Week 6 Fantasy Football News & Notes From Around the NFL

Before we get into the weekly fantasy football news whip-around, I think it’s only appropriate to be serious before the fun. While most of the NFL fans in this country were at home watching all the action transpire on Sunday, for countless others, football was the furthest thing from their mind. After Hurricane Helene hit, the devastation left a section of the country unrecognizable, the likes of which have not been seen since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The southeast could use any available help as the Florida bend prepares for a second direct hit from Hurricane Milton. Western North Carolina was devastated, and the collective health toll is already in the hundreds, with thousands still missing. Every little bit helps, so if you have any means, please see this NBC News article that features links to the American Red Cross and the individual states’ emergency response funds.

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, distinguished guests: Welcome to the Show! You must be at least this tall to ride the “Fantasy Whiplash!” and please check your attention span before boarding. That’s right, step right up… everyone is a fantasy football winner!

Buckle your seatbelts for a fantasy football news high-speed tour in preparation for NFL Week 6, with some notable nods to what happened in Week 5. Keep your eyes open for player values as we hug the turns, along with a short tutorial on not looking like an NFL imbecile in social situations.

This ride is leaving the station, so settle in and get ready to leave Week 5 behind. Let’s speed toward Week 6 in the NFL and all the fantasy football news that impacts your teams. Got it? Hold on tight.

Fantasy Football News & Notes for Week 6

Fantasy Football News

In this Economy?

NFL Total Points for Week 5

2023 630 (45.0/game)
2024 684 (48.9/game)

This was the highest-scoring week of the season on a per-game basis

— Dave Crews (@crewser128) October 8, 2024

Finally! We saw some barnburners in the league during Week 5, resulting in some fun fantasy football scoring. To put the tweet above in the perspective of a team-by-team account, nearly half of teams (15) scored above their average so far this season. I guess everyone drowned their Count Chocula in Muscle Milk Sunday morning because those 15 teams bested their average Points Per Game (PPG) by a ridiculous 9.8 points.

By all accounts from managers on Twitter/X, fantasy scores were through the roof, too. Often, these were a direct result of some heavy hitters who have had a tough time starting their engines. Surprise performances from injury fill-ins and waiver claims added to the recipe. The feeling that you can once again trust some of your studs and stop tinkering so much with lineups is a welcome change. Here’s hoping for more of that in Week 6.

Grain & Bear It

At last, we have some clarity about Rashee Rice‘s sticky situation. He’ll have surgery to repair his LCL and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. During the Tuesday surgery, the doctors will ensure there is no structural damage to the ACL as well. A repair of the ACL would take a significantly longer time to heal, likely costing Rice roughly a year. Assuming it is only the LCL, he would be expected to recover in three to four months.

For their part, the Chiefs are now without Rice, running back Isiah Pacheco (fractured fibula) and Marquise Brown (shoulder/clavicle). Kansas City won’t rule out a Pachco return this season, but that is fully dependent on how he progresses in rehab. For now, the team has utilized journeyman Kareem Hunt in the lead back role and a cast of characters at wide receiver, including the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster (worth a look on waivers), Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore opposite rookie Xavier Worthy. The Chiefs are now one of two unbeaten teams through Week 5 after dispatching the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

People Expect You to Know

In your circles, people know you as that person who “does” fantasy football all the time. They saw a couple of things in the headlines and will turn to you to provide clarity or finish the story. Don’t disappoint them, and call forth some of these tidbits from Week 5. Toss in a few jokes, like how Keon Coleman sometimes runs like Phoebe Buffay or Najee Harris being the spitting image of Anne Hathaway, and you’ll have even the most casual fan eating from your palm.

The hapless Miami Dolphins put a whopping 15 points on the board… and won! Thank god for the New England Patriots, am I right? In the 15-10 slobber knocker of a game, Miami raised their season scoring average to an even 12 PPG and did so without De’Von Achane (concussion). Achane will probably return soon, but that does little to remedy a woeful quarterback situation without Tua Tagovailoa.
Baltimore visited Cincinnati and the two teams put on a show worthy of re-watching. The Bengals did better than expected against Derrick Henry but managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when the hold on a game-winning overtime field goal was botched. Justin Tuck er then hit the game-winner moments later for the Ravens’ win. Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson combined for an eye-popping 740 yards and nine touchdowns.
Jordan Love completed just 15 passes in the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the LA Rams, 24-19. The game was supposed to be a shootout, with many expecting it to eclipse the 49.5-point total. Most disappointed were fantasy managers banking on huge games from Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, which never came.

What to Watch for Around the NFL

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Orange Crush

Ok, so it’s not the Denver squad that earned that particular moniker, but the Broncos are making serious noise in fantasy football. Managers that subscribe to the streaming option for defenses likely landed on Denver and stood pat. They’ve put up double-digit points in four of five contests this season, including 15 and 16 in Weeks 3 and 5, respectively. Next up is a home game against the Chargers, with New Orleans and Carolina to follow. It’s not exactly a murderers’ row before back-to-back affairs with the Ravens and Chiefs.

Cub No More

Rookie Caleb Williams seems to have acclimated himself to the speed of the NFL game for the Bears. In two of his last three games, Williams eclipsed 300 yards, passing for a pair of touchdowns in each. He looks in command of the offense and has been aided by two straight solid performances from the running game. The Bears travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in their annual homecoming, who field one of the worst pass defenses in the league. From there, Williams gets his paws on the Commanders, Cardinals and Patriots following a Week 7 bye.

Making It a Race

On Thursday night, the Atlanta Falcons put it all together in thrilling fashion, as they took out division foe Tampa Bay 36-30 on a walk-off touchdown in overtime. If this team gets rolling, look out. It was vintage Kirk Cousins (509 yards, four touchdowns) and a showcase from Drake London (12 receptions, 154 yards and one TD) that led an offensive team effort into a tie early on in the NFC South standings.

People knew all offseason that Atlanta could be a major player this season, but they had not lived up to expectations until Week 5. Bijan Robinson hasn’t even gotten going yet the way everyone expected. When he does, this is an offense that could score with anyone.

Neither the run nor pass defense of the Carolina Panthers strikes fear into the hearts of any team as the Falcons look to improve to 3-0 in the NFC South with their third straight divisional win.

Quick Hits

That’s a TD for Tucker Kraft! Give it to him!

— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) October 6, 2024

Tight End Rennaissance? Week 5 saw seven TEs score over 15 Points Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points, and another nine at the position go over 10 points. It’s not a lot, but an encouraging trend.
Taylor Swift was in Kansas City cheering on the Chiefs. Elon Musk was in Pittsburgh cheering on the Steelers. Choose your side.
Finally, there’s some clarity on the Christian McCaffrey situation. Well… sort of.
Tyrone Tracy‘s 18 carries for 129 yards for the Giants Sunday will force the team’s hand. Devin Singletary is still the unquestioned starter, but don’t be surprised to see a lot more of Tracy in that offense.
No matter how you slice it, the New York Jets are a team without an identity.
The Drake Maye era in New England is here. It’s about damn time.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Deshaun Watson, “We’re not changing quarterbacks” amid their 1-4 start. In related news, an unnamed source close to the situation says the Browns front office reached an agreement with PrimeFish Seafood Co. as their exclusive source for King Crab Legs. Jameis Winston could not be reached for comment.
JuJu Smith-Schuster tallied seven catches for 130 yards and zero TikToks recorded.
Week 6 byes of note: Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.
London kickoff is at 9:30 a.m. ET from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And on the Seventh Day, He Watched Football

That’s a wrap on this week’s entry of “Fantasy Whiplash!” Please keep your appendages inside the car until we’ve come to a complete stop.

Best of luck with all of your waiver claims tonight, and remember: Sometimes the best move is no move at all. Put your Thursday players into your starting lineups in case you need those flex spots on Sunday, and don’t forget to set your Sunday players before the early game. And as always, when in doubt, go with your gut.

If you need last-minute help, I’ll see you on Twitter/X from 10 a.m. ET until the games start to answer your start/sit questions. If you have decisions to make about the London game, my DMs are open, or @ me for assistance.

Check out all of our Week 6 fantasy football content:

Thanks for checking out my Week 6 fantasy football news and notes! Track me down on Twitter/X @BuyAndSellYou for more redraft and dynasty fantasy football content.

*Photo Credit: Dale Zanine – USA TODAY Sports*

Samwise

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Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 6 News & Notes (2024)