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Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 6 of 2024. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters that will disappoint.
The NFL season marches forward, and another week of football is upon us. We have done pretty well correctly identifying boom/bust plays so far. Week 5, however, was not kind to us. Deshaun Watson, Jerry Jeudy, and the Cleveland offense continued their struggles. Garrett Wilson, whom we labeled as a bust, finally popped. Dak Prescott, who was a bust call, torched the Pittsburgh Steelers for 352 yards and two touchdowns.
It wasn’t all bad for us in Week 5, though. Javonte Williams and Wan'Dale Robinson were both boom calls. They finished as the RB12 and WR16, respectively. We correctly labeled Dalton Kincaid as a bust, and he finished the week as the TE26.
As the bye weeks continue, we must turn to players we normally wouldn’t plug into our lineups. It’s not ideal, but we’ve got to make the best of what we’ve got. Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s get into our boom/bust picks for Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season!
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Week 6 Fantasy Football Booms
Zay Flowers - WR, Baltimore Ravens vs. Washington Commanders
Flowers is coming off a strong performance in Week 5. He posted a 7-111 line and finished the week as the WR14.
Big play Zay @ZayFlowers 💐
Back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS! pic.twitter.com/NrahyW11gR
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 7, 2024
The sophomore wide receiver is poised for another strong performance as the Ravens take on the Washington Commanders. Washington’s defense has been better the last two weeks, but it faces a major step up in competition trying to stop Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense.
Despite better results in the last two games, Washington still ranks 27th in defensive passing DVOA, per FTN Fantasy, and allows the sixth-most PPR points per game to opposing receivers, per Fantasy Football Today. This game is another good opportunity for managers to insert Flowers into their lineups.
He can confidently be started as a WR2 or flex play as he could pop for another big game.
Rome Odunze - WR, Chicago Bears vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s been a bit of a rough start to Odunze’s NFL career. Outside of a big Week 3 performance which saw him eclipse 100 receiving yards, the going has been tough.
However, Week 6 presents an opportunity for Odunze to post another strong outing. Chicago hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars this week in London, and their passing defense has been one to play pass-catchers against.
The Jags allow the most PPR points per game to opposing receivers and allow the most passing yards per game in the league. We should see another solid performance from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in this matchup. Odunze should benefit from that. He is a nice bye-week filler, and gamers can fire him up as a WR3 or flex play.
Tyjae Spears - RB, Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
Spears and the Titans return from their bye to take on an Indianapolis Colts defense that has allowed the second-most rushing yards per game. The sophomore back has struggled so far this year, but he did break loose to find the end zone two weeks ago against the Miami Dolphins.
Tyjae Spears scores on the direct snap!
📺: #TENvsMIA on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/zi5S8nlTbd— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2024
Tennessee has relied heavily on its ground game, and we should see more of the same in this matchup. Spears hasn’t been great and has been outperformed by backfield mate Tony Pollard, but this game is a great opportunity for Spears to get rolling. Tennessee is unlikely to put the game in Will Levis’ hands, so there should be plenty of chances for Spears to make an impact.
Gamers can start Spears as a solid flex play or RB2 in a pinch if they’re missing several pieces due to byes.
Daniel Jones - QB, New York Giants vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Don’t look now, but Jones is quietly having a nice season. He has three top-12 finishes and has multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games.
Jones touchdown to Darius Slayton.
Motion confirms man coverage...Jones's slight roll to his right influences MOFC safety away from the deep horizontal cross. Slayton won inside, Jones put it on him.
Touchdown #Giants. pic.twitter.com/TK9ZPv5Jhn
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) October 6, 2024
The Giants take on a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has consistently failed to stop anyone. It ranks 25th in defensive passing DVOA and allows the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
New York should also get rookie star receiver Malik Nabers back this week and that should only help Jones’ outlook. He is an excellent bye-week replacement as he’s been better than expected as a passer and still has upside as a rusher.
Fantasy managers who need a quarterback can feel confident plugging Jones into their lineups as this is a matchup where we should see another strong performance.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Busts
Brian Robinson Jr. - RB, Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens
Robinson has been one of the season’s biggest surprises. He’s currently the PPR RB9 and has scored five rushing touchdowns.
Brian Robinson Jr forces his way into the endzone for the Commanders TD 🔥pic.twitter.com/khfwSvofRD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 6, 2024
The third-year back gets a matchup against a Ravens defense that ranks third in defensive rushing DVOA and has allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points per game to opposing rushers. Rushing yards could be few and far between for Robinson in this game.
He came into Week 5 nursing a knee injury. While he suited up and scored two touchdowns, Robinson was largely ineffective outside of those two scores. Washington has said it will continue to monitor his injury, so it could be affecting his performance.
This is a tough matchup for Robinson and Washington’s run offense. He has been great at finding the end zone, but if he fails to do so here, he could have a bust game. That touchdown upside is enough to keep him in play as a viable starter, but if you’re in a good spot at running back, it might be wise to pivot off Robinson this week.
Trevor Lawrence - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears
Lawrence is coming off his best game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts. He threw for a season-high 371 yards and two touchdowns and finished the week as the QB10.
This week, the Jaguars travel to London to take on a Bears team that’s allowed the third-fewest points per game to opposing quarterbacks. This is a tough matchup for a quarterback who, despite last week’s big game, isn’t playing well. Lawrence is only PFF’s 21st-highest-graded quarterback while the Bears defense ranks second in PFF’s Pass Coverage Grade.
It’s tempting to stream Lawrence as a bye-week replacement following last week, but there are better options available. Fantasy gamers should look elsewhere for a signal-caller.
Tank Dell - WR, Houston Texans at New England Patriots
With Houston WR1 Nico Collins set to miss extended action, Dell has been labeled as a potential beneficiary. We might want to pump the brakes on that outlook. Dell has been the clear WR3 in this offense and there’s no guarantee the vacated targets will go his way. The reality is that Dell has not been as good as he was during his rookie year.
Dell currently ranks 99th in PFF’s Receiving Grade. His targets per route run (TPRR) and yards per route run are also both down from last year, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. This just doesn’t look like the same player we saw as a rookie.
The sophomore receiver draws a date against a New England Patriots secondary that’s been up and down. While that sounds like a good thing, Dell is primed to go up against shutdown cornerback Christian Gonzalez. He's been outstanding so far, and this is not a great matchup for Dell given his Year 2 struggles.
Gamers should look elsewhere for a streaming option or bye-week filler. Dell has a tough matchup and just hasn’t been good enough to trust in lineups. Until he shows some signs of life, it’s best to leave him on benches.
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