Wide receivers are dropping like flies, and bye weeks are hitting fantasy rosters hard. All of this is coming together to make it very difficult to cobble together a lineup that you're confident sending out to battle on the fantasy gridiron.
The hardest place to make lineup decisions can be at your Flex. There are few players who are clearly better talents or fantasy options, and it can feel like you're just guessing which player is a better choice that week. The best thing you can do is consider available opportunity within an offense and consider the player's matchup so you can make an informed decision.
After combing through the Sporting News' rankings, we've identified five different players who you should consider moving into your Flex spot this week. If you have been going back and forth about any of these players, save yourself some time and get them into your lineup.
WEEK 6 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers
Fantasy Football Week 6 Flex Finder: Sleepers who can pay off in the Flex position
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Brandin Cooks was placed on IR prior to Week 5, meaning Jalen Tolbert would have to step up as Dak Prescott's WR2. He took this opportunity and ran with it. He scored 21.7 PPR points and had very encouraging underlying usage.
| Dallas Cowboys: Week 5 Utilization | |||||||||||
| Name | Team | Position | Route Participation | Target Share | Targets per Route Run | aDOT | Air Yards Share | Endzone Targets | Wide Rate | Slot Rate | Inline Rate |
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL | WR | 93% | 17% | 0.17 | 10.1 | 25% | 1 | 67% | 33% | 0% |
| Jake Ferguson | DAL | TE | 73% | 17% | 0.21 | 3.6 | 9% | 0 | 9% | 61% | 30% |
| Jalen Tolbert | DAL | WR | 82% | 24% | 0.27 | 11.6 | 41% | 2 | 68% | 32% | 0% |
| KaVontae Turpin | DAL | WR | 33% | 12% | 0.33 | 3.4 | 6% | 0 | 20% | 73% | 0% |
He was the full-time WR2 and drew targets at a high rate. A 24-percent target share won't be the norm, but it shows that Prescott is comfortable throwing the ball his way regularly if he's getting open.
Tolbert will likely be open quite often this Sunday. The Lions' secondary has struggled to contain opposing wide receivers. Through four games, three receivers have cleared 100 receiving yards and six have gone for at least 60 yards against the Lions. Detroit has allowed 36 PPG to opposing WRs which ranks 29th so far this year. With Tolbert and CeeDee Lamb being the only full-time receivers, they could both have big days on Sunday in a game with a total set at 52.5 points.
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Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
So far this season, Calvin Ridley hasn't done anything to make you comfortable with him in your starting lineup. But if you're scrambling because of injuries or bye weeks, Ridley offers a ceiling that could lift your team to victory in Week 6.
Let's first take a look at Ridley's usage and role within the Titans' offense. It's been up and down through four games. He saw seven and six targets in the Titan's first two games and then saw just six targets in their next two games combined. However, he's getting looks that can be turned into plenty of fantasy points. He has a 20-yard aDOT and accounts for 43 percent of the air yards given to Tennessee receivers.
Week 6 is a spot where Ridley could see his overall volume come back up while connecting on some deep looks. Head coach Brian Callahan has already said he needs to get Ridley more targets; it would be smart of him to do so against a putrid Indianapolis secondary.
The Colts' defense has not been able to contain a single outside receiver who has even a shred of talent. Nico Collins, George Pickens, Rome Odunze, and Brian Thomas Jr. all finished with at least 110 yards against Indianapolis. Ridley's role makes him a boom-bust option, and this matchup is setting him up to have a game that is close to his weekly ceiling.
WEEK 6 DFS ADVICE
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Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
After spending the first three weeks of the year firmly behind Zack Moss, Chase Brown has forced the Bengals' coaching staff to get him on the field. Browns has been far too explosive and effective with the ball in his hands to keep him on the sideline.
Across the last two games, Brown has played 37 percent of snaps while handling 51 percent of the backfield opportunities. Based on his play, it's no shock that Brown has worked this into a 50-50 split. Among RBs with at least 25 carries, Brown ranks 11th or higher in yards per carry, explosive rush rate, missed tackles forced per attempt, yards after contact per attempt, and rushing success rate. Brown has come as advertised and is the lightning in a bottle that many hoped he would be.
This week could be a Chase Brown blowup spot. Moss suffered what seemed to be an ankle sprain last week against the Ravens and was not a participant in practice to open the week. If Brown is the lone back in Cincinnati's offense, he will feast on the back of a larger workload.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Alright, we've put it off for long enough. It's time to come to terms with the fact that Darnell Mooney is a legitimate fantasy asset. He has a strong role within the Atlanta offense and has produced on his looks. Mooney is now the WR15 on the year and has three performances in which he's finished as a top-30 wide receiver.
Backtracking to take a look at Mooney's role, his utilization in Atlanta's offense is not far behind that of Drake London. Mooney has accounted for 22 percent of the targets and 37 percent of the air yards in Atlanta this year. As a result, he has just five fewer targets and 24 fewer receiving yards than London. Based on the usage of each receiver, both Mooney and London both come in at 15.6 expected fantasy points per game.
Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta receivers carved up the Tampa Bay defense last week. They're in a position to embarrass another defense once again this week. Well, just about every team who has faced the Carolina Panthers defense this year has embarrassed them. The Raiders have been the only team to score fewer than 26 points against Carolina this year. The Panthers rank 28th in total defense, 32nd in scoring defense, and have simply been a goldmine for fantasy production this year. Mooney could very easily follow up his 31-point performance with another strong outing.
Trey Sermon, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Trey Sermon was a popular plug-and-play running back in Week 5, and it's looking like we're right back in the same spot for this Sunday. Jonathan Taylor was not spotted at practice on Wednesday, a sign that he is unlikely to take the field this week.
Last week proved that Trey Sermon can be a volume-driven Flex option. He played 58 percent of the snaps and was responsible for 16 of the 24 backfield opportunities. Most importantly, he was the only back to see a carry at the goal line. Sermon was quite inefficient with his opportunities, averaging 3.9 yards per touch, but a touchdown saved his day and lifted him to an RB6 finish on the week.
We can expect more of the same out of Sermon if Taylor doesn't play. He's not going to rip off runs of 20-plus yards, he is simply going to compile his was to double digit fantasy points. If he punches in a touchdown once again, you'll be quite happy with the outcome.
