FFB Week 6: Twelve Takeaways

The haters and losers (of which there are several) said that I took a week off from blogging about fantasy football. They questioned my dedication, said I was "finished" and "dumb". They even said I wasn't one of the premier fantasy football minds on the world wide internet. This is where I draw the line.  

Do me a favor and take a look at any NFL schedule, then let me know if there's a bye week in there. I'll wait.  

Quick note: I believe it was Daniel Day-Lewis that famously said "better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". Wise words from a bloke that's been in showbiz for a long time and knows a thing or two about stuff. He played Abraham Lincoln for heaven's sake! You think he never had haters? Think again.


For the lot of you that are glad to see me back - may the sun shine down on you.
 1. The Steelers are idiots if they actually start Russell Wilson.
I don't understand. 

I realize how good Russ used to be. What Russell Wilson is going to be in 2024, as a 35 year old, coming off the two worst seasons of his life into an offense with a so-so offensive line and no real star receivers, is a huge question mark.

On a broader scale, you risk changing the temperature in the locker room for a team that's grinded to a 4-2 start against all odds. This would all be different if Justin Fields hadn't been really good through 6 games, but he has been. This decision doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever and to do it right after a win feels insane. 

Most importantly, it sucks for fantasy owners that struck gold with Fields. He's QB6 and has accounted for 1,337 yards and 10 TDs through 6 games, even with average passing metrics. He's not turning the ball over and the Steelers are winning games. I guess the point I'm trying to make is, he's actually done something to earn the job in Pittsburgh. What's Russ done? 

Justice for Justin. I hope someone believes in him someday.

2. The Browns know what they must be do. There's still time. Will they do it? Will they bravely bench the alleged sexual predator who just so happens to be bad at his job? 

I'm not gonna spend time diving into Deshaun Watson's stats (they're shitty), but the Browns are dead last in offense at 240.2 yards per game. 

Amari Cooper is gone, traded to the Bills, off to greener pastures. Why they did this and continue to pay Deshaun Watson gaudy numbers, I'll never know. 

All Cleveland skill players are in hell, trapped in Jimmy Haslam's professional prison. Pull the plug and do the right thing.

I'm just going to leave you with one lasting image. Your savior awaits.


3. Aaron Rodgers got his guy. The Jets have new life. 

Davante Adams is coming to town. 

What's this mean for fantasy? Well, I'm glad you asked. 

Just as life springs anew, the icy grip of death's hand comes for us all. 

On the chopping block is Mike Williams, who is currently being shopped around. Aaron Rodgers doesn't seem to like him and conveniently blamed a late interception on him Monday night, so prepare his spot in the morgue. 

Mike Williams is 30 years old and might fit in elsewhere, or he might be closer to finished on account of half a dozen knee surgeries he has under his belt. We'll see, but if you're a Williams owner, watch closely where he lands.

As for the two remaining receivers - Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson - they'll see their target shares diminished by Davante added into the mix. Fantasy owners will be especially concerned with Garrett Wilson, who was sitting at a 30.9% target share prior to the trade, and you can expect that to dip 5-10%. Just as he was starting to trend upward, scoring 16+ fantasy points in each of the last two weeks and climbing to WR17... 

It's a dangerous game you play, trying to Aaron Rodgers happy, and the Jets are finding out firsthand. 

The guy throws one HELL of a hail mary, though... 4. The Buccaneers running back situation is now a toss-up. 

I love Bucky Irving.

I've also made my affinity for Rachaad White well known. It's complicated. Now, that butthole Sean Tucker had to go and explode for 31 fantasy points and a RB1 week 6, FURTHER complicating things. What the hell are fantasy owners supposed to do with this backfield? 

Here are some factors to consider: 
First, Bucky Irving has earned the right for legitimate RB1 work. Even before Rachaad White was hurt, he had better burst and looked superior overall. 

Second, Sean Tucker is nipping at the heels, but I'm not sure where he fits in. He's clearly hungry and took full advantage of his opportunity on Sunday, but rotating three running backs isn't common practice. For Bowles to say "three headed monster" he has earned some degree of trust up to this point, so maybe they have a plan.

Third, we here at the Fantasy Football Boys fantasy football department do NOT give up on Rachaad White. He was RB8 last year and #IStillBelieve that he has CMC-like qualities to his game. When he's back at full health, he'll at least be heavily involved if he doesn't take back the formal RB1 title altogether. You can stamp my name on that one and if I'm wrong, I'll live stream myself trying to fight the raccoon that keeps trying to get into my trash can every night.

5. Patrick Mahomes is Not a Top Fantasy Quarterback, Part V.

The Chiefs were on a bye this week, so I am tragically unable to list his subpar stat line. 

Thanks to the week off with no stats accumulated whatsoever, he's plummeted all the way to QB22 with LOTS of work to do to crack the top-15 in 2024. He's still yet to score >20 fantasy points since Week 12 of last season. 

Reminder: This was as a preseason consensus top-5 guy according to the experts, and that includes me. 

The difference is, I watched him in week 1 and I could already tell - it was gonna be more of the same bullshit from last year. So, like the smart folks aboard the Titanic, I jumped ship immediately. I'm trying to survive. Once again, I implore you: Find a lifeboat, don't let your season sink on his account. 


6. Rookie Quarterbacks! 


How blessed are we that we get to watch this class of rookie quarterbacks? 

Jayden Daniels: 1,404 passing yards/6 TD/2 INT - 322 rushing yards/4 TDs (4-2 record) - QB3

Caleb Williams: 1,317 passing yards/9 TD/5 INT - 169 rushing yards (4-2 record) - QB11

Bo Nix: 1,082 passing yards/5 TDs/5 INT - 180 rushing yards/3 TDs (3-3 record) - QB13

Drake Maye: Just one game in but went for 265/3/2. The Patriots are a dumpster fire (1-5) but with any luck, they'll build around him because he looked solid in his first start.

Spencer Rattler: Again, just one game, and Chris Olave left with a concussion, but there were flashes. We'll find out more over the next several games while Derek Carr gets better, but he looked confident and was 22-for-40 for 243 yards, a TD, and 2 INTs.

It's yet to be seen what comes of J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr., but this might just be a generational quarterback draft class.  

7. The Cowboys Have a Problem. 

Sunday's 49-7 loss was the worst beating they've taken at home since 1988. In a show of supreme disrespect, the Lions were toying with their prey.
Somewhere along the line, NFL execs have become obsessed with locking down quarterbacks that are "safe" more than they are "winners". Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson... Dak is the highest-paid player in NFL history, has been painfully mediocre (fantasy QB12), and his turnovers continue to plague that offense (6 INT already this season). 

Dak has been sacked 16 times and hasn't faced a ton of pressure, but without much of a run game to speak of, they've sputtered. As such, CeeDee Lamb has been a disappointment and teams are content to sit back in zone and double-team him, daring someone else to beat them. He was widely considered to be a top-3 WR heading into this season and he’s currently just WR11, not the start that many envisioned. 

Thankfully, the team owner is level-headed and rational in times of adversity.
Acting like a petulant, geriatric shithead and threatening guys' jobs (for doing their job) because the team you've assembled sucks ass is quite the move. After all, it is Jerry Jones, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised that he's being an entitled, cranky old man who doesn't like to be held accountable. 

8. The Falcons are still misusing Bijan Robinson. I'm of the belief that he should be getting 20 touches a game, every game, but he's topped that number just once all the way back in week 1. The Falcons are 4-2, but their point differential is just +14 and, before last week, Bijan hadn't scored more than 14.2 points all season. With that said, he scored 2 TDs and had his best game of the season on Sunday, but there's reason for concern here... 

It's not that he's been a fantasy bust - he's RB8 in half-PPR leagues with plenty of time to go - and Sunday was a step in the right direction. But Tyler Allgeier is becoming problematic. 

This past week, Allgeier had 18 carries for 105 yards (5.83 ypc) while Bijan totaled 18 touches for 105 scrimmage yards. These are good numbers, and it's certainly a good problem to have if you're the Falcons, but it makes things a bit dicey for Bijan fantasy owners. 

At this point, it feels like Bijan is being used more as a gadget than the bellcow and 20+ fantasy point outputs are harder to come by if you're truly part of a committee like this with a certified bruiser in the mix. Volume and usage remains an enigma for Bijan owners, but his RB4 week 6 was a nice bounce back after two consecutive stinkers in weeks 4 and 5. Keep in mind, this was against the Panthers, so take that for what it's worth. Prior to Sunday, Bijan's best performance was RB15 and Tyler Allgeier is becoming what some people thought he could be.    

9. Weekly Will Levis Update:  
Still hot garbage. 

The Titans found a way to lose to the Colts and the franchise is an embarrassment. Or are they? 

Maybe, just maybe this is all part of the plan. I'm actually starting to think that the charity draft pick of Will Levis was step one of the rebuild. Maybe the Titans actually knew how bad he was, and this was all a calculated move to secure Shedeur Sanders or Carson Beck, there's no other real explanation. If there's one redeeming trait with Levis, it's that he's been hilariously bad.

I'm typically not a huge fan of the engagement farm NFL accounts, but this was too good not to share.   10. It's over for the Jaguars... 

THE BAD: They got shellacked by the Bears in London 35-16 and there's not much good to take away from this. It was ugly, they played bad, and it was embarrassing. They're now 1-5, on the hook for $55 million owed to Trevor Lawrence, and I suspect they'll soon be on the hunt for a new head coach. Trevor Lawrence hasn't lit it up (he also hasn't had much help) and Travis Etienne is now injured, their offense is mostly a shitshow, but I'm not fading the Jags at this point. 

THE GOOD: This is big brain activity: I realize that they're bad and trending downward, but that might actually be inversely proportional to fantasy points scored for some guys and could play to the strengths of the Jags receivers.  

For example, Evan Engram caught all ten of his targets on Sunday morning for 102 yards in the losing effort. He appeared to be Lawrence's security blanket and that's top-5 fantasy production at the tight end position in his first game back since a week 1 injury. Brian Thomas Jr. has had a strong rookie campaign so far, sitting at WR11 despite a slow game in London, but he should also benefit from an increase in passes thrown. I'm not a Trevor Lawrence believer and he's a fringe top-20 fantasy option as it stands today, but this is purely a volume play and I'm hesitant to abandon the Jags pass catchers right yet. 

Bad teams tend not to score many points, so most people would avoid putting this theory to the test...

11. Joe Burrow's wrist is good, you guys.

Remember this?
Everyone was losing their shit over him picking up a Gatorade bottle. 

Now, he's doing this:
He's QB4 with 12 TDs to just 2 INTs. They looked inspired on Sunday and his receivers are reaping the benefits of a healthy Joey B. 

Ja'Marr Chase is WR1 overall and Tee Higgins (WR35 currently) has been a potent counterpart after missing the first two games, even posting a WR5 game against Baltimore in week 5. 

The Bengals are 2-4, so there's work to be done, but if they can string together some wins they may just be a contender. 

12. TJ Watt is godlike.
He's already locked up Defensive Player of the Year and we're a third of the way through the schedule.

WEEK 6 WIN THE WAIVER WIRE sponsored by Olive Garden:

Thank you to our new sponsor, Olive Garden, for believing in us here at the Fantasy Football Boys Fantasy Football Department. 

"When you're here, you're family™"
Big bread

  • Taysom Hill - He's been out with a rib injury, and the Saints play on Thursday night, but he's a wacky option in the Saints offense that's down a few bodies.
  • Ray Davis - I saw enough on Monday night. The guy runs hard as shit and seeks contact, true wrecking-ball status. If James Cook can't go, be aggressive.  
  • Tyrone Tracy Jr. - Another "if he can't go" option, this time it's Devin Singletary. Tyrone Tracy has been good as a starter in relief, so he's worth stashing regardless.  
  • D'Ernest Johnson - I mentioned earlier that Travis Etienne got injured, and D'Ernest Johnson had 8 touches alongside Tank Bigsby with Etienne leaving in the 3rd quarter.
  • Jonathan Brooks - He's officially practicing, worth a flier.
  • Dameon Pierce - Cam Akers was traded to the Vikings and Joe Mixon just came back from an injury, so it's worth your attention if you're a Mixon owner.
  • Kimani Vidal - JK Dobbins is the unquestioned lead back, but Vidal is now the backup with Gus Edwards going on IR and he caught a TD pass on Sunday.
  • Jakobi Meyers - Vacated targets with Davante heading to New York, he's now their WR1.
  • Jerry Jeudy - Same with Meyers, there are vacated targets now that Amari Cooper is gone.
  • Xavier Legette - The rookie is getting open in the red zone and has two TD catches in 3 weeks.
  • Cade Otton - Baker Mayfield (QB2!!!) is slinging it and Otton has emerged as a reliable target-getter. He's averaging almost 7 targets a game over the last 4 and he caught his first TD of the season in week 6. Especially in PPR leagues, he might be a sneaky useful addition.

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