Fantasy Football High Risk vs. High Reward | Week 6 

Heading into Week 6 in the NFL, fantasy football is really starting to heat up.

There is a great chance that you already have an established leader in your league if it’s not you, and it’s clear to see which teams are trying and which are not.

NFL Soup is here to help you win your fantasy football leagues, and we continue our weekly High Risk vs. High Reward column for Week 6.

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Outside of Eli Manning, the Cowboys have yet to face a quarterback with a big arm that can get the ball down field.

However, they have shown much improvement in the secondary, although they are still having their issues. The issue here is that Flacco is not an elite quarterback and while he has Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin, neither player has proven to stay consistent.

Perhaps the most consistent pass catcher on the team is Dennis Pitta (who is a fine start this week), which makes me nervous to start Flacco against a team fielding Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to cover their best receivers.

Flacco could get hot and have a big game, but it’s also quite the possibility that he gets held to less than 15 fantasy points this week.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Cleveland Browns

Weeden had a somewhat successful Week 2 outing against the Bengals, and gets a rematch here at home. He has been throwing for quite a bit of yardage, having two 300+ yard games and a 290+ yard game under his belt so far.

The Bengals secondary is reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboys in previous seasons and just have no idea on how to stop the pass. Not to mention Trent Richardson will be in on more third downs likely, giving him an extra out if he needs to check down.

Weeden could have a 20 point game if he can pick apart the Bengals defense again, but being a rookie with limited weapons, he is prone to turnovers and could fail on a big level.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

We know that the inconsistency of the Cleveland Browns defense is a big reason for their 0-5 record, and it’s very likely that the Law Firm has another reasonable game against them, only this time with a touchdown.

I’m expecting double digit points out of Green-Ellis this week simply because the Browns cannot tackle.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that the Browns from Week 1 show up defensively and shut down the Bengals, especially with Joe Haden back in the mix. However, I’m not going to hold my breath.

Vick Ballard, RB, Indianapolis Colts

The Jets rush defense has been below average in the first few weeks of the season, and with Donald Brown out, rookie Vick Ballard gets the starting nod.

My issue with Ballard is that he really has not shown a lot to be a legit fantasy back, but the fact that the Jets will be focused on trying to stop Andrew Luck makes me believe that Ballard could be a solid sleeper.

I’m not starting him this week, however, because I simply do not believe that the Colts will give him enough touches to make a big enough impact in fantasy.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

The only thing I have against Dwayne Bowe this week is that Brady Quinn is starting for him.

Quinn hasn’t started a game since 2009, or even played in a regular season game since then, so we have no idea how well off he will be with his offensive weapons.

Granted, Bowe gets one of the worst secondaries in the league that will also be without Aqib Talib, to make them 10x worse. If Quinn can put up even an average game, Bowe could still produce at his level. But don’t be surprised if he’s held out of the end zone.

Dez Bryant/Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo’s inability to throw to his own receivers already hurts the value of Bryant and Austin enough, but facing a tough Ravens secondary makes me even more scared to start either of these two.

Bryant and Austin can be hit or miss, not being dominant enough simply because of the mediocre quarterback play.

Expect the Ravens to get a lot of pressure on Romo this week, forcing some more bad decisions, which will limit Bryant and Austin.

Steve Johnson, WR, Buffalo Bills

While Ryan Fitzpatrick throws the ball a lot, he will be hard pressed to find Stevie Johnson open often in this one. Patrick Peterson is not an elite corner, but he’s good enough to cover Johnson.

Also, like Romo, Fitzpatrick tends to turn the ball over quite a bit, limiting his play makers’ opportunities to help him out.

With Buffalo’s lack of WR depth, it’s not out of the question for them to put a safety over top of Johnson as well.

Fred Davis, TE, Washington Redskins

Davis is a very talented tight end that needs to see more targets. Also, he Minnesota defense has been stepping up in recent weeks, much to my surprise, which makes me hesitant to start Davis.

Problem is, against tight ends, the Vikings rank 20th in the league according to Football Outsiders, and they are prone to giving up plays over the middle.

Davis’ ability to catch the ball and run after the catch makes him a tough sit as it is, but if the Vikings defense plays like it has been, Davis could also flop this week.

Philadelphia Eagles Defense

The Eagles have clearly improved defensively, only really struggling against Baltimore and Arizona this season.

However, they get a tough match-up this week against a high-powered Detroit Lions offense with plenty of weapons and more healthy running backs than usual.

The good news for the Eagles is that Matthew Stafford has not been the same quarterback as in recent seasons. The bad news is that it only takes a few big plays for Stafford to burn you, and if they don’t stay disciplined, the Lions could go off.

Indianapolis Colts Defense

Against Green Bay, the Colts defense stepped up significantly. Aaron Rodgers had a solid game overall, but they made him uncomfortable in the pocket and even picked him off once.

Mark Sanchez is just a bad quarterback, and they likely won’t have to work half as hard to shut him down this week.

I think the Colts will still give up around 17-20 points, but I could see more than one interception and a couple sacks this week against a Jets offense that has been non-existent since their blowout of Buffalo in Week 1.