Week 6 QB Start, Sit: Quarterback Fantasy Football Strategy

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Who to start and who to sit is largely dependent on matchups. Some weeks even the best quarterbacks will struggle, and spotting those poor matchups before they happen is what separates fantasy teams. I have looked at 10 quarterbacks and how well they should fare against their matchup in week 6. By looking at both statistics for the player and the opposing team defense, I am confident that this advice can secure you a victory this week. Here are my 5 quarterbacks I would start, and 5 I’d rather leave on my bench.

Start’em

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Opponent: Bengals
Baltimore’s young gun has cooled off since his blazing start. Jackson had an all around poor performance against Pittsburgh in week 5, throwing just one touchdown to go with 3 interceptions. Fortunately for Jackson and the Ravens, they receive a fantastic matchup against the winless Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens’ AFC North rival, is giving up 8.0 passing yards per attempt in their last 8 games, which ranks 3rd highest among all teams. On the other hand, Jackson is passing 7.6 yards per attempt in that same stretch, ranking him 4th best among all quarterbacks. Jackson is prime for a bounce back game, start him in week 6.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Opponent: Cardinals
Atlanta’s franchise quarterback is in line to have a big week 6. Ryan squares off against the Cardinals, who essentially rank very poorly in every defensive category. Currently this season, Arizona is 28th in points allowed, 24th in passing yards allowed, and 23rd in rushing yards allowed per game. Ryan has the ability and all the weapons to feast against the Cards. Matt Ryan is a surefire start in week 6.

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Opponent: Rams
Niners’ young quarterback has played well given all the criticism he received through the preseason. Garoppolo is leading the 2nd ranked offense in points per game in the league. He also has a 99.5 passer rating over his past 4 games. Jimmy G has an enticing matchup in week 6, the Rams are ranked just 26th in points allowed per game. Los Angeles’ also has an impressive offense, so this game has the potential to become a shootout. Jimmy Garoppolo is a start in week 6, and should become a reliable starter the rest of the year.

Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars

Opponent: Saints
The 6th round rookie quarterback is going to continue to turn heads in week 6. Minshew is coming off a decent game against a tough Carolina defense, he threw for nearly 400 yards but had 3 lost fumbles. Turnovers are expected with a young quarterback, but his ability to throw the ball is very promising. What’s an even better sign for Minshew and those who have him on their fantasy team, he is cashing in once he gets in the red zone. Minshew II has a 127.8 passer rating in the red zone this season, ranking him best among all quarterbacks. To make things even better, New Orleans is allowing quarterbacks a 99.8 passer rating in the red zone, ranking them 10th worst in that statistic. I expect a strong performance from Gardner Minshew II, I’d start him this week against the Saints.

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Opponent: Eagles
Minnesota’s quarterback was on the other side of this article just a week ago. Cousins’ has had a nightmare of a start to his 2019 campaign. Other than his poor play, his own receivers have openly criticized the underwhelming play. With all that said, Cousins got back on track last week against the Giants. While New York’s defense is nothing to brag about, Cousins showed a glimpse of his old self. Cousins’ threw for over 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and didn’t record a turnover. I believe this may be a sign of things to come, as he has a favorable matchup against the Eagles. Philadelphia ranks just 27th in passing yards allowed on the season. I’d look to start Cousins this weekend.

Sit’em

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

Opponent: Vikings
Philadelphia’s franchise quarterback has a tough matchup in week 6. The Minnesota Vikings have proven once again to be one of the elite defenses in the league. They rank 5th best in points allowed, as well as 6th best in passing yards allowed per game. Wentz is an uber talented quarterback with a nice set of weapons, but I’d be apprehensive to start any quarterback against Minnesota. I’d play it safe, leave Wentz on your bench.

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

Opponent: 49ers
L.A.’s young quarterback has had a shaky start to his 2019 campaign. Goff ranks 23rd in QB rating, and has as many touchdowns as he does interceptions. Goff’s poor play should continue against one of the best defenses in the league in week 6. San Francisco is the 4th best in points allowed per game, and the best defense in takeaways. With a quarterback who has had his struggles with turnovers, the Niners are primed to cause havoc against Goff. It’s just simply a bad matchup for L.A.’s franchise quarterback, it’s an easy decision to sit him for me.

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Opponent: Panthers
Jameis Winston is as inconsistent as they come. Tampa Bay’s quarterback ranks 20th in quarterback rating, and has a very unfavorable matchup against the Panthers. Carolina is stout against the pass, ranking 4th best in passing yards allowed per game on the season. I wouldn’t expect Winston to be the quarterback to crack the code on Carolina’s defense. In week 4, Deshaun Watson was only able to muster up 160 passing yards with 1 touchdown and 1 turnover. I think it’s fair to say Winston is best kept on your bench in week 6.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Opponent: Packers
Detroit’s veteran quarterback is ranked 10th best in quarterback rating this season. While he has had a solid start to his season, Stafford has a bad matchup this weekend. The Packers are the 8th best in points allowed per game, and 4th best in creating takeaways. I don’t believe Stafford will have a horrendous game, as he is a very capable quarterback and has shown to be this season as well. However, I wouldn’t expect anything eye-popping either. He should have an average performance against a good defense. If you have another quarterback with a more appealing matchup, I’d sit Stafford.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

Opponent: Seahawks
There are many reasons as to why Mayfield should be on your bench in week 6. To put it simply, he is just not performing well enough to warrant fantasy consideration right now. The Cleveland quarterback has double the interceptions than he has touchdowns, he has 8 interceptions to his 4 touchdowns. He is also ranked 31st in quarterback rating. For most of us who play fantasy football, we expected Mayfield to be among the best fantasy quarterbacks in the league. However, to this point he just hasn’t been that. We all will have to just wait and see before inserting Mayfield back in our lineups. Until then, keep him on your bench.