Week 6 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

Two quarterbacks who were off to rough starts have set aside their early frustrations to develop into fantasy studs in recent weeks and are among the must-starts in Week 6.

Two other stars with lofty expectations on their respective teams are at the opposite end as sit-worthy competitors in a week of tough matchups and diminishing opportunities.

Who are they and why have they landed in their respective categories?

Find out with this Week 6 primer.

Six weeks ago, the idea of ever starting Daniel Jones in fantasy football would have sounded absurd.

The sixth-year quarterback out of Duke was poor in the season opener against Minnesota, to the point that cable sports network pundits questioned whether the Giants had made a major error in signing him to a long-term deal.

Fast-forward a month and the 27-year-old has finished in the top 15 of fantasy quarterbacks in three of five weeks and is coming off his best performance of the season in which he went 23-of-34 for 257 yards and two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks.

He added 11 rushes for 38 yards.

That was all without Malik Nabers, who missed the game while in the NFL concussion protocol. Even without the rookie, Jones has enough on-field chemistry with Wan'Dale Robinson to find success against a leaky pass defense.

In Week 6, he faces a Cincinnati defense that Lamar Jackson carved up for 348 yards and four touchdowns. As a whole, the Bengals have averaged 19.63 points to opposing QBs and their 10 passing touchdowns allowed are tied for the second-most in the league.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Jones to thrive Sunday, take his Giants back to .500 and continue his surprising run as a top 15 quarterback.

Michael Pittman Jr.'s 2024 has been anything but extraordinary, with weekly finishes outside the top 20 in fantasy wideouts and only one touchdown through the first month.

The 27-year-old has scored double-digit fantasy points just once and things won't get any easier in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans have allowed the fewest points to opposing wide receivers at 19.78 per game. They have allowed just 124 passing yards per game or a single passing touchdown.

Pittman had his strongest game of the year against Pittsburgh and finally found the end zone against Jacksonville, but Tennessee has played on an entirely different level this season and there is no reason to believe he will suddenly ball-out.

The target shares are not there and with Adonai Mitchell, Alec Pierce and Mo-Alie Cox all actively involved in the passing game, they likely won't be.

Don't look now but Caleb Williams is starting to heat up and looks like the consensus No. 1 pick he is.

The 22-year-old passed for over 300 yards in two of his last three games, has thrown five touchdowns to just two interceptions and added 54 yards on the ground.

Some will point out that those performances came against underwhelming Colts, Rams and Panthers defenses, but he has demonstrated growth and evolution under center that should create excitement about the remainder of the season.

Up next for the rookie is the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team giving up 23.09 points to opposing quarterbacks, the worst in the NFL.

The Jags have allowed nine passing touchdowns in their last three games and there is no reason to believe Williams will not find DJ Moore or Rome Odunze for a score or two.

Start the Chicago Bears QB this week, replace him momentarily for the bye week, and start him through Week 11 as he faces some of the worst pass defenses in the league in Washington, Arizona and Green Bay in that span.

Rachaad White has not seen more than 15 carries in any game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, thanks in large part to the emergence of Bucky Irving.

The Arizona State product has not scored more than 10 points in any game this season, and he faces a New Orleans Saints team that is stout against the run in Week 6.

The Saints are 12th in the league against running backs, giving up 20.72 to opposing running backs and even though that is skewed by Saquon Barkley's two-touchdown, 147-yard performance in Week 3.

White is still a threat as a receiver, but even those opportunities have been less consistent this season.

All stats from FantasyPros unless otherwise stated.