Week 6 Fantasy Surprises and Disappointments

What a Week 6 so far, as the injuries don’t stop, but some replacements from Week 5 seem here to stay moving forward.

That includes former waiver pickups Carolina running back Rico Dowdle and San Francisco wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. Even if Chuba Hubbard is back as the “lead back” for the Panthers and Ricky Pearsall is healthy for the 49ers, both players might have staying power or even overtake them as the new number one.

Receivers Ladd McConkey and Brian Thomas Jr. finally broke out in 2025 with big games. Carolina rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan bagged his first game with a pair of touchdowns, despite not having as many yards or catches as in previous games.

As Week 6 wraps up, fantasy managers are either celebrating unexpected heroes or lamenting underwhelming performances. Let’s break down the biggest surprises and disappointments from this week’s action.

Surprises of Week 6

Pats quarterback Drake Maye followed up with a great fantasy encore as the top fantasy QB for Week 6 (at the time writing this during Sunday Night Football). Both New England receivers, Kayshon Boutte and Demario “Pop” Douglas, had boom weeks, but Stefon Diggs was close to it despite the box score due to an OPI (phantom).

Thursday night’s win with the New York Giants over the Philadelphia Eagles showcased why QB Jaxson Dart and RB Cam Skattebo have to be starters moving forward, regardless of the matchup.

If you followed the very late reporting with Bam Knight starting over Michael Carter for the Arizona Cardinals, you were rewarded at the RB position with a decent fantasy day for a waiver pickup. At the same time, if you listened to the ones about Hassan Haskins over Kimani Vidal, you were burned by the Chargers backfield.

Waiver handcuffs two weeks ago, Bucs’ Rachaad White got there for fantasy with a solid week, but again, Dowdle delivered back-to-back elite performances, making him a possible starter if the Panthers ride the hot hand, even if Hubbard returns from injury. Worst case would be a split backfield, but “Uncle Rico” has been far more efficient in his touches than Hubbard when he started for Carolina the first few games.

• Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Fantasy Points: 27.24

Fantasy Impact: Maye is a QB1 moving forward that provides elite consistency and has yet to reach his ceiling as a fantasy quarterback.

• Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Fantasy Points: 22.8 (PPR)

Fantasy Impact: Vidal, at least for PPR, has to be a Flex or low-end RB2 that you can plug and play in favorable matchups. Hope that the Chargers don’t make a move for a running back via trade for the second-year back to be fantasy viable till Hampton comes back off IR (which may take longer than the originally 4 weeks that was reported).

• Bonus Surprise: Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers; Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots

Disappointments of Week 6

That whole London game with Denver and New York, throw it out for fantasy football. That includes the running backs Breece Hall and J.K. Dobbins, the wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Courtland Sutton, and even the quarterback/ tight end on the Jets (Justin Fields and Mason Taylor). They basically all disappointed in painful fashion, besides Bo Nix (QB) and Evan Engram (TE) for the Broncos.

It is clear it is a timeshare that is split in Seattle, as I am not sure if Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker can be anything more than an RB2 unless Zach Charbonnet goes down. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins had a tough matchup in the Steelers’ defense, and the Browns were trailing most of the game, so I would expect better games ahead in better game scripts/ weaker run defenses.

The Rams against the Ravens, besides Kyren Williams (RB), didn’t have great outings, as Matthew Stafford (QB) had an amazing matchup on paper, along with Davante Adams (WR). That includes Puka Nacua, who unfortunately got hurt, as the Ravens’ pass defense was one of, if not the best, matchups for fantasy receivers.

• Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Fantasy Points: 4.8 (PPR)

Fantasy Impact: It is reported an ankle injury, which makes his status unknown for the London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday for Week 7. This is a bummer since he is the current NFL receiving leader, with Jaxson Smith-Njigba right on his tail, and had a smash matchup this week.

• Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Fantasy Points: 4.4 (PPR)

Fantasy Impact: Speaking of top receivers, rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka is currently 4th for receiving yards, but with a hamstring that kept him out the rest of the game, his future status is in question. He was likely en route on another big game against the San Francisco 49ers, since Baker Mayfield had to air it out in a higher-scoring back-and-forth affair.

It will be based on the severity of the MRI, but compared to Puka’s, there might be a better chance for him to play next Monday Night against the Detroit Lions. It is unclear if Tampa Bay receivers Mike Evans and/or Chris Godwin will also be back for this game, as they are dealing with their own injuries.

• Bonus Bust: Kenneth Walker, RB, Seattle Seahawks; Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns