Week 6 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Quarterbacks
Wondering who to start and sit at quarterback this week? Below are two top-notch start and two sit options at the quarterback position for Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 5 Review – half-PPR scoring
Starts
- QB Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints) vs. Seattle Seahawks – N/A (Inactive – back injury)
- QB Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs. New York Giants – 16.88 fantasy points(QB14)
- QB Derek Carr (Las Vegas Raiders) @ Kansas City – 17.94 (QB11)
Sits
- QB Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) vs. Dallas Cowboys – 11.32 (QB23)
Quarterback – Starts
Daniel Jones (New York Giants) vs. Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (ankle) gets a winnable matchup this week against the Baltimore Ravens, whose 289.4 passing yards allowed per game are the most in the NFL, and whose 16.8% quarterback pressure rate ranks 26th overall.
Under new head coach Brian Daboll, Jones has put together a moderately efficient year, ranking 15th in total expected points added (EPA) per play (0.034) and 16th in passing EPA per play (0.029). Jones is tied with Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts for the league’s highest scrambles per game average (4.4). The rascally runner is averaging 7.5 yards per scramble, which has him tied with Lamar Jackson for the 11th-best yards per scramble attempt rate.
The emergence of downfield receiver Darius Slayton and rookie tight end Dan Bellinger only boost Jones' prospects this week.
Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Arizona Cardinals
It can be difficult to trust in-season waiver-wire quarterbacks but Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is a top-12 option once again. Seattle’s game against the Arizona Cardinals opened with a 50.5 over/under, the second-highest Week 6 total at MGM Grand. Seattle’s +2.5-point home underdog status should facilitate a Smith-centric game script.
Through five weeks, Arizona owns the league’s 11th friendliest per-game yardage average to opposing passing games, 248.2. Their weakness lies in stopping the explosive pass play, as their 10.4% explosive pass plays allowed rate is the second-highest average in the league. Coincidentally, Seattle’s 10.4% offensive explosive pass plays generated is No. 1 in the NFL.
*Full QB rankings can be found here.
Quarterback – Sits
Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos) @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Denver Broncos offensive line was already allowing quarterback pressure at a rate of 23.7%, eighth most in the NFL, but that number can be expected to increase with left tackle Garett Bolles (broken leg) landing on Injured Reserve. Los Angeles’ middling 17.8% quarterback pressure rate should also climb this week, as the underperforming unit with surely key on backup left tackle Calvin Anderson. Russell Wilson’s 8.2% sack rate, tied for eighth-most in the league could shoot north of 10.0% in this one.
Denver’s new head coach Nathaniel Hackett has careened the star-studded offense into the league’s 19th-best, 230.0 passing yards per game average, and their 15 points per game rank 31st overall. Until Hackett stops playing scared, Wilson cannot be trusted to post serious fantasy points on a weekly basis. Denver’s 2.2 field goals per game average is tied for the third-highest frequency. Denver's 0.5 touchdowns-to-field goals ratio is the worst such ratio in the NFL.
Marcus Mariota (Atlanta Falcons) vs. San Francisco
Marcus Mariota’s 12-carry outing in Week 1 looks like an enigma at this point. The dual “threat” quarterback has not totaled more than seven carries in a game since and his 3.36 yards per carry average leaves a lot to be desired. Mariota also has just one rushing touchdown during that span. He has likewise thrown four interceptions and fumbled five times, losing two of them.
The San Francisco 49ers, the Week 6 opponent of the Atlanta Falcons, have done a great job of rushing the passer, producing the league’s second-best quarterback pressure rate, 27.8%. Mariota has struggled to evade the pass rush this year and currently owns the league’s 11th-highest sack rate, 8.0%.
Per RotoViz’s NFL Pace App, San Francisco opponents are running just 58 plays per game, tied for the sixth-lowest average. Their stifling defense and 51.0% rush rate in neutral game scripts combine for a limiting effect on opposing offenses. San Francisco also opened as -5.5-point road favorites this week and their offensive rush rate ticks one digit upward, 52.0%, when the team is winning by five points or more.
