Week 6 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Flex picks ft. Kendrick Bourne, Rico Dowdle, Joe Flacco and more

Picking the right players for your fantasy lineups has never meant more. We’re dealing with injuries and BYE weeks to the point where the top 5 at running back last week consisted of a 7th-round rookie (Croskey-Merritt) and a journeyman (Dowdle) on one of the league's worst teams.

At wide receiver, the top-10 saw a revenge game (Diggs), an injury fill-in (Bourne), and a forgotten speedster (Shaheed) all give us useful performances. But did you have them in your lineups? It’s not enough to just start the big names you drafted back in the summer. It’s time we look at matchups, evaluate injuries, and scour the waiver wire for players who could help us.

Late in the week, you could’ve added Rico Dowdle, who finished as RB1 when news of Chuba Hubbard’s calf broke. Kendrick Bourne was barely owned on Thursday night football when he blew up for 142 yards on 10 catches. We need to be paying attention. Fantasy football in 2025 is not a “set it and forget it” game. You have to be on your game if you want a chance to hoist your league's trophy.

Time to dive into my Week 6 starts and sits.

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Start ’em:

NFL: Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers - Source: Imagn

Rico Dowdle (RB) CAR - Listen, I’m not exactly going out on a ledge by telling you to start a guy who just ran for 206 yards. What I’m saying is he’s doing it again. OK, maybe not 206 yards, but he’s in for a great week against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. After leading Big D in rushing in 2025, Dowdle wasn’t offered a new contract. He found a home as a backup in Carolina, and now in Week 6, he has the backfield to himself again. Dallas has been gashed by opposing backs thus far. Each starting running back has reached 10 PPR points against them. That’s not impressive, but the last two backs, Josh Jacobs and Breece Hall, combined for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Uncle Rico is going for 100 with four receptions and a touchdown.

Mason Taylor (TE) NYJ - I’m so excited about this rookie tight end for the Jets. Let me hit you with some stats from the last two weeks. Mason has a 22% target share. He’s also played 79% of the Jets' snaps. Those opportunities on the field translated to 14 receptions and 29 PPR points. That is elite-level usage. I’m telling you folks, get on this hype train. Taylor is the second option in the Jets' passing game. For a team with a horrific defense, there will be plenty of second-half garbage time where Mason will rack up the targets. I don’t even care that he’s playing Denver in Week 6. The Jets don’t have anywhere else to go with the football. His sheer volume will vault him into the top-12 TE conversation even against a difficult opponent.

Kendrick Bourne (WR) SF - I’m running it back on Bourne. It looks like another week where the 49ers could be without Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings. If that’s the case, look for the veteran wideout to see another massive workload. Bourne saw 25% of the Niners' targets on Thursday while running 82% of the team's routes. Mac Jones and Bourne have great chemistry, dating back to their time in New England. Tampa features a pass-funnel defense thanks to its stout front. Play Bourne and expect another big outing.

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Sit ’em:

NFL: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs - Source: Imagn

Derrick Henry (RB) LAR - It’s hard to watch the Ravens these days. Lamar Jackson isn’t healthy, and neither is most of their defense. What that leads to are games like last week, where Baltimore gets blown out and Derrick Henry never gets going. As someone who is basically a zero in the passing game, Henry needs positive game scripts to allow for carries and goal-line opportunities. He’s not getting that with Cooper Rush under center. Outside of Week 1, Henry doesn’t have another top-20 fantasy finish. This week won’t change that. Baltimore faces a Rams defense that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown. I’m not going anywhere near King Henry this week.

Joe Flacco (QB) CIN - I see fantasy managers getting way too overboard on the Joe Flacco trade from the Browns to the Bengals. Folks, Flacco just got to Cincinnati on Wednesday. He’s already been named the starter while knowing none of the playbook. If you expect a 40-year-old QB to walk into a situation he has no clue about and produce, you’re playing the wrong game. From blitz protections to audibles, everything is new to Flacco. His timing will be off as he’ll barely have time to practice with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Oh, by the way, Flacco stinks. He’s got nothing left. Don’t start him. Don’t expect anything from his receivers this week either.

George Pickens (WR) DAL - Pickens isn’t an alpha receiver. He can disappear with ease as he truly doesn’t command the football. In Week 5, we saw Ryan Flournoy pop up as the top wide receiver for Dallas. This weekend, Dallas faces a Carolina defense that is so bad against the run that teams don’t even bother to throw on them. Carolina allows the second-fewest points to receivers, but it’s because they can get ripped on the ground. I don’t trust Pickens as far as I can throw him. For a guy who last week ran 91% of the Dallas routes, Pickens only saw four targets. I’m not feeling anything more than a pair of catches this week.