Fantasy Football Upside in Week 6 (2022)

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8 minutes read
Fantasy Football Upside Week 6 Fantasy Football

Welcome to our team’s weekly article on Fantasy Football Upside in player performance for the upcoming week!

Each week we’re going to list players that we believe will outperform their Fantasy Pros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings, thereby giving you the advantage in setting your lineups for each week’s slate of games. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading our article on Fantasy Football Upside in Week 6!

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo

A few things about me before I get into my selection this week for chasing upside QB for Week 6. I am an extremely competitive person, my wife will tell you stories from board games with family members that turn intense. I also love giving people good advice, whether that’s in their personal or love lives or if it’s telling you what guy to start in fantasy. It’s why I was devastated seeing Teddy B go down on his first series last Sunday. Meaning I would be 0-5 in giving a QB to finish as a QB1 who is ranked outside of the top 12. Luckily, we continue to be on fire with our DFS picks on The Daily Fix Pod, or I would be pulling out my hair from giving plays each week that don’t pan out. 

I decided for Week 6 to use my ace in the hole. I’m selecting the QB playing against my beloved Atlanta Falcons, Jimmy G. The Falcons, thru 5 weeks, have been a blessing to the QBs they face in fantasy terms. Jameis Winston finished 8th in QB points scored in week 1(his highest finish of the year), Matt Stafford in Week 2 finished 10th(his highest finish of the year), Geno and Brady both finished 7th the week they faced the Falcons (scoring more than their average ppg on the year), only Jacoby Brissett finished outside the Top 10, and he finished 17th. 

Another reason to feel confident Jimmy G will finish inside the top 12, is the fact the Falcons score points. 27 points or more in the last 3 of 5 games, and 23 or more in 4 of 5 games. The fact that the Falcons can score points should keep SF from running it 35 times or more, meaning more opportunities for Jimmy G.

Finally, Jimmy G is coming off his best fantasy performance to date against the worst secondary he’s seen, Carolina (the worst he had seen before this week’s matchup) and finished 9th in QB scoring.

Trevor Lawrence

While I’ve been doing cool stuff like recommending Dyami Brown against the Titans (105 yards and two scores) on the “Daily Fix” pod my Fantasy Football Upside picks have varied between mediocre and trash. I’m confident enough in this week’s pick, though, that I’m starting him in one of my season-long leagues and took his team to win on the road in my weekly picks pool. In short, I’m very much invested in Trevor Lawrence this week.

Lawrence has finished as a QB-1 (top 12 QB) twice this season, and if we go back to the final game of last season, it becomes three times in his last six games. Even better, two of those three successful games were against the Colts, who the Jags visit this week. Across those two games, Lawrence completed 77% of his passes, threw four touchdowns to zero picks, and averaged 229 yards through the air with an extra 14 on the ground. Those were the two most accurate games of his career, and even more encouragingly, the game from this season was his third-best game in yards per attempt. That makes sense as Lawrence has been much better against zone defenses than man (his QB rating was nearly 20 points better against zone last year and 12.1 better this season), and while the Colts have moved from more of a Cover-2 to Cover-3 based scheme with the arrival of Gus Bradley heavy zone usage remains a constant.

Individual matchups also favor the Jags. Kenny Moore has struggled mightily this season (102nd among corners in PFF’s coverage grade), and as Indy’s primary slot corner, he’ll see a heavy dose of Lawrence’s top target, Christian Kirk. That resulted in 78 yards and two scores for Kirk back in week two. The Colts have also been bottom seven in yards allowed to tight ends and running backs in the passing game, the Jags had 13 receptions for 101 yards from those positions in week 2. Lawrence and the coaching staff know how to attack this defense.

The one real question mark in all of this is the Colts’ offense. They’ve failed to score more than 11 points in their last two meeting with the Jags, which has caused Jacksonville to get more conservative as the game has gone on. Lawrence averages nearly 36 passes a game for his career but hasn’t topped 32 in either of those games. If Indy scores enough to keep it competitive, we should see a more pass-heavy approach from the Jags against a defense allowing only 3.3 yards per carry to opposing backs (Excluding Lawrence’s runs, the Jags managed only 85 yards on 34 carries week two).

If we see another beatdown of the Colts, Lawrence should once again be a fringe QB-1, but if Indy can keep pace the potential is there for Lawrence’s second top-five finish of the season.

Running Back

Mike Boone

Last week, I recommended you chase upside with Rachaad White. He saw the snap share and routes run that gave him upside, but he just didn’t get the touches to give him the fantasy points. You need to focus on the process, not the results. If you believe in your process, then positive results with come. The worst thing to do is chase last week’s results this week. We are here to chase the upside. That means some weeks we will nail it and the player will help you win your week, and some weeks the player will put up a dud. That is fantasy football. However, if we trust our process of following usage and situational changes, then we will hit more often than we miss. We are not changing the process this week, and hopefully, the upside hits!

We are chasing the upside with Mike Boone, FantasyPros ECR RB35 for Week 6. I know it sounds crazier than suggesting Rachaad White last week, but the upside signs are there. First, Boone had a 41.1% snap share, 25% rush share, and 7.9% target share. He ran hard and looked good, turning 10 touches into 85 total yards. Now in Week 6, Boone faces the pathetic Chargers run defense. They cannot tackle the ball carrier at any level of the defense. Boone is capable of turning opportunities into explosive big plays.

However, we need to pay attention to the injury reports before the game. Melvin Gordon is questionable with a knee and rib issue. The rib issue is new this week and we do not know the severity. Mike Boone is on the injury report for a foot injury, and we lack details about that injury too. Currently, indications are that Boone will play this week. Also, Latavius Murray is expected to play for the Broncos this week. If all three running backs are active for the game, then Boone’s snaps and touches could decrease slightly. Fortunately, this matchup against the Chargers is too juicy to miss out on. Mike Boone can be a flex player for you this week, and he adds upside to your lineup.

Wide Receiver

George Pickens

Every fantasy football analyst’s pre-season darling has come to life with Kenny Pickett at the QB position in the last two games. The former Georgia Bulldog has impressed during weeks 4 & 5 with a combined 12 receptions for 185 yards and showed his physical prowess at the receiver position even in a blowout loss to the Bills. 

The big-bodied receiver should get ample opportunity to build on his last two outings as Pittsburgh are 9.5-point home dog against Tampa Bay. Pickens also has a favorable matchup opposite him, as he’s likely to see a lot of Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis. The former Auburn man has been a good player in the NFL, but he’s currently giving up over 14 yards per reception (4th highest YPR allowed of any CB who’s played at least 80% of 237 snaps). The Bucs corner is currently the second-highest targeted in the league, and his 25 receptions & 353 receiving yards allowed are both 3rd most of any player at the position.

A physical, deep threat like Pickens could feast on what appears to be a player who is a regression candidate at a position that often sees players fall off a cliff instead of steadily declining.

Khalil Shakir

A lot of Draft experts were surprised that Boise State product Khalil Shakir fell to the fifth round in the 2022 NFL Draft, and it’s starting to look like they saw something the decision-makers around the league missed. The Buffalo Bills eventually stopped Shakir’s fall, and he repaid that faith in week five, filling in for the injured slot duo of Isaiah McKenzie & Jamison Crowder. Shakir’s 3/75/1 stat line against the Steelers was impressive, but whilst watching the game, it was evident that Josh Allen already trusts his rookie receiver to make plays. 

Whilst McKenzie should be back in some capacity against the Chiefs. It’s fair to expect Shakir to see his share of game time, especially in what is expected to be a shootout between two teams who’d much prefer their QBs drop back and make magic happen than run the rock. Whether Shakir splits snaps with McKenzie or if he’s used more to dispel a tired McKenzie, he’s likely to find himself up against the Chiefs’ nickel corner L’Jarius Sneed. 

Sneed is allowing a completion percentage of 77.4 against his coverage this season. That number ranks inside the bottom three of all cornerbacks who have played at least 80% of 237 snaps. Both McKenzie and Shakir could eat from the slot in this matchup.

Tight End

Taysom Hill

On the field, he is a versatile, positionless enigma. In the more structured world of fantasy football, he is a tight end. I am, of course, talking about Taysom Hill.

As someone who has often rostered Alvin Kamara in recent years, Hill has been a constant scourge, vulturing touchdowns and vital points from my teams. Many, myself included, thought the Taysom Hill ExperienceTM had come to its conclusion, yet here we are again. And you know what they say if you can’t beat them, join them. 

Hill is the TE3, yes THREE, on the year in half-PPR scoring per FantasyData after his blistering start. He may have only had one singular target so far this season, but he has seen 21 rushing attempts, garnering 228 yards and five touchdowns. This included four rushes from inside the ten-yard line, the most on the Saints and one more than both Kamara and Ingram. Last weekend’s performance was the pinnacle, scoring a total of four touchdowns and rushing for over 100 yards. There is no escaping the fact that Hill’s floor is a grand total of zero, but no other tight end in his range has a comparable ceiling.

The biggest question is obviously whether Hill can in any way replicate his recent form, including this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals, and recent injury developments may suggest he can. The Saints have been plagued by injuries in the wide receiver room recently, with all three starting options dealing with issues. Reports this week suggest Thomas and Landry may miss the game again, meaning there is every chance Hill will be heavily involved once again, given the lack of offensive weapons.

As I have said in recent weeks, the tight end landscape is a hellish wasteland in which we have two elite options and a subsequent series of low-floor options. So given his evident upside, if you’re looking for a tight end to plug in, why shouldn’t Hill be a consideration? Embrace the chaos.

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Thanks for reading our Fantasy Football Upside in Week 6 article.

Don’t forget to check out our weekly rankings here!

Now go out there and crush your matchups this week!

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Photo of Team Fantasy In Frames Team Fantasy In Frames Send an email October 15, 2022
8 minutes read
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