run all over the New York Giants’ defense.

• Sit Drake London: London is facing the Washington Commanders, who have allowed plenty of receiving yards to wide receivers. But that doesn’t mean London will produce.

Estimated Reading Time: 16 minutes


Deciding who to start or sit in fantasy football can be as easy as looking at the PFF rankings and going with the higher-ranked player. This start ’em, sit ’em column digs a step deeper, looking into why someone you might typically start might not have a good week, or why someone overlooked might have a good week. In many cases, it’s the usual starters who should star, but we want to explore the borderline players, too.

WR:CB Matchup Chart


QUARTERBACKS

START

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Lawrence has been a top-five quarterback this season by PFF passing grade (84.5).
  • He’s had the volume to be a consistent fantasy starter. His 224 dropbacks are the fourth most among quarterbacks this season.
  • Eleven of his passes have been dropped, which is the third most, but that high drop rate is unlikely to continue.
  • He also has one of the lowest touchdown rates, which should regress to the mean in a positive way for his fantasy production. The Jaguars are right at league average in their red-zone passing rate.
  • The Jaguars have the best matchup for quarterbacks against the Indianapolis Colts this week, according to PFF's strength of schedule tool.
  • They have allowed 263 passing yards per game which are the fifth-most for a team.
  • Even if Lawrence is limited to one touchdown like he’s been in recent games, he should have enough passing volume to be a fantasy starter.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
  • Stafford ranks sixth in PFF passing grade this season.
  • He also ranks in the top five in dropbacks this season but has the third-lowest touchdown rate.
  • Stafford didn’t have Cooper Kupp for the first four weeks. Kupp has scored a touchdown in more than half of his games with Stafford at quarterback. He is back in a full-time role now.
  • The Rams' schedule has also been the NFL's most difficult this season.
  • The Rams in Week 6 play the Arizona Cardinals, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.
  • Arizona has let up 7.8 yards per passing attempt this season — the fifth-worst mark in the NFL.
  • Stafford should have more success in this game than in previous weeks, which makes him a fantasy starter.

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