Fantasy Football QB Start/Sit: Should You Bench These Star Players in Week 6?

Now firmly into bye weeks, we have four teams sitting out this week, robbing us of guys like Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, and Kyler Murray. That can be discouraging for fantasy owners, but the good news is that we have plenty of porous defenses to go after, bringing potential streamers to the table.

(He's not listed here, but if you need to scrape the bottom of the barrel, Cam Ward even has a good outlook against the Colts this week. Get crazy, folks!)

Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 6 of the NFL season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Use FantasySP's start/sit tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each week!

Start

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Love is hard to analyze from a fantasy perspective sometimes because he plays good football but doesn't always put up volume numbers that match his efficiency. That wasn't a problem last week in a great matchup against the Bears, as Love threw for 367 yards on 11.8 per attempt with two touchdowns, finding multiple receivers deep down the field.

The matchup is again in his favor this week, as the Cowboys have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. This was a major problem for Dallas last season as well, and though they have added some names to their defense, the results haven't gotten much better. It would be nice to have Micah Parsons preparing to return rather than standing on the opposite sideline this week, even though he still hasn't made it back onto the field.

Love is a strong fantasy option in this one. He will likely be looking deep again for Christian Watson, but even if he doesn't hit any of those long bombs, Love will be able to pick apart a Dallas defense that has struggled all season.

Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears

What do we make of Penix? He only played 11 games prior to 2026, and he was very middling in that time. Since debuting in Week 3, Penix is playing the best football of his young career, but it's not translating to fantasy points, as he has thrown just three touchdowns and doesn't run the ball.

Atlanta will often focus on the run with Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson both finding success, but Penix has been highly efficient, and he is a player to consider when the matchup is right.

This is one of those matchups: Chicago has given up the second-most yards per pass attempt this season. They are only in the middle in fantasy points allowed to QBs, but that is a matter of volume, as the Bears have faced the fewest pass attempts of any team. Bryce Young and Green Bay's Love both topped 360 yards with multiple touchdowns; this could be Penix's chance to finally break out and announce himself with big volume numbers.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals

Remember how we just talked about the Bears looking better in fantasy because they have faced so few passes? Well, the Cardinals have defended the second-fewest pass attempts, and they have still given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. That is a result of allowing the most yards per pass attempt and the most passing touchdowns (14, tied with Washington and Detroit).

And now, Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams are coming to town? This could get ugly. After a slow Week 1 against the 49ers, Stafford has topped 300 yards in four straight games, racking up nine touchdowns in that time (to go with five interceptions). An LA team with a losing record might be looking to come out and make a statement at home, setting up the Rams with a high ceiling.

There's not much else to say here. Stafford has the upside of the top player in fantasy this week and should be in a lineup in every league.

Sit

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders @ San Francisco 49ers

Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

Let's start with these guys because they are in similar spots this week. Both Daniels and Maye were drafted as weekly fantasy starters this year, and while both have had big weeks, they have also had their struggles. They also both have very tough matchups.

Daniels hasn't been great throwing the ball but has made up for it with his running when in the lineup, including last week when he had 199 passing yards but 103 rushing yards with two touchdowns on the ground (and none through the air). That's always going to be the biggest part of Daniels' fantasy appeal, but it brings a little worry if he has a slow running day. It doesn't help that he missed two-and-a-half games injured, either.

Maye started the year struggling mightily; he was QB31 after Week 3. He has been a different player over the past two games, though, finishing as QB1 in both Week 4 and Week 5, moving him into the top 10 over the full season. Those games came in easier matchups against the Bills and Raiders, so we might not see that dominant stretch continue in this one.

San Francisco has allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks; the Jets sit at third-fewest and fourth-fewest, respectively, one spot better than the Niners in each category. I'm not excited about testing either of these defenses in the passing game, leaving plenty of questions.

Some owners won't have a better option than Daniels or Maye, and if that's the spot that you're in, it's fine to go with the guy you were planning to count on all season. Both guys will run the ball, and they have shown big-time fantasy ceilings in the past. If you have another reasonable option, though, I would consider leaving the young quarterbacks in Washington and New England on your bench.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Nothing has gone right for Herbert and the Chargers this season. On top of sitting 0-5, the quarterback is playing below-average football (not a surprise given the record) and ranks as QB25 after five weeks, just ahead of Jameis Winston and Sam Darnold. Herbert is averaging around 12 fantasy points per game and hasn't reached 15 in any week.

The matchup isn't going to help him much in this one. Kansas City is coming off their bye and has allowed the sixth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs. The Chiefs have been stout defensively on top of finding a potent offense over the first month, putting them back in Super Bowl contention after a disappointing 2025.

Herbert has had times in his career when he was a must-start fantasy player, but we haven't seen that guy in years. It was fine when his team was winning and he was playing a more conservative style, but now, Herbert just hasn't been good, and both his offensive line and wide receiving corps are banged up. Sit the LA quarterback in this one.