Week 6 Flex Rankings for Fantasy Football

Welcome to my Week 6 Flex rankings! There is plenty to consider, so here are some of my thoughts on various situations regarding some players you may be undecided about starting this week. Hopefully, any questions you may have are reflected in the rankings themselves. If not, feel free to comment and let me know what decisions you are struggling with this week.

Only the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings are on bye this week, so we should be able to navigate that aspect. I ranked over 200 players this week, which should cater to fantasy football leagues of all sizes. As always, I base my Flex rankings on Half-PPR scoring, so please adjust as needed. Let’s get to the rankings, shall we?

Running Back Notes

Unfortunately, we have some rough news to start with concerning Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton. The team put Hampton on the Injured Reserve this week due to an injury. It is a tough blow for Hampton, who was earning bellcow status following the season-ending injury to Najee Harris.

The timing is particularly painful for fantasy football managers, considering the Chargers are facing the Miami Dolphins this week. Miami has allowed an NFL-high 668 rushing yards to opposing backs this year. It is hard to say how Los Angeles will manage their backfield in the wake of Hampton’s absence. Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal are two of this week’s priority waiver adds in leagues where they are available. I ranked both backs inside the top 100 overall in my Week 6 Flex rankings. I give a slight lean towards Haskins, but neither is an obvious start unless you lack safer options.

A big reason the Miami Dolphins have allowed the most rushing yards to backs is that they allowed Rico Dowdle to amass 206 rushing yards in their Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Dowdle had been operating as Chuba Hubbard’s primary backup, but was thrust into action when Hubbard was sidelined. Hubbard is dealing with a calf injury and is day-to-day as Week 6 approaches.

On deck for Carolina is a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Breece Hall routinely gashed the Dallas run defense last week, tallying 113 yards on just 14 carries. Whoever gets most of the carries in Carolina’s backfield should be worthy of an RB2 spot this week. For now, I am ranking them as if Dowdle will be the primary back on Sunday. Dowdle also has a nice revenge narrative in his favor against the team he spent his first five NFL seasons with.

Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter handled most of the volume for the team last week. He was far from efficient, totalling just 73 yards on 23 touches. But volume is king, and it propelled him to an overall RB11 finish in Half-PPR leagues. Carter’s fantasy point total was boosted when he crossed the goal line while simultaneously carrying the football. It was a welcome sight for Cardinals fans and fantasy managers alike.

Arizona faces the Indianapolis Colts this week. The Colts have faced the seventh-fewest running back carries in the NFL. That is partly a byproduct of the team being 4-1. However, Indianapolis has allowed 4.5 yards per carry to opposing backs. If Carter can earn another 20-plus touches, he should be a viable Week 6 Flex option.

Wide Receiver Notes

Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey finally led the team’s wideouts in fantasy points. But that was purely the result of his first touchdown of the season and not an uptick in volume. McConkey finished third among the trio in receiving yards for the fourth consecutive week.

Through nearly a third of the season, McConkey trails both Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. It is officially time to throw away any preconceived notions we had regarding this wide receiver room before the season. I believe all three Chargers wideouts are worth starting in all formats. However, there will be instances where at least one of them falls short of expectations in a given week.

Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed had a big game in the team’s first win of the season last week. Shaheed had 114 yards and a touchdown, finishing as the overall WR8 in Half-PPR leagues. His numbers on a per-game basis rival the ones he put up in what was shaping up to be a breakout season last year. However, I believe his outing last week will be challenging to replicate.

Shaheed was last week’s MOP rankings poster child by virtue of his 87-yard touchdown. Chasing last week’s fantasy points is exactly what gets many fantasy managers in trouble. I have Shaheed ranked 83rd overall in my Week 6 Flex rankings. That makes him a potential Flex depending on your other options. Teammate Chris Olave is the safer option and borderline WR2 for me in 12-team leagues this week.

Tight End Notes

The switch in Cleveland to rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel gets a thumbs up from David Njoku managers based on last week’s effort. Njoku set season-highs in targets, receptions, and yards while scoring his first touchdown of the season. He and rookie Harold Fannin Jr. co-existed quite well, as Fannin also found the end zone. I cannot imagine the pair of tight ends scoring in the same game happening very often, but it was an encouraging sign nonetheless.

The duo gets a favorable matchup this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have already allowed three touchdowns to opposing tight ends this year. And considering their pass rush against a rookie signal-caller, Njoku and Fannin could continue to see solid volume. I currently rank Njoku as my TE11, while Fannin is my TE19 for Week 6.

I am hedging on my ranking of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers at this point in the week. Bowers missed last week, as he is still hampered by a knee injury that he suffered in Week 1. He is reportedly day-to-day as this week begins, so we must wait to see how things shake out.

I can’t imagine many scenarios where you are benching him if he is active. However, it is also difficult to assume he will automatically become the overall TE1 we drafted him to be. In addition to expected limitations due to his injury, the matchup against the Tennessee Titans is not ideal. Tennessee limited Trey McBride to 41 scoreless yards on seven targets last week. I will most likely have Bowers in the 5-10 range among tight ends if he is active.

Check out all of our Week 6 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings