Below is our Start and Bench Advice for Week 6 of the 2008 Fantasy Football season. Our "Who To Start & Who To Bench" advice is loaded with fantasy football player projections, fantasy analysis and straight up bold predictions.
Also, be sure to check out all of our updated Week 6 Player Projections, which are updated right up until kickoff. For previous Start Bench Advice, click here.
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The Packers are 27th in the league against the run this year, giving up 5 rushing touchdowns so far and over 161.4 rushing yards per game. Now, the Jets are 5th against the run, surrendering 75.5 yards per game, but they have given up 6 rushing touchdowns. I go against the match-up on this one and start Chris Perry. I don’t know if the Cincy back will rush for over 100 yards (as the Bengals could be passing their way back into this one), but fantasy owners can expect 70-80 yards on the ground and a score. Perry had a nice touchdown run called back in Week 5 and almost pulled in a nice touchdown reception. I like Perry this week and I like the way he is playing. I’m not sure what to think of Julius Jones looking forward, which is why I recommended that fantasy owners sell-high after his two monster back-to-back outings. His match-up is great in Week 6, but for some reason I just don’t trust him. |
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The Bengals were so sure about Chris Perry being able to carry the load that they went and released veteran Rudi Johnson before the season began. Four weeks later, they picked up Cedric Benson off the scrap heap and immediately had him splitting carries with Perry against the Cowboys last weekend. This should not give you any confidence about either Perry or the Bengals offense moving forward. Instead, put your fantasy faith in Julius Jones, a guy who has quietly racked up enough yards on the ground to put him at #11 among all RBs so far this season. He looks like a lock to go over 100 yards on the ground and score at least one touchdown in his matchup with the Packers. |
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The Dolphins have a solid rushing defense (7th in the league). They have surrendered just 2 rushing touchdowns so far this year and give up just 82.8 yards per outing. Earnest Graham’s match-up isn’t much better, as the Panthers have given up just one rushing score so far in 2008 and give up just 98.4 yards per game. Call me crazy, but I sit the hot hand (Steve Slaton) given the match-ups and I remain hopeful that the Bucs coaching staff feeds their beast. Graham is averaging an insane 5.9 yards per carry this season — I think that the Bucs will turn to Graham in Week 6 and I think the runner can reach 100 yards and a punch in a score. I recommend that fantasy owners buy-low on Graham if the price is right — Many fantasy owners will sell him cheap, as they now probably worry about his workload. Invest because you’re not spending a ton to get him! Not sure what to give up? Visit our Fantasy Forums, or get Expert Email Advice from FFX staffers. |
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Neither of these two has a favorable matchup this week – both will face defenses ranked in the top 7 overall and giving up less than 100 total yards on the ground per game. That said, Tampa seems to be leaning committee as of late, and that means Earnest Graham may see fewer total touches as the Bucs work Warrick Dunn into the game plan even more. On the other hand, Steve Slaton has been handed the reins of Houston’s ground game and you can expect 18-20 touches overall. Because of that I think he’s the better play this weekend and should get near 100 total yards and a score. |
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The Jags are 15th in the league against the run, so the Broncos might have a solid day on the ground in Week 6. Michael Pittman is running hard as of late and Shanny has made it a point to acknowledge that this week. Nothing is official thus far, but it appears that Pittman is going to get more and more work looking forward (at least until rookie Ryan Torain is back from his elbow injury). It’s tough to call either Kevin Smith or Pittman a good start this week, but if I had to pick one runner this week, I’d roll with Pittman. Even if his workload doesn’t increase, he has scored four touchdowns in five games. Plus, the Vikings are third this year against the run, and even though that defensive unit has given up 6 scores on the ground this season, I don’t see Smith (who is sharing carries) having a big day. |
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Let’s put this out there – neither of these guys are a great choice this week, but we have to pick one. Kevin Smith lead the team in carries last week (in spite of Rudi Johnson being named the starter) and scored a TD in a futile effort against Chicago. None of that matters this weekend vs the Vikings, who once again are a top 3 defense against the run. Bench Smith and play Michael Pittman who will get roughly the same number of carries as Smith, but should be able to do more with them. Again, don’t expect great numbers, but Pittman is the better play. |
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This is a great match-up for Maurice Jones-Drew and that Jaguars rushing attack. The Broncos are 25th against the run and have given up 5 scores on the ground. That defense gives up 134.0 yards per contests. That said, Willis McGahee’s match-up is even better. McGahee and LeRon McClain get to go up against the league’s worst rushing defense. The Colts give up 188.5 yards per game and have given up 5 scores so far in 2008. It’s tough to go against my boy MJD, and it’s even tougher to put trust in McGahee right now, but the match-up is golden. Start McGahee and expect that 100-yard game you’ve been waiting for. A touchdown is in the cards as well. Don’t be shocked if McClain has a big day as well — There is enough to go around against this rushing defense. |
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This is a tough decision – one which I will face myself this week. Both of these guys have great matchups, but neither has really been a reliable player as of yet which complicates the decision. Willis McGahee seems to be on an upward curve and was trusted enough to get 22 carries in a hard fought game against the Titans last week. If nothing else, that should tell you that the coaching staff is starting to come around and trust him to be the feature back. Maurice Jones-Drew, on the other hand, has had seven or fewer carries in four of his five games thus far – which is a curious coaching decision at best. There is always a chance MJD busts a long run, but if he doesn’t your stuck with another 6-25 performance. I prefer quantity of carries here and think McGahee will reward his owners with a 100 yard, 2 TD performance against the Colts. |
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This is a fun question because Carson Palmer and Brett Favre face off against each other this week. The Jets are second to last in the NFL against the pass, which is great news for Palmer. And, believe it or not, the Bengals give up just 167.6 yards per game through the air (6th in the NFL through 5 games), which doesn’t look good for Favre. The match-up is heavily in favor of Palmer, but can you trust him? I still have faith in the guy, no question, but if in this situation I roll with the safe play in Favre. Favre looks great and he is building a great rapport with those receivers. Start Favre and expect over 275 yards and at least two scores. Hopefully Palmer duplicates that and Chad Ocho Cinco finally breaks out (see next question below for more on this), but I still like Favre better… for this week, anyway. |
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There was a time when a 217 yard, 2 touchdown performance was a sub-par outing for Carson Palmer, but not this year. That was his best scoring output of the season – but is it enough to consider starting him over a guy who threw six touchdowns in his last game? I don’t think so. Those six TD passes were a career high for Brett Favre, and considering the state of the Jets running attack, it is obvious that offense rests on the arm of Favre and those receivers. Obviously, I don’t expect another six touchdowns out of Brett, but I can see 2-3 touchdown passes to go along with nearly 300 yards passing this week against Cincy.Info |
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As I said above, the Jets are 31st in the league against the pass and the Bengals are are actually in the top 6 against the pass. Laveranues Coles is playing great, and despite liking Favre over Palmer this week, I insert Chad Ocho Cinco into my line-up if in this situation. I think Coles could have 60-70 and a score, but I’m hopeful that Chad gets that 90-yard game and cranks out a nice touchdown dance. I start Chad and I keep the faith, as he has had plenty of slow starts in the past. Back in 2006, Chad went through the first eight games of the season with just one game over 78 yards and had just two scores. Do you remember how this story ends? Here is what transpired over his next five starts — No, not over the course of the season, just five starts… Chad had 11 catches for 260 yards and 2TDs in his 9th game of that season. In the following game, the stud wide receiver pulled in 6 passes for 190 yards and 3TDs. He had 100-yard receiving performances in two of the next three games after that. In those five games alone, starting with his 9th game of the year, Chad racked up 765 receiving yards and 5TDs. That’s nuts! Keep this in mind when you doubt him, and especially keep this in mind if you’re considering trading him (or benching him for a mediocre option). He goes through slumps, that’s how Chad rolls, but this guy can often rebound bigger and better than anyone in the league! |
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Chad Johnson is a player I have not recommended since the season began. The constant hope he will break out of his funk has done fantasy owners no good as he has tallied only 14 catches in five games. Chad’s owners are continually driven to put him in their lineup for fear of missing that “big game” where he finally comes through with some numbers worthy of his draft position. To you I say it’s time to bench him unless you have no other choice – and that’s not the case here. Laveranues Coles has hauled in 14 passes for 180 yards and 4 TDs in his last two starts – I expect that trend to continue this week now that he is completely healthy. |
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Both are almost must-starts, but if you’re in this situation, I say go with the runner. The Bears are 23rd against the pass, but that defensive unit has only given up 4 passing touchdowns on the year (which is strange). The Falcons give up 125.8 yards per game on the ground (21st) and have surrendered 5TDs so far this season on the ground. I love Roddy White and would love to hear what players you’re starting over him, but I go Matt Forte if in this situation. I try to get both in your line-up, though. |
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Matt Forte had a good day on the ground last week, running for 36 yards and scoring two TDs against Detroit. A closer look at the box score might lead one to believe that Kevin Jones’ 10 carries to Forte’s 15 is reason for concern, but not to worry. Although Jones is now in the mix, those carries were more a product of the lopsided score than an early indication of committee. This is Forte’s team and the Bears will continue to feed him the ball to establish their offense, which makes him the better play this weekend than Roddy White. |
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