Sunday Recap: Week 6

Redskins @ Jets

We didn't expect much from Washington on the road against this Jets defense, so this is an easy recap. Pierre Garcon found the end zone for the third time this season, and while he is still seeing about eight targets a game, there are simply more receivers with upside. Garcon is averaging 44 yards per game, and with Kirk Cousins under center, I can't see his ceiling going any higher. DeSean Jackson was out again, and should be back next week against the Buccaneers. This could limit Jamison Crowder's targets, who saw nine in week 6. The Jets are one of the better defenses in the league, who really held the Redskins to 13 points, with the blocked punt for a score happening. I did not expect much from the offense, but the running game is exceptionally bad. Chris Thompson will likely see the majority of snaps, given them chasing games the rest of the season.

The Jets are getting production from every position, and it has transitioned into a fantasy friendly team. A locker room punch also helped this team on offense, let's not forget that. Starting with Chris Ivory, he rushed for 146 yards, on 20 carries, and racked up 50 yards in the air. He had eight DK points in the passing game, which added to his massive day. I will be curious to see his price next week, but Ivory is one of the few full workload backs in the league. With the ground-and-pound style of the Jets, he is becoming a very reliable back for fantasy. The Jets have had two weeks not involved in our big fantasy slates, so the passing game has been a bit overlooked. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a good enough QB to provide plenty of quality targets for Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Both caught a touchdown against Washington, and led the team in targets. They also oddly both lost a fumble. Given their affordable prices, I love them as cash game WR2's or WR3's.

Cardinals @ Steelers

This was one of the more frustrating games of the weekend, due to the big names in it. The Cardinals put up nearly 500 yards of offense, yet just 13 points. Three turnovers did not help. Palmer threw for 421 yards, and a touchdown to Michael Floyd, everyone's favorite troll wide receiver. Larry Fitzgerald had eight receptions, for 93 yards, on ten targets. Even when the Cards aren't clicking, he is still putting up decent lines. Although disappointing for this week's price, it is encouraging moving forward. John Brown had the monster game from the Cardinals' side, with ten catches for 196 yards. He is a threat for a big game each week, but consistency is his biggest downside. Pittsburgh came into week 6 as the fifth best rush defense, per Football Outsiders. It was no surprise to see the Arizona running game have a tough go.

After Mike Vick was lifted from the game, the Steelers turned the ball to Landry Jones, who put on a show. He threw just 12 times, but for 168 yards and two scores. Those two scores came way of Martavis Bryant via the long ball. He was the leading receiver, with 137 yards, and the next closest was Antonio Brown with 24. The Steelers receiving core clearly needs Big Ben back, because we cannot rely on Bryant catching that home run ball. Le'Veon Bell did not catch a pass in this game, which is odd, regardless of who is under center. He rushed the ball for 88 yards on 24 carries. Not a week to look into this too deeply. Pittsburgh will take on the Chiefs next week, and if Big Ben is healthy, they will face a terrible secondary.

Chiefs @ Vikings

It was the first week without Jamaal Charles, and Kansas City threw the ball quite a bit. Alex Smith threw 37 times, for 282 yards, and one touchdown. Charcandrick West only had nine carries for 33 yards, and still out touched Knile Davis. While injuries can create value for others, this is likely a situation They face Pittsburgh next week, and their tough run defense. If any offense comes from the Chiefs, it has to be from the passing game. I expected Jeremy Maclin to be heavily targeted this week, especially in the screen game, to possibly substitute for the run game. He was targeted only four times, catching three for 48 yards. Travis Kelce was the leading receiver, with 88 yards. Maclin was starting to look like a safe cash game receiver, but I am rethinking that going forward.

Adrian Peterson was fed the ball 26 times, but only accounted for 60 yards. Look for him to bounce back against the Lions next week. Blair Walsh was the Vikings' offense this week, with three field goals. This was an ugly grind it out win, but there is one note from the Minnesota offense to mention. Stefon Diggs started as the Vikings WR2, and caught 7 balls for 129 yards. Teddy Bridgwater and Diggs have created a nice little bond in the last two weeks. He has 19 targets in two games, with 216 yards. He is clearly providing Bridgewater with some comfort back there, and hopefully his role doesn't diminish when Charles Johnson comes back.

Bengals @ Bills

The Red Rifle has this offense clicking, and even the Bills defense can't stop Cincinnati. Every week is someone new, and Marvin Jones was the big beneficiary of Dalton's strong passing game. He had a 9-95-1 line, while Tyler Eifert and Jeremy Hill also had receiving touchdowns. The combination of Hill and Giovani Bernard combined for over 100 yards, while Bernard found the end zone on the ground. This is still a situation that is uncertain, and one I am rarely going to touch. Eifert pulled in a tremendous red zone catch, going up for a 50/50 ball. He is further proving himself to be one of the dominant tight ends in the league. A.J. Green was held quiet, but it has no effect on the offense when he isn't a part of it. Green is priced among some of the other elite wide receivers, but has only really come through in one week this year. Rostering him in the future will have my stomach feeling uneasy.

The Bills got off to a hot start, but still fell plenty short, as expected with all their injuries. Sammy Watkins caught 4 balls, for 48 yards, and a score before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Buffalo received news they could be without Percy Harvin for an extended amount of time. Charles Clay would see an enormous amount of targets, as he did today with 13. He caught nine of them for 62 yards. LeSean McCoy was not 100% today? Well, he sure looked like he was. He rushed for 90 yards and a score, in a game that really wasn't scripted to benefit the run game. He still was hardly featured in the pass game, limiting his upside. With all the injuries, I am curious to see who can step up now in the absence of others.

Bears @ Lions

71 total points between the two teams is really no shocker when looking at their defenses. Both have offensive weapons, and we saw them exploit poor defenses. Matthew Stafford had the big day, throwing for over 400 yards, and four scores. He finally woke up with a few minutes in the game, and used Calvin Johnson to his advantage. Megatron had a 6-166-1 line, but he was stuck at three catches for 90 yards for much of the second half. Lance Moore had a surprise game, with a 5-106-1 line, and this happened out of nowhere. I am not buying into the Lions offense clicking, more just them playing a bad defense at home. They will have a tougher task against Minnesota next week. Theo Riddick ended up being active, meaning a semi-reduced role for Ameer Abdullah. I was hoping to see him fully featured in this matchup, but didn't happen. Despite the big numbers, the Lions can't be trusted, and really when could they be.

The Bears are healthy! I repeat, the Bears are healthy! We saw a full Bears unit out there, and Alshon Jeffery put up an 8-147-1 line, like he hadn't missed a beat. He was tied in targets with 11, with Martellus Bennett being the other member. Matt Forte was used heavily, carrying the ball 24 times, although only saw five targets in the passing game. Forte is going to benefit from a healthy receiving core, taking the focus of defenses somewhat off him. Jay Cutler is another value QB to look at each week, as that continues to be the theme in 2015. I have much more faith in the Bears offense putting up such numbers moving forward. Expect the Bears to come out flying after the bye week.

Broncos @ Browns

After the last two weeks, against poorer defenses, I have zero hope for the Broncos' offense moving forward. Maybe they fix it after the buy week, maybe not. It was another multi-interception game for Peyton Manning, and it is to the point where he is the last person I would start on my daily fantasy teams. He was just good enough to allow Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders do their thing. They combined for over 200 receiving yards, and Sanders caught a touchdown. After those two, the offense was stuck in the passing game. Ronnie Hillman had another nice day on the ground, with 111 yards on 20 carries. I am still unsure who is the starting back, due to last week's performance. My guess is they ride the hot hand each game, which has been Hillman on most weeks.

Cleveland put up more points than I expected, but they were helped out by Manning's interceptions. They rushed the ball 33 times, but neither back saw more than 15 carries, and neither saw over 40 yards on the ground. Robert Turbin cut in on the action, with ten carries for 27 yards. Cleveland managed to find some success in the passing game, with Gary Barnidge on the receiving end of two touchdowns. He did not have a big day in yards, but finding the end zone twice against this defense is building his resume. Travis Benjamin was the leading receiver, with nine catches for 117 yards. He also led the team in targets. It was a windy day, against a good defense, I am actually saying this performance was a bump for them going forward.

Texans @ Jaguars

The Texans were highly talked about coming into Sunday, and they did not disappoint. Brian Hoyer threw for 293 yards, and three touchdowns. His three touchdowns went to DeAndre Hopkins and Arian Foster, which was another bonus. Hopkins had a monster day, with a 10-148-2 line, and had another big target day, with 15. Foster put up 100 combined yards of offense, with a receiving touchdown. In this division, Houston will have plenty of great matchups moving forward, and they carry a handful of elite plays. As long as Hoyer is under center, he should be considered to be one of the better value quarterbacks moving forward. This is actually a fun offense to watch. Also, moving forward, you may want to pick on the Jags pass defense, as they are one of the worst ranked in the league.

The Jags kept it close for a while, and without their running back, T.J. Yeldon, they aired it out over 50 times. Blake Bortles threw for over 300 yards, and three touchdowns. He also had three picks, negating a touchdown. The passing game is alive and well for daily fantasy, with his big targets on the end of those scores. Allen Hurns, Julius Thomas, and Allen Robinson all found the end zone. Thomas and Robinson saw double-digit targets, as well as Bryan Walters. I will be curious to see if the addition of Thomas lowers Hurns ceiling moving forward. He did catch a touchdown, but had just two catches for 30 yards.

Dolphins @ Titans

This was the Dolphins team we all expected coming into the season, and they finally broke out in week 6. With the changes in the coaching staff, they fed Lamar Miller 19 times, and he rewarded with 113 yards and a touchdown. With Tennessee being one of the worst rush defenses in the league, it was nice to see some smart calls coming from the Miami sideline. There are a ton of weapons in the passing game, and Ryan Tannehill used them all. He threw 29 times, and no receiver had over eight targets. This is the one downside with Miami, as there is a cluster of players who could come out on top, and it seems to be a new one each week. I am looking for an emergence of Lamar Miller the rest of the way, however. The defense was the highest scoring defense of the weekend, and once again it took until week 6 for them to show up. I don't believe Tennessee is a great offensive team, so all this needs to be taken lightly, until they prove to be a dominant force on that side of the ball.

The Titans hardly moved the ball, and Marcus Mariota left in the second half with a lower body injury. The verdict on him is still being determined. The run game was ugly once again, with neither Dexter McCluster, Antonio Andrews, or Bishop Sankey making an impact. They are an easy avoid for all fantasy purposes. Delanie Walker continued to be a safety blanket for Mariota, with eight catches for 97 yards. He led the team in targets, and I still believe he is the best fantasy option coming out of Tennessee.

Panthers @ Seahawks

50 combined points was a bit of a shocker, and I was surprised more so from the Carolina offense. Jonathan Stewart has been quiet since getting the lead role, but had his breakout game this week in Seattle of all places. He had 78 yards on the ground, and two touchdowns. Cam Newton also had a solid day, rushing for one touchdown, and throwing a game-winning touchdown to Greg Olsen. The tight end, Olsen, was the only player to come through in the passing game, with a 7-131-1 line. If you pivoted to him from Rob Gronkowski, it paid off big time. I am surprised that Seattle did not have a better game plan coming in, and once again they are a great team to target against in GPP's. The name keeps ownership levels down.

Seattle lost another one late in the fourth, and nobody on the offensive side was to blame. Russell Wilson had a decent day, with nearly 300 yards of offense, and a score. Marshawn Lynch found the end zone, but at his price it was another dud week. The age might be catching up to him, because we usually think of Lynch being matchup proof. Jimmy Graham had his first breakout week with eight catches for 140 yards. Targets were spread out, but Graham saw 12, while nobody else saw 5+. The offensive line is the bulk of this team's problems, as well as the average wideouts for Wilson to throw to. This team has a lot to sort out before they are on my radar for daily fantasy.

Ravens @ 49ers

This is the second week in a row Colin Kaepernick has looked like a great NFL QB. The 49ers have built up a lot on offense leading into the bye week, and could come out of it with a healthy Carlos Hyde and Vernon Davis. This entire team comes at a value price, and can pay off with the right matchup. This was a good one for San Francisco, and most of their players paid off. Despite no touchdowns, Anquan Boldin had a five catch day for 102 yards. Torrey Smith hit the home run ball, with a 3-96-1 line. Carlos Hyde was the only disappointment, rushing for 55 yards on 21 carries. Look for their prices to stay cheap the rest of the way, and be a key player in paying up at those other positions.

The Ravens were all questionable coming into week 6, but Steve Smith Sr. and Justin Forsett both played. Smith posted a big 7-137-1 line, continuing to be the only threat in the passing game. Forsett caught seven balls for 39 yards, which boosted his numbers on DraftKings. He also rushed for 62 yards. Not a bad day for a hobbled Forsett, and the volume of touches was encouraging to see yet again. They will have a tough matchup against Arizona next week, but they make it easy on us. Smith and Forsett are the only logical options to grab from this team.

Chargers @ Packers

This was one of the more exciting games of the week, and Philip Rivers put on a show. He threw the ball 65 times, for over 500 yards, and two scores. Oddly with these numbers, you would expect more than 20 points out of it. Melvin Gordon lost the ball twice, losing possession once, before sitting out most of the game. This led to Rivers taking charge, and airing it out. Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver took over in the backfield, providing their usual pass-catching duties. It was Keenan Allen who had the big day, but was cut short after he left the game with a hip injury. He had 14 catches for 157 yards, on 15 targets. Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates also posted big games, each going for 95 yards. The touchdowns went to Ladarius Green, and Dontrelle Inman, so it was a nice troll job by Rivers there. Looking ahead at the Chargers schedule, expect Rivers and company to keep putting up big performances.

The undefeated Packers have nothing to complain about, but us fantasy players do. Simply this offense does not feature the cash game staples we have seen in year's past. Aaron Rodgers has had one game where his numbers were not duplicated by a value QB, Eddie Lacy is nonexistent, and Randall Cobb is a question mark each week as well. Nine different receivers caught the ball for Rodgers, out of just 29 attempts. Nobody saw over five targets, and it seems like he ran more shovel passes than plays down field. James Starks was the big story, rushing for over 100 yards, and having two touchdowns. This was all in the midst of a week where we believed Eddie Lacy would have a big game. Now if I did not have shares of Lacy, I would not be questioning the move to get Starks the ball. He looks in-shape for one thing, and is making the most of every touch. Lacy is not. This is such a great offense, but I can't seem to find consistent value here.

Patriots @ Colts

First things first, you probably saw one of the most ridiculous plays you will ever see last night. I am questioning why Chuck Pagano is even still the head coach of Indianapolis. The Colts offense looked good, and were in this game until that "fake punt." Andrew Luck was asked to air the ball out 50 times, and did so, throwing for 312 yards and three scores. Donte Moncrief led the team in targets, going for 6-69-1, while T.Y. Hilton had a 6-74-1 line. Frank Gore also rushed the ball well, with just 78 yards on 13 carries. The offense looked balance and in sync for the first time this season, but the line failed to protect Luck most of the night. This was really the first time we have seen the offense in full health, and put up numbers.

The Pats surpassed their projected team total, but can we say that we are all disappointed? It was an average day for everyone not named Danny Amendola, and LeGarrette Blount. Tom Brady had a solid day, but once again we saw value QB's easily hit these numbers. Gronkowski has held in check most of the first half, until his 25 yard touchdown right out of the gates in the second. Indianapolis seems to have him figured out, but couldn't lock down Blount or the small receivers. Not many can. For such a narrative game, and the hype we generated beforehand, we were left disappointed.