Faux Football Preview - Week 6
Chew previews Week 6 in the NFL with some redraft and dynasty fantasy advice.
Week 5 hopefully ended in a win for you, and (hopefully) you are poised for another in Week 6. There were surprise boom weeks from C.J. Stroud, Rico Dowdle, Kendrick Bourne, and A.J. Barner; however, there were duds from Geno Smith, Woody Marks, Jameson Williams, and Zach Ertz. Let’s look ahead to a healthy, fantasy-point-filled Week 6.
Check out last week’s preview here to see how things shook out. As a reminder, both redraft and dynasty are considered in this weekly roundup, so without further ado, let’s get to it.
DYNASTY BUY/SELL
Once the NFL season starts, the dynasty mindset can take a backseat to the redraft mindset. Each week, I will highlight two players to buy and two players to sell in dynasty, providing examples for each. As always, the trades are taken from the dynasty-daddy.com trade database.
Buy #1 - JAXSON DART
I was high on Dart coming out of Ole Miss, relative to what was a fairly underwhelming rookie quarterback class. The passing attack will likely progress as Dart becomes more comfortable in the NFL, but his rushing upside is also apparent. The Giants are utilizing his legs with 17 rushing attempts and 100+ yards over Darts’ first two starts. The New York football Giants have found their franchise quarterback in Dart, so buy him now before Malik Nabers is back next season and the offense is full steam ahead.
Trade #1: Jaxson Dart ←→ ‘26 1st + ‘26 3rd
Trade #2: Jaxson Dart ←→ D.J. Moore & Cam Ward
Sell #1 - JAMESON WILLIAMS
There were big expectations for Jameson Williams coming into 2025, and thus far, the offense has been funneled elsewhere. The post-Ben Johnson era of the Lions’ offense seems to be doing well, but where does Jamo fit? 2024 was a career year for Williams, but his target share has not been the same, and when the touchdowns aren’t there, the fantasy points are sparse. This is not the downfall of Jameson Williams’ career, but the usage is concerning, and I am willing to trade him in dynasty to someone who thinks the tides will change sooner rather than later.
Trade #1: Jameson Williams ←→ D’Andre Swift + ‘26 2nd
Trade #2: Jameson Williams + ‘26 1st ←→ Emeka Egbuka
Buy #2 - DILLON GABRIEL
It wasn’t game-breaking, but it was his first start in London against a Brian Flores-led defense, where Dillon Gabriel threw for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. From a fantasy perspective, that may seem just so-so, but a top-20 finish and a trade of Joe Flacco are indicative of the Browns’ belief in their current quarterback room. Gabriel showed an ability to lead an offense with a couple of playmakers, and that should at least earn him the starting job until the Week 9 bye. Get Gabriel now and see how things shake out because he could very well be the starter come 2026.
Trade #1: Dillon Gabriel ←→ ‘27 2nd
Trade #2: Dillon Gabriel ←→ Geno Smith + ‘26 3rd
Sell #2 - RHAMONDRE STEVENSON
He fumbles, but it doesn’t matter, does it? Well, despite Mike Vrabel’s patience and the injury to Antonio Gibson, I think that the trust in Stevenson may be wearing thin. The Patriots have got a squad, and they showed that after beating the Bills in a hard-fought Week 5 game. There is no other power element in the backfield, so Stevenson’s role is safe for the foreseeable future, but I anticipate TreVeyon Henderson’s role will increase as he earns the coaching staff’s trust.
Trade #1: Rhamondre Stevenson ←→ Mason Taylor + Tyler Allgeier
Trade #2: Rhamondre Stevenson ←→ ‘26 2nd
HANDCUFF HEIRARCHY
The running back position can be one of frustration in fantasy as we scour the bench and waiver wire to fill in when injuries and bye weeks strike. But since we are just now getting started with the NFL season, here is a look at the various tiers for all 32 backup running backs. As the season progresses, we will see players rise and fall amongst the tiers, so stay tuned!
*This list only includes each team’s RB-2; thus, if the RB-1 is injured, then the RB-3 will take the place of the RB-2 on this list.
STANDALONE VALUE
These players have flex appeal even with the RB-1 being healthy in Week 6.
There is apparently no amount of fumbles that make a Patriots’ running back lose touches; however, with Antonio Gibson out for the season with a torn ACL, look for TreVeyon Henderson’s role to increase.
Emari Demercado may be in the doghouse in Arizona, but I will keep him here for the time being. Look for Michael Carter to handle most of the work, though.
Zach Charbonnet and David Montgomery continue to be 1B options where they can easily outscore their respective backfield counterparts in any given week.
Blake Corum, R.J. Harvey, Tyler Allgeier, and Kenneth Gainwell all fill in as support for their backfield leaders.
SPOT STARTER
The initial RB-1 is injured, and everyone moves up the depth chart, or the player has a specialized role.
Some of these guys are simply not going to usurp their backfield leaders: Ray Davis, Emanuel Wilson, Bhayshul Tuten, Ollie Gordon, Tyjae Spears, Isaiah Davis, and Justice Hill.
D’Andre Swift is holding down the starting spot, but Kyle Monangai continues to get opportunities.
In the absence of Bucky Irving, Rachaad White stepped up big. But Sean Tucker proved last season that he is capable of stepping up in the right opportunity.
Kareem Hunt may as well be the starter in Kansas City, as they clearly trust him more than Isiah Pacheco.
Jeremy McNichols offers a complementary skillset to Jacory Croskey-Merritt, but it is still the latter’s backfield.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
If you are in a DEEP league, these are the rest of the bunch that you’re forced to pick from for Week 6.
This group is completely overshadowed by a bellcow back or limited by an anemic offense.
TIGHT END STREAMERS
Of all the fantasy-relevant positions, it’s the tight end that is my favorite to stream. If you were not fortunate enough to get one of the top few tight ends, it can be a futile process to find fantasy points at the tight end position. Here are three tight ends ranked outside the top 12 who are stream-worthy in Week 6.
A Look Back At Week 5 (If Top-12 ✅)
Zach Ertz → 0.0 points ❌
Darren Waller → 18.8 points ✅
A.J. Barner → 24.3 points ✅
Week 6
HAROLD FANNIN (TE-15) @ PIT
This is not the first time that Harold Fannin has been on this list, and it will not be the last! Fannin has cooled off some after a booming start, but with the second start of rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, look for the connection to grow. Veteran tight end David Njoku had his best fantasy performance, but that didn’t stop Fannin from snagging a touchdown himself. A stable snap share and steady dose of targets with touchdown upside is a formula for a top-12 finish for Fannin in Week 6.
THEO JOHNSON (TE-17) v. PHI
Admittedly, I was down on Theo Johnson after a slow start and disappointing usage early on. With rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart under center, there has been a change in how Johnson has been utilized, and he has delivered. No Malik Nabers means others need to step up, and Johnson has shown he can do it, with twelve targets and three touchdowns over the past two weeks. Touchdowns may not be easy to come by against the Eagles, but I believe in what Johnson has shown in the past few weeks.
A.J. BARNER (TE-20) @ JAX
I was optimistic about A.J. Barner’s usage as his rookie year progressed in 2024. Despite the selection of uber-athletic Elijah Arroyo, Barner has been a fixture in the Seahawks’ offense thus far. Similar to the aformentioned Theo, Barner boasted ten targets and three touchdowns in the past two weeks. Don’t get it twisted, this is Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s target share, but Barner has a clear role that can enter the top-12 in any given week.
So you made it this far, and hopefully you enjoyed it (that’s what she said). If you wouldn’t mind sharing this in your group message with your fellow fantasy football degenerates, I would greatly appreciate it!
If you prefer to listen to words rather than read them, check out the Faux Football Podcast!