Fantasy football managers had to work around bye weeks for the first time during Week 5, when the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs were out of action. Things will get harder for them in Week 6, when four teams are sidelined.
The Cincinnati Bengals
, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings will all have the week off in Week 6. That will eliminate top-tier contributors like Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson from fantasy lineups, among others.As a result, fantasy managers will have to rely on streamers to help fill in across positions. They will also have to make some tough calls about players who appear to be trending toward being sits but may be elevated into "start 'em" territory because
of the bye.
Who can you start and sit in fantasy football for Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season? USA TODAY Sports outlines eight players to start and eight to sit:
Fantasy football players to start in Week 6
Quarterbacks
- Jameis Winston, New York Giants (vs. New Orleans Saints)
Just like everyone expected, Winston hasn't yet lost across three starts with the Giants this year and has thrown three passing touchdowns in back-to-back games. The Saints are one of two NFL teams surrendering more than 30 points per game, along with the Cardinals, so Winston and the Giants could find themselves positioned for another strong offensive showing in Week 6.
- Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Buffalo Bills)
Cousins is another good streaming option. He only threw one touchdown pass against the Patriots last week, but he has already thrown for 12 across his first five games with the Raiders. The Bills have a leaky secondary that Cousins and Brock Bowers can exploit, so expect Cousins to post borderline-QB1 numbers in what should be a high-scoring matchup.
Running backs
- MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
Lloyd emerged as Green Bay's preferred goal-line option in Week 5, powering in two rushing touchdowns in its 31-7 win over Chicago. The Cowboys have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to running backs this season, so don't be surprised if Lloyd is able to work his way into the end-zone again or surpass his season-best mark of 49 scrimmage yards.
- Dameon Pierce, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Pierce wasn't able to do much against the Jaguars' league-best run defense, but he gets a much easier matchup with the Panthers in Week 6. Carolina has surrendered the fourth-most FPPG to running backs this season and Pierce's bruising style will make him a threat to punch in a touchdown – provided Saquon Barkley (hamstring) remains sidelined.
Wide receivers
- Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans (at Indianapolis Colts)
Did Tate have just one catch last week after logging 145 yards the previous week? Yes. Is that type of inconsistency what we should expect from Tate? Maybe, but it's still hard to pick against him facing the Colts. Indianapolis just saw second-round rookie Germie Bernard post solid numbers against it and has allowed at least 33 points in three of its five games this season. Tate has boom potential and should be treated as a high-upside flex option.
- Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Buffalo Bills)
Tucker could be a sneaky-good play this week. The Raiders wideout has averaged 5.6 targets per game this year and turned them into a respectable 54.8 receiving yards per game. Granted, some of that is skewed by his 119-yard outburst in Week 2, but his floor is higher than most other speculative flex plays. Tucker gets a favorable matchup against a Bills team that has struggled against receivers, so he could enjoy another breakout game.
Tight end
- Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The Buccaneers have allowed the ninth-most FPPG to tight ends this season and Freiermuth has logged four touchdowns in five games. As long as he remains a favorite target of Aaron Rodgers, Freiermuth should be a solid weekly tight end option.
Defense/special teams
- Denver Broncos (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
Denver's defense is dealing with injuries at cornerback, but it still has enough playmakers needed to generate sacks and create turnovers. Sam Darnold has logged seven turnover-worthy plays in 2026 thus far, per Pro Football Focus, so the Broncos should be able to rattle the veteran a bit on "Thursday Night Football."
Fantasy football players to sit in Week 4
Quarterbacks
- Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Some fantasy managers may be tempted to trust Rodgers as a streamer given that he has thrown for three touchdowns in three consecutive weeks. That said, the Steelers are facing a Buccaneers defense that blitzes 41.3% of the time, the third-highest mark in the league, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Rodgers has a passer rating of just 78 against the blitz, per Pro Football Focus, so his ceiling in this matchup is lower than usual.
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Carolina Panthers)
The Panthers have allowed just five passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season and just limited Jared Goff and a high-flying Lions offense to one passing score. Hurts is already a low-ceiling passer, so that matchup won't aid him. Neither will his recent rushing production, as the veteran is averaging just over 15 rushing yards per game over his last four outings.
Running backs
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets (at New England Patriots)
Allen enjoyed the best game of his career in Week 5 against the Browns, but he will face a tougher test against the Patriots in Week 6. New England isn't missing as much talent along the defensive front as New York and has allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game this season (90.8). Allen will have a large workload, but that may not mean much if he isn't able to barrel his way into the end-zone.
- Woody Marks, Houston Texans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Marks will take on a bigger workload with David Montgomery dealing with a "week-to-week" groin injury, but he has a brutal matchup in Week 6. The Jaguars are allowing the fewest FPPG to running backs this season and seem likely to slow down Marks, who is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry this season, between the tackles.
Wide receivers
- Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (at Atlanta Falcons)
Odunze has a solid matchup against the Falcons in Week 6, but he has simply been too inconsistent to trust this season. Perhaps the return of Caleb Williams will spark him, but Odunze averaged just 2.5 catches for 47.5 yards across Williams' two starts thus far in 2026.
- Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Houston Texans)
The Texans have struggled to defend receivers this season, but they just put the clamps on the Titans in Week 5. That alone makes Meyers hard to trust. Add in that he has only eclipsed four targets in one game this season and it's hard to recommend firing him up, even in what looks like a favorable matchup on paper.
Tight end
- Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (at Cleveland Browns)
Andrews had a shot at a touchdown against the Falcons last week, but he dropped it. He then fumbled on his first catch of the game and eventually had a two-point conversion punched out of his hands. Andrews may still post modest production, but his recent track record doesn't inspire confidence. Neither does a matchup with a Browns team that has been middle-of-the-pack against tight ends this season.
Defense/special teams
- New Orleans Saints (at New York Giants)
It's a tough week for defensive streamers, but it's hard to recommend backing the Saints, even against Winston. While the veteran quarterback is prone to turnovers, New Orleans has forced just five through five games to date. The Saints also rank bottom-10 in yards allowed an second-worst in points allowed, so the floor is too low to recommend trusting them here.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 6
