Sneaky Starts: Week 6

Oct 15, 2015

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough – a waiver wire or bench player who is capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

Last week’s Sneaky Starts featured Blake Bortles (QB3), Sam Bradford (QB12), Jay Cutler (QB13), Dion Lewis (RB13), Antonio Andrews (RB21), Chris Johnson (RB23), Darren McFadden (RB28), Duke Johnson (RB29), LeGarrette Blount (RB31), Allen Hurns (WR5), Marquess Wilson (WR10), Willie Snead (WR11), Tavon Austin (WR23), Jamison Crowder (WR25), Travis Benjamin (WR27), Kamar Aiken (WR28), Gary Barndige (TE3), Derek Carrier (TE8) and Richard Rodgers (TE16), who posted starter- or flex-caliber numbers in Week 5.

Let’s take a look at the Sneaky Starts for Week 6:

Quarterbacks

Marcus Mariota, Titans (vs. MIA)
Mariota had a tough game against Buffalo (187 yards, 1 INT), but has a better matchup this week against the Dolphins, who are #21 in QB aFPA.

Blake Bortles, Jaguars (vs. HOU)
Bortles is the #6 QB through five weeks. He has a good matchup – Houston is #28 in QB aFPA – and would be ranked higher if not for a shoulder sprain.

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (vs. BAL)
Kaepernick has been up and down this year, but he played pretty well last week against the Giants (262 yards, 2 TD, 23 yards rushing) and has a great matchup with the Ravens, who are #30 in QB aFPA.