Week 6 WR Start/Sit

Now the health news. Chris Olave was questionable with an illness but upgraded to limited Friday, and we have him playing. Zay Flowers was limited Friday with no designation, so he's in, with Tyler Huntley throwing to him. DeVonta Smith practiced in full and will catch passes from Tanner McKee. The two to watch are Mike Evans, who missed practice Thursday and Friday with rib and Achilles soreness, and DK Metcalf, who missed Friday's practice with an illness.

Here's the short version. Start Evans, McMillan, and Parker Washington. Sit Michael Wilson, Metcalf, and McConkey. Now, without further ado, let's get into it.

This covers every Week 6 game from Sunday morning in London through Monday night: Houston-Jacksonville at 9:30 a.m. ET, the Sunday afternoon slate, Dallas-Green Bay on Sunday night, and Washington-San Francisco on Monday. Seattle-Denver was played Thursday, so Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jaylen Waddle, and the rest of that game are left out. Cincinnati, Detroit, Miami, and Minnesota are on bye. Updated for Friday's injury reports.

Projections are ours, in full-PPR points with DraftKings scoring. The table runs in the same order as our Week 6 receiver rankings. "Tgt share" is his share of his team's targets in the most recent game he played, and "Opp pts allowed" is the fantasy points per game that defense has given up to all receivers, with 1st being the most generous. For questionable players, the number shown is the projection if he plays.

01 · Start

Start 'em.

Mike Evans (SF vs WAS). We sat him last week and he scored 26.3. Fair enough. This week the matchup is the easy part. Evans saw 40% of San Francisco's targets last week, and now he gets a Washington defense that has given up the fourth-most points to receivers. The 49ers carry a 30-point implied total on Monday night, second-highest of the week. The caveat is health. He missed practice Thursday and Friday with rib and Achilles soreness, and Kyle Shanahan called it soreness and not a significant concern. Saturday's practice and designation are the tell. If he plays, the volume is there: Deebo Samuel is out and four more 49ers receivers are on IR. Start him as a WR2, and line up a Monday night backup.

The number: 40.0% of the 49ers' targets last week, on just 63% of the snaps.

Tetairoa McMillan (CAR @ PHI). The last time we saw him, before Carolina's bye, he had 16 targets, 41% of the team's looks, and 45.2 points. Philadelphia has given up the fifth-most points to receivers, and with Jalen Hurts out, Carolina is a three-point road favorite. The total is low at 39.5, and his 3.7 in Week 3 is a reminder the floor isn't bulletproof. But no receiver on the board outside of Puka Nacua owns his offense like this. Start him.

Parker Washington (JAX vs HOU). Set this one before you go to bed Saturday, because London kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET. Houston has given up the second-most points to receivers in football, and Washington took nearly 24% of Jacksonville's targets last week, three times Jakobi Meyers's share. Yes, he went from 2.0 points in Week 4 to 30.4 in Week 5. That range is the price. In this matchup, we'll pay it as a WR3.

Garrett Wilson (NYJ @ NE). The Jets' implied total of 18.0 is tied for the second-lowest of the week, and that's what holds his projection down. Wilson saw 11 targets and 38% of the share last week, and with Adonai Mitchell out, there's even less competition for the ball. The prop markets set his line at 6.3 catches and 72.7 yards. That's a WR2 floor in a bad offense.

Zay Flowers (BAL @ CLE). Start him, but lower the bar. Lamar Jackson is out, and Tyler Huntley at quarterback shrinks the ceiling for everyone in Baltimore. Still, Flowers owns 29% of the targets, Cleveland has been generous to receivers (10th-most points allowed), and the market still has him at 5.3 catches. Just don't expect a repeat of his 25.8 from Week 4.

02 · Sit

Sit 'em.

Michael Wilson (ARI @ LAR). Last week's favorite call, and it didn't work: 7.3 points on 15% of the targets, with Kendrick Bourne out-targeting him 8 to 7. Our projection still has Wilson at 13.9, above a handful of flex plays, and that number is almost entirely game script. Arizona is a 12.5-point underdog and should be throwing all afternoon. We don't trust that volume to land on him. The Rams have given up the eighth-fewest points to receivers, and Arizona's implied total is 19.5. We'd take DeVonta Smith or Luther Burden over him.

DK Metcalf (PIT @ TB). We started him last week and got 5.3 points on four targets. Then he missed Friday's practice with an illness. We expect him to play, and our projection has him at 12.6, a hair above a few fringe options, because it assumes a full game. We'd still bench him. He's in the lowest-total game of the week (38.5), and the target share is moving away from him. Germie Bernard saw nine targets and 30% of the share last week while Metcalf saw 13%, and with Michael Pittman Jr. on IR, Bernard is the one gaining. Bench Metcalf.

Ladd McConkey (LAC @ KC). He's finally healthy, a full practice Friday with no designation. That's the good news. The bad news is Kansas City has given up the fewest points to receivers in the league, the Chargers have the lowest implied total of the week at 17.0, and his last game produced two targets on 34% of the snaps. Not this week.

The number: 20.9 points per game allowed to WRs by Kansas City. Fewest in the NFL.

03 · Close calls

The close calls.

• Parker Washington over Davante Adams. Our projections have Adams two tenths of a point higher, and we're going the other way. Adams is a touchdown bet: the market gives him a 52% chance to score, but he saw just 13% of the Rams' targets last week while Nacua took 44%. We'll take the receiver who's the first read in a better matchup.
• Watson and Golden, both in. Dallas-Green Bay is tied for the highest total of the week at 53.5, and Dallas has given up the seventh-most points to receivers. Christian Watson is coming off 32.3 and is a WR2. Matthew Golden is the steadier of the two and a WR3. Both play Sunday night, so line up your backups accordingly.
• Khalil Shakir, with DJ Moore out. Moore is a genuine toss-up, and we have him out. That pushes targets to Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer in an offense with a 29-point implied total in Las Vegas. Shakir is the one we'd start, but only as a low-end flex. The prop market had already priced Moore out, and it still sets Shakir's touchdown odds at just 28%. If Moore plays, Shakir drops to a deep-league option. Buffalo kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET, so you'll know at inactives.
• Xavier Worthy, with Rashee Rice out. Worthy saw 26% of the targets in Kansas City's last game, and with Rice out, he's the clear top receiver. Kansas City is a 7.5-point favorite with a 24.5 implied total. He's a flex with a real ceiling.
• DeVonta Smith, with Tanner McKee. Smith owned 35% of the targets in his last game and practiced in full Friday. The quarterback downgrade is the problem, and Philadelphia's implied total is 18.25. Flex, not WR2.
• Romeo Doubs, with A.J. Brown on IR. The opportunity is there on paper, but Doubs saw three targets and scored 2.6 last week. We'd want to see it before we start it. Fringe.
• Burden over Odunze, again. Chicago-Atlanta carries a 52.5 total, and Atlanta has given up the sixth-most points to receivers, so both are in play. Odunze plays more, 99% of the snaps last week to Burden's 77%, and has the bigger share. But the market sets him at three catches, and Burden's extra touches on the ground give him the better floor.

04 · Injury watch

Injury watch.

• Chris Olave (illness, questionable). He upgraded to limited Friday, and players trending that way with an illness usually play. We have him in as a WR1. New Orleans kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, so you'll know at inactives. With Jordyn Tyson on IR, Devaughn Vele picks up some of the slack, but not enough to start.
• DK Metcalf (illness, questionable). He didn't practice Friday. We lean toward him playing, but it's a sit either way. If he's out, Germie Bernard becomes a deep flex.
• CeeDee Lamb (quad). He left last week's game with a quad bruise, which explains the 2.9 points on 57% of the snaps. He practiced in full all week and has no designation, and the betting market sets his line at 80 yards. He's a WR1 Sunday night.
• Mike Evans (ribs, Achilles). He missed practice Thursday and Friday, and Kyle Shanahan called it soreness and not a significant concern. Check Saturday's report. San Francisco plays the last game of the week, so if he carries a designation, keep a Monday night backup on your bench.
• Nico Collins. He plays. Tank Dell is out and didn't travel to London, and Jayden Higgins is on IR, so the Houston targets run through Collins. Start him.
• Stefon Diggs (hamstring) and Terry McLaurin. Diggs missed Week 5, sat out Thursday's practice, then was limited Friday, and he's trending toward playing. McLaurin was limited Thursday and didn't practice Friday, which reporters at practice described as veteran rest. Washington's designations come Saturday. Either way, San Francisco has given up the sixth-fewest points to receivers, so neither is more than a fringe play. If Diggs sits, McLaurin moves up to flex.

Inactives come out 90 minutes before kickoff. Disagree with a call? Good. Let us know.