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Fantasy Football Week 6: Advanced Stats, Trends to Maximize Your Lineup

Fantasy Football
October 16, 2015

The fantasy football season is flying by, and with Week 6 already underway, it’s time to once again look at some of the advanced stats, metrics and trends you can use to maximize your lineup potential.

Player projections for the week’s top five options at each position will also be provided in this article.

Tom Brady is the top fantasy option at quarterback once again this week in a Deflategate revenge game against the Indianapolis Colts. The only question seems to be: Will Brady throw for more than 350 yards or more than over 450?

The New York Giants’ Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. also find themselves in the top five of their respective positions with a friendly matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on tap. What type of production can you expect from this dynamic combo?

Target hog DeAndre Hopkins is atop the wide receiver rankings for the first time this season, although he’ll need some love from his quarterback near the end zone if he wishes to actually finish on top. Find out how many touchdowns we expect Hopkins to score this week.

At the tight end position, Antonio Gates has earned a spot among the top five at the position despite the fact he has only played one game so far this season. Find out what to expect from Gates in his encore.

Let’s get to some of the stats, metrics and player projections that will help you dominate in Week 6.

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Fantasy Football Duds Ready to Bounce Back in Week 6

Fantasy Football
October 16, 2015

After three weeks of the fantasy season, I found myself telling everyone not to overreact to the early struggles of top draft picks. If you were patient with a player such as Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett, he rewarded you with two strong games in Weeks 4 and 5.

If you stuck with someone such as Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, the results didn’t improve, and you’re seriously thinking about cutting him or have already done so because you decided five weeks is too long to wait for a player you expected to carry your team.

With five weeks behind us, any thoughts of the preseason should be gone, and draft status no longer matters. Some of you may be rolling with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton over Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning without thinking about it twice. That probably sounded insane in early September, yet it is completely justified heading into Week 6.

I’ll be focusing on the players who’ve gotten off to slow starts but have likely remained on fantasy rosters because they’ve produced enough to justify keeping them, even if they haven’t lived up to high expectations.

When it comes to injuries, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has struggled to get into any kind of groove after sitting out the opener with a hamstring injury. Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy hurt his ankle in Week 2 and is going through a rough patch early on for the third straight year.

Others have frustrated for various reasons, some of which have nothing to do with them. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce came into the season with top-three potential at the position, but he’s not involved enough in the offense even though the Chiefs lack talent and depth in the receiving corps.

Patience has brought you to this spot in the season with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews still on your team. I’ll tell you why he and others belong in your starting lineups this week and going forward.

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Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, Benjamin Watson Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 15, 2015

The New Orleans Saints saved their season with a 31-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, thanks in large part to strong fantasy performances from their offensive skill players.

The Saints ranked seventh in total offense (387.4 yards per game) entering Week 6 but sit at 2-4 largely because of their lack of scoring. Their 22.3 points per game rank 18th.

The team’s scoring shortfalls have translated over to its distinctive fantasy playmakers—particularly Drew Brees, Mark Ingram and Benjamin Watson.

Brees remains a QB1 commodity but can’t be considered a must-start, as was the case in years past. He has lacked the lights-out numbers owners are accustomed to and missed the Saints’ Week 3 game after suffering a shoulder injury.

His performance against Atlanta—30-of-39 for 312 yards and a touchdown—was impressive but typical. Brees has enjoyed more success against the NFC South rival than any other team in his 16-year career.

Brees has thrown a career-best 6,098 yards and 37 touchdowns with a 67.7 completion percentage in 20 games against the Falcons, with 14 wins.

The Saints play two of the four worst pass defenses, the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts, in consecutive weeks, leaving Brees’ viability high. But keep an eye out for their Week 9 game against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the fewest passing yards to quarterbacks this year.

Running back Mark Ingram churned out just 46 yards against Atlanta but scored a pair of goal-line touchdowns to prove he’s a weekly must-start.

Despite his low yardage output, Ingram had 20 carries, while Khiry Robinson and C.J. Spiller combined for just 10—showing that Ingram is the Saints’ clear No. 1 option.

Ingram entered Week 6 as the 11th-ranked fantasy running back and has posted a reliable 11.6 points per game. However, owners should be wary of a looming matchup against a Giants defense that ranks fourth against the run.

Tight end Benjamin Watson ranked higher than Falcons superstar Julio Jones in almost every receiving category Thursday. He led all pass-catchers with 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Watson is owned in just 3.9 percent of fantasy leagues—but for warranted reason. Entering Week 6, he averaged just 3.2 points per game, had seen just 21 targets and took five weeks to score his first touchdown. Before Thursday, Watson hadn’t eclipsed 100 yards since Week 12 of the 2010 season.

While his performance against the Falcons was formidable, Watson remains a cautious start. Owners who are thin at tight end or looking for a reliable bench option with the array of oncoming bye weeks will find Watson to be useful.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 15, 2015

The Atlanta Falcons‘ top-10 running game was in action against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, and fantasy football owners have gotten somewhat unlikely results from the team’s backfield.

While rookie Tevin Coleman was out for two games after suffering a rib injury, Devonta Freeman went off for fantasy owners, recording 25 or more points in three consecutive weeks.

Let’s take a look at how both fared Thursday night.

Devonta Freeman

Atlanta didn’t run the ball much. Playing from behind for most of the game will do that, which probably infuriated fantasy owners who were looking to Freeman for a big week.

There were no indications that he would have a slow week, though, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out:

Yet he managed to put up some nice numbers on limited carries. He hit the 100-yard plateau on his 13th carry of the game. The touchdown machine again found his way into the end zone, as the NFL showed:

If the Falcons didn’t have to play from behind, Freeman would have had a bigger game. It’s unlikely that they’ll play from behind against the Tennessee Titans next week, which should allow Atlanta to play its normal game of smashmouth football—a style that suits Freeman perfectly.

Tevin Coleman

Coleman wasn’t playing much as it was, getting four carries on the night, but he didn’t see much of the ball at all after fumbling while the Falcons were driving to try to shrink their deficit.

That opened the door for Freeman, as NFL.com’s Michael Fabiano noted:

With the way Freeman has been playing over the past few weeks, carries will likely be sparse for the rookie.

Fantasy owners should stay away from Coleman until the Falcons start increasing his touches. There is no use in starting a running back who has to work his way back into his team’s favor.

Stats and fantasy points courtesy of ESPN.com.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Roddy White Post-Week 6 Fantasy Advice

Fantasy Football
October 15, 2015

The Atlanta Falcons offense didn’t assume particularly explosive form against the New Orleans Saints, but quarterback Matt Ryan and his primary receivers connected for some solid gains to keep the chains moving.

Here’s a look at how the fantasy stocks of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White shifted as a result of Thursday’s performances.

Matt Ryan

Ryan fumbled a couple of times in the first half as the Falcons were building momentum and mounting what appeared to be solid scoring drives, so it’s crucial to understand his numbers could have been off the charts had it not been for those lapses.

But despite the giveaways, the volume was there. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan drew up repeated play-action rollouts to get Ryan in space, and he completed 20 of his first 26 passes thanks to that strategy.

Ryan tossed only one touchdown during that span, but the team moved the ball through the air at encouraging rates that should keep his stock steady entering Week 7. Consider Ryan a top-10 quarterback with room for improvement as the Falcons prepare for the Tennessee Titans.

Julio Jones

Ryan targeted Jones early and often as the Saints played a soft zone that allowed Jones to run deep routes and sit down in coverage for easy catches. His first four catches went for 73 yards, including a 30-yard reception in the first half.

While his hamstring was a concern entering the evening, Jones wasn’t on any sort of snap count, as Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke noted following the first half:

After Jones caught just five passes for 67 yards in Week 5 against the Washington Redskins, Thursday’s performance was reassuring for owners who may have been stressing a bit.

Jones should remain locked in as a WR1 for the remainder of the season as he continues on a pace that could see him finish as fantasy’s most prolific pass-catcher.

Roddy White

He’s alive.

White entered the evening with eight catches for 115 yards in his first five games, including consecutive performances without a reception in Weeks 2 and 3.

Although White didn’t put together a particularly impressive game from a statistical standpoint, he did score for the first time this season, courtesy of a seven-yard touchdown pass from Ryan in the second quarter.

White’s now been targeted at least four times in three straight games. That may not feel like much, but it’s a positive step forward for a receiver who appeared to be lost in the Falcons’ offensive shuffle.

He’s not worth starting, but fantasy owners should roster White as a bench flier in deeper leagues.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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