Week 6 Rankings: Standard | PPR
Last Thursday's game went about how we expected. The Cardinals and 49ers both failed to top 300 yards of total offense, and their quarterbacks specifically combined for just 286 yards through the air. It was an ugly game, and not one that treated Fantasy players particularly well.
I don't think that was just a feature of Thursday night games, but we might see something like a repeat in the Broncos-Chargers Week 6 matchup. Maybe the short week will be to blame, but I'd bet it's more about the fact that the Broncos' defense is outrageously good, along with the fact that Trevor Siemian is coming off an injury.
This could be yet another low-scoring Thursday affair, in other words. However, unlike last week's game, which was hard to get excited about in any way, there is enough here for Fantasy players to sink their teeth into for Thursday night in Week 6.
Smartest Sit
Philip Rivers doesn't have an overabundance of big-name weapons in the passing game, but he has managed to put up big numbers, ranking fifth in Fantasy scoring among all quarterbacks. He has three multi-touchdown games, and has mostly managed to weather the storm of losing Keenan Allen in a way he struggled to do last season. That all bodes well for Rivers' remaining Fantasy relevant moving forward, but it's hard to see him keeping it up Thursday. This Broncos' defense is just too tough against the pass. They have actually taken a bit of a step back against the run, which pushes Melvin Gordon in startable territory. But the Broncos' remain as tough as ever against the pass. They lead the NFL in sack percentage, have allowed the third-lowest touchdown percentage, and the fifth-lowest yards per attempt to date. Since the start of last season, the Broncos have allowed just six multi-touchdown games in 21, or as many games as they have had without allowing a passing touchdown. Rivers falls just outside that tier of "must-start" Fantasy quarterbacks, and this week's matchup is a good example of why he doesn't quite make it there.
Biggest No-Brainer
There probably isn't one no-brainer in this game. Typically, we prefer running backs on Thursday nights, but neither Melvin Gordon nor C.J. Anderson is the type of player you put into your starting lineup without a second thought. The answer, then, has to be Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
There was some concern about this duo's chances of remaining Fantasy relevant given the Broncos' quarterback situation coming into the season, but it's fair to say they have put those to rest at the one-third mark of the season. The duo has remained as productive as ever this season, and are the most attractice Fantasy options in this game, especially with Jason Verrett out for the Chargers with a knee injury.
Lineup Hail Marys
Devontae Booker was a popular handcuff option to open the season, especially after we saw how much C.J. Anderson's playing time fluctuated last season. If Ronnie Hillman could get 200-plus touches last season, why couldn't a rookie fourth-rounder? Things have been trending Booker's way lately, as his snap percentage reached 41 percent last week, and he carried the ball six times while adding six targets in the loss to the Falcons. Anderson's struggles lately have opened the door for Booker, and if you're desperate for a running back play, here is one who might get 10-plus touches this week.
Injuries have kept Virgil Green off the field for most of the last month, but he was removed from the injury report and will make his return to action Thursday. He hasn't been a big Fantasy contributor in his career, but Green was trending that way in the first two games, racking up seven receptions for 74 yards. Those aren't big numbers, but they put him squarely in the same kind of streaming tight end territory someone like Antonio Gates or Clive Walford might be in. That isn't a huge-upside play, but with Thomas and Sanders promising to take up so much defensive attention, Green remains a potential goal-line option for the Broncos.
Scout Team
The Chargers' wide receiver group has been tough to predict on a weekly basis since Keenan Allen's injury. Travis Benjamin, Tyrelle Williams and, to a lesser extent, Dontrelle Inman all have the potential to go off on any given day with Rivers throwing them the ball. It is hard to expect that against this defense, so don't start any of them unless you are desperate. However, if one of them can find room to succeed against this defense, that bodes well for their chances of keeping it going moving forward.
