Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 6: Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, and More

Last week's attempt to pick a weekly fantasy starter at each position who would fail to excel was positive, without a true loss among the four choices:

• Jalen Hurts had maybe his best throwing day of the season, racking up 280 yards and two touchdowns, but he gained just three rushing yards, an area where Denver has done well this season. That made Hurts QB14, a decent fantasy performance.
• Jordan Mason had an OK day, gaining 52 yards on 13 carries, but he got into the end zone, making for a successful fantasy performance. He finished just outside the top 20 among running backs in both formats.
• Zay Flowers had a tough matchup against Houston and was without his quarterback, Lamar Jackson. He was able to gain 72 yards on five receptions, with 56 coming on one long gain and otherwise four catches for 16 yards.
• I doubled up on Ravens with Jackson out, and Mark Andrews had just two catches for 22 yards. Jackson is questionable for Week 6, and the Ravens have their bye next week, so they could choose to sit the QB again with an extra week of rest coming.

That's a pretty good week of picks, with Andrews falling well short and the others near the fringe of starter status. That's often what we do here is find guys who will have relatively mediocre days. When we're talking about stars, they very seldom bottom out.

Let's do it again and pick a weekly starter at each offensive position who will fail to live up to expectations in Week 6. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Check out FantasySP's defensive rankings to help identify the players with the best and worst matchups each week.

Quarterback

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons

Oh boy; are you ready for this? One of the top players in fantasy football, Allen is a weekly must-start. He has finished among the top six QBs in fantasy every year since 2019, a stretch that includes three first-place finishes and two second-place finishes.

I will never recommend benching Allen. The guys who end up on this list aren't at the start/sit level, where the matchup dictates their status. Instead, we're often looking at the best of the best here and guys who simply might not live up to their lofty expectations.

Atlanta has been one of the toughest defenses against quarterbacks early in the season. The four quarterbacks they faced (they had a bye last week) have combined for just 150.5 passing yards per game with five touchdowns and three interceptions. That includes games against J.J. McCarthy, Bryce Young, and Marcus Mariota, but Atlanta also held Baker Mayfield to 167 passing yards on 5.2 per attempt in Week 1.

The Falcons have been a little susceptible to the QB run game, letting three of those four players reach 20 yards. They haven't been torn apart, though, and allowed just one touchdown. Obviously, Allen is a different animal in that aspect, but Atlanta has been stout so far in every aspect.

No one is leaving Allen on the bench, and I would never tell you to, but this will be Buffalo's first tougher defensive matchup after games against the Ravens, Jets, Dolphins, Saints, and Patriots.

Running Back

Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Rams

It has been a tough year for Henry compared to his usual standard. While he is averaging 5.0 yards per attempt, he has only topped 50 rushing yards once in five games. That was a fantastic Week 1, when Henry gained 169 yards on 18 carries (9.4 per attempt).

Outside of that first game, Henry has averaged 37 yards per game on 3.2 yards per rush, and he has added just four receptions for 36 yards total. Is his turn as a star finally coming to an end?

The Rams have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per rush attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. They have built a deep, young, talented defensive line, and no team (let alone player) has reached 100 rushing yards against LA.

They have also given up fewer than 30 receiving yards per game to backs; again, we're talking about all RBs, not just the starter. The only touchdown they have given up to a running back either on the ground or through the air is a receiving TD that Christian McCaffrey caught last week.

So, we have an aging back who has struggled outside of his one big game, he's facing a very good defense, and he might not have his star quarterback on top of it. Henry isn't just a guy to beware of; he might actually be a player to bench. Check out your other options.

Wide Receiver

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos

It's easy to overlook Wilson's season so far: 33 receptions, 382 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. He's on pace to set a new career high in each of those categories and ranks in the top 10 in both standard and PPR scoring.

Wilson fell outside the top 15 wide receivers in ADP this preseason with questions about how he would perform with Justin Fields under center. Fields has been uneven at times and missed a game with a concussion, but Wilson has been outstanding, reaching 50 yards in every game and scoring in four of the five.

The dreaded matchup this week comes against the Broncos, who have allowed the 10th-fewest yards per pass attempt and third-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Keenan Allen caught a touchdown pass against Denver in Week 3, but that's the only WR score they have given up.

Wilson stands out among the Jets, recording 20 more targets, 13 more receptions, 207 more receiving yards, and three more receiving touchdowns than anyone else on the team. Denver has a top cornerback in Pat Surtain II who won Defensive Player of the Year last season and regularly shuts down receivers; he'll surely be matched up on Wilson most of the day.

It's tough to bench Wilson given his status so far, and many owners won't even consider it. I understand, but this is also one of the toughest matchups the star receiver will have all season and makes it at least worth considering your options before plugging him in.

Tight End

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs

LaPorta regressed last season in receptions, yards, and touchdowns from his outstanding rookie season. It's not fair to expect him to play to an All-Pro level every season, but LaPorta looked like the next great fantasy tight end before falling off.

His numbers are better early this year, as LaPorta is on pace to add more than 10 receptions and close to 200 yards to his 2024 stats. He's second on the team behind Amon-Ra St. Brown in targets and yards and third in receptions behind Jahmyr Gibbs also; LaPorta is a main focus of the passing game.

Kansas City is a little better than average in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed, and they have given up the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. The Chiefs had a high-level defense the past few seasons, and while they're not up to the same standard, they have mostly been better than average, and this position is the one they are shutting down the best.

This is another weekly starter who owners are unlikely to ever bench. LaPorta is a strong player, but bad matchups generally make for quiet games. Don't be surprised to see LaPorta leaving fantasy owners wanting more.