Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 6: Who to start, best sleepers at wide receiver

Nick Musial

Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 6: Who to start, best sleepers at wide receiver image

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

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Nick Musial

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Nick Musial is a Content Producer at The Sporting News. He recently joined the team after studying sport management and journalism at the University of Kansas. Nick’s an avid sports bettor who’s always looking for value.