Week 6 is here folks. I was pretty underwhelmed with Week 5, but there were still fireworks to be seen. Devonta Freeman continued on his warpath, the Jaguars and Buccaneers scored a ton of points, the Patriots made halftime adjustments and stomped the Cowboys out, and Eli Manning led the Giants to a last minute victory on Sunday night.

This piece is meant to examine some players and situations where respective stocks are rising or falling in ways that demand context and further investigation, and not obvious statements such as: "Well yeah, LeVeon Bell is pretty darn good" or "boy, Joique Bell is toast right?"

Let's get down to business (bonus points for you if you couldn't help but continue that lyric).

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
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• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Week 6 Fantasy Football Risers

Doug Martin - RB, TB

Well, I did not see that coming. On top of a game that had the second lowest projected point total from Vegas, the Bucs were actually without one of the only decent linemen they have in Logan Mankins. The Jaguars have a good run defense, although they were missing their tackling machine of a middle linebacker in Paul Posluszny. Jameis Winston was not succeeding in finding Mike Evans or Vincent Jackson, but Doug Martin and Charles Sims were more than happy to carry the load. Martin himself had 24 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns, adding three catches for 35 yards and another touchdown.

Yes, he certainly had a day. Tampa Bay heads into the bye week now, and Martin owners can breathe a little instead of sitting there, tempted to drop or sell low on Martin. After the bye, Tampa faces Washington, Atlanta, and the Giants, who all actually have pretty good rushing fronts right now. If you can sell Martin to someone who now believes in him, I'd do it. If no one will give you decent value though, Martin showed he is certainly shifty and skilled enough to make things work despite a poor offensive line. The Douggernaut is showing that he wasn't just another guy to have one good year and disappear.

Todd Gurley – RB, STL

Last week we talked about how the Rams offensive line has been learning a zone blocking scheme, and while one might have to question whether the recent success of the rushing attack is more because of Gurley or their own chemistry as a unit coming together, you can't question the results. Gurley has looked great, and the Rams line doesn't look like a joke anymore. Gurley followed up his 19 carry, 146 yard debut versus the Cardinals with 30 rushes for 159 yards against the Packers on Sunday.

Gurley and the Rams now go into their bye week, and then they will face Cleveland, San Francisco, Minnesota, and Chicago. Gurley owners will be rewarded from those matchups for sure. His knee looks just fine, his vision is amazing, and he hits the hole with authority. From a guy who was reportedly not going to see the field until potentially after the Rams' bye week, this is great to see for Gurley owners and Rams fans alike. Gurley is a legitimate RB1 moving forward, and eventually those touchdowns will come.

Andre Johnson – WR, IND

If they played on Sunday I could have made a Walking Dead premiere joke work, but I think it's a stretch now. You get the point though, zombie coming back to life, blah blah. Maybe this was entirely "narrative street", with Johnson coming back to face his old team and going off. Maybe Matt Hasselbeck just likes the guy and wanted to show his fellow elder statesman some love. Really though, all that matters is Andre Johnson showed that he can still play, that he isn't just going to drop everything thrown his way, and that he still has value for this Colts' offense to utilize. It'll be interesting to see how T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Andre Johnson all work together snap count wise now that Johnson showed he's still alive. It'll also be interesting if Ahmad Bradshaw does indeed sign with the Colts, drawing his fair share of the passing target ratio.

Eli Manning – QB, NYG

There's nothing quite like a primetime two minute drill with Eli Manning sometimes. Seriously though, Eli put up the second highest quarterback score of the week (behind Josh McCown, naturally) with 41 completions on 54 attempts for 441 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. What makes this rather special though, aside from nearing 450 yards, is that the last drive was orchestrated with the Giants top three receivers on the depth chart sitting on the bench. Eli Manning appears to be starting to gel with Shane Vereen out of the backfield, and it seems that Bob McAdoo's system is really kicking in for the team. The Giants were already without Victor Cruz and Daniel Fells,  and now Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle are dealing with hamstring concerns, but most importantly the Giants looked comfortable. Eli is absolutely a QB1 for the rest of the season, and the rest of the team around him should only improve.

Other Risers To Be Aware Of

Allen Robinson - WR, JAX

Just as Blake Bortles could be listed here, Allen Robinson had a great week to reward owners who have stuck with him. While he hasn't done poorly, he may not have been providing his owners with the kind of numbers that they envisioned from someone who was touted as a reception magnet. Allen Robinson turned nine targets into seven receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, a line fantasy owners will take ever Sunday. Look for him to continue forward as a top receiving option, though if Bortles' AC joint sprain turns out to be more serious than the Jaguars are letting on, Robinson's rise may not be as sharp as it appears right now.

Andy Dalton - QB, CIN

There's no denying it anymore: Andy Dalton is here. Just because he took a little longer than most young quarterbacks to develop doesn't mean that we should always hold his past performance against him. His weapons are present and healthy, and he is flourishing. He attacked Seattle through the air and won, with 30 completions on 44 attempts for 331 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. While Seattle has its own issues that don't make it the same juggernaut that we are used to, that is still a difficult unit to tear apart like that. Next up for Dalton is Buffalo, a bye week, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Houston. Salivate away, Dalton owners.

DeMarco Murray  - RB, PHI

Murray owners have to be ecstatic to see 20 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown, let alone seven receptions for 37 yards. Not only was he involved, but he performed. This bodes well for Murray, but it's also important for Chip Kelly and the Eagles' offensive line to show that they can put together a game where he has the opportunity to produce. Owners should feel much better moving forward.

Gary Barnidge - TE, CLE

The guy literally laid a touchdown. He continues to shine and he is absolutely in TE1 territory. At some point you just can't question things too much based on his past and accept that this guy is performing well. It's impossible to write this off as a fluke anymore. The Browns won't always put up crazy offensive numbers, that you can't buy into, but Barnidge has given McCown a reliable target with some size to chuck the ball up to, and he's shown that he can run after the catch as well.

Week 6 Fantasy Football Fallers

Peyton Manning – QB, DEN

Peyton Manning failed to break the ten point barrier in Fleaflicker scoring, ending with 22 completions on 35 attempts for 266 yards, but no touchdowns and two interceptions killed him. He has now put together back to back weeks of being very underwhelming. It isn't as though his receivers are missing, and it's actually the running backs who seem to be sustaining the injuries, but Manning just isn't getting the ball out like he used to. Combine this with a stellar defense and an offensive coordinator that wants to get the running game going, and you've got a formula for a year that might not see great fantasy numbers come forth from Manning.

Mike Evans - WR, TB

So in Week 4 he struggled against the Panthers, but people (myself included) were hoping for a bounceback game against the Jaguars secondary. As it turned out, both Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson did pretty badly. Evans has yet to really have a good game this year. He dropped what should have been a touchdown on a floater down the right side from Jameis Winston (it's not registered as a drop, but I watched that game, he should have had it). He only played on 43 of 69 snaps for the Buccaneers while Vincent Jackson played on 62 of them. Only seeing five targets in Week 5 hurts, and while Evans will come around to get his, it does appear that he'll never get around to returning value on par with his early round ADP.

Golden Tate – WR, DET

Tate was here last week as well, and quite frankly the whole Detroit Lions offense can be put here. Ameer Abdullah is officially out of the circle of trust, and he'll have to put a good game in before I feel comfortable inserting him into any of my lineups. Matthew Stafford was benched for Dan Orlovsky. No one is going to sit Calvin Johnson of course, but he struggles by way of everyone else struggling. Tate is the interesting case though, as he has yet to find the end zone. The key here is how many are hanging their hopes on Tate's 15 targets from this past week leading to eight receptions for 74 yards. Keep in mind that the Lions ran an absurd 98 plays, many of them occurring while they were trailing big time to Arizona. The point is, the gameflow was not reliable at all. Tate, and the Lions as a whole, are in a very worrisome spot. I'm not buying Tate, because Stafford and the rest of the team do not appear to be close to figuring themselves out.

Eddie Lacy – RB, GB

The Green Bay Packers are 5-0, and yet it feels like Lacy has barely done anything. He hasn't scored since Week 1, and has yet to have a 100 yard rushing game. At least Week 4 had him get close with a 90 yard effort though, as this past Sunday he put up a putrid 13 carry, 27 yard effort. It doesn't get much lower than that. Owners might be panicking, and if they are you should swoop in on them. To be fair, after their next matchup against the Chargers (where Lacy should have a good chance at a bounceback game) the Packers have their bye week, and then a matchup against Denver in Denver, followed by a date in Carolina against that solid front. Aaron Rodgers is going to lead this offense, but Eddie Lacy will get his. Owners are unlikely to give him up for much less than first round value, but perhaps some of them can be persuaded when you mention the upcoming schedule as well.

Other Fallers To Be Aware Of

C.J. Anderson - RB, DEN

Last week I said his stock had to be at an all-time low, and I was wrong. He continues to plummet. Week 5 had him facing the Raiders, and in a game where Ronnie Hillman tweaked his hamstring and Juwan Thompson was dealing with a hammy issue of his own, Anderson failed to do anything. He rushed for 22 yards on 11 carries, and yes a 2.0 YPC figure is atrocious. If I can scoop him up anywhere for desperately cheap, I still am. Maybe this is one of my last bastions of stubbornness in my refusal to let 2014 go, but dang it the Broncos schedule is so sweet moving forward, and even if Anderson is just a 1B to Hillman's 1A in a worst case scenario, he may produce enough for a flex role. With some owners straight up dropping Anderson, it's worth taking a flier. With a defense that is playing at a league-best level, the running game should have plenty of opportunities to sort itself out and accrue stats, especially with the aforementioned passing game woes. Maybe it's best that you let me be the last guy to fall on this sword, but the potential is still there.

Matt Jones - RB, WAS

Matt Jones did get a touchdown, but he averaged less than two yards per carry (11 carries for 20 yards) and did not come out of the game unscathed. Jones is reportedly dealing with a sprained big toe, with the severity of the injury yet to be determined. It seems we may have seen Jones' 2015 peak already in the Rams game.

Jordan Matthews- WR, PHI

Also responds to "Drops McGee". Reports yesterday say that Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor are working tirelessly on improving their hands, attacking the issue with the JUGS machine at 7 AM. Well, until the issue irons itself out, those JUGS machine catches aren't going to do any fantasy owners any good. Matthews should absolutely be working on this, I'm not sure what else coaches would be having him doing. He dropped a touchdown from Sam Bradford on Sunday, and ended up with five catches for 44 yards. He has seen seven targets in each of the past three weeks. While I expect this to open up against a Giants defense that is susceptible over the middle, it is discouraging from a guy who many drafted as a low end WR1 type.

Travis Kelce - TE, KC

Owners who were expecting a true "mini-Gronk" from having Travis Kelce had their hype train going full speed ahead after a two touchdown effort in his first game, but ever since it's been nothing but disappointment. There is merit to the thought that now he is Kansas City's best red zone option given the Jamaal Charles injury, but all the same he finished Week 5's game against Chicago with only three catches for 35 yards on six targets. I'd be looking to pry him as I think Kansas City needs to use him a lot more now, but Andy Reid and company come off as pretty slow to change their stubborn ways. This might just be what it is for Kelce moving forward with those two at the helm. Kelce's upside is limited by the gameplan surrounding him and his quarterback. This isn't to say he won't ever score again, but he and Jimmy Graham appear to be busts as the purported "next tier" of tight ends behind Rob Gronkowski.

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