Week 6 fantasy start/sit advice
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Major outlets published Week 6 fantasy start/sit advice on Oct 13-14, with four teams on bye.
Managers must replace Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson this week.
Background
Fantasy managers first had to work around bye weeks in Week 5, when the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs were idle. In Week 6, four teams are sidelined — the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings — removing contributors including Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Week 5 was described as arguably the wildest week of the 2026 season so far, with a massive road upset, stunning finishes and a potential Super Bowl preview that went to overtime.
How it unfolded
- Oct 11, 2026The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 31-7 at Lambeau Field, with MarShawn Lloyd scoring two rushing touchdowns.
- Oct 13, 2026USA TODAY Sports publishes Week 6 start/sit advice naming eight players to start and eight to sit; Bleacher Report publishes Week 6 recommendations for smart matchup plays and sleepers.
- Oct 14, 2026Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, the Charlotte Observer, Bleacher Report, ESPN and CBS Sports all publish Week 6 start/sit advice, with CBS Sports calling C.J. Stroud a clear must-start.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- USA TODAY Sports backs Jameis Winston (three straight starts without a loss for the Giants, three passing touchdowns in back-to-back games) and Kirk Cousins (12 touchdown passes in five games with the Raiders) against weak pass defenses.
- Analysts
- ESPN and Bleacher Report favor MarShawn Lloyd, citing his 10 receptions on 13 targets leading Green Bay's backfield and a Cowboys defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs.
- Caution
- Bleacher Report lists Braelon Allen as a sit, noting the Patriots allow just 4.0 yards per carry and rank 16th in fantasy points allowed to running backs, while Allen has 3 receptions in two starts.
- Analysts
- CBS Sports calls Trevor Lawrence a low-end starter at best, as the Texans have allowed an average of 13.8 fantasy points over their past four games against Joe Burrow, Daniel Jones, Dak Prescott and Cam Ward.
Still unverified
Starting MarShawn Lloyd carries some risk, as the Packers worked in both Kaleb Johnson and Pierre Strong Jr. while giving Lloyd just 10 carries. Dameon Pierce's touchdown threat is contingent on Saquon Barkley (hamstring) remaining sidelined.