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Nick Mariano's five fantasy football bold predictions for Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season. Expert predictions for Justin Herbert, TreVeyon Henderson, Luther Burden III, and more.
It's time to step into the weekly bold predictions rotation, where I'll look to predict some boom weeks for five players/situations for whom I'm above the consensus in fantasy football rankings.
This takes me back to my weekly columns when I'd break down where I deviated from the consensus, which I recall writing up from some questionable hotels as I drove across the country, chasing the dream. A lifetime later, here we are, still RotoBallin' up a storm and loving it. I appreciate all who have been rocking with me along the way!
And now it's time for my Week 6 bold predictions regarding the Rams backfield, Ryan Flournoy, Luther Burden III, Kendre Miller/TreVeyon Henderson, and Justin Herbert.
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Kyren Williams Scores Twice, Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter Each Score As Well
Yeah, this is primed to be a Rams onslaught in Baltimore. It being a road game for LAR is the only thing that gives one pause, but the Ravens’ injury situation and (lack of) momentum are impossible to ignore.
The Ravens give up 0.12 EPA per rush, with only Miami (0.17) behind them on the leaderboard. Don’t get me wrong, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams can still get theirs, as Baltimore is also a bottom-five unit in EPA per pass (0.21).
But the number of playmakers donning a Rams’ uni on Sunday could see them hang 50 on the scoreboard. I believe this gets so lopsided that the backups get serious run, which is where Corum and Hunter enter.
Last week was a strange loss to San Francisco and should have humbled/angered the squad. Despite the killer fumble, Williams played 91% of the snaps while Corum slid from 25-30% to just 9%. This felt reactionary as Sean McVay scrambled for answers with his back against the wall.
Now, they have a premier matchup to get the team back on track and to finally get Hunter involved. You’ll recall the Rams traded up to select Hunter at pick 117, which makes him the earliest RB of the 2025 draft class to still not have a touch.
If pass protection is the real hurdle, then winning 44-10 with Jimmy Garoppolo or Stetson Bennett IV taking reps could get us past this. And Hunter’s big speed means he could turn 4-6 touches into a long TD.
Ryan Flournoy Isn’t A One-Week Wonder
Flournoy emerged in Week 5 with KaVontae Turpin nursing a foot injury, catching six balls for 114 yards with two rushes for another 10 yards. Jalen Tolbert went without a catch, which left Flournoy, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, and Javonte Williams as the key pieces.
Now, Tolbert was still a clear starter, recording 46 snaps to Flournoy’s 34 (Pickens had 47). Those versatile spots that Dallas schemes for CeeDee Lamb and Turpin were funneled to Flournoy, who Fantasy Points charted with five first-read targets (Tolbert had zero). And he worked all over the field as well:
Dak Prescott found him while Pickens battled with Sauce Gardner, with Flournoy finding vacant spots in the coverage and shaking off tackles en route to the big day. Carolina’s Jaycee Horn isn’t Gardner, but he’s pretty darn good. With Lamb and Turpin projected to miss Week 6 as well, the organization may put Flournoy’s breakout to the test with more work.
If the Cowboys' defense remembers how to play against Carolina, then perhaps this doesn’t pan out. However, they’ve largely proven unable to put a complete 60-minute effort together. The game opened with a 46.5 total and has crept up to 49.5 at most books as of Thursday night, so most aren’t buying into the defense!
As a corollary, surely this will be the week that Tetairoa McMillan’s top-12 expected fantasy points tally shows out with a true WR1 finish! Right? Even if he doesn’t find paydirt, it’s highly unlikely that Rico Dowdle vacuums up over 200 total yards for himself, even with the revenge game narrative.
Luther Burden III Steps Up With 6-90-1 Receiving, 60% Snaps
We saw Burden’s stat sheet pop thanks to a long flea-flicker TD back in Week 3, but he’s been capped around a 30% snap share through four weeks. Meanwhile, Olamide Zaccheaus has orbited a 50% clip while Rome Odunze makes headlines as the No. 1 WR over DJ Moore.
Reports have surfaced that a more prominent role for the next generation may be on the horizon. And as much as I’d love for both Burden and Colston Loveland to come out of the Week 5 bye firing on all cylinders, Loveland’s hip injury and just three catches thus far give me trepidation there. And frankly, the opportunity is ripe for Burden through either Zaccheaus or Moore.
Expect there to be an increase in production from #DaBears top two rookies coming out of the bye.
TE Colston Loveland & Luther Burden III— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) October 8, 2025
Not that anyone thought Zaccheaus would suddenly become a star, but his 5.95 yards per target is 76th among 95 WRs (min. 75 routes run), sandwiched between Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. In fairness, his 1.45 yards per route run places him at 59th. Sadly, that is higher than Moore’s 1.36 mark. A trade could still be bubbling, but we won't go that bold here.
Ben Johnson’s offense will encounter speed bumps throughout Year 1, but having four weeks of data and a bye to refine things could pay off. We know the rushing attack is unlikely to change with D'Andre Swift as the starter. We’ve seen Odunze already take the next step, so can Jayden Daniels and the Commanders push the action enough to force them to break the Burden glass? Methinks so!
Kendre Miller and TreVeyon Henderson Trade Breakouts
This double-boldie requires substantial efforts in the Patriots-Saints game. Miller would have to perform against a strong New England defense that stands as the only team yet to allow an opposing RB to eclipse 50 rush yards.
But Alvin Kamara picked up an ankle injury in Week 5 that has led to a pair of limited practices thus far, and he’s seen his workload decrease since notching 27 touches in Week 2. Miller is barely used in the passing game, but is averaging 4.34 yards per carry (38-165-1 rushing line) to Kamara’s 3.88 YPC (73-283-1).
Miller went from 5-6 touches in Weeks 1-2 to a doubled rate in Weeks 3-5, and already has more missed tackles forced (13) than Kamara (12) despite half of the carries. If the Saints' defense can keep the game close and Kamara’s ankle limits him alongside the shifting workload sands, Miller could explode.
I know, you’re already scoffing. Surely, the Pats are going to trounce New Orleans! Well, if that has already exhausted your imagination, then we’ll go entirely into the deep end by saying an early Rhamondre Stevenson fumble finally breaks the spell on Mike Vrabel, who lets Henderson eat.
The season-ending ACL injury for Antonio Gibson thins out the RB room. And a fourth fumble out of Stevenson has to represent a breaking point, right? This is the column where we can dare to dream. Regular, level-headed predictions can be found over in Aisle 12.
Justin Herbert Throws For 300 Yards, With Two Scores to Ladd McConkey
It’s been tough sledding for Herbert and the Chargers sans Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, but Miami’s horrendous defense offers hope. Everyone just saw Rico Dowdle run rampant over the Dolphins and is throwing their lot in the Hassan Haskins/Kimani Vidal sweepstakes to catch the next wave. When they zig, we zag.
However, everyone’s being swayed by the stellar RB production and overlooking that Miami’s rush DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) is 29th in the league, while their pass DVOA is 31st. Don’t miss the forest for the trees!
I love considering fantasy football applications for “mid vs. mid,” or “moveable object meets stoppable force,” but a riddled offensive line and backup running backs against a bad defense is no sure thing. At least Mekhi Becton got upgraded to a full practice on Thursday.
Andrew Luck was hit 580 times in his six NFL seasons. Justin Herbert is on pace to be hit 625 times through his first six NFL seasons. https://t.co/dgvUiTc2DD
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) October 6, 2025
On the other hand, Herbert is a stud. I know it's been ugly lately, but they've had time to adjust now. His WR trio of McConkey, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston is sublime. He’ll have to get the throws out quickly, which should benefit McConkey as the primary slot man in particular. We saw McConkey come on last week, and the party continues in Week 6.
Miami has seen its first- and second-string slot defensive backs hit the injured reserve due to hamstring injuries (Jason Marshall Jr., Cornell Armstrong). Kader Kohou and Artie Burns are rehabbing torn ACLs, and Storm Duck has been limited with an ankle injury. Let’s see if they scheme Herbert up to zip and rip it!
