Another week of the fantasy football season is in the books, and now that we have five data points at our disposal, we have a fairly clear understanding of each team's pecking order at the wide receiver position. Of course, week-to-week variance is inevitable (just ask DeVonta Smith), but as a whole, the sample size is large enough to really know who's who and which matchups lend themselves to breakout sleeper performances. All is taken into account in our Week 6 fantasy WR rankings for standard leagues.
The Week 6 wide receiver landscape has been shifted with Justin Jefferson heading to the injured reserve, prompting his fantasy owners to search for viable fill-ins.
Get everything you need to know for this upcoming week as we break down fantasy football's deepest position.
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Which WRs are on bye in Week 6?
Only two teams (Packers, Steelers) are idle in Week 6, so the WR pool is still plenty deep. Although the Steelers' offense is in flux, not being able to start George Pickens stings.
WEEK 6 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Green Bay's WR room is unquestionably the bigger loss, as Christian Watson was just starting to get in his groove alongside Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed.
WEEK 6 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Who are the best fantasy WRs in Week 6?
With Jefferson out for at least the next four weeks, Stefon Diggs (vs. Giants in Week 6) sits at No. 1 in what's likely a bounce-back offensive showing from Buffalo. Diggs still got his in the Bills' five-point loss against Jacksonville, but he could really feast against a struggling Giants defense.
Tyreek Hill (vs. Panthers) is also set up for another solid receiving day in another favorite matchup. We'll see if A.J. Brown (@ Jets) can maintain his dominant play against a steady New York secondary, but he's still a safe bet to post another WR1-caliber fantasy day. Ja'Marr Chase (vs. Seahawks) had his first massive performance of the season and could post another solid day against an exploitable Seattle pass defense.
Cooper Kupp (vs. Cardinals) proved he's the alpha within the Rams' receiving corps, not missing a beat in his 2023 season debut. Puka Nacua still had himself a strong fantasy day, but it's clear Kupp's the wideout Stafford's looking to the most.
WEEK 6 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Who are the best fantasy WR sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 6?
On the sleeper front, Drake London (vs. Commanders), Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup (@ Chargers), Tyler Boyd (vs. Seahawks), Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn (@ Bears), and Skyy Moore/Rashee Rice/Kadarius Toney (vs. Broncos) face defenses who entered Week 5 in the top third of the league in fantasy points allowed to WRs. All are worthy of a starting spot if you have an opening, though some are better suited for deep leagues.
Elsewhere, Josh Downs (@ Jaguars), Josh Reynolds (@ Buccaneers), DJ Chark (@ Dolphins), and Tyler Boyd (vs. Seahawks) make for solid streaming options if they're still available. Downs likely won't have Anthony Richardson (shoulder) throwing him passes this week, but could still see six-plus targets as he did in Week 5. We'll see if Amon-Ra St. Brown's healthy enough to return from an abdomen injury, but even if St. Brown plays, the Lions' offense is potent enough to support multiple fantasy wideouts.
While there's not much to get amped up about for the 0-5 Panthers, Chark has some standard league appeal given how pass-happy the Panthers are in negative game scripts. Like Reynolds, Boyd's fantasy outlook is more promising if Tee Higgins (ribs) misses his second straight game, but regardless, the matchup's juicy enough to give him standalone value. K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison (@ Bears) are flexed into significant roles in favorable matchups with Jefferson landing on the injured reserve.
WEEK 6 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Who are the biggest potential WR busts in Week 6?
We'd be hesitant to start Rashid Shaheed (@ Texans), Courtland Sutton (@ Chiefs), and Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel (vs. Falcons), as each of these pass-catchers faces defenses that entered Week 5 within the top third of the league in fewest fantasy points allowed to WRs. If there's a better replacement option on your bench or in free agency, it might be wise to bench them. That could even apply to Michael Thomas (@ Texans), Jerry Jeudy (@ Chiefs), or Terry McLaurin (vs. Falcons) in shallow leagues.
Elsewhere on the bust front, we're just not sure year one's the time to truly see what Jaxon Smith-Njigba (@ Bengals) is capable of, as fantasy owners should continue to sit him until there's a DK Metcalf/Tyler Lockett injury. We also wouldn't touch any Giants WRs with a 10-foot pole, as we have no interest in starting Isaiah Hodgins or Darius Slayton as a deep-league flex.
What are the biggest WR injuries in Week 6?
Ahead of Week 5, we didn't see Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen), Tee Higgins (ribs), and Treylon Burks (knee) suit up. We'll be watching all three this week, as none are sure things to play.
As for in-game injuries, we saw Justin Jefferson (hamstring), Zay Jones (knee), Tank Dell (head), JuJu Smith-Schuster (head), and Wan'Dale Robinson (head) exit their respective games with injuries. For now, we've taken each of those wideouts out of our initial Week 6 rankings, but we'll be keeping a close on their team's practice reports as the week progresses.
Additionally, Mike Evans (hamstring) had an extra week to recover from his Week 4 ailment with Tampa Bay on bye, so hopefully, Baker Mayfield will get his top receiver back.
As usual, we'll update these standard WR rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.
Fantasy WR Rankings Week 6: Who to start, sit at wide receiver
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
Rank Player
1 Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. Giants
2 Tyreek Hill, Dolphins vs. Panthers
3 Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Seahawks
4 Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Cardinals
5 Davante Adams, Raiders vs. Patriots
6 A.J. Brown, Eagles @ Jets
7 Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. Cowboys
8 CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys @ Chargers
9 Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins vs. Panthers
10 Puka Nacua, Rams vs. Cardinals
11 DJ Moore, Bears vs. Vikings
12 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions @ Buccaneers
13 Chris Olave, Saints @ Texans
14 Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Browns
15 Calvin Ridley, Jaguars vs. Colts
16 Mike Evans, Buccaneers vs. Lions
17 DK Metcalf, Seahawks @ Bengals
18 Adam Thielen, Panthers @ Dolphins
19 Garrett Wilson, Jets vs. Eagles
20 DeVonta Smith, Eagles @ Jets
21 Jordan Addison, Vikings @ Bears
22 Tee Higgins, Bengals vs. Seahawks
23 Michael Pittman Jr., Colts @ Jaguars
24 DeAndre Hopkins, Titans vs. Ravens
25 Amari Cooper, Browns vs. 49ers
26 Gabe Davis, Bills vs. Giants
27 Terry McLaurin, Commanders @ Falcons
28 Zay Flowers, Ravens vs. Titans
29 Deebo Samuel, 49ers @ Browns
30 Marquise Brown, Cardinals @ Rams
31 Nico Collins, Texans vs. Saints
32 K.J. Osborn, Vikings @ Bears
33 Christian Kirk, Jaguars vs. Colts
34 Tyler Lockett, Seahawks @ Bengals
35 Chris Godwin, Buccaneers vs. Lions
36 Drake London, Falcons vs. Commanders
37 Jakobi Meyers, Raiders vs. Patriots
38 Jerry Jeudy, Broncos @ Chiefs
39 Joshua Palmer, Chargers vs. Cowboys
40 Michael Thomas, Saints @ Texans
41 Josh Reynolds, Lions @ Buccaneers
42 Josh Downs, Colts @ Jaguars
43 DJ Chark, Panthers @ Dolphins
44 Courtland Sutton, Broncos @ Chiefs
45 Elijah Moore, Browns vs. 49ers
46 Jonathan Mingo, Panthers @ Dolphins
47 Rashee Rice, Chiefs vs. Broncos
48 Jahan Dotson, Commanders @ Falcons
49 Brandin Cooks, Cowboys @ Chargers
50 Tyler Boyd, Bengals vs. Seahawks
51 Tutu Atwell, Rams vs. Cardinals
52 Curtis Samuel, Commanders @ Falcons
53 Kendrick Bourne, Patriots @ Raiders
54 Michael Wilson, Cardinals @ Rams
55 Robert Woods, Texans vs. Saints
56 Rashid Shaheed, Saints @ Texans
57 Kadarius Toney, Chiefs vs. Broncos
58 Michael Gallup, Cowboys @ Chargers
59 Jameson Williams, Lions @ Buccaneers
60 Darnell Mooney, Bears vs. Vikings
61 Isaiah Hodgins, Giants @ Bills
62 Allen Lazard, Jets vs. Eagles
63 Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos @ Chiefs
64 Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans vs. Ravens
65 Cedrick Wilson, Dolphins vs. Panthers
66 Rondale Moore, Cardinals @ Rams
67 Alec Pierce, Colts @ Jaguars
68 Darius Slayton, Giants @ Bills
69 Nelson Agholor, Ravens vs. Titans
70 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks @ Bengals
71 DeVante Parker, Patriots vs. Saints
72 Skyy Moore, Chiefs vs. Broncos
73 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs vs. Broncos
74 Donovan Peoples-Jones, Browns vs. 49ers
75 Quentin Johnston, Chargers vs. Cowboys
76 Mack Hollins, Falcons vs. Commanders
77 Terrace Marshall, Panthers @ Dolphins
78 Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens vs. Titans
79 Kalif Raymond, Lions @ Buccaneers
Week 6 WR fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week
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