RADIO
Craig Rondinone looks at some fantasy football booms and busts for Week 6 lineups. These NFL players could be high-upside flex plays, or options to avoid.
Week 6 will be a test for fantasy football players and owners.
This the NFL’s first bye week of the season where more than two teams are off. The good news for fantasy players is that the four teams on bye – Chicago, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Oakland – are not exactly loaded with explosive offenses and fantasy superstars. So do not worry – there are PLENTY of under-the-radar booms out there to play this week (along with busts to avoid).
Here are my under-the-radar booms and busts for Week 6! Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Week 6 Under-the-Radar Booms
Kenyan Drake (MIA, RB) vs. WAS
We all know Drake has done nothing this year. As a matter of fact, eight quarterbacks have more rushing yards than Drake has. But he is still Miami’s top tailback, and the Dolphins are coming off a bye and playing a home game against fellow floundering 0-4 team Washington. The Redskins are reeling and have the 28th-ranked run defense in the NFL. You would think with an extra week of prep and rest that the Dolphins might be able to muster 20-24 points against a team as woeful as they are. I got Drake down for 80 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and a touchdown or two.
Stefon Diggs (MIN, WR) vs. PHI
Speaking of players who have done zippo this season, Mr. Diggs has fewer receiving yards than Will Dissly, Terry McLaurin, Mohamed Sanu and Demarcus Robinson have. That foursome was probably not drafted in 75 percent of fantasy leagues before the season started. Diggs has been in the doghouse while Minnesota has chosen to revolve its offense around running back Dalvin Cook. If there is a week for Diggs to get healthy, though, it is this week at home against Phildelphia’s 27th-ranked pass defense. The Eagles are shorter on cornerbacks than the Pittsburgh Steelers are on quarterbacks. Look for Minnesota’s coaching staff to make Diggs happy by getting him plenty of passes. He will have his biggest game of the young season this Sunday.
Kirk Cousins (MIN, QB) vs. PHI
I understand that I am tempting fate by predicting Cousins can overcome his scattershot passes and poor decisions for a second week in a row and be a fantasy favor instead of a fantasy failure. While the Vikings prefer to keep the ball on the ground (5th in the NFL in rushing attempts), they will be running into a brick wall of a front seven as the Eagles have the best run defense in the league. Cousins will be forced to throw 25-30 times, but he will be doing it at home, with two above-average wideouts and two solid tight ends in tow, and against a Philly secondary who has less meat in its secondary than there is on an Impossible burger. Now that Cousins has a decent game under his belt, his confidence should be back to normal and he will be able to throw for 275 yards and three scores.
Jamison Crowder (NYJ, WR) vs. DAL
Crowder has been a multimillion dollar nonfactor over New York’s past three losses, posting a paltry eight receptions for 75 yards and no touchdowns during the Jets’ trio of debacles. Do not be like the other fantasy players with short memories, though. During Week 1, the one and only game when Sam Darnold was his QB, Crowder had 14 catches for 99 yards. Dallas’ pass defense might be overrated considering four of the quarterbacks it has faced so far were Eli Manning, Case Keenum, Josh Rosen and Teddy Bridgewater, and the fifth (Aaron Rodgers) barely had to throw because Aaron Jones was doing all the work running the ball. Now that Darnold is over his mono and back under center, I think Crowder is in for eight receptions for 90 yards and a TD.
Week 6 Under-the-Radar Busts
Mohamed Sanu (ATL, WR) at ARI
I get it. Arizona has done a below-average job covering pass catchers this season while top cover corner Patrick Peterson has been suspended, and Sanu has surprised fantasy players with 20 receptions for 208 yards and a touchdown over his past three contests. Sanu sounds more like an under-the-radar boom than bust. The reality is that Sanu is really the No. 4 option in Atlanta’s passing attack behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Austin Hooper, and this is going to be a week that Matt Ryan does everything in his power to put the ball in Jones’ hands coming off back-to-back disappointing outings. I say Sanu gets lost in the shuffle and settles for three catches for 30 yards.
Tevin Coleman (SF, RB) at LAR
Coleman ran roughshod over Cleveland’s overrated defense this past Monday night (16 carries for 97 yards and a TD). It looks like Coleman and Matt Breida are going to form a formidable one-two rushing punch for San Francisco, provided both of the injury-prone backs can stay healthy. The Rams run defense has been much stouter at home than on the road, however, allowing only 72 rushing yards per game in their two home outings. Look for Aaron Donald to bring his A-plus game to prevent the Rams from having a three-game losing streak. I have Coleman slipping to 10 carries for 36 yards and a couple catches. Wait for Coleman to have a better matchup or for Breida to be sidelined before using Coleman again.
Marcus Mariota (TEN, QB) at DEN
Mariota is so inconsistent that it makes sense that since he is coming off his worst fantasy output of the season that he would follow it up 250 passing yards and 35 rushing against Denver this Sunday afternoon. The Broncos have not done much right in 2019, but thanks to cornerback Chris Harris and a solid secondary, the one thing they have done correctly is defend the pass (5th in the NFL). The Broncos have not allowed a QB to throw for over 235 yards since Week 1 and are not going to buck the trend this week. Pass on Mariota and your chances of doing well fantasy-wise this week will skyrocket.
Geoff Swaim (TE, JAX) vs. NOR
James O’ Shaughnessy’s season-ending knee injury came at a terrible time – meaning I was about to feature him in my tight end waiver wire column when the news came down that he suffered a torn ACL. Swaim steps in but it is doubtful he will step up. While he becomes Jacksonville’s de facto top tight end and has football darling Gardner Minshew tossing to him, Swaim is neither a speedster (8.4 career YPC) or a red-zone specialist (one TD in four-plus seasons). I know New Orleans has struggled at times covering tight ends this year, but they held Tampa Bay twosome O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate to two catches for 21 yards combined last week. If you had O’Shaughnessy then shop at a different department store for a replacement tight end for your fantasy squad this week.
