Fantasy Football 2018: Start or sit for Week 6

Start

Andrew Luck at New York Jets– We all had questions about Andrew Luck’s shoulder heading into 2018, and even a mere three weeks in, we still weren’t sure how Luck would fare. Yet the last two weeks, Luck has thrown for 829 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Luck has seemingly turned a corner and comes into week six ranked as the ninth best quarterback in fantasy football, according to ESPN.

Despite his top-10 ranking, Luck is only starting in 45 percent of leagues. The Colts travel to New York to face a somewhat stingy Jets secondary. Even with TY Hilton not expected to make his return, Luck has made-do with scraps around him, turning Eric Ebron to fantasy’s fourth ranked tight end. Luck is on pace to break Matthew Stafford’s record for attempts in a season, holding the crown as volume king. Trust the numbers and start Luck faithfully in a game that might require Luck to piece together another solid fantasy outing.

Russell Wilson at Oakland– Admittedly so, I’ve been off and on the Wilson wagon for weeks. When I expect Wilson to thrive against Arizona, he performs below standards. When expected to struggle against a tough Rams defense, he thrives nicely. This week, Wilson and the Seahawks will travel to Oakland to take on a Raiders defense that ranks in the bottom quarter of the league in passing yards allowed per game (277).

ESPN also pointed out the Raiders currently rank dead-last in pressure rates (If only they had a premier pass-rusher), seemingly giving Wilson the green light for another productive fantasy day. With Doug Baldwin having another week to work himself back to full health and a surprisingly respectable run game last week, I’ll take my chances with Wilson in the black hole.

Sit

Mitch Trubisky at Miami– After an extraordinary performance before his bye-week, Trubisky was quickly added to what felt like every league on the block, stashing him for after the bye. Typically, I would favor a quarterback coming off a bye-week, especially with an offensive mind like Matt Nagy behind him.

Yet Trubisky hasn’t earned my trust quite yet, and a matchup against what has been one of the better secondaries in the league doesn’t tip the scales in his favor. Miami currently leads the league in interceptions (10) while allowing a mere 75.0 passer rating to opponents, good enough for third best in the league. Despite his breakout game vs. Tampa Bay, Trubisky’s highest fantasy outing sits at 18 points. I’ll favor the Dolphins home-tank advantage.

Jared Goff at Denver– The decision to sit Goff isn’t necessarily saying his performance will be terrible. This is playing more to the “If Isaiah Crowell can hit 219 yards on just 15 carries against the Broncos, what in the world will Todd Gurley do?” crowd. Sean McVay will surely find holes in Denver’s defense to expose to Gurley, and with the Rams talents, Goff’s passing abilities may be limited thanks to either a heavy rushing attack or simply a big lead.

Despite suffering injuries last week, both Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks are reportedly on track to play Sunday. As good as Goff has been in 2018, two of his lowest performances have come on the road. Denver’s pass defense is middle of the road, and with Von Miller lurking on the edge, Goff’s limits may be tested on Sunday.