Fantasy: 10 moves to make ahead of Week 6

Below, we'll highlight 10 moves to make ahead of Week 6, recommending who to start, sit, add, and drop, along with players to buy low or sell high in the trade market.

🤝 Buy: Players on byes

Trading for players on bye weeks is a strategy that should be deployed by strong teams and ones with winning records. If you're in that position, doing so can help you build a championship-caliber roster.

Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta are notable players sitting in Week 6. That's a ton of benched talent that you may be able to pry away from other managers for cheaper than usual, especially if they're panicking with a losing record.

Jefferson may be the easiest to buy low on since he's had a slow start relative to his draft position. However, something clicked for Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings' offense in Week 5 against the Saints. Kyler Murray had his best game of the season, and coming out of its bye, Minnesota plays the Colts, Lions, and Bills - three juicy matchups for opposing wide receivers.

It's worth checking in with managers who may be more concerned with Week 6 than the seasonlong picture.

👋 Sell: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin Harrison Jr.'s value won't get higher than it is now following his trade to the Texans. Historically, getting traded midseason has been bad news for a receiver's fantasy production, and Houston hasn't shown an ability to support two fantasy-relevant wideouts. Nico Collins is still the team's WR1, but you could probably sell another manager in your league on the idea that a change of scenery will be good for Harrison's production.

🛑 Sit: Jeremiyah Love

Editor's note: Sit suggestion was given before Love was ruled out.

The Cardinals drafted Harrison with the No. 4 pick in 2024, and he's already out the door. They now appear to be fumbling the start of Jeremiyah Love's career after selecting him third overall in April. Love has been battling ankle injuries this season, but after running for 91 yards in Week 3, he barely played in key moments the last two weeks despite appearing healthy.

Love stood on the sideline as Tyler Allgeier handled all of the work late in the fourth quarter against the Giants in Week 4, then he played only 24% of Arizona's offensive snaps in the second half of last week's blowout loss to the Lions.

Part of what made Cardinals players fantasy assets was their ability to score points in junk time. However, if Arizona is going to sit Love when it's trailing and allow him to split work with Allgeier in close games, the Notre Dame product can't be trusted in your starting lineup against the Rams.

🟢 Start: Kirk Cousins

Believe it or not, Kirk Cousins has scored the sixth-most fantasy points among quarterbacks this season. He may not even finish the season as the Raiders' starter, considering Fernando Mendoza is waiting in the wings, but he's a quarterback you can trust for now.

Cousins is averaging 20.71 points in dome games this year and now faces the Bills at home. Buffalo has given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs through five games, and its defense will have no answer for Brock Bowers. If Joe Burrow or Jared Goff is your usual starter, or you've been streaming quarterbacks all season, Cousins should be the gunslinger you turn to in Week 6.

🤝 Buy: DeVonta Smith

Rostering any Eagles player this season has been frustrating, to say the least. Philadelphia has looked incompetent on offense while encountering key injuries and Lane Johnson's surprise retirement. Jalen Hurts will miss at least Sunday's matchup against the Panthers with a blood clot, adding to the pile of things working against the Eagles' season. However, DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley could play in Week 6, which would inject some life into a team that desperately needs it.

Smith, who's missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, owned a 33.33% target share through the first three weeks, according to SumerSports. That mark ranks third in the NFL behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua. When Smith returns (even if it isn't this week), his usage isn't likely to decrease. The Eagles lack explosiveness as a group, and their deteriorating offensive line may force them to throw more. The Cowboys and Commanders await as Philadelphia's Week 7 and Week 8 opponents. Even with Tanner McKee at quarterback, if Smith suits up versus Carolina, he should put up WR1 numbers.

🟢 Start: Woody Marks

Woody Marks will be given the keys to the Texans' backfield in Week 6 with David Montgomery on the shelf due to a groin injury. Rarely does a clear backup instantly emerge when a starting running back goes down, but Dare Ogunbowale is the only other rusher on Houston's roster. That means Marks stands to carry the load versus the Jaguars in London.

With that said, Jacksonville has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, but a few blowout victories have skewed its numbers slightly. The Jaguars have faced the fewest rushes (83) as teams throw more to try to keep pace.

Marks is a capable pass-catcher, creating a safe floor output. He could easily earn 20 touches Sunday, which makes him a must-start.

👋 Sell: Michael Wilson

You'd think that Harrison's departure would increase Michael Wilson's value, but what if it goes the other way? Although Harrison wasn't productive as a Cardinal, he still played roughly 75% of the team's offensive snaps through four games and ran 142 routes. With Kendrick Bourne becoming Arizona's third receiving option, he'll almost certainly earn more targets than Harrison did, which takes away looks for Wilson.

The Cardinals may also switch to Carson Beck at some point this season. Beck could be a better quarterback than Jacoby Brissett in the future, but rookie growing pains will surely affect Wilson's production.

While Wilson's perceived value couldn't be higher now that the Cardinals moved on from Harrison, there's a chance that Wilson's best games this season are behind him.

🤝 Buy: Tony Pollard

Suggesting that managers buy a Titans running back feels a little gross, but hear me out: There's a decent chance Tony Pollard is traded within a few weeks, perhaps to a team such as the Seahawks. That would drastically change his value moving forward. The cost to acquire Pollard is extremely low right now, but the upside of trading for him is far greater than the value of any player you'd be forced to part with. If you have a running-back-needy roster, there's almost no downside to trading away the likes of Devaughn Vele and Xavier Worthy for Pollard.

❌ Drop: Jalen Hurts

While Smith is a good buy-low target, his situation doesn't make Jalen Hurts any more valuable. Hurts is on 96% of Yahoo rosters, but you can safely part ways with the once-dominant fantasy quarterback, especially now that he'll miss Week 6 at minimum due to a blood clot.

Although you'd think Hurts would be more inclined to run with his playmakers sidelined, that hasn't been the case. Hurts is only averaging 15.3 rushing yards over his last four outings, way below the career averages that made him a top-five fantasy QB.

🔒 Stash: Bye-week replacements

Getting ahead of your upcoming bye weeks is one of the best ways to secure a solid starting lineup when your top players are out. Perhaps there aren't any possible moves that positively impact your Week 6 lineup, but you can make a move now to lock in a Week 7 starter.

For example, Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels have byes in Week 7. If you have Allen and no backup, now's the time to be proactive and grab Kyler Murray, who's on bye in Week 6, instead of having to outspend Daniels' manager on the waiver wire next week.

This strategy can be applied to every position, but it works best for quarterbacks and tight ends since most managers don't carry backups at those positions all season.