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Week 6 Fantasy Football Power Rankings: Tom Brady ready for Colts

Michael Salfino

Let’s put a fantasy spin on this week’s action by ranking the games in expected order of point-producing relevance using the over/under totals from Las Vegas, specifically as reflected on Wednesday at VegasInsider.com.

Note: Dollar values in parentheses denote a player's current week price in the Yahoo Daily Fantasy game. It is displayed for point of reference.

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The Big Three

Patriots at Colts, Sunday, 8:30, O/U 55: Vegas seems confident that Andrew Luck ($39) will play. How he will play is another matter. Last week, Donte Moncrief ($21) owners were really hurt by the Colts devising an Andre Johnson-revenge game script. But will Indy see this as a validation and now look to give Johnson ($14), who is in full decline, starter snaps at Moncrief’s expense? The Patriots have preferred to run the ball down Indy’s throat in the past but you have to think that Tom Brady ($46) is going to want revenge given the residue of deflate-gate. Dion Lewis ($29) is a weekly play no matter what. The question is whether you put LeGarrette Blount ($19) in your lineups.

Chargers at Packers, Sunday, 4:25, O/U 50.5: The Packers offense has been lumbering now for a couple of weeks as they really are striving for balance that is not likely to happen given that Eddie Lacy ($28) is simply not good enough. Sure, he’s a guy we have to roster because the running environment in Green Bay is so good given the frequency with which Aaron Rodgers ($43) puts his team on the doorstep of the end zone. But consider how poorly Lacy has leveraged this, and the favorable run fronts, to date and then remember how bad he was early last season, too. While Melvin Gordon ($18) is a good player, he is not a good fit for what the Chargers do. They refuse to deploy him in a conventional running game and instead often are running out of slow-developing shotgun formations. Defenses know he’s getting the ball in that case since he’s in the game and not Danny Woodhead.

Giants at Eagles, Monday, 8:30, O/U 50: Seems like the wrong team is the favorite here unless you are buying the Eagles offensive resurgence and not laying that at the feet of the putrid Saints defense. Drinking game: When DeMarco Murray ($27) crosses the center on one of those shotgun runs, drink. He does it every time. So you will be sloshed midway through the first quarter. Ryan Mathews ($14) again last week proved he’s the better fit for this team but Chip Kelly does not care since he’s more interested in validating himself as a GM. That’s the other problem with a coach getting too much power: he won’t play his best players and defy his front office because in doing so he’s defying himself. Vegas is telling us to play everyone but Eli Manning’s starting receivers, including Odell Beckham Jr. ($34), are hurting and may not even play. 

[Week 6 rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver | Flex | All Positions]

Best of the Rest

Cardinals at Steelers, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 44.5: I love how football Twitter came to Michael Vick’s defense on that last drive after fantasy Twitter rightfully buried him. I’ll say this about Vick ($24): he’s a shutdown QB. It’s Vick Island for Antonio Brown ($35). I know there’s talk about Ben Roethlisberger ($35) coming back but that’s not happening in a non-conference game like this. The Cardinals are a really low-volume offense of late. I am almost ashamed to say that Chris Johnson ($21) is the only running back you can confidently start in this committee.

Chiefs at Vikings, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 44: Remember that Charcandrick West ($10) is slated to get most of the volume in the KC running game now, but probably not much goal-line action when the team occasionally ventures there. Will the running back fallout help Travis Kelce ($23)? I think so. Avoid the Vikings passing game, even in this seemingly juicy matchup.

Ravens at 49ers, Sunday, 4:25, O/U 44: Another Super Bowl rematch and, boy, these two teams seem like they are 10 years aways from that game that capped the season just three years ago. Don’t expect Justin Forsett ($25) to go. The Ravens pass defense is a total joke but playing Colin Kaepernick ($26) seems like such a reach. The data says to avoid streaming players and especially quarterbacks based on matchups. Harvard’s Kurt Ballard has great research on this. Basically, you get a significant boost based on opponent only when you are a good quarterback. This is a revenge game for the 49ers wideouts, who wish they were back in Baltimore, I’m sure. Play Anquan Boldin ($15).

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Dolphins at Titans, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 43.5: The Titans have a lousy pass defense if you still believe in former fantasy-darling Ryan Tannehill ($30). How can you ever bet on a QB who wasn’t ALWAYS a quarterback? Will the two rookie wideouts in this game, Dorial Green-Beckham ($13) and DeVante Parker ($10), emerge as fantasy forces going forward? Parker off the bye will answer that question quickly for us.

Bears at Lions, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 43: Which of these teams hate their salary-cap-draining QB more? That’s impossible for me to answer. I think it’s a push. Alshon Jeffery ($28) has crushed owners with his hamstring and calf issues. Jeffery is a destroyer of seasons but it’s a slow, painful death.

Texans at Jaguars, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 43: This could be a sneaky matchup for receivers in this game. Allen Hurns ($21) is an every-week starter now. But will Chad Henne ($20) be the Jacksonville QB with Blake Bortles ($28) hurting? I think DeAndre Hopkins is helped by Brian Hoyer though, as I said in the summer, Hopkins is too big to fail (targets) either way.

Bengals at Bills, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 42.5: Buffalo is playing coy with Tyrod Taylor’s status but you can’t play a running quarterback with a sprained knee, obviously. Is Andy Dalton ($35) a hot quarterback or just a good quarterback, period. This has been quite a sustained run of success to start the season. But this is another big test is coming. Jeremy Hill ($21) must score touchdowns to be productive given rapidly declining snap counts.

The Rest

Broncos at Browns, Sunday, 1:00 O/U 42: This has got to be the lowest, non-weather related over-under in a Peyton Manning ($34) game since 2000. Is he done? He’s been a poor-man’s Ryan Fitzpatrick for the past 11 games, which is quite a sample. The Josh McCown Circus ($29) is closed this weekend. 

Panthers at Seahawks, Sunday, 4:05, O/U 41: The Panthers defense is a sneaky play with Russell Wilson ($33) on pace to be sacked 70 times and prone to fumbling. Plus Seattle’s special teams are suddenly terrible, an indicator that they are no longer deep. 

Redskins at Jets, Sunday, 1:00, O/U 40.5: The Jets’ defense gets its best player last year back now, in Pro Bowler Sheldon Richardson. The offense is underrated though, with three guys, Chris Ivory ($26), Eric Decker ($24) and Brandon Marshall ($27), all top plays. How many teams have a running back and two wideouts who are automatic starts?