By MIKE HERNDON

The injury apocalypse is here. Justin Jefferson, De’von Achane, James Conner, Anthony Richardson and Khalil Herbert were also lost for multiple weeks to injuries suffered in last week’s games. But as always with fantasy rosters, one manager’s loss is another’s gain. If you’re fortunate enough to have Raheem Mostert or Jordan Addison on your roster, you now have a more valuable asset. If you’re prescient enough to figure out who’ll be taking the bulk of the work in the Chicago and Arizona backfields, you may find a steal on the wire.

Meanwhile, there’s a lot of uncertainty out there as we set our Week 6 lineups. Here are a few recommendations:

Quarterback:

Start:

Matthew Stafford, Rams:  He’s thrown for over 300 yards in three of the Rams’ five games. What’s been missing is touchdowns, but he had his first multiple-score game in last week’s loss to Philadelphia. He’s also finally got his favorite weapon, Cooper Kupp, back on the field to team with rookie sensation Puka Nacua. This week’s opponent, Arizona, gives up the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks in the league.

Sit:

Dak Prescott, Cowboys: Hopefully, you sat him against the 49ers last week. He’s got a much more favorable matchup this week against the Chargers, but not enough to make us forget that he has scored over 15½ fantasy points only once this season and has never hit 20 points in five games.

RB:

Start:

Isaiah Pacheco, Chiefs: The Broncos defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone all year, particularly on the ground. This is one in which the Chiefs should be able to build a lead and then let Pacheco move the sticks and run clock.

Raheem Mostert, Dolphins: Achane is expected to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury, because we apparently can’t have nice things. That leaves Mostert in line for a large workload against a beatable defense in Carolina.

Roschon Johnson or D’Onta Foreman, Bears: Khalil Herbert is out for a few weeks with an ankle injury, leaving the Bears’ backfield open to the next man up. That would be Roschon Johnson, who has shown promise, but Johnson is in the concussion protocol. Since that concussion was suffered last Thursday instead of Sunday, he may still have a shot of clearing the protocol and playing on Sunday. If he doesn’t, it’ll likely fall to Foreman, who has been a healthy inactive thus far but has shown us in the past that he can produce when given the opportunity.

Sit:

Jerome Ford, Browns: There was a lot of promise when Ford ran for over 100 yards after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending injury against the Steelers. Since then, Ford has run for 44 yards on 19 carries in two games. He scored twice in one of those games, but this week the Browns: 1. Are playing the juggernaut that is the 49ers, and 2. Are expected to again be without Deshaun Watson. The TD deodorant won’t be forthcoming in this one.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots, and Miles Sanders, Panthers: Park both these guys on your bench until they show some signs of life.

WR:

Start:

Calvin Ridley, Jaguars: The Colts secondary has been very forgiving, and Ridley burned them for 101 yards and a score in Week One. After a couple weeks of the dropsies, he seems to have resolidified his spot atop the pecking order in the Jaguars’ receivers room.

Jordan Addison, Vikings: Justin Jefferson is on IR because, as you might have read earlier, we cannot have nice things. Addison, the Vikings’ first round pick this year, has been productive in a secondary role and now should become Kirk Cousins’ primary target. That might make things more difficult against teams that have a shutdown corner, but alas, the Bears do not.

Sit:

Terry McLaurin, Commanders: Sam Howell threw for nearly 400 yards last week, but he spread it around so much that McLaurin didn’t even clear 50 yards. This week, the Commanders’ supposed No. 1 receiver will likely meet up with Atlanta’s AJ Terrell, one of the better cover corners in the league.

Amari Cooper, Browns: See the item on Jerome Ford above, and note that Cleveland is starting a backup QB against San Francisco. Find a better option.

TE:

With even elite options producing spotty results, play whoever you’ve got that’s getting targets. Try to find an option that isn’t on an offense that’s completely stuck in the mud, like the Patriots, Giants, Panthers or Steelers. Logan Thomas, who had 11 targets last week for the Commanders, is a nice streaming option this week.

Categories: Fantasy Football