Here is a look at 10 fantasy football sleepers for Week 6. Remember, the Bills, Bears, Colts and Raiders are on bye this week.
10. Jon Hilliman, RB, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley has been out with an ankle injury and backup Wayne Gallman suffered a concussion Sunday against the Vikings. Keep an eye on the status of Barkley and Gallman. If they’re not ready for Thursday night’s game with New England, Hilliman will get just about all of New York’s carries. It also would be helpful if he can catch some passes out of the backfield. But don’t get your hopes too high. Hilliman has only one reception this season.
9. Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Believe it or not, Hooper currently leads the Falcons with 34 catches. Yes, he has more catches than Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. That’s because Jones and Ridley get all the defensive attention. That trend should only continue this week when the Falcons play Arizona. Hooper is not a big-play threat, but he has 21 catches over the last three games.
8. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Sutton has been perhaps the lone offensive bright spot for the winless Broncos. He’s been consistent, catching at least four passes in each game and he has three touchdown receptions. The Broncos have been stubborn about sticking to their run-first offensive philosophy. But that could change some this week against Tennessee. When you’re 0-5, you’ve got nothing to lose by opening up the offense some.
7. Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Of course, David Johnson is Arizona’s feature back. But his back tightened up in Sunday’s win against the Bengals. That cleared the way for Edmonds to get increased playing time. He responded with 68 yards on eight carries, including a 37-yard touchdown run. He also had three receptions. If Johnson is going to be out or limited against Atlanta, Edmonds could be worth a start.
6. Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers
Samuel has been almost silent so far. He has only 19 catches with one touchdown after five games. But that silence can’t last forever. In fact, Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay in London looks like the perfect opportunity for a breakout game. The Bucs gave up four touchdown passes to the Saints last week. Plus, keep in mind that the Bucs are the one defense that has been able to slow running back Christian McCaffrey this year. Tampa Bay held McCaffrey to a season-low 37 rushing yards in Week 2. If the Bucs bottle up McCaffrey again, quarterback Kyle Allen needs to start leaning on Samuel.
5. Josh Rosen, QB, Miami Dolphins
Keep two things in mind on this one. First, this is only a one-time prediction. Second, play Rosen only if your quarterback is on a bye or out with an injury. Yes, playing Rosen is a desperation move, but this could be the one week it pays off. That’s because the Dolphins are playing the Redskins, who may be more dysfunctional than the Dolphins. Rosen has been pretty dreadful overall. But, on the positive side, Rosen completed 70.8 percent of his passes against the Chargers in Miami’s last outing. So, maybe Rosen is improving a bit.
4. Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys
There’s no doubt that Gallup is fully healthy after missing due games following arthroscopic knee surgery. He proved that Sunday in his first game back by catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Green Bay. He could put up larger numbers against the lowly Jets this week. The beauty of Gallup is that he isn’t going to face many double teams because Amari Cooper gets most of those. If the Jets use single coverage on Gallup, a 200-yard, multi-touchdown game is possible.
3. Jared Cook, TE, New Orleans Saints
The entire NFL world knows that whenever the Saints run an offensive play, the ball is going to either running back Alvin Kamara or wide receiver Michael Thomas. Even with that knowledge, it’s tough for defenses to stop that duo. But defenses will keep trying. That’s why the Saints need another legitimate offensive weapon. Cook is the most likely choice. He was very quiet early in the year, but his role has increased the last two weeks. In Sunday’s victory against Tampa Bay, Cook caught a season-high four passes, including his first touchdown of the year. The Saints are likely to keep trying to get him more involved when they play Jacksonville this week.
2. Devlin Hodges, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
This one is a very deep sleeper and it’s only recommended that you play Hodges if your quarterback is hurt or has a bye. But Hodges flashed a bit after replacing the injured Mason Rudolph on Sunday against Baltimore. He completed seven of his first nine NFL passes. Although he came into the league as an undrafted free agent, he had a productive college career as he threw 111 touchdown passes for Samford. He could be a pleasant surprise against the Chargers.
1. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Keep a close eye on the injury report all week to monitor Hill’s situation. But there appears to be a decent chance he’ll be able to play Sunday against the Texans. If he does, it will be the first time Hill has played since Week 1. He’s been out with an injury to the sternum and collarbone. Sammy Watkins has stepped up nicely while Hill’s been out. But Watkins also is banged up and that’s another reason to keep an eye on the injury report. If Hill does in fact play, start him because he instantly becomes Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
