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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
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Michael Fabiano

Week 6: Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: Quarterbacks

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2023 NFL season.

Fabs’ Top 10 Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes vs. Broncos (Thur.)
2. Josh Allen vs. Giants
3. Jalen Hurts at Jets
4. Lamar Jackson at Titans (London)
5. Justin Fields vs. Vikings
6. Tua Tagovailoa vs. Panthers
7. Justin Herbert vs. Cowboys
8. Kirk Cousins at Bears
9. Trevor Lawrence vs. Colts
10. Joe Burrow vs. Seahawks

Complete Week 6 quarterback rankings

Week 6 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Byes: Packers, Steelers

Week 6 Start ’Em: Quarterbacks

Start of the Week

Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports

Justin Fields vs. Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Fields has broken out of his statistical slide, scoring a combined 61 fantasy points in his last two games (he had 39.8 points in his first three games). He should continue to roll at Soldier Field against the Vikings, who have allowed 19-plus points to three quarterbacks including two who have had more than 25 points. Fields has top-three upside this week.

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Start ’Em

Kirk Cousins at Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Cousins has been a consistent option for fantasy managers, scoring 19-plus points in three of his last four games. He should remain in our good graces against the Bears, who have allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks on pass plays alone. What’s more, four different opposing signal-callers have beaten Chicago’s defense for 20-plus points in 2023.

Joe Burrow vs. Seahawks (1 p.m. ET, CBS): He’s back! After averaging a mere 7.9 fantasy points in his first four games, Burrow woke up with three touchdowns and 23.4 fantasy points in a win over the Cardinals. He looked good despite the calf injury, and the performance makes it a lot easier to start him against Seattle. Their defense has allowed 22-plus points to two quarterbacks since Week 2.

Tua Tagovailoa vs. Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Tagovailoa hasn’t put up big totals in recent weeks, scoring 16.9 or fewer points in three of his last four games. Still, he’ll be a top-10 option at the position when the Dolphins host the Panthers. Their defense has been good against quarterbacks overall, but it just allowed 27.4 points to Jared Goff playing without Amon-Ra St, Brown or Jahmyr Gibbs.

Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Stafford hasn’t been great in the stat sheets, but he seems to be good for a 14- to 16-point floor on a weekly basis. He has a nice matchup against the Cardinals, who have allowed 21-plus points to three quarterbacks including Daniel Jones and Burrow last week. In all, Arizona has allowed the fourth-most points to field generals based on passes alone.

More Starts

Trevor Lawrence vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Dak Prescott at Chargers (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Patriots (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)

DFS Bargains (DraftKings)

Joe Burrow vs. Seahawks ($6,300)
Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals ($6,100)
Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Patriots ($5,300)


Week 6 Sit ’Em: Quarterbacks

Sit of the Week

Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports

Deshaun Watson vs. 49ers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Watson has been mostly productive this season, scoring 20-plus points in two of his first three games before missing Week 4 with a bum shoulder. Should he return this week, the matchup is brutally bad against maybe the best defense in football. The 49ers have surrendered 14-plus fantasy points to just one quarterback in their first five contests of 2023.

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Sit ’Em

Jared Goff at Buccaneers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Goff is coming off a huge game at home, throwing for three touchdowns in a win over the Panthers. That was at Ford Field, though. He’s been far less productive on the road, scoring 15 or more points just once in his last 10 roadies dating back to last season. In those games, Goff has just eight touchdown passes and has averaged an awful 11.7 points.

Geno Smith at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Smith has struggled to put up good fantasy totals, scoring 16 or more fantasy points just once in his first four games. That trend is likely to continue, as he’ll face a Bengals defense that’s been tough on quarterbacks at home. In fact, Cincinnati has surrendered an average of just 14 points to visiting field generals in their last 12 games on their home field.

Daniel Jones at Bills (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Jones has had an awful start to this season, scoring fewer than nine points in all but one of his first five games. That includes a Week 5 matchup in Miami where he scored just 7.2 points before being pulled with an injured neck. Assuming he’s back this week, Jones should be on fantasy benches (or maybe the waiver wire) against a tough Bills defense.

Derek Carr at Texans (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Carr had his best game of the season in Week 5, and he scored just 15.7 fantasy points in a win over the Patriots. He has now averaged 9.7 points in his first five games with the Saints, and an upcoming matchup in Houston will present a problem. Their defense has allowed fewer than 10 points per game to quarterbacks based on passes alone this season.

More Sits

Mac Jones at Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
C.J. Stroud vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
Ryan Tannehill vs. Ravens (London, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)

DFS Fades (DraftKings)


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