“Start, Sit & Seth” is the original column of In-Between Media, bridging feel-good lifestyle advice with redraft fantasy football analysis. Consistently following Seth Woolcock’s journey as a young creator, this series is now in its fifth season. Join him this week as he shares his secret sauce and his start/sit selections for Week 6.
Let’s face it. No matter who you are or what social class you’re in, life can get overwhelming.
Whether you grew up a country club member or banned from the premises, problems are problems.
Luckily for the world’s current patrons, we have infinite access to commodities to help ease the stresses of everyday life. Some choose fine wine, while it’s cheap champagne and a pack of Parliaments that do the trick for others. For 40-plus million of us passionate-hearted Americans, it’s mobile apps filled with various collections of NFL players giving us our fix.
Well, to avoid becoming my fantasy football league’s drunk – yelling at league mates to stay away from my Breece Hall shares – you can usually find me in the kitchen after a long day.
Turning up tunes or laughing along with a good podcast as I dice my way through a Vidalia onion; that’s one of my happy places.
A Student of the Game
My culinary conquest began long before I was old enough to go to the grocery store myself. One Christmas in particular – while I was still young enough to ask for toys – I requested a griddle and other cooking utensils and tools as my gift from my grandparents.
After making many of my meals as a teenager and working as a cook in local establishments, I was a young Gustavo in the making. The only issue was that I was as uncultured as it got by the time I got to college, still putting ketchup on my baked potatoes.
Then at 19, I reconnected with my Aunt Betsy and Uncle Greg. Growing up in Pennsylvania-Dutch land, Greg’s repertoire of recipes included everything good in the world, from cream-infused cultivations to smoked meats and sharp cheeses.
However, no recipe taught to me has meant more – physically and metaphorically – than aioli, a cold sauce usually typically consisting of garlic and oil.
The Secret Sauce
There are no real measurements to make Aunt Betsy and Uncle Greg’s aioli. Just four simple ingredients: mayonnaise, horseradish, lemon juice and just a hit of sour cream. Stir and place in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
What this simple, yet delightful, white sauce can do to a piece of meat is indescribable. It has taken our affordable Aldi steak dinners and turned them up to 11.
Even if I get lost in my headphones as I’m making the steak, I make sure to never forget the aioli. Sure, maybe dinner delays a few more minutes as I allow it to chill, if starting it later than desired. But it’s never not worth the effort to make this special sauce.
I encourage readers to do the same when it comes to their fantasy football leagues and rosters. What flare can you add to make it more fun and authentic for you?
Create a unique fantasy football league last-place punishment. Rep your favorite player’s jersey as you take in your “NFL Redzone.” Or simply find that special sauce that makes your team yours – whether that’s having a creative roster construction or players with a unique skill set.
Without it, you’re just eating a steak, which is still awesome. But with it, you have a fine dining experience.
Alright, and here we go.
The following Week 6 start/sit selections are based on stats, trends and film research, reflecting value in Points Per Reception (PPR) Redraft Leagues.
Quarterback I’d Start in Week 6:
Kirk Cousins (Minnesota): Kirk Cousins rarely feels like the special sauce to any fantasy team. However, my on-again, off-again relationship with Cousins is back on as the 4-1 Vikings head to Miami to take on the Dolphins. Cousins has yet to crack 24 fantasy points, yet he’s finished as a QB1 in three of five games. He is rightfully the QB12 again on the year.
Mike McDaniels’ bunch is currently reeling without QB Tua Tagovailoa, dropping two straight and most recently letting the “frisky” New York Jets hang 40 on them. This week, even if backup Teddy Bridgewater is healthy, they’re going with seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson out of Kansas State University under center. That means Miami might be unable to sustain drives, handing the ball back to Cousins.
To make matters worse, the Dolphins will again be without CB Byron Jones, and top CB Xavien Howard is also questionable. Cousins and Justin Jefferson should have no problem exploiting this top-two matchup for the position.
Quarterback I’d Sit in Week 6:
Russell Wilson (Denver): Starting Russell Wilson is a game I’m not willing to play right now. Wilson has busted in three of five games this season. He’s had some unlucky drops and calls not go his way, but he’s also missed wide-open receivers and struggled in the red zone.
Wilson is now dealing with a partially torn lat in his throwing arm, a week after losing his talented pass-catching RB Javonte Williams for the season. While he’ll play through it in Los Angeles this week, he can do it from fantasy rosters’ benches.
The Chargers’ defense won’t be at full strength this week as Joey Bosa remains sidelined with a groin injury. However, the defense still has CB J.C. Jackson, S Derwin James and OLB Khalil Mack. Despite paying Patrick Mahomes and Derek Carr, they have only allowed one QB1 finish this season (Trevor Lawrence in Week 3). Even with four teams on bye, Wilson falls on the wrong side of Week 6 start/sit selections.
Running Back I’d Start in Week 6:
Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas): It’s tough to recommend starting Ezekiel Elliott right now, but I’m hanging my hat on a bounce-back performance against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. Elliott is currently ninth in the NFL in carries, averaging 16 per game. However, he’s found the end zone only once, hasn’t topped 15 PPR points and is currently the PPR RB33.
A few things play in his favor this week, beginning with the Cowboys’ likely game plan. Dak Prescott began throwing again this week, but it’ll likely be Cooper Rush again under center Sunday night. Rush wins games but does it in a low-volume fashion, averaging 26.7 points per game. The Cowboys need to shorten this game to keep the ball away from Jalen Hurts. And instead of relying on Rush with shut-down CB Darius Slay lurking, they’ll need to lean on Elliott and Tony Pollard.
Like the Cowboys, the Eagles are an elite defense. Yet, they’ve leaked five rushing TDs to opposing RBs. This sets up Elliot to capitalize and see positive TD regression in primetime.
Running Back I’d Sit in Week 6:
Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta): Tyler Allgeier is a cool story as he’s climbed the ranks of the Atlanta backfield, but it hasn’t been a fantasy-friendly one. He’s taken 39 carries for a respectable 184 yards. But he has just two targets and has yet to hit paydirt.
Allgeier is likely to see the bulk of snaps, but Caleb Huntley is lurking, also averaging a high 4.9 Yards Per Carry (YPC) to compliment Allgeier’s 4.7. Converted CB Avery Williams will also see some run after scoring his first-career TD last week and taking all the RB targets.
San Francisco travels to Atlanta this week, boasting a top-four defense against opposing RBs. This San Francisco front is again dominant, allowing three YPC and just 57 rushing yards to the position on average. This is as easy as it gets for Week 6 start/sit selections.
Wide Receiver I’d Start in Week 6:
Devin Duvernay (Baltimore): Why Devin Duvernay isn’t even being ranked weekly by industry experts is mind-boggling. He’s currently the PPR WR24 on the season and has done it efficiently. Duvernay makes the most of his opportunities averaging 3.3 fantasy points per touch (No. 1 amongst WRs). Lamar Jackson also benefits when targeting Duvernay, averaging a 132.5 QB Rating when targeting (5th highest amongst WRs).
Duvernay proved what he can do when featured as the No. 1 WR on Sunday night. He took seven targets for 54 yards and three carries for 24 yards, occasionally lining up at RB. Jackson also just missed him on a wide-open deep shot. Rashod Bateman still hasn’t practiced this week with a foot injury, perhaps pushing Duvernay back into the No. 1 role again.
The Giants’ defense doesn’t scare me, especially considering that 32-year-old Randall Cobb just took them for seven receptions and 99 yards. This week could be the next step in Duvernay’s third-year leap, and I don’t want to miss out by having him on the latter side of a Week 6 start/sit decision.
Wide Receiver I’d Sit in Week 6:
Elijah Moore (New York Jets): Despite my current affection for the “frisky” New York Jets, I’ve never been on the Elijah Moore hype train. It’s paid off thus far, as Moore has yet to hit double-digit fantasy points in any game this season. Things took a turn for the worse last week as he saw a season-low 66 snap percentage, catching just one of four targets for 11 yards.
Moore is the opposite of Duvernay, screaming inefficiency. He’s averaging .19 fantasy points per route run (94th amongst WRs) and 1.2 fantasy points per target (90th amongst WRs). Plus, QBs aren’t benefiting from targeting Moore, averaging a 74.7 QB Rating when they do (74th best).
No matter where Moore lines up this week, he’ll face elite coverage from Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas or new standout CB Keisean Nixon. Expect the Jets to again rely on Hall and backfield mate Michael Carter to move the chains Sunday.
If you have a feel-good story that you would like to share for an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming edition of “Start, Sit & Seth,” please reach out.
And for more fantasy football and uplifting content, especially start/sit advice, you can find me on Twitter @Between_SethFF.