Through five weeks, our Position vs. Fantasy Defensive Points Allowed tool is solidifying as a tool to help you find good matchups. It'll get stronger as the season progresses, as we'll have less reason to say things like, "But they played against Peyton Manning last week â of course their numbers are horrible!"
As always, please remember that the players listed are mostly meant to be borderline guys, who need reasons for you to play or bench them. You won't see recommendations to start Julio Jones and LeSean McCoy, because you should always start Jones and McCoy. Make sense? Good.
(Yes, I said McCoy. Stop overreacting to his slow start.)
Note: The fantasy points per game (FPPG) referenced below are from FOXSports.com standard leagues.
Week 6 Byes: Chiefs, Saints
Thursday game: Colts at Texans
Quarterbacks
Stay away: Cam Newton, Panthers (vs. Bengals)
The Bengal defense ranks second against opposing quarterbacks (15.9 FPPG) even after getting carved up by the Patriots in Week 5. This Sunday, a pocket-centric Newton comes to town, and while the Panthers' QB has been passing better this season, it's not like he's racking up the kinds of yardage that Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck are. Since we can't expect Newton to run, his fantasy outlook against this defense isn't good. Bench him.
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Colin Kaepernick visits St. Louis to face a defense that ranks 18th against opposing fantasy QBs (18.5 FPPG), but first in real-life pass defense. The Rams have given up a couple of rushing TDs to quarterbacks, and those can be fluky, so they're probably better than the ranking suggests. Kaepernick is 13th on my QB board this week.
Play, play, play: Carson Palmer, Cardinals (vs. Redskins)
If Palmer's shoulder is healthy enough for a return, he's got a great matchup against the Redskins' bottom-ranked fantasy defense (27.8 FPPG to opposing QBs). If Palmer isn't healthy but Drew Stanton (concussion) is, then Stanton becomes a sneaky sleeper due to this matchup. If both Palmer and Stanton can't play ... I might have to draw the line at starting rookie Logan Thomas, but would consider him in two-QB leagues.
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Eli Manning is on a roll, and visits Philly for a Sunday night matchup with the 31st-ranked fantasy defense (27.3 FPPG to opposing QBs). This game could feature a LOT of points. Start Eli if you've got him.
Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers visit a Cleveland defense that ranks 27th with 22.7 FPPG allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Roethlisberger lit up the Browns for 365 yards through the air in Week 1, and looks to be in position for another nice game. He's a top-10 QB play this week.
Running Backs
Stay away: Stevan Ridley, Patriots (@ Bills)
Ridley was in this space last week, and he responded to the slight by running 27 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. You win some, you lose some â right?
The same issue â inconsistency â still applies to Ridley, whose game-by-game rushing totals are 21-101-54-28-113. Avoid him against a Bills' defense that ranks fourth against opposing running backs (11.6 FPPG).
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Once again, the 49ers' D has been dominating opposing RBs, allowing a league-low 10.4 FPPG so far. Zac Stacy is usually a solid, dependable back, but he's been averaging 56 rushing yards per game so far, and his Monday night matchup isn't a friendly one.
Play, play, play: Storm Johnson, Jaguars (@ Titans)
Every time a Jaguars' coach talks, it sounds more like rookie Storm Johnson will lead the team's backfield efforts this week. They're tired of Toby Gerhart's low production (Gerhart also sprained his foot last week), don't like Jordan Todman all that much, and see Denard Robinson as a change-of-pace type.
The Jags visit a Titans' 19th-ranked fantasy defense (21.6 FPPG to opposing RBs) that just gave up 124 yards to Ben Tate. If you missed out on the Andre Williams/Branden Oliver/Ronnie Hillman free-agent stampede, Johnson might be a sneaky, productive play. There's some risk involved in starting such an unknown commodity - especially when he's running behind a bad O-line - but I'm planning to flex Johnson in one league, and am considering him in a second. He's RB32 on my board, and is available in more than 99 percent of FOXSports.com leagues.
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Word out of Miami is that Knowshon Moreno will be ready to go on Sunday after missing a few games with an elbow injury. It's hard to know what share of the workload Moreno will get, but against a Packer D that ranks 24th with 22.3 FPPG allowed to opposing running backs, both Moreno and Lamar Miller are startable for fantasy owners.
Speaking of Oliver, Donald Brown (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday for the Chargers. Oliver might again be the last Charger runner standing, and he has a matchup with the Raiders' horrible, 29th-ranked fantasy defense (23.3 FPPG vs. opposing RBs). Plan to ride this little guy if you own him.
Wide Receivers
Stay away: Sammy Watkins, Bills (vs. Patriots)
Welcome to Revis Island, Sammy! This tropical location isn't as nasty as it used to be â and it's not tropical, being in New England and all â but it features a Patriots' defense that leads the league with just 14.6 FPPG allowed to opposing wide receivers. Stay away from the Bills' rookie this week.
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Andre Johnson and the Texans host a Colts' defense that ranks third with 15.3 FPPG allowed to opposing wideouts. Johnson is also questionable due to an ankle injury, and has seen teammate DeAndre Hopkins get a healthy number of targets. Plan to bench Johnson tonight.
Play, play, play: Rueben Randle (@ Eagles)
The Eagles are at the bottom of the league with 29.9 FPPG allowed to opposing wide receivers, and Randle stock is up after catching 19 passes over his last three games. Did you know that Randle has more targets than Victor Cruz so far? View Randle as a top-25 WR play this week, and start him if you have him.
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DeSean Jackson is coming off a huge game (five receptions, 157 yards, TD) against the Seahawks, and visits a Cardinals' defense that ranks 31st with 29.3 FPPG allowed to opposing wide receivers. The Cardinals' numbers aren't completely skewed by Demaryius Thomas' Week 5 breakout, either â they got worked over by Stevie Johnson and Michael Crabtree in Week 3 as well. The inconsistent Jackson is a flexy type for Week 6.
Is this the week Torrey Smith breaks out? OK, maybe we're beyond counting on that, but he's got a matchup with a Bucs' defense that ranks 30th with 27.7 FPPG allowed to opposing wide receivers, and he did see eight targets in Week 5. Owners that are without Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson this week can consider Smith as a fill-in.
Tight Ends
Stay away: Zach Ertz, Eagles (vs. Giants)
The Giants haven't exactly battled a bunch of All-Pro tight ends so far, but they're giving up almost nothing to the position â 3.2 receptions, 44.6 yards and 4.5 fantasy points per game. The highly-touted Ertz has been disappointing so far, totaling 16 catches for 259 yards and not seeing more than six targets in any game. If you own Ertz, he's probably a matchup play for you. This matchup isn't a particularly good one.
Play, play, play: Owen Daniels, Ravens (@ Buccaneers)
The Bucs rank 24th with 10.1 FPPG allowed to opposing tight ends, and have given up a whopping 7.8 receptions per game to the position. Daniels has been busy in the two games since Dennis Pitta got hurt, seeing 13 targets for nine catches and 113 yards. Got Jimmy Graham or Travis Kelce on a bye? See if you can grab Daniels, who is owned in just 41.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues.
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The Seahawks' defense ranks 29th against opposing tight ends, with 12.2 FPPG allowed? I guess when you won't throw at one of the corners, you need to throw underneath sometimes. Allowing three TDs to Antonio Gates in Week 2 didn't help the Seahawks' numbers, but Jason Witten still looks like a decent play in Seattle this week.
