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Week 6 of the 2023 fantasy football season will conclude with an exciting matchup on Monday Night Football. This game will feature two of the best offenses in the entire NFL when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys. Each team is loaded with relevant fantasy options as many managers will be hoping for their Monday night miracles.
This particular game is projected to be one of the highest-scoring games on the Week 6 slate, creating a potentially favorable environment for fantasy football. For any fantasy teams looking to come from behind, or hold off a charging opponent, they will need to make sure they plug the right players into their lineups for the final game of the week.
Managers will need to take note of many important factors before finalizing all of their crucial lineup decisions, including recent individual performances, injury situations, and direct weekly matchups, among others. The following breakdown can help sort through all of it.
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Monday Night Football Week 6 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em fantasy football
Managers must sort through an extremely long list of various factors before potentially plugging just about any NFL player into fantasy football lineups. Except for just a few elite staples that can be started regardless of their weekly matchup, the rest of the field should only be considered when in a more favorable situation than the other available options.
The Start/Sit Optimizer is a valuable tool that can help managers make these crucial lineup decisions each week. It weighs every possible factor for any given player and then provides the user with fantasy projections and lineup suggestions. Managers who take full advantage of this tool will often gain an edge over the rest of their fantasy leagues.
The official injury report is another important factor to pay attention to before finalizing any lineup decisions in fantasy football. This is especially true for Monday Night Football because it will be the last game of the week. Managers usually can't afford to gamble on a potentially injured player, because if they are ruled out before kickoff, limited options will be available to replace them in lineups.
Luckily for Week 6, the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers will enter the game with relatively healthy offensive units. They are each expected to be at full strength for their positional players, with the exception of Mike Williams, who is on the season-ending injured reserve list.
This means that managers don't really have to worry about a potential lineup option being inactive and they can instead focus more on their individual situations entering the contest.
The following list of suggested starts and sits can help managers navigate their final Week 6 lineup decisions. The Optimizer was utilized to help generate the list of players to target, and others to avoid, for fantasy football.
MNF Week 6 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Picks
Justin Herbert
Few quarterbacks can be plugged into fantasy lineups every week, regardless of their individual matchup. Justin Herbert is one of the names on this exclusive list. Despite a difficult matchup against the Cowboys defense that ranks towards the top of the NFL in many categories, Herbert can be safely started as usual.
Dak Prescott
Except for a disastrous performance last week against the San Francisco 49ers, Dak Prescott has been solid this season for the Cowboys. The issue is that it hasn't necessarily translated into fantasy points, as he currently ranks as the QB25 this year. Despite all of that, a matchup with the Chargers' bottom-three passing defense could be just what he needs to get back on track.
Austin Ekeler
The last time Austin Ekeler played, he posted an excellent RB2 finish in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. He has been ruled out with an injury in every game since then, but he's reportedly ready to make his return in Week 6. He needs to instantly be plugged back into lineups, even if he's on a minor workload restriction. His return also makes Josh Kelley irrelevant in fantasy, as he can now be dropped.
Also Read: Austin Ekeler fantasy outlook
Tony Pollard
Tony Pollard opened the 2023 fantasy football season with three consecutive finishes among the top 13 running backs. He has struggled a bit since then, recording two finishes outside of the top 25. He will have a strong chance to get back on track in a potentially high-scoring game against a middle-of-the-pack rushing defense.
Keenan Allen
The Cowboys are currently allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, trailing only the Cleveland Browns. Despite a challenging matchup for Keenan Allen, he's currently the overall WR2 in fantasy football and is still an obvious starter in any lineup.
Josh Palmer
While the Cowboys' defense has been elite against fantasy wide receivers, Josh Palmer still makes for a decent lineup option this week. The Chargers are coming off of their bye week, giving them extra time to adjust for the loss of Mike Williams. Palmer is expected to be one of the main beneficiaries, so he can be cautiously started in fantasy football.
CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb is currently the WR21 in fantasy football, well below his preseason expectations. He has also only recorded one top-10 finish so far this year. The Chargers are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, so the matchup offers an opportunity for the boom game his fantasy managers have been waiting for.
Jake Ferguson
The tight end position is often the most difficult to navigate in fantasy leagues, due to the lack of consistently productive options. Jake Ferguson has quietly been valuable, ranking as the TE14 overall with three top-12 finishes in five games. He's a solid streamer in an expected high-scoring matchup.
Managers looking to acquire any of these Week 6 targets should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.
MNF Week 6 Fantasy Football Sit 'Em Picks
Quentin Johnston
With Mike Williams out for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season, Quentin Johnston is expected to see much more playing time. This makes him an excellent waiver wire pickup as well as one of the best bench stashes among all wide receivers. He's still too risky to start in Week 6, at least until his role in the target hierarchy becomes more established.
Brandin Cooks
The Cowboys acquired Brandin Cooks during the 2023 NFL offseason to serve as a much-needed vertical threat in their offensive scheme. It hasn't translated into fantasy football success as he's failed to reach 30 yards in any game this year. He can be left on the bench, but can also be safely dropped in most leagues.
Michael Gallup
Michael Gallup has been too inconsistent to trust in fantasy football lineups this year, despite his favorable Week 6 matchup. Gallup has finished among the top 35 wide receivers twice, but outside of the top 70 wide receivers in his three other games.
Gerald Everett
Gerald Everett has exceeded three receptions in just one of his four games this year, despite playing in one of the most high-powered passing attacks in the league. He also has a difficult matchup this week against the Cowboys. Before allowing a massive performance to George Kittle last week, they were allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends.
