Khalil Herbert (ankle) and Roschon Johnson (concussion) are out for Week 6 against Minnesota, which means D'Onta Foreman will serve as the lead running back for the Bears. He's worth using as a low-end No. 2 running back or flex option in the majority of Fantasy leagues, and Foreman should be considered a sleeper.
Foreman has done well as a replacement option in Tennessee and Carolina in the past two seasons, and hopefully that happens again for Chicago. In 2022 with the Panthers, Foreman had five games with at least 11.3 PPR points after Christian McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers. And in 2021, Foreman had four games with at least 10.2 PPR points after Derrick Henry hurt his foot for the Titans.
This seems like a tough matchup against the Vikings, who have only allowed D'Andre Swift in Week 2 (27.1 PPR points) and Isiah Pacheco (13.4 PPR points) in Week 5 to have productive outings this season. Otherwise, no other running back has topped 7.3 PPR points, but that includes matchups with Rachaad White, Joshua Kelley and the combination of Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard.
Maybe Minnesota's run defense isn't as stout as it looks given the opponents, and we'll see how Foreman fares. I like his chances given the expected workload, and Herbert has run well in the past two games against Denver in Week 4 (18 carries for 103 yards and four catches for 19 yards and a touchdown on five targets) and Washington in Week 5 (10 carries for 76 yards), although he was hurt against the Commanders.
Justin Fields is hot right now, and he should get plenty of chances to run the ball for Chicago. But Foreman should benefit as the new leader of the Bears backfield, and I'm hopeful he can help Fantasy managers if needed in Week 6.
Now, let's look at other sleepers to target in Week 6. Hopefully, they deliver in a big way to give your lineup a significant boost. And if you're looking for my Week 6 DFS plays, you can find my million-dollar contest tournament lineups for both DraftKings and FanDuel over at SportsLine.
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Week 6 Sleepers
Week 6 Preview
Sleepers
Sleeper QBs
Minshew will start for the Colts for the foreseeable future with Anthony Richardson (shoulder) on injured reserve, and this is a great week to consider Minshew a low-end starter in one-quarterback leagues. He's a definite starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues at Jacksonville since he's facing his former team. It helps that the Jaguars have allowed four of five quarterbacks this season to score at least 22.9 Fantasy points, including Richardson in Week 1. Minshew started for the Colts in Week 3 at Baltimore and scored just 15.1 Fantasy points, but this is a much better matchup in a trip to his old neighborhood.
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It will take some guts to start Prescott in one-quarterback leagues after the way he played at San Francisco in Week 5 with just 153 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. And he's scored 16.4 Fantasy points or less in all but one game this season. But this is a good bounce-back spot for Prescott against the Chargers, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points per game allowed to opposing quarterbacks at 24.4 points. Only Aiden O'Connell subbing for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 4 failed to score at least 23 Fantasy points against the Chargers this season, and Prescott should be considered a borderline No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in this matchup on Monday night.
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Deshaun Watson in Week 1 and Lamar Jackson in Week 2 each scored at least 22.7 Fantasy points against the Bengals, but Cincinnati clamped down on its next three opponents in Matthew Stafford, Ryan Tannehill and Joshua Dobbs, holding all three to 14.7 Fantasy points or less. The Bengals should make things tough on Smith, but I expect this game to be a shootout, which is why I like Smith as a low-end starter in all one-quarterback leagues. He only has one game this season north of 20 Fantasy points, which was Week 2 at Detroit (27.1), but I expect this to be another quality outing for Smith as he goes head-to-head with Joe Burrow.
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Sleeper RBs
Miles Sanders (shoulder) was ruled out for Week 6 at Miami, which means Hubbard will serve as the lead running back for the Panthers. He's worth using as a low-end No. 2 running back or flex option in the majority of Fantasy leagues. Hubbard has four games this season with at least seven total touches, and he scored at least 8.9 PPR points in two of them. Last year, Hubbard did well with an increased workload, and hopefully that happens against the Dolphins. He had five games in 2022 with at least 10 total touches, and he scored at least 12.5 PPR points in three of them. The Dolphins have allowed four running backs this season to score at least 14.7 PPR points with Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Rhamondre Stevenson and James Cook. Those are four of six running backs with at least 13 total touches against Miami this year, and the two who failed to succeed were Javonte Williams in Week 3 (8.5 PPR points) and Eric Gray in Week 5 (3.6 PPR points). I'm not expecting a huge game from Hubbard against Miami -- Sanders only has two games this year with more than 7.7 PPR points -- but hopefully Hubbard can dominate touches and post a quality stat line.
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I'm more hopeful than anything that this is the week where Stevenson gets going, and I would start him as a low-end No. 2 running back against the Raiders. Las Vegas has only allowed four running backs to score at least 11.1 PPR points this season, but A.J. Dillon just had 20 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders on Monday night in Week 5. The Patriots need to lean on Stevenson to help get the offense back on track, and he had 19 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown at Las Vegas in Week 15 last year. Stevenson also just had three tough matchups in a row against the Jets, Cowboys and Saints, and it would be smart to get him back involved in the passing game. You'll have to have some faith to trust Stevenson, and I hope he delivers in this matchup.
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Demercado and Keaontay Ingram will share touches with James Conner (knee) on IR, and I like Demercado as a flex option in Week 6 against the Rams. We'll see how Arizona uses both running backs, but I'll give a slight edge to Demercado. And hopefully he can pick up where he left off in Week 5. Conner was hurt against the Bengals, and Demercado had 10 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown, along with one catch for 12 yards on three targets. Ingram was out for that game and missed the past two with a neck injury, but Demercado should have a bigger role in the passing game, which might matter more. This isn't an easy matchup against the Rams, who are No. 9 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, but three running backs in the past four games (Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon and D'Andre Swift) have scored at least 14 PPR points against this defense. Demercado will hopefully take advantage of Conner being out, and I like him as a flex option in Week 6.
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I hope we're not at the point where Derrick Henry is starting to slow down, but he's struggling of late, while Spears is starting to gain momentum. Spears has outscored Henry in PPR points in two of the past three games, and Spears has already played more snaps then Henry in two of five games this season. Spears also has one less rushing touchdown than Henry (2-1). I don't think that's a sign of Henry losing his job by any stretch, but it's clear the Titans want to get Spears on the field. In Week 6, if the Titans are trailing against the Ravens, we could see Spears once again play more than Henry, which puts Spears in play as a flex option in PPR.
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Sleeper WRs
I thought Flowers would play well in Week 5 at Pittsburgh, and he had a quality stat line with five catches for 73 yards on 11 targets, although he left plenty of plays on the field, including when he slipped on what would have been a long gain and also dropped a pass. I hope Lamar Jackson doesn't lose faith in Flowers because this is another great matchup for him in Week 6 against Tennessee. The Titans are No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and eight receivers have scored at least 13.8 PPR points against Tennessee this season. Flowers should be considered a borderline starter in all leagues in Week 6.
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Palmer comes off his bye looking to build off his performance from the past two games when Mike Williams (ACL) was lost for the season. Palmer has 15 targets over that span for seven catches, 143 yards and a touchdown, and he should continue to be a go-to option for Justin Herbert. The Cowboys have only allowed two touchdowns to receivers this season and just four have topped at least 11.5 PPR points. But this game should be a shootout with a projected point total of 51. I like Palmer as a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues for Week 6.
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Downs seems to thrive every time Gardner Minshew plays for the Colts, and that's going to happen in Week 6 at Jacksonville with Anthony Richardson (shoulder) on IR. Minshew has appeared in three games so far for the Colts in Week 2, Week 3 and Week 5. In those games, Downs has scored 7.7 PPR points, 13.7 PPR points and 15.7 PPR points, and clearly the two have a strong connection. The Jaguars have allowed five receivers to score at least 16.0 PPR points this season, and Michael Pittman should remain the go-to option in the passing game. But Downs is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, with his value higher in PPR.
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Prior to Week 5 at San Francisco when the Cowboys were blasted 42-10, Gallup had started to gain momentum as a potential No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. He had two games in a row with at least six targets, five catches and 60 yards, and he scored at least 11 PPR points in each outing against the Cardinals in Week 3 and the Patriots in Week 4. I expect him to get back on track in Week 6 at the Chargers, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Seven receivers have scored at least 11.2 PPR points against the Chargers in just four games, and Gallup should have success in this matchup on Monday night.
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Sleeper TEs
Smith has scored at least 8.7 PPR points in four games in a row, and you can use him as a starter in deeper leagues in Week 6 against Washington. It's a tough matchup since the Commanders are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, but I hope Desmond Ridder leans on Smith and Kyle Pitts in this matchup like what happened against the Texans in Week 5. Pitts had seven catches for 87 yards on 11 targets against Houston, and Smith had six catches for 67 yards on seven targets, with a lost fumble. I'm still using Pitts as a low-end starter in all leagues, and Smith is worth trusting as a starter in deeper formats.
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Knox isn't guaranteed to play in Week 6 against the Giants since he's listed as questionable with a wrist injury, but I like his chances to excel if he's active. It will help if Dalton Kincaid (concussion) is out after he was hurt in Week 5 against the Jaguars in London. Without Kincaid potentially on the field, Knox could be a focal point for Josh Allen, and the Giants have allowed two of the past four opposing tight ends (Zach Ertz in Week 2 and George Kittle in Week 3) to score at least 11.6 PPR points. If Kincaid is out, then consider Knox a low-end starting Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
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I'm going back to Henry this week as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy tight end against the Raiders, and I hope Mac Jones leans on him in this matchup. Henry has three games this season with at least 9.1 PPR points, but he failed to record a catch in Week 5 against New Orleans on just two targets. The Raiders have allowed five tight ends to score at least 8.4 PPR points this season, and Henry might benefit with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas both in the concussion protocol prior to Week 6.
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Defense/Special Teams
Kickers
- Cameron Dicker (vs. DAL)
- Jason Myers (at CIN)
- Brett Maher (vs. ARI)
