Starters and benchwarmers
Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 6 of the 2015 season:
Sam Bradford, QB, Eagles
vs. Giants: Bradford seems to be getting into a rhythm with Philly’s up-tempo offense, passing for 603 yards and five TDs over the past two weeks. Next up: the NFL’s most generous secondary.
Arian Foster, RB, Texans at
Jaguars: He’s gotten past his groin injury and reclaimed the workhorse role in Houston’s backfield. Meanwhile, Alfred Blue is dealing with turf toe, and the Jaguars just made Doug Martin look like a fantasy stud for the first time since his rookie season.
Antonio Andrews, RB, Titans vs. Dolphins: Though he’s part of a committee that includes his running quarterback and Bishop Sankey, Andrews has reached the end zone in both games he’s played. With Miami’s leagueworst run defense coming to town, and Marcus Mariota in need of run support, Andrews has an excellent chance to continue his positive momentum.
Marvin Jones, WR, Bengals
at Bills: Buffalo’s offense is basically down to the JV team, so Andy Dalton should be in firm control of this game throughout. Jones hasn’t seen the end zone since Week 3, but he should have plenty of opportunities against the soft spot in the Bills’ defense.
Donte Moncrief, WR, Colts
vs. Patriots: All signs point to the return of QB Andrew Luck, which is bad news for Andre Johnson and great news for the speedy Moncrief. While T.Y. Hilton draws the attention of the Patriots’ secondary, Moncrief should be able to capitalize on the deeper routes where Luck excels.
Andrew Luck, QB, Colts vs.
Patriots: It is possible to like a receiver and not his quarterback in any given matchup. That’s the case this week, as Luck will be forced to drop back often, exposing his ailing shoulder to plenty of big hits behind Indy’s porous line. New England’s secondary has as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns surrendered. We haven’t seen the 2014 version of Luck yet, and I don’t expect him to reappear this week either. Washington RBs at Jets: This has turned into a threepronged backfield with Chris Thompson contributing mostly as a receiver. Alfred Morris hasn’t come close to 100 combined yards in a game since Week 1, and he hasn’t reached the end zone all season. Matt Jones is fighting through a sprained toe. Leave them all alone against the Jets’ stout run defense.
Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals at Bills: Though Bernard is the preferred option over backfield mate Jeremy Hill these days, both should have a rough day against the Bills’ ferocious run defense. Hopefully you have safer options.
Travis Benjamin, WR,
Browns vs. Broncos: Benjamin is having a career year, but this should be a weekend to forget. Quarterback Josh McCown will be harassed mercilessly by Denver’s pass rush, leaving Benjamin little time to find a seam in their stingy secondary. Avoid all Cleveland players this week.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills
vs. Bengals: The good news is that Watkins (calf ) is expected to return this week. The bad news is that he’s returning to an offense in disarray. E.J. Manuel will be under center, the Bills’ running game is a shambles, and the Bengals are brimming with confidence. Watkins has already complained about a lack of targets, and that was when he had an accurate quarterback at the controls.