Fantasy Football fool’s gold: 3 players you should believe in, 2 players you shouldn’t in Week 6

The byes are officially upon us in fantasy football, testing the depth of fantasy rosters as stars take a week off between now and Week 14. Having good depth is key to navigate this portion of the NFL season, making any pickups who can fill lineup gaps extremely valuable at this stage of the game.

Week 5 offered some more surprising NFL results, including a huge upset by the New York Giants in Seattle, and offered a few more fantasy targets to consider on the waiver wire. Who is worth trusting and whose Week 5 performance was fool’s gold? Read on to find out, beginning with a look at the Giants’ starting quarterback.

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

A fantasy hero in 2022, Jones was ignored in fantasy drafts this year after a disastrous 2023 campaign that cost squads that employed his services dearly. Sunday saw Jones deliver a vintage performance in Seattle as he completed 23-of-34 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns while adding 11 carries for 38 yards on the ground.

The fact that Jones was so productive through the air without Malik Nabers, who missed the game due to a concussion, and Jones’ 11 carries were a huge positive since his breakout 2022 campaign was tied in large part due to his ability to scramble. The rushing performance does come with a caveat since starting running back Devin Singletary missed the game with a groin issue, leading head coach Brian Daboll to incorporate more scrambles into the game plan.

While Cincinnati’s porous defense comes to MetLife Stadium next week, Jones’ performance in Week 5 appears to be an outlier compared to what he has demonstrated the first four weeks of the campaign. Singletary’s potential return could also lead to more of a timeshare with rookie Tyrone Tracy, which would take away the rushing value that is a separator for Jones compared to other fantasy quarterbacks.

Verdict: Bust

Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants

While Jones’ Week 5 output looks to be fool’s gold, Giants fans have to be very encouraged by what they saw out of Tracy. Starting in place of the injured Singletary, Tracy torched the Seahawks’ defense for 129 yards on 18 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush.

The buzz around Tracy has been palpable since the Giants drafted the converted receiver from Purdue back in April. Tracy had a strong training camp to quickly assume the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Singletary, who hasn’t lit the world on fire (221 yards on the ground and averaging 3.9 yards per carry) thus far.

With the offense looking much more dynamic with Tracy involved, he at least has forced his way into a timeshare with Singletary, who is battling a groin injury that sidelined him in Week 5. There is no guarantee that Singletary will be back on Sunday night or look very effective, so Tracy looks like a strong bet to provide value out of the backfield going forward.

Verdict: Trust

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are finally on the board with a win and running back Tank Bigsby played a huge role in the victory. After splitting time with Travis Etienne in the first four weeks of the season, Bigsby exploded in Week 5 with 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 65-yard burst in the fourth quarter to put Jacksonville up two scores.

This game marked the first time that Bigsby has led the backfield, garnering 13 carries to Etienne’s six, although the veteran did add six receptions out of the backfield to bring the touches to a near 50/50 split. Jacksonville’s coaching staff has been heavily invested in Bigsby since taking him in the third round of last year’s draft, so a performance like this one should validate their belief that the running game is most effective with Bigsby leading the way.

Etienne will still have a role on passing downs since he has better hands than Bigsby but the Jaguars should trust the second-year man with between-the-tackles carries and short-yardage duties. The upcoming schedule is favorable for Jacksonville with dates against Chicago and New England the next two weeks, offering Bigsby a chance to leave Etienne in the dust and become the RB1 for the Jaguars.

Verdict: Trust

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Downs is a late arrival to this season after missing the first two games due to injury but has flashed some solid PPR ability over the past two weeks. With Anthony Richardson sidelined due to a hip injury, Downs has formed a strong connection with backup Joe Flacco, catching 17 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks.

The Colts’ offense has looked much more competent with Flacco under center, who utilizes Downs’ ability to be a chain mover on intermediate routes to great effect. Downs has received 21 targets over the past two games and has been an integral part of the Indianapolis passing game, but he has never really formed a strong connection with Richardson, who the Colts want to give a chance to become their franchise guy.

It looks like Richardson has a chance to return in Week 6, which would not be great for Downs’ prospects since Richardson isn’t nearly as refined a passer as Flacco is. Downgrade Downs if Richardson is the starter but be ready to plug Downs back into lineups if Flacco takes the job back for either injury or performance-based reasons.

Verdict: Bust with Richardson, Trust With Flacco

Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons

The departure of Arthur Smith from Atlanta and the arrival of Kirk Cousins was supposed to revitalize the careers of the Falcons’ young skill position trio of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. While the first two have been more effective under the new regime, Pitts hasn’t taken flight as the role of No. 2 target in Cousins’ passing tree has been seized by veteran newcomer Darnell Mooney.

Longtime fantasy players are familiar with Mooney from his days as one of the top pass catchers in Chicago but few expected him to play a significant role in Atlanta given the amount of talent the franchise had already acquired. Mooney has proven the skeptics wrong by forming a strong connection with Cousins, who had a breakout game on Thursday night in Week 5, turning 16 targets into nine receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Cousins has looked Mooney’s 37 times over the past four games, showcasing the fact that Mooney is going to play a significant role in an explosive offense moving forward. With games against Carolina and Seattle’s suspect defenses over the next two weeks Mooney is ready to provide at worst WR3 value for fantasy squads.

Verdict: Trust