Fantasy football managers have made it through the first five weeks of the season and on top of injuries, they now have to deal with bye weeks.
Only four teams are on a bye in Week 6, but there are several fantasy-relevant players on the bench this week. This means we’ll need to find that production elsewhere. This is when those sleepers come in handy.
We will be using The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as a reference. In order to qualify as a sleeper, we are taking a look at quarterbacks ranked outside the top 12, running backs and wide receivers ranked outside the top 24, and tight ends ranked outside the top 10.
Here are eight sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 6:
8
TE Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals
The Huddle Rank: TE12
The matchup on paper doesn’t look all that enticing for Hurst against the New Orleans Saints, but the tight end landscape is completely barren. Hurst has been on a roll of late, having posted a TE1 finish in each of the last two weeks. In the Week 5 game where Tee Higgins left due to an ankle injury, Hurst saw the highest target share of his season (21%) while recording six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. With Higgins still nursing the ankle injury, Hurst could step into a bigger role in the passing game while taking advantage of his team-leading four red-zone targets over the last two games.
7
WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
The Huddle Rank: WR30
It’s completely understandable why fantasy managers will keep Mooney on the bench this week. He hasn’t done much of anything this season outside of a back-end WR2 finish in Week 4. But the matchup is there for Mooney to have a big game. His target share hasn’t dipped below 24% over the last three games, and the Washington Commanders are allowing the fifth-most PPR points per game (41.1) and 15.2 yards per reception to wide receivers. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Mooney blows up in primetime.
6
RB Mike Boone, Denver Broncos
The Huddle Rank: RB28
With bye weeks here, Boone becomes a flex play for managers needing to fill a vacant spot. The Broncos offense hasn’t instilled much confidence in fantasy managers, but Boone has a role that could pay off in PPR formats. Seeing a season-high 10 opportunities in Week 5 is nothing to write home about, but Boone could be more involved in a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, who have allowed the most PPR points per game (32.0) to running backs this season. They’ve also allowed eight total touchdowns, which is tied for the highest mark in the NFL. With a potential negative game script, Boone is an intriguing flex play on Monday night.
5
WR Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
The Huddle Rank: WR35
Immediately coming back from a knee injury, Meyers posted a WR1 finish against the Detroit Lions. He secured a 38% target share in Week 5 and has a 32% target share on the season. That’s an extremely elite number. The Cleveland Browns have been middling against fantasy wide receivers, allowing 32.6 PPR points per game to the position. Regardless of who is under center, the passing game flows through Meyers, and we should expect another outing of high usage.
4
RB J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team
The Huddle Rank: RB27
Another player in this Thursday night game doesn’t make me feel all that comfortable, but sometimes we have to make uneasy decisions during bye weeks. As Brian Robinson returned to the fold in Week 5, McKissic still had a massive role as a pass-catcher. Though it was the first game this season he didn’t record a carry, McKissic posted a 19% target share, which was the second-highest mark of his season. He also out-snapped both Robinson and Antonio Gibson. The Chicago Bears are allowing the eighth-most PPR points per game (25.4) to the position, which puts McKissic in play as a flex option.
3
WR Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills
The Huddle Rank: WR45
McKenzie cleared the concussion protocol Wednesday after missing Week 5, and this is a prime spot for McKenzie to have an explosive game. The presence of Jamison Crowder was keeping McKenzie from holding a full-time slot role, but the former is likely done for the season with an ankle injury. During his last two games, McKenzie posted a 16% and 18% target share, respectively. That’s plenty in the Bills offense, and there’s even room to grow there. Additionally, the Kansas City Chiefs have allowed the seventh-most PPR points per game (38.7), the fifth-most receptions (69), and the fifth-most receiving touchdowns (seven) to wide receivers this season.
2
QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
The Huddle Rank: QB19
It’s not easy trusting Jones and the Giants offense in fantasy football. However, he does find himself in a juicy matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who are allowing the most fantasy points per game (28.2) to quarterbacks. They also have allowed four consecutive top-10 weekly finishes at the position. Jones hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 2, and that’s mostly because the entire wide receiver corps is injured. But he makes up for it by averaging 8.2 rush attempts per game, which is an extremely high number among quarterbacks. It’s a risky bet, but it could pay off considering the matchup.
1
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
The Huddle Rank: QB15
Garoppolo posted his first QB1 finish of the season in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers and now gets another juicy matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. With a plethora of weapons around him, Garoppolo gets to take on a Falcons defense allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game (22.5) to quarterbacks. They also have allowed a top-10 finish at the position in all but one week this season. Garoppolo is certainly in play as the top streaming option of the week.
