Week 6 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: Must-Start Players & Busts

Hey everyone and welcome to another edition of Fantasy with Fabs. You know, each and every week I'll bring you my top starts and sits to help you set your fantasy football lineups right here on SITV. But before we kick things off this week, I just want to remind everybody that the Bengals, the Dolphins, and the Lions, and the Vikings are all on a bye this week. And there's a lot of injuries across the National Football League, which means that there's a good chance you're probably going to have to start some players you'd probably otherwise be sitting welcome to fantasy football 2026 here we go let's start off with the quarterback position with some start-dems and Brock Purdy who has been exceptional after the first five weeks second fantasy points among quarterbacks and what's great about Purdy is that most people didn't draft him to be their number one quarterback but he has been exactly that and look at the matchup this week against the Commanders on Monday night their defense has allowed four of five quarterbacks to beat them for 24 plus points and only the Lions have allowed more points to the position this season and just three teams have allowed more points per drop back to quarterbacks in 2026 so Brock Purdy is a virtual must start and what could be a high scoring game and I'm also starting Matthew Stafford this week I told you to play him last week he went off he had over 27 fantasy points against the Bills, and now he's got the Cardinals. This is another great matchup for the old veteran. Their defense has allowed the third most points per game to quarterbacks, and no defense has allowed more points per drop back to the position this season, and Stafford also had a lot of success against the Cardinals last year. In both meetings against Arizona, he scored over 23 fantasy points, and also keep in mind, the total for this game is in the 50s so Vegas expect a high scoring game I expect a high scoring game start Matthew Stafford and start Jordan Love and I gotta be honest with you I didn't love him last week no pun intended he went on to have a huge game against the Chicago Bears now he has been inconsistent he's alternated good stat lines with bad stat lines over the first five weeks but guys he's playing Dallas this weekend who knows more about the Cowboys than me right i mean they've been dreadful three quarterbacks have beaten them for more than 20 plus points in their first five games and the Cowboys have allowed the sixth most points to quarterbacks this season they've also given up the second most fantasy points per drop back to enemy quarterbacks so while Jordan Love has not been what you would call consistent I think this is a great week to start him in fact there's not a lot of Packers receivers that I wouldn't play we'll talk about that a little bit later on in the program so start Jordan Love against Dallas now let's get to the sit-em quarterbacks and I told you last week not to play Jalen Hurts and he had another bad game and he's in a big-time rut in the stat sheets he has scored no more than 16.2 points in four straight games and in his last three he's averaging 13 points per game I mean that's just dreadful Saquon Barkley's been banged up Devontae Smith has been banged up the offensive line's got question marks and this week's matchup against Carolina actually isn't that bad, considering the Panthers are down their top two starting cornerbacks. But the bottom line here is that Hurts has not been able to produce even against mediocre defenses. Remember what he did against the Titans and the Bears? The numbers are not great, and those defenses are not just, say, elite. So I would beware Jalen Hurts this week. And next up is Justin Herbert, and you guys are probably just going to say, Fabs, you sound like a broken record every single week. It's Sid, Justin Herbert, Sid, Justin Herbert. Well, I mean, that's the case. And he's a big name. Look at the numbers. I mean, 59.4% completion percentage, a 56% on target rate. The Chargers offense, which this is just crazy to me. I mean, they're averaging the third fewest points in the league and they've committed 13 giveaways. They've got injuries all over the place. Their backfield is a mess and Herbert is just not the same quarterback that we all thought he was going to be and maybe even better with Mike McDaniel he's got a road matchup against the Chiefs this week that's not going to help his cause Kansas City's coming off a bye once again folks I know it's Fabs broken record sit Justin Herbert and then sit Jacoby Brissett last week I told you he was a really good streamer and guess what he had over 25 fantasy points in that game against Detroit but that was then and this is now and his next matchup is a lot tougher it's on the road at SoFi against the Rams and the Rams desperately need a win this week now their defense did give it up to Josh Allen but i mean come on who doesn't give it up to Josh Allen uh and the rams are still going to be a defense that is going to be a tough sell if you're not talking about some of the higher end quarterbacks in the league and Jacoby Brissett certainly is not a high-end quarterback so even though I told you to play him last week the matchup is tougher for Brissett in week six unless you're in a super flex league I am sitting Jacoby Brissett all right welcome back and let's move on to the tight end position and how about a little Isaiah Likely last week he was a stardom right here on fantasy with Fabs and he went off 32 fantasy points against Washington in that game with a crazy finish he has now scored 27 plus points in two games this year I mean he's been so much better than he ever was in Baltimore he's averaging over 17 points per game and this week he's got the Saints I'm going to start him all day long they've given up the seventh most fantasy points at tight ends and the tight end position is also being targeted at the third highest rate when they play against New Orleans again dorky stats they matter start Isaiah Likely who was one of my favorite breakout tight ends so far so good i'm also going to start Tucker Craft against the cowboys i've told you i'm picking on the cowboys this week and craft has started to wake up a little bit he had a slow start but over his last two games 28 combined fantasy points and again he's got dallas their defense has been very very vulnerable over the first five weeks and while they're in the middle of the pack in terms of defenses facing tight ends the cowboys haven't really faced a lot of good tight ends this year and they did face one isaiah likely and he beat them for over 27 points so tucker craft is in our good graces after a slow start start him against the dallas cowboys and i'm also going to start Dallas Goddard and he's had a good start to the season when he's been healthy right 33.5 combined fantasy points in his first two games he also saw nine targets last week. And again, the Eagles offense has got injuries everywhere. They're down to their fourth string running back. Devontae Smith has been banged up. Goddard's really the best option in the passing game for Jalen Hurts. And the matchup's pretty good this week against Carolina. They've allowed three tight ends to beat them for over 11 points and two have beaten them for more than 22 fantasy points. So I know Dallas Goddard was a player we thought we'd see regression from this season after he scored 11 touchdowns in 2023 well the touchdown regression I guess is real but the stats are still pretty good I'm starting Dallas Goddard this week against Carolina now let's move on to the sit-em tight ends and I get it Kyle Pitts finally woke up he finally had a good game he scored a touchdown in over 15 fantasy points last week guess what that's more points in one game that he hadn't scored in his first four games combined. So no, Kyle Pitts is not back in the circle of trust. In fact, he's got a bad matchup this week against the Bears. They haven't allowed a tight end to score more than 11.6 points in a game against them this season. In fact, just one tight end, and that was Tucker Kraft, has posted more than 5.9 points in a game against them. So don't be surprised if Kyle Pitts has another stinker. Don't be a sucker for the numbers from last week he is still not a startable asset and the same goes for Jake Ferguson now he has scored double digits in one of his first five games he's only had one good game it was that multiple touchdown game he had against the commanders several weeks back and if you watch that game on Thursday night against the Buccaneers like I did yeah um he dropped a pass that turned into the game clinching interception and I'd keep him on the sidelines this week against Green Bay despite the fact that this game has a high total. Green Bay has been pretty tough on tight ends so far this season. Only one has scored more than 9.1 fantasy points against the Cheeseheads, and their defense is also in the bottom half of the league in EPA against tight ends. Again, that's expected points added, so Jake Ferguson should be on your bench. And the same goes for Dalton Schultz. We went from a current Cowboy to a former Cowboy. And you remember when Schultz had that huge game back in week two, he had double digit catches. He had 26 fantasy points. And we're thinking, maybe I can play Dalton Schultz on a weekly basis. No, you can't. Unfortunately, he's produced 14.9 combined points and seen just nine targets in the three games since he went off in week two. The Texans have Nico Collins back. They traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. So Schultz is just not going to see enough targets to be worth starting in fantasy leagues even with four teams on a bye he also faces a pretty tough matchup this week against the jaguars they've allowed the seventh fewest points to tight end so dalton schultz should be on your bench and who knows maybe on the waiver wire it's time to get to the running backs and we're going to start with jalen warren how good has he been, I mean, unbelievable over the last three weeks, 73 combined fantasy points and a near 50% touch share, and regardless if Rico Dowdle's going to come back this week or not. Mike McCarthy's already said Warren's going to remain the featured back. You got to keep him active while he's hot against Tampa Bay. Now, their defense has allowed the six-fewest points per game, the running backs, and three have beaten them for over 14 points. So I don't think this is a terrible matchup for Warren. Regardless, he's kind of been matchup proof. He's catching a lot of balls out of the backfield. He's making a lot of big plays. Warren is simply too hot to sit right now. Keep him in your starting lineup. And I'm starting Rhamondre Stevenson this week. Now, if you weren't looking at the stats like I do every single week, you wouldn't know that over the last two weeks, he's been pretty good. Almost 36 combined fantasy points. And now the volume is going to be there. Why? Trevon Henderson is out. He's dealing with a high ankle. He's not going to play this week against the Jets. And the matchup is really favorable. New York's allowed the 10th most fantasy points per game. the running backs, and their defense is second in EPA and third in expected rushing touchdowns. Again, they're nerdy stats, but they matter. Ramondre Stevenson is in my top 15 among running backs this week. Get him into your lineup against the men in green. And finally, Chuba Hubbard is back off of a bye, and he is going to be back in your starting lineup this week against the Eagles. I mean, he's been amazing. He's averaging nearly 20 fantasy points per game, and his touch share in the last two games, it's around 42%. Now, the Eagles can be tough at home on the defensive side of the football, but they're in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to running backs, and their defense also just gave up almost 37 fantasy points to Kyron Williams. I know this is low-hanging fruit, folks, but Hubbard is a volume and production-based must-start with four teams on a bye. You've got to lean on your studs, and Chuba Hubbard has become one of your fantasy football studs at what is a thinning position at running back. All right, folks, let's get to the sit-em running backs. And I got to warn you, these three backs are going to be in a lot of starting lineups this week because the running back position is very thin. It's a dumpster fire right now. I'm going to start with Jeremiah Love. He has gone in the tank, folks, and I just can't believe it. Over the last two games, 8.7 combined fantasy points. He's also been held to fewer than eight points in three of his last four games. And his yards per carry average is 3.7 on the season. I mean, that's brutal. We thought this rookie was going to break out. it has not happened he continues to lose snaps and touches to Tyler Allgeier and the Rams can be tough on running backs I know that James Cook had a huge game against them last Monday night but other than Cook no running back has scored more than 13.8 points against them this year and that was Christian McCaffrey so I just beware Jeremiah Love I know it's a disappointment but the numbers have not been there and then Bucky Irving who absolutely lit up my Cowboys like a Christmas tree last week. He had over 31 fantasy points. He went off. So everyone's going to start him this week. I totally get it, but I wouldn't be shocked if this week's stat line were a bit more modest. In fact, if you look at his three games before the Cowboys game, he had scored a combined 26.9 points. So he had more points against the Cowboys than he had in his previous three games. And the matchup against the Steelers, well, this could be a tough one. Just ask anyone who started Jonathan Taylor last week he had 45 rushing yards and averaged three yards per rush against Pittsburgh so start Bucky Irving I guess you got to temper those expectations folks because this is not the Cowboys he's facing this week I think he is a very questionable play and then finally Omari Hampton I mean what has happened to the Chargers they're an absolute nightmare right now and forget about Hampton busting out this year over the last two weeks he's now in a three-headed backfield committee. Kamani Vidal had more points than Hampton last week. The week before, it was Keaton Mitchell. And over the last three games, Hampton is averaging 9.1 points. I mean, Kamani Vidal is averaging more fantasy points. It's insane, folks. So this week's matchup against the Chiefs isn't necessarily bad on paper, but I mean, Hampton's simply not a player you can trust on your fantasy football team right now. I know you probably have to play them. You don't have to like it. let's get to a couple of streamers here and i know you need these guys because again the running back position is thin i'm gonna go with Marshawn Lloyd against the Cowboys I don't love him as a player his yards per carry average is gross but the Cowboys gave up 241 rushing yards to Tampa Bay last week and then how about Woody Marks the matchup's not great against Jacksonville but David Montgomery is out which means Marks could see some volume in that London game overseas All right, folks, welcome back to Fantasy with Fabs right here on SITV. And we're going to wrap up today's show with a look at the wide receivers. And I'm going to start Mike Evans this week. And you're probably saying, Fabs, yeah, duh, that's obvious. Well, it kind of is. He has been great. Look at the numbers he put up last week. And I didn't love the matchup. He was at less than 100% on the road against Seattle. Ho-hum, 113 yards, one touchdown, and over 26 fantasy points. And now he's got the Commanders and the Commanders defense has allowed the second most points to perimeter receivers and three wide receivers, regardless of alignment, have beaten them for over 29 fantasy points. And keep in mind, Debo Samuel is out, which means Evans is going to get a boatload of targets on Monday night in that matchup against Washington. He is a virtual must start this week. Get Mike Evans into your lineup and start Matthew Golden. again theme of the show picking on the Cowboys this week and Golden's been really good I mean I liked him as a sleeper back in the preseason I did not expect him to put up the numbers that he has been look at these totals all right 15 plus fantasy points three times in five games he's averaging just a smidge under 16 points per game and he's got to be active across the board this week against Dallas who clearly have one of the league's worst defenses and you've got to look at this matchup, too. Four wide receivers have beaten the Cowboys for 15 plus fantasy points this year, and the game total is in the low 50s. What does that mean? Vegas believes this is going to be a high-scoring game at Lambeau Field, so you're starting your Cowboys, and you're certainly starting your Packers, and that includes starting Matthew Golden in what is a plus matchup, and I like Michael Wilson this week, and I get it. He may have been the biggest disappointment in fantasy football last week. He played the Lions. The matchup was fantastic. The Lions doubled him. He did nothing. He scored 7.3 points, which is brutal. But you know what? I'm going to keep the faith in Michael Wilson because when some people zig, I'm going to zag. And you look at this matchup against the Rams and you think they need a win. They're at home. This could be a tough one for Wilson, but their defense has actually allowed three wide receivers to beat them for over 16 fantasy points this season and once again another game with a high total it's in the low 50s and you also have to look at the history here there's not a lot but last year Wilson beat the Rams for 58.1 combined fantasy points over two games I know he was a disappointment last week I get it you may want to rage sit him don't do it I am sticking with Michael Wilson especially again with Marvin Harrison Jr no longer on the roster all right folks let's wrap things up with the week six sit-em wide receivers and i'm going to start with Emeka Egbuka now he had a really good game last week he had over 17 fantasy points against the cowboys i noticed i emphasized the cowboys because their defense is terrible but the touchdown that he had came as a runner not as a receiver and if you watch that game like i did you saw Jalen Daniels he just doesn't push the ball downfield And the Buccaneers really don't game plan him to push the ball downfield, which means Abuka's got to get cute with screens, short passes, jet sweeps, kind of that stuff. And I don't think he's going to put up a good stat line this week against Pittsburgh. The Steelers defense, much better than Dallas. They've allowed the sixth fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season. So Emeka Egbuka, despite the good numbers last week, is a fade for me in week six. And let's stick with that same game. and DK Metcalf. Last week, he was a sit-em despite the fact that Michael Pittman Jr. went on injured reserve. Here's the problem, guys. You just can't trust DK these days. He has scored single digits in three of five games, and he's got a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, and you would think, well, wait a minute. Isn't that a favorable matchup? Well, it is and it isn't. What if I told you that Tampa Bay has held Ja'Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson and Christian Watson to fewer than eight points apiece this year. Go look it up. It's absolutely true. They have given up some decent stat lines, but when it comes to the studs, they've been pretty tough. And DK Metcalf is certainly at least two or three steps below the players that I mentioned. So don't start DK Metcalf and expect a huge stat line. In fact, if you have wide receiver depth, you may want to fade him. And the same thing goes for Terry McLaurin. Now, last week, he had a decent game, 12.2 fantasy points in that weird tie with the Giants, but that's the most points he scored in three of his last four games, and Stephon Diggs is a little bit banged up. I get it. The matchup is going to be tough against the Niners. They've allowed the 10th fewest fantasy points to perimeter receivers this year, and their defense has also surrendered the seventh fewest expected points per route run to opposing wide receivers. You may have to play Terry McLaurin this week once again you don't have to line up the matchup is not great so if you can fade McLaurin I would do that on Monday night all right let's give you a couple of streaming options at wide receiver we'll start off with Dontavian Wicks against the Panthers he had eight targets last week he scored 11.3 fantasy points and remember the Panthers are down both of their starting cornerbacks they're both on injured reserve so Wicks is worth a roll of the dice. And the same thing goes for Xavier Worthy. He's got the Chargers this week, but Rashee Rice is banged up. Ja'Lynn Thornton's out for the rest of the year. So Worthy could see some more opportunities in the passing game, especially in the vertical attack. So if you're desperate at wide receiver, you can play Xavier Worthy. And that will wrap up another edition of Fantasy with Babs right here on SITV. But be sure to tune in on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern as Aaron Coscarelli and I answer all of your fantasy lineup questions leading right into kickoff. We appreciate you tuning in. Have a great week six and we'll see you on Sunday.