Fantasy Football Week 6: Which Receiver Stars in Oakland and Denver?

You can’t start them both, but the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders each have a pair of stars at wide receiver. Who shines in fantasy football Week 6?

Through five weeks of the NFL season, there are some interesting fantasy trends developing, specifically at the wide receiver position. Two pairs of teammates are neck-and-neck in terms of production, yet it would be foolish to bet on both each week (in a daily fantasy contest). Decisions have to be made.

Both the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders have a pair of fantasy studs at wide receiver. Big name talents that traditionally put up big time points for their owners. This year the delineation between who’s better is more cloudy than ever before. Which star will dominate the most this week?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, discuss Fantasy Football Week 6 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

Two star players on two winnings football teams, but only one wide receiver is likely to dole out the most love in fantasy football week 6. Who would you rather have?

In Denver, would you rather have: Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders?
In Oakland, would you rather have: Amari Cooper or Michael Crabtree?

Prior to the season, the easy answer for each would be the first guy. They were more highly thought of. But as 2016 progresses, that is no longer the case. For the Broncos, Thomas and Sanders are nearly dead even in fantasy points at 54 and 52 points respectively. On the Raiders, it is Crabtree who has the early edge thanks to a hefty touchdown lead. For Week 6, which direction are you going?

In Denver, I want Sanders. He is ranked slightly behind Thomas according to expert consensus rankings, but it’s close. Both guys are solid considerations against an average San Diego pass defense that will be without Jason Verrett and a Charger team that seems to get itself involved in shootouts. But Sanders is the guy.

With Trevor Siemian due to return to the lineup, there will be more consistency out of the quarterback position, and with that, more on-target throws. On the year, Sanders dwarfs Thomas in targets, 51 to 34. He has hauled in as many touchdowns as Thomas too. So it’s not like the Broncos ignore the smaller man near the red zone. In fact, Sanders has the most red-zone targets in the NFL right now. It simply seems like Sanders is the number-one guy and Thomas is the big-play guy. This is kind of opposite of how things appeared last season and opposite of preseason fantasy rankings.

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In Oakland, the receiving pair is also very evenly rated by the consensus this week. Crabtree looks like the bona fide receiving leader because of his five touchdowns. Though a touchdown-dependent player like this would normally scare me away, he has actually been the much more consistent fantasy performer compared with Cooper.

Cooper crushes him in yards per reception, but Amari has only had two productive fantasy weeks this season. Three of the five weeks, he scored seven or fewer points, a number that Crabtree has topped all five weeks, even when he didn’t reach the end zone. Crabtree is the guy I’d rather have this week against a tough Kansas City pass defense.

Dan Salem:

Since Trevor Siemian is returning to quarterback the Denver Broncos, I too am taking Emmanuel Sanders this week as Denver faces a porous San Diego defense. Siemian has proven over the first four games of the season that he loves to throw to Sanders. I’d go as far as to say he’s his go-to wide receiver, especially in the red zone. Thomas is still getting his, but those number of targets speak for themselves. After missing a week, Siemian will be looking for his best friend Sanders more than ever.

When Paxton Lynch was under center, a different chemistry existed within the Broncos’ offense. As a rookie I felt like he was looking more towards the bigger target, namely Demaryius Thomas. He was focusing more on his primary receiver within a given play, that being Thomas as well. But Lynch will once again be on the sidelines, so when Denver takes on the Chargers, I’m betting on Sanders to find the endzone and reward his fantasy owners the most.

As for our pair of Raiders’ wide receivers, I’m not as keen to jump on the Michael Crabtree bandwagon as you are. I understand your logic, especially against a tough Chiefs’ defense, but Crabtree feels like an easy target for the Kansas City secondary to trivialize in the game. He’s found the end zone and racked up fantasy points mainly because opposing defenses have been keying on Amari Cooper. This has left Crabtree open or with a mismatch that quarterback Derek Carr has been able to exploit.

Against the Chiefs, I expect Oakland to be forced to run and take what they can get in the passing game. Amari has the size and strength to win his battles, but I’m not sure Crabtree will find the daylight you are anticipating. The only way Cooper scores fewer fantasy points is if Crabtree finds the end zone and he doesn’t. Granted, this has been the case more often than not this season, but I’m not betting my lineup on it.

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