Fantasy Football Week 6 Wide Receiver Start/Sit Decisions: Zay Flowers, Romeo Doubs, and More
Comparing Matthew Golden to three receivers who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool.
The Green Bay Packers are dealing with injuries, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The receiving corps has been affected greatly, particularly with Christian Watson still not making his season debut and Jayden Reed on IR with collarbone and foot injuries.
That leaves the remaining players with more opportunities, putting them on the fantasy football radar. No one has had more intrigue than rookie Matthew Golden, who was drafted in the first round and expected to maybe become the top receiver for the team. Along with that, Golden has been showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.
Let's look at Golden and three receivers that he has been compared to often on the start/sit tool. Most stats are from NFL.com.
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Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The rookie Golden has modest numbers, with 11 receptions for 126 yards; both numbers are third on the team. No wide receiver stands out, as tight end Tucker Kraft leads the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards.
The most reason for hope here is because of the matchup, as the Bengals have allowed the seventh-most yards per pass attempt. They are in the middle in terms of fantasy points given up to receivers, but we have seen the Cincinnati defense get beaten up often this season.
There is a lower floor here, but Golden has also been more involved since Reed went down in Week 2. In his past two games without Reed before Green Bay's Week 5 bye, Golden had four receptions for 52 yards and five receptions for 58 yards. His lack of major production limits his ceiling a little bit, but the positive matchup here gives Golden a decent outlook in Week 6.
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
It makes sense to start with Golden's teammate, who at times has operated as something like the WR1 with the other players out. We know it's a good matchup, so which Packer receiver is the better option?
In Week 3, Golden led the receiving group with his four catches and 52 yards, while Doubs was at just two for 25. While Golden was still good in Week 4, Doubs is the guy who had the big-time fantasy performance, turning six receptions into 58 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 68 yards in Week 1 and scored another TD in Week 2, so Doubs has shown some production this season.
Advice: This is a tough one because the Green Bay offense seems like it will change each week depending on who gets open and gets lucky. Golden produced in both games without Reed, while Doubs had the big performance. Let's go for the consistency, and I'll say start Matthew Golden over Romeo Doubs.
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Rams
Flowers is something close to a weekly starter when Lamar Jackson is in the lineup. The young receiver is the clear top option in Baltimore and the only pass catcher who puts up regular production.
Jackson is set to miss his second straight game, though, leaving the Ravens' offense with a super-low floor. We saw it last week: backup QB Cooper Rush threw for 179 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in a tough matchup against Houston.
Flowers was able to rack up five catches and 72 yards, but 56 of those came on one long gain. Otherwise, Flowers had four receptions and 16 yards, an anonymous day. That long pass counts, of course, but things looked much worse for Flowers than the final numbers indicate.
The Rams are right in the middle both in terms of yards per pass attempt and fantasy points to QBs allowed. LA has a good defensive unit, but the numbers point to them more as middling. Maybe that's true; they can still be successful without being a shutdown group.
Advice: Flowers has the higher ceiling but also the lower floor. If you need a little more potential for points, the Baltimore receiver is probably the guy. I am looking for something a little safer, and without Jackson in the game, I'll lean the other way and say to start Matthew Golden over Zay Flowers.
D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears @ Washington Commanders
Moore has fallen from the WR1 spot in Chicago, as second-year player Rome Odunze is regularly leading the team's receiving group. Odunze leads the team in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns; Moore is second in each category by a fairly wide margin aside from receptions, where Odunze only leads by four.
That leaves Moore with a lower ceiling and floor than he has had in the past. He is on pace to have his fewest receptions since 2022 and the fewest receiving yards of his career, and he has only found the end zone once; Moore is middling at best so far.
The Commanders have allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and 13th-most fantasy points per week to WRs. While the fantasy ranking is a little lower, they are only three points per game below fifth worst; Washington has been vulnerable against the pass.
Advice: Start Matthew Golden over D.J. Moore. The matchup is right here for the Chicago receiver, but he has been forced down the pass-catching pecking order enough to make him a middling option. Golden has the higher ceiling.
