Fantasy football Week 6: Rhamondre Stevenson, Brandon Aiyuk impress

Week 6 of the 2022 phantasy shot play was highlighted by large games by Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Aiyuk and much struggles for Aaron Rodgers. Which developments from the week are worthy speechmaking into? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft connection their analysis.

Stevenson gets a dense workload

With Damien Harris sidelined -- remarkably, contempt hints that he'd beryllium retired aggregate weeks, helium was ruled retired connected Sunday lone astatine inactives database clip -- Rhamondre Stevenson stepped up with a immense magnitude of work, demonstrating his versatility and earthy quality successful the process. He played 85% of the violative snaps, absorbed 19 of 23 rushing attempts that went to moving backs and ran each 19 routes by Patriots moving backs, things that look wholly retired of the mean considering Bill Belichick's inclination to dispersed things astir successful his backfield. Stevenson had his moments successful this game, struggling to find abstraction astatine times, but his 31-yard touchdown underscored his imaginable arsenic a runner, and his receiving chops had antecedently been well-known. He's a imaginable RB1 -- much truthful successful deeper-than-standard leagues, nevertheless -- anytime this backfield is his alone. -- Cockcroft

Stevenson has the carnal illustration and make-up of an RB1. We cognize helium tin driblet the hammer connected interaction and, arsenic we saw connected Sunday, Stevenson volition deed the accelerator erstwhile helium gets into the unfastened field. The Patriots moving backmost has besides caught 14 passes implicit his past 4 games. There's PPR upside here, too. -- Bowen

Pitts finds the extremity zone

Kyle Pitts caught his archetypal touchdown of the twelvemonth connected a reddish portion slant way successful the Week 6 triumph implicit the 49ers. Play-action with the choky extremity aligned arsenic the backside X receiver. That's casual money. Given his traits arsenic a receiver, however, wherefore aren't we seeing much people measurement and matchup-based deployment for the choky extremity successful Arthur Smith's offense? Pitts' 10.9 PPR points connected Sunday were his astir since the Week 3 crippled astatine Seattle (13.7), but helium inactive sits astatine 13 full receptions connected the season. Without the volume, and the usage that creates accordant scoring opportunities oregon explosive play situations, Pitts volition stay a lower-tier TE1 for the Week 7 crippled versus the Bengals. -- Bowen

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With Kyle Pitts scoring his archetypal touchdown of the season, Tristan H. Cockcroft expresses his anticipation that amended things are coming for the Falcons choky end.

More struggles for Rodgers

Davante Adams' lack is intelligibly having an adverse interaction connected Aaron Rodgers' production, arsenic 2022 is present the archetypal play successful his 15 arsenic an NFL starter successful which helium has failed to present a 20-plus-point phantasy show during 1 of the archetypal six weeks, and his 81.02 points full successful those six games are easy his fewest. Rodgers was pressured relentlessly by the Jets' defence successful this one, and that's not a defence that's traditionally considered 1 of the league's astir ferocious, and Randall Cobb's aboriginal exit owed to an ankle contented tin hardly instrumentality each of the blame. Rodgers doesn't look successful bushed astatine each with this radical of receivers erstwhile he's aiming deep, and that'll enactment him successful unsmooth spots against tougher opponents, particularly if playing from down arsenic helium was successful this game. He's looking similar a matchups backmost done and through. At slightest that means helium could present QB1 numbers against the Commanders adjacent week oregon Lions successful Week 9, but there's nary mode close present that you tin spot him against defenses similar the Bills successful Week 8 oregon Cowboys successful Week 10. -- Cockcroft

Aiyuk comes up big

Game travel forced the 49ers to propulsion the shot successful the Week 6 nonaccomplishment astatine Atlanta, but let's inactive absorption present connected Brandon Aiyuk. The wide receiver did station play highs successful PPR scoring (23.3), targets (11), receptions (8) and touchdowns (2). And we person to relationship for his reddish portion usage successful this one. Aiyuk scored his archetypal touchdown connected a wide receiver screen, and came backmost to triumph a one-on-one matchup from a slot alignment for his 2nd people -- with some receptions wrong the 20-yard line. With a Week 7 matchup versus the Chiefs, Aiyuk volition stay a touchdown-dependent WR3 successful my rankings. -- Bowen

Other observations

​​Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Thanks successful ample portion to his 60-yard, game-winning touchdown reception with little than 2 minutes near successful the Bengals' 30-24 victory, Chase delivered his phantasy managers 32.2 PPR phantasy points, astir among wide receivers from the 1 p.m. ET games. It's already the 3rd clip this season, and sixth successful his two-year NFL career, that helium has exceeded 25 points, and portion the matchup present skewed heavy successful his favour aft Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was scratched owed to an abdominal injury, Chase's afloat skills were connected afloat show successful this one. He's a top-shelf NFL (and fantasy) talent, locked into the apical 5 astatine his presumption for our purposes, with 4 of six games successful double-digit targets to spell on with large chemistry with his quarterback, Joe Burrow. -- Cockcroft

Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets: After posting 27.7 PPR points successful the Week 5 triumph implicit Miami, Hall dropped 20.1 PPR points connected the Packers up astatine Lambeau Field connected Sunday. The rookie has present scored a touchdown successful 3 consecutive games, with astatine slightest 19 touches per crippled implicit that stretch. We cognize helium has explosive play quality arsenic a dual-threat enactment successful this New York system. It's besides beauteous wide that the Jets spot him arsenic the No. 1 backmost fixed his measurement and violative deployment. Need an example? Look astatine Hall's 34 gait touchdown tally connected Sunday. That's a antagonistic strategy -- with Hall aligned arsenic a helping back. Hall and the Jets get the Broncos next. He'll beryllium a fringe RB1 successful my rankings. -- Bowen

Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills: His 30.8 PPR phantasy points connected Sunday gave him a position-best -- and second-best wide -- 150.6 done six weeks, which is the 14th astir by immoderate wide receiver done that galore squad games since astatine slightest 1950. Diggs has delivered back-to-back elite performances, doing truthful successful games wherever Gabe Davis was arsenic noteworthy, which underscores some his ain elite endowment and the Bills' dense passing leaning. Diggs is simply a locked-in, play top-5 wide receiver. -- Cockcroft

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks: You tin thin connected Walker successful this Seattle offense. Taking implicit arsenic the pb backmost for an injured Rashaad Penny, Walker posted 110 full yards -- connected 23 touches -- to decorativeness with 19.0 PPR points successful the Week 6 triumph implicit the Cardinals. The rookie, who has present scored a rushing touchdown successful 2 consecutive games, showcased the traits of a No.1 back, successful my opinion. He tin gaffe tacklers. The shot bearer imaginativeness is there. And helium has the lateral foodstuff to bounce the shot connected the edge. The Seahawks get the Chargers' leaky tally defence successful Week 7, wherever Walker volition beryllium an RB2 successful my ranks. -- Bowen

DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers: Things can't get overmuch worse for him, tin they? Moore managed lone 3 catches and 7 yards connected his 7 targets, with adjacent the alteration astatine backmost to P.J. Walker failing to crook his play around. At this point, Moore's managers, who roster him successful 94.4% of ESPN leagues, are assuredly hoping the Panthers commercialized him successful beforehand of the Nov. 1 deadline -- though the squad volition surely purpose to determination Robbie Anderson, who was ejected from the crippled by his ain coach, first. Even Moore's docket doesn't animate optimism, arsenic he'll look the Buccaneers, Falcons (twice) and Bengals the adjacent 4 weeks, with each of those defenses either tougher than mean against wide receivers oregon sporting decent endowment astatine cornerback. -- Cockcroft

Marcus Mariota, QB, Atlanta Falcons: His champion phantasy show successful a starting duty successful much than 3 years was 1 successful which helium didn't person to bash overmuch astatine each via the air, arsenic Mariota scored 24.16 points contempt attempting conscionable 14 passes. Remarkably, helium did it by capitalizing upon a run-heavy violative approach, and against a 49ers defence that traditionally has been rather bully astatine containing the run. Mariota could lend for phantasy purposes astatine the level of a high-end QB2, though his unpredictability with falling into the matchups makes him a pugnacious feline to roster extracurricular of those two-quarterback oregon superflex leagues. I can't accidental I spot worth successful him successful different circumstances, not yet. -- Cockcroft

Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers: Jones' 7.4 PPR points were his second-lowest scoring totals of the season, and it's present been 4 weeks since the Packers moving backmost has recovered the extremity zone. In a crippled versus the Jets, wherever I expected to spot dense tally crippled measurement for Jones, helium totaled conscionable 19 yards rushing (on 9 carries). He'll gaffe down to the RB2 scope for the Week 7 crippled astatine Washington. -- Bowen

Matt Ryan, QB, Indianapolis Colts: Ryan's 58 walk attempts connected Sunday successful the triumph implicit the Jags were a play high. So were the 4 touchdown throws and the 27.16 phantasy points. Without Jonathan Taylor, the Colts went walk dense -- and Ryan distributed the shot to 8 antithetic players. His portion has been beneath mean astatine times this season, but springiness the seasoned backmost immoderate recognition here. Ryan made immoderate throws successful this one, including the deep-ball flip to rookie Alec Pierce to triumph it. -- Bowen

This was a heck of a show successful a crippled that, aboriginal on, looked similar it was leaning heavy the Jaguars' way, and it restored immoderate of my religion successful Ryan, but much importantly made maine consciousness a batch amended astir Michael Pittman Jr.'s entreaty going forward. Pittman saw 16 targets, caught 13 and scored 26.4 PPR phantasy points, and I'd reason that of the Colts' astir heavy targeted receivers successful this game, he's the 1 astir apt to support up the usage successful aboriginal weeks. He aligns brilliantly the adjacent 2 weeks, facing the Titans and Commanders. -- Cockcroft

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A Colts wide receiver returning to prominence, the Packers' moving crippled disappearing and the unusual inclination with the Ravens' discourtesy are among the things Eric Karabell noticed Sunday.

Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots: His accumulation has spiked with the alteration astatine backmost to Bailey Zappe, an injury-driven determination to beryllium fair, arsenic Henry saw a team-high 7 targets and scored a season-best 16.1 PPR phantasy points. That gives him a combined 12 targets and 25.5 points successful Zappe's 2 starts, and it's wide by watching that Zappe has brought a spark to the discourtesy and has Henry successful his sights. Keep tabs connected the Patriots' backmost determination done the week -- Mac Jones was astir acceptable to instrumentality for this crippled -- arsenic Henry could beryllium a borderline TE1 successful Zappe's games. -- Cockcroft

I've been impressed with Zappe, Tristan. The rookie backmost tin work it retired quickly. He throws with timing, too. And the schemed concepts tin acceptable him up. Good acceptable for what the Patriots privation successful their violative system. -- Bowen

Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers: With different touchdown reception connected Sunday successful the Week 6 crippled versus the Jets, Lazard has present scored successful 4 of 5 games played this season. Yes, helium is simply a touchdown-dependent enactment successful your lineup who has caught 5 oregon much passes lone erstwhile this season. But fixed however captious the one-on-one throws are successful this Green Bay offense, Lazard inactive provides WR3 worth (with much non-PPR upside) arsenic a vertical people for backmost Aaron Rodgers. Throw the extracurricular verts and the slot fades. Lazard heads into a Week 7 matchup with the Commanders next. -- Bowen

Deon Jackson, RB, Indianapolis Colts: His breakthrough show -- 8.1 PPR phantasy points portion catching a whopping 10 passes -- was marred by his aboriginal departure owed to a quadriceps injury, and astatine this signifier it surely seems that the Colts are snake-bitten astatine moving back, with Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Nyheim Hines (concussion) up of him connected the extent illustration having missed this crippled with injuries of their own. We'll request to spot who is steadfast and practicing passim the week to marque a determination arsenic to Colts moving backmost inferior for Week 7 astatine the Titans, but Jackson has shown that he's roster-worthy adjacent arsenic a specified security policy. -- Cockcroft