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Dave's quarterback (QB) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 6 of 2026. His QB lineups advice for Week 6 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
After an eventful Week 5, the fantasy football season rolls on. This year has brought plenty of breakouts, busts, and surprises at quarterback. That’s left some gamers in tough spots. Bye weeks are now underway, and fantasy owners will have to manage that factor moving forward. Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, and Kyler Murray are the most notable quarterbacks with byes this week. That means quite a few fantasy managers will be seeking replacements. Hopefully you’re reading this article sitting at 5-0 or 4-1 and are in great shape. If you’re 2-3, or worse, then you’re creeping toward desperation mode, and each start/sit decision is increasingly important.
Matt Donnelly is the RotoBaller analyst who usually tackles this article. However, he's got the week off, and that leaves me with some big shoes to fill. Nonetheless, I’ll do my best to step up to the plate and deliver results for fantasy gamers in need. So let’s forgo the chit-chat and get down to business.
Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s dive into our quarterback starts and sits for Week 6.
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Week 6 - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Daniel Jones - QB, Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
Jones is coming off another meh game last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He did not turn the football over and threw for a season-high 267 passing yards but only completed 55% of his passes and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second consecutive game.
While that’s not good, he now has a home date against a Titans defense that’s had some issues defending the pass. Tennessee ranks 26th in PFF’s pass coverage grade and just allowed C.J. Stroud to throw for 261 yards and a touchdown while also allowing Stroud to score a touchdown on the ground, too.
This game looks like a good spot for Jones to have his best game of the year and throw multiple touchdowns for the first time all season. We could also see him finally start using his legs more often, too.
Consider the Colts QB1 a viable streaming option in single quarterback leagues and a solid QB2 play in superflex formats.
Kirk Cousins - QB, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills
Las Vegas has dropped two games in a row, and the bubble might be bursting after a surprise 3-0 start. Cousins has played well this year. Among 37 quarterbacks with 50+ dropbacks, Cousins is currently PFF’s 16th highest-graded passer. He also has a very strong 12-4 TD-INT ratio.
The Bills defense has had success rushing the passer, but it’s struggled against opposing quarterbacks. Buffalo ranks 19th in FTN Fantasy’s defensive passing DVOA and has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
Look for Cousins to continue his strong play this weekend. He’s a nice streamer in single quarterback leagues and a good QB2 play in two quarterback formats.
Brock Purdy - QB, San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Commanders
Despite having a tough matchup on paper in Week 5 against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Purdy still delivered a respectable outing. He only threw for 189 yards and tossed an interception, but he still managed to throw two touchdowns that salvaged his fantasy day.
Purdy has traditionally struggled against Mike Macdonald defenses, so it's no surprise that he didn’t have his best game. This weekend presents a much better matchup for Purdy.
The Commanders' defense has had all kinds of issues against opposing quarterbacks and just allowed Jameis Winston to throw for 326 yards and three touchdowns. After that game, Washington has now allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Washington previously allowed Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott to score 24.7 and 29.8 fantasy points earlier this year. So this looks like a good spot for Purdy to bounce back and return another QB1 finish. Start him in all leagues.
Week 6 - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Jacoby Brissett - QB, Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
Brissett is coming off a QB4 finish in Week 5 where he torched the Detroit Lions for 292 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Teagan Quitoriano's first catch since 2023 is a TD!
@DETvsAZ on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/8NvUzYDLxm— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
However, that was against a Lions defense that might be the worst in the league. This weekend presents a different beast. The Rams have allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game as well as the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
There is some potential for Brissett to score some garbage time points here. He is the garbage time king, but garbage time points are still subject to high variance. This looks like a major letdown spot for Brissett, and we could see Arizona’s offense really struggle.
Managers should send Brissett to the bench, and he is only a viable option in two quarterback formats.
Justin Herbert - QB, Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Herbert’s poor play continued last week against a Denver Broncos defense that was without its top two cornerbacks. Herbert threw for a season-low 121 passing yards and threw another embarrassing interception.
Brandon Jones in the right place at the right time 🗣️
@DENvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/iZZSY0BYw1— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
At this point, it seems pretty clear that his ability has been overrated, and he is not a good match with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. It’s all resulted in Herbert and the entire Chargers offense emerging as one of the biggest busts of the season.
Don’t expect things to suddenly turn around this weekend, as the Chiefs defense has been very stingy to quarterbacks so far in 2026. Kansas City has allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing signal-callers.
The Chiefs are listed as 8.5-point favorites in some books, and that might be generous as Los Angeles looks like one of the worst teams in the league. It’s been a frustrating year for gamers who invested in the Chargers offense, but there really isn’t much reason for optimism this weekend. With the Chargers' offensive line and pass catchers banged up, things will likely be difficult for Herbert once again.
Sit him in all formats.
Bo Nix - QB, Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks
Nix has had a tough start to the season as the Denver offense has struggled to gain traction. There have been moments where Nix has played fantastic, and then there are times when he still looks like a first-year player.
MANSOOR DELANE INT IN HIS FIRST NFL DRIVE
DENvsKC on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/glLLcfMVPm— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2026
You could make the argument that Denver’s offensive struggles have more to do with Nix’s play than they have with Denver’s play-callers Sean Payton and Davis Webb. Nix is turning down open receivers downfield. Instead of pulling the trigger, he is checking the ball down underneath, and seems a little too eager to scramble in hopes of creating off-script plays.
Nix had another poor outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. He only threw for 123 yards, one touchdown, and finished the week as the QB25.
With five games under our belt, it’s becoming very difficult for gamers to trust Nix in lineups. Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier in Week 6 as the Broncos draw a date with the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle has allowed the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL and ranks second in defensive passing DVOA. That’s resulted in them allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
Seattle also gets after the passer very well and has 14 sacks on the season, which is tied for the seventh most in the NFL. Denver currently ranks 22nd in PFF’s pass blocking grade. So that could mean Nix is under constant duress throughout this game, and it probably means we won’t see him take many downfield shots here either.
Nix should offer gamers a nice floor with his legs, but he hasn’t been using them much lately. The most rushing yards he's had in a game this year is 10. With his passing production likely limited in this game, there’s really no way you can justify starting him if he isn’t using his legs.
Leave Nix on the bench in favor of other options.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players -- Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Brock Purdy, Jacoby Brissett, Justin Herbert, Bo Nix. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 6.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 6 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 6 for Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Brock Purdy, Jacoby Brissett, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix.
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