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Scott Engel features fantasy football lineup starts/sits for NFL Week 6 (2025). He includes notable players to start when faced with tight Week 6 fantasy football lineup decisions.
Welcome back to our Key Starters and Tough Calls article for Week 6 of the 2025 season. Scott Engel's Week 6 Lineup Spotlights column features key players to start or sit when faced with challenging lineup decisions. "The King" features players that may be causing fantasy anxiety for those who roster them.
The fantasy football players covered in this Week 6 article are based on Scott's Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available in the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. You can get access to his full player rankings and also unlock a full suite of tools and analysis for in-season usage. In Week 5, Scott finished as a top 15 ranker on FantasyPros, and he was top 10 in Week 2. In Week 5, Scott was the No. 1 ranker of tight ends.
To make the best-informed Week 6 lineup decisions -- consult this analysis, the RotoBaller staff fantasy football rankings, and free Who Should I Start? tool for comparing up to four players. The skill position analysis in this article is based on Scott's Week 6 premium PPR rankings.
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Running Backs - Fantasy Football Week 6
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
At some point, you must mentally rip the name off the jersey and just stare at the numbers on a screen until they sink in. Either the time for decline has truly come for Henry, or he is in the midst of a terrible statistical stretch that may not end until Lamar Jackson returns.
I know, you just can’t bring yourself to sit Henry, The fear of him going off for a big game while sitting on your bench lurks more with him than other players who have not met expectations. Yeah, sure, we can reserve Isiah Pacheco, and maybe even cut him, But we drafted Henry in the second round, so he could be a set-it-and-forget-it starter.
This is not something one sees often: Derrick Henry trucked. pic.twitter.com/jCfRBstrTj
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) October 5, 2025
Well, he’s now sailing towards “forget it” territory. Henry has not rushed for 55 yards in his last four games, and he rushed for one TD during that span. With Cooper Rush at QB, defenses can easily key on Henry. Whether you reserve him or not depends on who the other choice is, but he is not a top 20 fantasy RB for Week 6.
I would start most RBs who might get much of a featured workload over Henry, such as J.K. Dobbins and Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and quality temporary starters such as Rico Dowdle or Rachaad White.
The Rams are a top 10 defense in rushing yards allowed to RBs, so the matchup is not too friendly, either, Henry should still see enough volume to consider him over RBs with less upside such D’Andre Swift or Alvin Kamara.
Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers
Last season, Dowdle was effective down the stretch, rushing for 100-plus yards four times in five games between Weeks 13 and 17, But the Cowboys decided to let Dowdle walk away in free agency and go with another RB to hopefully improve their running game.
Javonte Williams has been a nice surprise for Dallas, but Dowdle is not about to let anyone forget what he is capable of. As the “next man up” with the Panthers, he totally seized an opportunity to shine in Week 5, rushing for a career-high 206 yards against Miami.
Dowdle somehow carries a reputation for being “Just a Guy” despite the fact that he is a determined runner who can also make defenders miss. Now he gets to face the Cowboys and will remind his former team they should have kept him. Dallas ranks 27th in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to RBs.
The only question with Dowdle is how high do I rank him for Week 6? Dowdle is a back-end RB1, landing in the top 12. The only guys ranked ahead of him are regular top-level starters and significant upside volume RBs, such as Quinshon Judkins or Ashton Jeanty, who has a great matchup vs. Tennessee.
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
If you are looking for more of a desperate plug-in play, Hunt will fit the bill in a must-see game between the Lions and Chiefs. Yes, Pacheco is still working on over 60 percent of the snaps and Brashard Smith is starting to see more touches. But Hunt is the apparent goal-line back for Kansas City, and he still fights hard for his yards.
The Chiefs are certainly employing a true committee that is driving fantasy players away from their backfield. Hunt, however, rushed for two TDs last week and has found the end zone three times in the last two games.
Kansas City is in a must-win early-season situation this week. If the Chiefs lose and fall to 2-4, they will see their usual grip on the AFC West slip away. Against the most potent offense in the league, K.C. will be ready to trade offensive punches throughout the game. That outlook could lead to another two-TD game for Hunt.
Wide Receivers - Fantasy Football Week 6
Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots
Last week, Diggs rediscovered his best form in an emotional upset over the Buffalo Bills. He finished as fantasy WR4 for Week 6 in PPR leagues. Over the first four weeks, he did not finish as a top 15 WR, and he did not place in the top 30 in the first three games of the year.
So now fantasy players want to know, is Diggs truly “back” or did we see a one-game flash in a matchup where he openly said he was looking forward to facing his former team? He caught 10 of 12 targets for 146 yards in a performance that longtime Buffalo fans easily recognized.
Stefon Diggs Carries Huge Momentum Into Week 6 https://t.co/qwWPhfu3s9
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 11, 2025
Diggs is at a point where he looks well recovered from his torn ACL of 2024. Drake Maye needed an alpha WR, and the four-time Pro Bowler is showing he wants to be that guy for New England. Diggs still has more to prove in terms of regaining fantasy confidence, even though this re-establishment process started last week.
The Atlanta pass defense has been solid so far this year, but I would still lock Diggs in as a fantasy WR3 this week, for at least a good statistical floor. His fantasy line can be volume-driven, and I don’t think what we saw last week was an adrenaline-fueled fluke.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
The challenges keep coming for Harrison and those who roster him in fantasy football. It was apparent that the second-year potential star had still not developed a consistent on-field rapport with Kyler Murray over the first five weeks.
Harrison has not finished higher than fantasy WR13 so far this season. There have been more flashes of his fantasy ceiling so far, but he just isn’t dependable yet. He isn’t a bench candidate, but the outlook gets even worse for him this week against the Colts.
Murray is out for Week 6 with a foot injury, and Jacoby Brissett will start for the Cardinals vs. Indianapolis. Yes, the same Brissett who passed for two TDs in five starts last season. Outside of Harrison, the Arizona WR crew is mediocre. There’s no upside for Harrison this week, so you should view him as just a fantasy WR3 option.
Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
After a terrible start to the season, Ridley was getting very close to being cut by many fantasy players. In the first four weeks of the season, he did not finish as a top 50 fantasy WR one time. The Tennessee offense hit an early-season low point when it was shut Houston in Week 4.
For the struggling rookie Cam Ward and his playmakers, there was nowhere to go but up from there, yes? Well, that was the hope, and Ridley resurfaced as the Titans snared their first win of the season in Week 5, 22-21 over the Cardinals.
Ridley caught five of 10 targets for 131 yards in the victory, and I do believe there are more respectable outings for Ward ahead that will be positive for Ridley at times. This week, Tennessee faces Las Vegas, which ranks 30th in FFPG allowed to WRs.
Ridley should post good numbers for a second consecutive week, but inconsistency can be a concern for him going forward as Ward progresses as a pro. Based on two good games, try to trade Ridley this upcoming week after starting him. The production may not be reliable over the rest of the season.
Quarterback and Tight End - Fantasy Football Week 6
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Entering this season, we were starting to wonder if Lawrence was ever going to truly match expectations. He was heading into a pivotal season this year. If he didn’t deliver as hoped in 2025, we might lose all lingering faith in him.
Well, after five weeks, the heat is at least off Lawrence in real life. The Jaguars are off to a 4-1 start and scored a thrilling Week 5 win over the Chiefs. Lawrence led the way with two rushing TDs and a passing TD while tacking on 54 rushing yards. .
In fantasy football, the Jaguars QB delivered his first top 5 performance of the season. Against Seattle this week, he might provide another winning fantasy performance. The Seahawks, who allowed 38 points last week, will be without three starters in their secondary.
AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
I am starting to believe that some fantasy football players are still being too patient with past proven performers, or are just not being as vigilant on the waiver wire as they should be at TE. A very productive guy who is outscoring more established fantasy TEs is still sitting on the free agent list in some leagues.
AJ Barner might already be a top 10 TE in the NFL
True in-line dominator who doesn’t drop the ball and wins at the catch point pic.twitter.com/oGcx0xqgkE
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) October 5, 2025
How is AJ Barner, who was the No. 1 TE in fantasy football last week, still rostered in only 36 percent of leagues on the Sleeper app? He caught two TD passes last week and has four in his last four games. Yes, the Seahawks have never been a great resource for fantasy TEs. But Barner, who caught all seven of his targets last week, has quickly become a top TD target for Sam Darnold this year.
Tight end is the thinnest position in fantasy football! Check to see if Barner is available in your league today and add him now. I expect a high-scoring affair with Jacksonville this week, and Barner will land in the end zone at least once. He is a viable Week 6 starter, and certainly does not belong on so many free agent lists.
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