It’s moving too fast! We’re already into Week 6, which means by Monday Night, one-third of the regular season will be over. Last week was the week of the comeback and running back plug-ins like Rico Dowdle and Michael Carter. They’re too popular this week to make this list, but we will dig deeper to discover some potential Week 6 sleepers!
Of course, I always recap the previous week’s sleepers. I went three for six, but the scores could not be more different from my hits to my complete whiffs. I called Bo Nix, Isiah Pacheco and Khalil Shakir, who all scored at least 0.8 points over projection. The other three I personally don’t even feel like mentioning because they let me down, as they all scored 4.8 or more points under projection. Is that being petty? Yes, but I expected more from them and they dragged the total down to a disappointing 14.6 points under projection. I feel like it’s deserved.
So, I’m swinging for the fences and hopefully won’t whiff again. Let’s get into Week 6 “Shore Thing Sleepers!”
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Consideration: Week 6 Sleepers (2025)
Quarterback
Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
Let’s not be a goofball here. After Week 1, Jared Goff has been playing some good football. Since Week 2, Goff is the QB7 and has the most passing touchdowns in that span with 11. Then we delve down into the “Road Goff versus Home Goff” narrative. If we take away the abysmal performance from the Lions in Week 1, although it’s a huge difference in points, Goff is averaging 16.4 fantasy points in his last two road games. Also, he’s quietly thrown a touchdown and no interceptions in those two road games.
This week, it’s a road game against the Chiefs. When you look at what quarterbacks have done against the Chiefs, it is concerning that only two quarterbacks have scored 12+ fantasy points against them this season. However, you must consider the competition that the Chiefs have played. Two of those last three games featured Russell Wilson, who is now benched, and Lamar Jackson, who left that game early due to a hamstring injury. Also, I do find this statistic key; when a quarterback has 25+ pass attempts against the Chiefs this season, they are averaging 20.7 fantasy points. That included Wilson’s poor performance and all the other quarterbacks were able to score at least 27 points.
Jared Goff has attempted 25+ passes in four of his five games this season. His averages in those games are 232.2 passing yards, 2.2 touchdowns, 0.5 interceptions and 18 fantasy points. This Lions offense is clicking and even though it’s a Goff road game, I think he’ll be able to overcome the narrative, at least this week, just like he has already this season.
Running Back
Justice Hill (Baltimore Ravens)
Justice Hill does play RB, it’s just that the “R” stands for receiving, not running. He has seen at least two targets per game and in two of his last three weeks, he scored 7.5+ fantasy points. Heck, he even had 76 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on three carries in Week 4! And in those two games where he scored 7.5+ points, he had at least four targets and 41 receiving yards.
Why is that important? Well, the Rams have gone three straight games where a running back has gotten at least five targets, averaging out to 5.6 receptions for 37 yards and 0.3 touchdowns. Even if I rounded it, that’s 9.7 Points Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points right there! You also have to consider that this Ravens team is currently hurt and struggling in every aspect, so the passing attack might have to be relied on even more.
When there’s passing, that’s where Justice Hill comes in and the stats show it. The Ravens’ running back room has combined for 18 receptions on 24 targets, and Hill himself has 13 of those receptions (72.2%) and 17 of those targets (70.8%). So do us justice and take advantage of this matchup!
Brashard Smith (Kansas City Chiefs)
I did say last week to watch out for the backfield duo of Isiah Pacheco and Brashard Smith. Yes, Kareem Hunt stole the touchdowns and that sucked for us. But I’m not here to talk about him, I’m here to talk about Smith, who’s gone back-to-back games with 6.6 fantasy points. I know that is a low total, but there’s potential and he’s flashed it in the past two games. In Week 4, the rookie had the most targets of the Chiefs’ running back room with four and had the highest receiving yards out of the position for the Chiefs with 27. However, he topped his previous best on Monday Night Football, earning the same amount of targets as Pacheco (three) and 32 receiving yards, compared to Pacheco’s 20. It seems obvious to me that Brashard Smith is the better pass catcher of the bunch.
Now let’s take a look at the Lions’ matchup and guess what? In two of their last three games, the Lions have allowed a running back to have 33+ receiving yards, including the other pass-catching back I just mentioned, Justice Hill! In the past three games, running backs with at least three targets against the Lions are averaging 4.6 receptions for 33 yards, and that’s 8.3 fantasy points right there from the receiving work alone in PPR leagues.
Oh, and for those in leagues where you get points for return yards, Brashard Smith does do kick returns, and he’s at least had 52 kick return yards in four out of his five games this season. How about we show off the rookie in primetime, shall we? After what he’s done in the past two games with limited snaps, I say he deserves it!
Wide Receiver
Kendrick Bourne (San Francisco 49ers)
He revived his career on Thursday Night Football last week and might as well say that he is re-bourne again. Kendrick Bourne had his 100-yard game of his career last week and despite not scoring a touchdown, he still got 24.2 fantasy points out of it, which placed him as WR6 for the week. And that’s not to mention that he had 11 targets when the rest of the 49ers’ wide receivers combined for 11. So, it’s pretty apparent that Bourne is likely to be heavily targeted again coming into Week 6. Now, we don’t know if Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and/or George Kittle will return this week, but considering that none of them returned for practice on Wednesday, I have my doubts. Plus, it sounds if like anyone has the best chance to return, it’s Jennings, and it’s nowhere near a guarantee as of this writing.
Only five wide receivers scored more fantasy points than Kendrick Bourne did last week. One of them was facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who allowed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to have eight receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown, equaling 27.2 fantasy points. What if he’s not the WR1? Do I still trust him?! Yeah, you should trust the guy who has chemistry with Mac Jones after playing together in New England from 2021 through 2023. Especially when they’re facing the team that has allowed a WR duo to score a touchdown and 9.3+ fantasy points in two of the last three games. That also includes last week when three Seahawks wide receivers scored 11.9+ fantasy points!
Either way, it’s a good matchup for Bourne, who found his identity again. If he goes off again, like I’m expecting, your opponent has nothing else to say but “Holy crap… that’s Kendrick Bourne,” and he did it again!
Marquise Brown (Kansas City Chiefs)
Naturally, the perfect transition from puns about the Bourne franchise is to go to Hollywood! With Xavier Worthy back, Patrick Mahomes has been going to Hollywood a little less. This “Hollywood” in question is Marquise Brown, who has been averaging 10.8 fantasy points in the past two games since Worthy returned. In those games, Brown has averaged 3.5 receptions on 6.5 targets for 43 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.
If it isn’t evident enough, I really love this Sunday Night Football game for some sleepers. The Lions are tied for seventh in allowing the most fantasy points to the wide receiver position this season. Their two starting cornerbacks (D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold) are also hurt and will miss this game, which could spell disaster. Last week, against a Jake Browning-led Bengals, they allowed three wide receivers to see seven-plus targets and all of them scored double-digit fantasy points, albeit some were in garbage time. Heck, even when I lowered it to six targets, when Reed and Arnold were playing, they were allowing a WR duo to score at least 7.8 fantasy points in three of the last four games.
That’s what Marquise “Hollywood” Brown can do for you. He can score you some fantasy points and put you in a comfortable spot heading into Monday’s doubleheader.
Tight End
Jake Tonges (San Francisco 49ers)
I don’t have to speak in tongues to tell you why I think Jake Tonges is the perfect tight end sleeper this week. I’ll let the stats speak for me. Addressing the elephant in the room, George Kittle could return this week, but reports are saying that he will likely miss, so you might as well get the best out of him while you can!
This is where it’s going to get wild. In the past two games, Tonges has averaged five receptions for 49.5 yards and a touchdown, scoring 15.9 fantasy points. That’s not even as wild as the next stat I will say. In the past two games, the Buccaneers have allowed a tight end to average 5.5 receptions for 45 yards and two touchdowns for 22 fantasy points. And that’s not just the averages speaking; the Buccaneers have actually allowed a tight end to score two touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.
This couldn’t be a more perfect matchup for a red-hot and healthy Tonges, especially one who might see an uptick in targets like the 11 he saw on Thursday due to injuries to the other 49ers’ playmakers. Like I said, this might be the last time you see Jake Tonges until George Kittle returns. So, why not end it on a high note and get at least your fourth touchdown of the season!
Thanks for reading this week’s “Shore Thing Sleepers.” If you’re looking for more fantasy content like this or need help with the last-minute fantasy football start/sit decisions for your roster, you can find me on Facebook at “Fantasy Sports Start or Sit’Em Questions,” Twitter/X @FSSOSEQ or on BlueSky!
*Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff – USA TODAY Sports*
