Fantasy Football Week 6: Featured Start 'Em List

Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Week 6 of fantasy football is underway. As always, I’m not here to state the obvious. Each and every week I try to find the value and the unpredictable that many others can’t. Good luck and please don’t hesitate to comment or leave feedback.

START ‘EM:

QUARTERBACKS:

Arizona Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb

Now, let’s all hope that your QB situation isn’t so dreadful that you need to start Kevin Kolb. However, if you are in a jam, or dealing with an injury or a bye week, Kolb is not a bad option this week. He faces a porous defense in the Buffalo Bills who have given up the most fantasy points to the QB position through five games. The Bills have given up 650 yards through the air and 6 touchdowns the past 2 weeks. The Cardinals running game is a complete mess, and we should see them airing it out against the Bills.

Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford

I know I said I don’t like stating the obvious, but the truth is, Matthew Stafford hasn’t played like a “must start” player this year. Heck, the whole Detroit Lions team hasn’t played up to par this season. With only 62% of leagues starting Stafford this week, I think he gains back the trust of his owners. The Lions do not have the best rushing attack, so if they want to win this game, it’s going to have to come through the air. The Philadelphia Eagles allowed Kevin Kolb to tally two passing touchdowns against them, so we should expect the same out of Stafford if not more.

Oakland Raiders QB Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer finally has all his receivers back at 100%. This week’s match up against the Atlanta Falcons might not be ideal, but his history in domes cannot be ignored. Palmer has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,687 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven career dome games. This includes a 400+ passing yard game that included three touchdowns against the Falcons back in 2010 when he was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Carson is only being started by 8% of leagues, but I think he’s a great bye week fill in for someone out there.

RUNNING BACKS:

Indianapolis Colts RB Vick Ballard

This one might come as a surprise, but I think Ballard has major sleeper potential this week. With the loss of Donald Brown, the Colts have given the nod to Vick Ballard this Sunday. The match up against the New York Jets is a favorable one, as they have given up the fifth most fantasy points to the RB position. The Jets have surrendered a rushing touchdown in each and every game they have played this season. Jets have also allowed a 100 yard rusher in every game except for week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to start Ballard, but consider him as a waiver wire pickup. He might not be there after this week’s performance.

Cincinnati Bengals RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis

After starting the season off on the right foot, Green-Ellis has stumbled these past three games. He was erased last week by the Miami Dolphins, only rushing the ball 9 times for 14 yards. The week prior to that, he was held in check and out of the end zone by the Jacksonville Jaguars. BGE faces a more favorable match up against the Cleveland Browns, who are ranked 22nd against the run, and were SMOKED by Ahmad Bradshaw last week and the New York Giants. Look for Green-Ellis to get back on track in this one and reach the end zone. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but keep the faith if you own this guy.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

Oakland Raiders WR Denarius Moore

See above. Carson Palmer has fared well against the Falcons, and in domes. Sure, the match up isn’t great as Atlanta has given up the third-fewest fantasy points to the WR position, but I just smell a big game out of Moore this week. Darrius Heyward-Bey is finally back from his concussion, and that should help open the lanes for Denarius. If the Falcons play like they have been, the Raiders will be playing catch up and be forced to air it out. No one will benefit more from this than Denarius Moore.

Arizona Cardinals WR Andre Roberts

Is it me or does Kevin Kolb seem to look for Roberts more than he does Larry Fitzgerald? Either way, the fact of the matter here is the Buffalo Bills secondary is giving up on average, 29.2 points to wide receivers. Trough five weeks, the Bills have given up ten touchdowns through the air. With the Cardinals inability to run the ball, my guess is the Bills key on Fitzgerald and leave Roberts free to roam. Look for him to take advantage of this and reach the end zone on Sunday.

TIGHT ENDS:

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph

Kyle Rudolph has emerged as a serious threat on the Vikings offense. Young quarterback Christian Ponder loves to look for Rudolph in the red zone and no better team to face than the Washington Redskins this week. The Redskins have surrendered a touchdown to the TE position each and every week besides week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Redskins have given up the second-most fantasy points to the TE position this year. Look for Rudolph to reach the end zone for the second consecutive week.

Washington Redskins TE Fred Davis

Since we are on the subject of the Washington Redskins, let’s not forget about Fred Davis. After a slow start, Davis has started to come along, catching 16 balls for 214 yards. He has not reached the end zone, but it’s coming folks. The Vikings have allowed an opposing tight end to reach the end zone in 4 of their 5 games. Past three weeks, opposing tight ends have caught an impressive 22 balls and tallied 192 receiving yards against the Vikings. Davis should continue to haul in passes from the rookie Robert Griffin III, and finally see the end zone this week.