• Add Chuba Hubbard: Hubbard put together the best rushing performance by a Carolina Panthers running back this season and could be the long-term starter.

• Rookie wide receivers are stepping up: Josh Downs, Michael Wilson and Rashee Rice all put up good Week 6 performances, and there could be more big games down the road.

• Keep an eye on who was dropped: Daniel Jones and Dalton Kincaid, among others, were dropped in several leagues after quiet starts and injuries keeping them out this week, but they still have long-term upside.

Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season is just about in the books. Here are the players you should be targeting in your fantasy football leagues, including targets in smaller leagues and deeper leagues, as well as players to avoid.

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

Quarterback

Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (Rostered in 19.1% of leagues on ESPN)

Howell threw only 23 times in Week 6 but completed 14 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns.

Howell has thrown more touchdowns over his past two games than he did in his first four.
Despite the low pass attempt total, he leads the league in dropbacks (265).
He is one of nine quarterbacks to reach 1,500 passing yards this season, and his nine passing touchdowns is also good enough to place him in the top 10.
He’s been a top-14 quarterback in all but one week this season. There is certainly a chance his passing dropbacks will remain low and he doesn’t record as high of a touchdown rate.
There is also a chance he will improve as a passer, considering he has seven career NFL starts. In that case, he could go from being a consistent top-14 fantasy quarterback to a consistent top-10 signal-caller.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants (42.5%)

Jones missed Sunday Night Football with a neck injury, leading many fantasy managers to drop him.

He has disappointed so far this season with just 12.2 PPR points per game. He ranked 22nd in fantasy points through the first five weeks of the season.
Jones put together a dominant performance in Week 2, scoring the most fantasy points for any quarterback after a 300-yard passing performance, two passing touchdowns and one rushing score. His other four games have been forgettable.
Fantasy managers shouldn’t give up on Jones. He remains one of the top rushing quarterbacks in the league. His 197 rushing yards was the third most for quarterbacks over the first five weeks of the season.
Jones needs to improve his accuracy, but even if he can be a slightly below-average passer, he can be a potential fantasy starter.
If he’s able to return this week, he has a favorable matchup against the Washington Commanders.

Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (5.1%)

Ridder threw for more than 300 yards and multiple touchdowns for the first time in his career in Week 6.

He completed 28 of his 47 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns, helping Drake London to a 125-yard game, and threw touchdowns to both Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith.
Ridder ranks in the top 12 in passing yards this season (1,380) but has thrown only six touchdowns.
He also ranks in the top 12 in rushing attempts and is one of nine quarterbacks with multiple rushing touchdowns.
The Falcons traded Van Jefferson last week, and he could become the new No. 2 wide receiver. Cordarrelle Patterson has also slowly but surely gotten more involved, which gives Ridder even more weapons on offense.
Ridder will either start performing better, in which case he could be a fantasy starter in the right matchup, or he will get benched, in which case Taylor Heinicke would be a player to target off the waiver wire.