Fantasy: Start, Sit, Stash, Quit - Week 6

SSSQ is a weekly look at under-the-radar fantasy players to consider starting and potential busts you should leave on your bench. We also identify breakout candidates to stash on your roster and players you can safely cut.

For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult our Week 6 rankings. You can also listen to the Week 6 preview episode of theScore Fantasy Football Podcast.

Start

Matthew Stafford, Lions

at Jaguars

Stafford isn't just a good option this week; he'll likely be a start more often than not over the next two months as the Lions face the Jaguars, Falcons, Vikings, Washington, Panthers, and Texans in six of their next seven games. That lineup is why we identified members of Detroit's offense as buy-low candidates on this week's podcast episode.

Remember, Stafford threw 19 touchdowns in his first eight games last season and was averaging the sixth-most fantasy points at his position before going down with an injury.

With Kenny Golladay now fully healthy, Detroit's offense should return to form as the Lions come off their bye. That begins with an easy matchup against a Jaguars defense that ranks 32nd in Football Outsiders' pass defense DVOA and has allowed 10 passing touchdowns over its last four outings.

Stafford can confidently be started as a top-10 fantasy QB this week.

Boone's projection: 281 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 14 rushing yards

Other QBs to start

• Andy Dalton vs. Cardinals
• Kirk Cousins vs. Falcons
• Ryan Tannehill vs. Texans

David Montgomery, Bears

at Panthers

Tarik Cohen's season-ending injury has opened the door for Montgomery to become a workhorse back for the Bears.

Montgomery's playing time has jumped to over 80% of Chicago's offensive snaps in each of the last two weeks since the team lost Cohen; he only saw the field around 50% of the time in the Bears' first three games.

He's also been targeted 14 times across his team's two most recent contests - a sign the Bears are willing to trust him with that passing-down role.

For those looking to argue that Montgomery's rushing lines in those games were disappointing, remember the Colts and Buccaneers are among the league's top run defenses.

The same can't be said of the Panthers, who are permitting the second-most fantasy points to ball carriers and gave up 150 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown to Todd Gurley a week ago.

Montgomery is normally viewed as an RB2, but in a favorable matchup with a new workload, he can be started as an RB1 in Week 6.

Boone's projection: 89 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Other RBs to start

• Alexander Mattison vs. Falcons
• Myles Gaskin vs. Jets
• Antonio Gibson at Giants

Jamison Crowder, Jets

at Dolphins

Amid all their well-deserved negative press following the departure of Le'Veon Bell, let's give the Jets some rare fantasy praise for the way they've used Crowder this season.

The veteran slot receiver has been the lone bright spot for New York's offense, posting stat lines of 7-115-1, 7-104-0, and 8-116-1 in his three appearances. He's also seen at least 10 targets in every contest, and there's no reason for that to stop even when Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims return to the lineup.

Crowder is a target hog on a bad team that will be trailing every week. If the Jets are nine-point underdogs against the 2-3 Dolphins, imagine the spreads for their upcoming games against the Bills, Chiefs, and Patriots.

Though the Jets' roster has mostly become a fantasy wasteland, Crowder should produce numbers similar to those he posted in his last visit to Miami (8-83-1), making him a WR2 for this week.

Boone's projection: 92 receiving yards, TD

Other WRs to start

• Will Fuller at Titans
• Chase Claypool vs. Browns
• Mecole Hardman at Bills

Jonnu Smith, Titans

at Texans

Smith is in the midst of a breakout campaign, averaging the second-most fantasy points among tight ends behind only George Kittle.

The budding star is also tied for sixth at his position in average targets per game and has reached the end zone five times in four outings.

Consider him a matchup-proof TE1 who will follow in the footsteps of Travis Kelce (6-50-1) and Eric Ebron (5-52-1) and put up a solid stat line against the Texans' middle-of-the-road defense.

Boone's projection: 63 receiving yards, TD

Other TEs to start

• T.J. Hockenson at Jaguars
• Mike Gesicki vs. Jets
• Eric Ebron vs. Browns

Sit

Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers

vs. Bears

Bridgewater has performed well as the Panthers' starting quarterback, but he's been particularly productive in softer matchups the last two weeks.

Sadly, that easy stretch comes to an end against a Bears defense allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2020. Chicago hasn't given up more than one touchdown pass in any game this season and has held every opposing QB under 300 yards.

Treat Bridgewater as a low-end QB2 in Week 6, but know better days are coming with the Saints and Falcons on deck.

Boone's projection: 245 passing yards, TD, INT

Other QBs to sit

• Joe Burrow at Colts
• Carson Wentz vs. Ravens
• Baker Mayfield at Steelers

Darrell Henderson, Rams

at 49ers

This sit recommendation extends to Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown. The entire Rams backfield is a wait-and-see fantasy situation after Akers returned to the lineup last week and turned this into a three-way committee.

Henderson played 29 snaps against Washington. Brown saw 26, Akers got 13, and all three got at least nine touches.

Though Henderson scored two touchdowns, he was the least efficient of the group, turning 15 rushing attempts into just 38 yards. Akers, meanwhile, gained 61 yards on his nine carries thanks to a couple of nice runs, prompting head coach Sean McVay to say the rookie's workload will increase moving forward.

Any one of these guys can catch fire and have a big game, but it's a significant risk to start any of them this week as they split time against a stout 49ers run defense.

Boone's projection: 36 rushing yards, 5 receiving yards

Other RBs to sit

• Melvin Gordon at Patriots
• Kenyan Drake at Cowboys
• Mark Ingram at Eagles

Julian Edelman, Patriots

vs. Broncos

Avoiding Edelman this week has less to do with matchup than with game script. After all, the Broncos just let another slot receiver, Crowder, break the century mark against them in their last outing.

But the Jets were trailing in that game - something the Patriots aren't likely to do as 9.5-point favorites at home. So don't expect Edelman to rack up catches the way he did in a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks.

That turned out to be Edelman's lone quality fantasy performance so far this year. His other three stat lines are 5-57-0, 2-23-0, and, most recently, 3-35-0. That leaves us to wonder whether the 34-year-old will be a less consistent fantasy asset in this new iteration of New England's offense.

Cam Newton's return should help the Patriots as a whole, but Edelman is likely to have another quiet day as the team conserves him for more pass-heavy game plans.

Boone's projection: 47 receiving yards

Other WRs to sit

• T.Y. Hilton vs. Bengals
• Brandon Aiyuk/Deebo Samuel vs. Rams
• Jerry Jeudy at Patriots

Tyler Higbee, Rams

at 49ers

Don't let Gerald Everett's 90-yard game in Week 5 scare you off Higbee. Everett isn't running many routes, so his big day was something of an outlier unless the team decides to increase his usage.

Still, the reason to be looking for better options than Higbee this week is the fact the Rams starter isn't seeing enough volume of his own. He's been held to five targets or fewer in every appearance and 40 yards or under in all but one outing.

Unfortunately, that five-catch, 54-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 2 wasn't a sign of things to come. The Rams have successfully limited Jared Goff's pass attempts, which has capped the upside of all his receiving weapons.

With Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp soaking up most of the targets, Higbee has become a touchdown-dependent fantasy option. In Week 6, he'll face a 49ers unit that hasn't allowed a tight end to reach the end zone or top 35 yards this season.

Boone's projection: 29 receiving yards

Other TEs to sit

• Austin Hooper at Steelers
• Jimmy Graham at Panthers
• Rob Gronkowski vs. Packers

Stash

La'Mical Perine, Jets

Bell's release means desperate fantasy managers can look to the Jets' backfield for lottery tickets - just don't expect the gamble to pay off with a league-winner. Veteran Frank Gore isn't worth rostering, but fourth-round rookie Perine (11% rostered) is intriguing. He's a straight-line runner and capable pass-catcher who makes the most of his slightly above-average skills. If someone's going to emerge on New York's running back depth chart - and that's a big if - it's Perine.

Rashaad Penny, Seahawks

This stash will require a few weeks of waiting to see if Penny (4% rostered) can return from the reserve/PUP list completely healthy. There are no guarantees the former first-rounder will be fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in December. Still, forward-thinking managers should toss him on the bench or into an empty injured reserve slot in case Chris Carson suffers an injury of his own in the coming weeks. Penny was flashing big-play ability before getting hurt late last season.

Quit

Nyheim Hines, Colts

The hope that Hines (47% rostered) would become an Austin Ekeler-type weapon for Philip Rivers never came to fruition. Hines hasn't found the end zone since his two-touchdown performance in the opener and has played just a third of his team's snaps in the process. Even those looking for a bye-week replacement can likely find someone with more upside.

Tre'Quan Smith, Saints

The impending return of Michael Thomas after the Saints' Week 6 bye will force Smith back into the inconsistent complementary receiver role he's occupied over his last couple of seasons in New Orleans. Some were likely able to take advantage of his brief surge with Thomas out of the lineup, but it will be very difficult to predict when Smith might have a big game moving forward.