Team of the Week

 

QB: Matt Ryan

Quarterback was probably the best-performing position of Week 6, and Matt Ryan gets the slight nod over guys like Lamar Jackson after playing basically a flawless game (30-of-36 for 356 yards and four touchdowns) despite another loss. Matty Ice would trade all the numbers in the world for a 5-1 start rather than a 1-5 start, but fantasy owners wouldn’t, and Ryan is now on pace for 5,363 yards and 40 touchdowns on nearly 700 attempts. The next three games opponents (v LAR, v SEA, @ NO) could lead to more shootouts.

 

RB: James Conner

Conner didn’t even see a touch in the final 18 minutes of Sunday night’s loss due to a quad injury, but he did more than enough damage before leaving, totaling 119 yards and two scores on 23 touches. While there was concern about him because Los Angeles was able to bring the safeties up with Devlin Hodges at quarterback, it didn’t matter because of how physical Conner is—especially compared to the softness of the Chargers up front.

 

RB: Nick Chubb

It’s no mistake that Cleveland was able to give the Seahawks a battle on Sunday, as they actually made Chubb the focus of their offense, and it resulted in 20 attempts for 122 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. A lost fumble was the only hiccup in a big performance, and Chubb is now averaging over 100 rushing yards per game with 5.3 yards per carry (more than his rookie campaign) through six weeks.

 

WR: Stefon Diggs

Facing the Eagles secondary is a quick cure for any discontent at receiver, and Diggs had a career day with seven receptions, 167 yards, and three touchdowns in a 38-20 victory. Philly simply had no answer for him on the outside, and it may have been an even bigger day if Minnesota didn’t play from ahead all afternoon. Diggs is suddenly on pace for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns.

 

WR: Terry McLaurin

McLaurin’s matchup got a definite boost with cornerback Xavien Howard (knee) inactive on Sunday, and he took advantage with a 4/100/2 line on just seven targets. The rookie wideout has now scored five times in as many games, and his “worst” performance was three receptions for 51 yards against Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots. It should be noted that the upcoming schedule (v SF, @ MIN, @ BUF) is extremely difficult, but McLaurin won’t be an easy guy to take out of lineups.

 

TE: Hunter Henry

He was supposedly going to be limited on Sunday night, but Henry wasted no time producing in his return from a broken leg, catching eight-of-nine targets for 100 yards and two touchdowns in a primetime comeback attempt. The former second-round pick is somehow available in a bunch of leagues, but he needs to be picked up everywhere as a no-doubt top-five player at a struggling position.

 

FLEX: Curtis Samuel

Samuel had been coming off a couple of quiet outings, but he found the end zone twice in London, showcasing his game-breaking speed/explosiveness on the ground (for an eight-yard score) and his receiving skills through the air (for a 13-yard score). The schedule will get a bit tougher after the bye, but Samuel is a high-upside WR2/FLEX option that could really explode if Kyle Allen connects with him on a deep ball.

 

D/ST: Patriots

They haven’t won a weekly MVP award, but overall, New England’s defense has arguably been the most valuable fantasy asset of 2019. On Thursday night, they forced four turnovers, blocked a punt, scored twice, and held the Giants to eight points.

 

K: Brett Maher

Maher missed a field goal late for Dallas, but he connected on two attempts of 50+ yards, including a 62-yarder (which basically amounts to a touchdown) for a week-leading 13 fantasy points. Before Sunday, Maher hadn’t made a kick of more than 36 yards.

 

Surprise of the Week: Alshon Jeffery

Philadelphia’s offensive performance on Sunday shows the disconnect between fantasy and reality, as the guys who seemed set up to potentially have success (Zach Ertz, Jordan Howard, Nelson Agholor) did basically nothing because they weren’t featured, while Jeffery and Miles Sanders (along with Carson Wentz) had big days in a losing effort. If Jeffery continues to get all the short passes that should go to Agholor, he will be a clear WR2 regardless of matchup.

 

Disappointment of the Week: Rams offense

It looked like Malcolm Brown was on his way to a big day after 40 yards on the opening drive for Los Angeles, but he finished with 40 yards, and his 4.0 fantasy points were in line with Jared Goff (1.1), Cooper Kupp (3.7), Brandin Cooks (4.7), Robert Woods (7.6), and Gerald Everett (1.9) in a forgettable day for both the Rams and fantasy owners.

 

Rookie of the Week: Kyler Murray

Murray just missed the award last week thanks to Josh Jacobs’ dominant effort against the Bears, but he followed up back-to-back strong fantasy days on the ground with his best passing game to date (340 yards, three touchdowns) in a 34-33 win. Kyler has now put up 25+ fantasy points in each of the past two weeks, and he’s yet to be held below 16.3 fantasy points in a game.

 

Week 6 MVP: Stefon Diggs

Heading into Monday night, Diggs’ 40-point performance is easily the top showing of Week 6, and the best part about it is that fantasy owners should have known to get him in lineups because of the matchup (so, he shouldn’t have been wasted on the bench; we had him as a top-20 option). Diggs single-handedly won matchups in Week 6 after early-season struggles.