You never want a bad performance from your Thursday night players, either because they overlooked your lineup or starred on your bench. This week’s Thursday night football showdown features the Buccaneers and Eagles: two offenses that can light up the scoreboard and two defenses that can double down. and break in the right circumstances. That means plenty of opportunities for yards and points, but not all players need to start. We break down all the tough decisions to get started and lay down the fantasies so you can get week 6 off to a good start.
We also have some DFS tips at the end for those planning to try their luck at a DraftKings Showdown or FanDuel single game contest. Even if you don’t have Bucs or Eagles in your lineup all season, there’s no excuse not to participate in this opportunity-packed showdown.
WEEK 6 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Get started, feel them
Buccaneers: who to start or sit in in fantasy football on Thursday night
Start: QB Tom Brady
Brady hiccupped in the revenge game against the Patriots, but returned to normal with relentless passing and scoring against the Dolphins. The Eagles don’t have the consistent passing speed or secondary depth to deter him from throwing the ball around the park. He’s mostly match-proof, and at this point 300 yards and three TDs feel like his floor.
Start: RB Leonard Fournette
Fournette has taken over the backfield like he did in the playoffs last season. He’s proving to be a complete running back and makes the offense less predictable than having the raw power of Ronald Jones or hosting Giovani Bernard in the game. They’ll still get their situational touches, but this backfield belongs to Lenny, reverting to his solid days with the Jaguars.
Out: WR Mike Evans
Evans may have the toughest matchup of the week against cornerback Darius Slay, but there is no guarantee that it will be a shadow situation. No. 2 cornerback Steven Nelson has played pretty well too, but the Bucs move well around Evans, too. He had no trouble dusting off the expensive corners of the Dolphins last week. Don’t expect the same monster game, but something like 6-80-1 is doable.
WEEK 6 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo!
Start: WR Chris Godwin
Godwin was the “quiet one” last week, as Brady criticized the great scoring plays of Evans and Antonio Brown, but still managed a good WR2 / WR3 day minus touchdowns. There should be an effort to feed it often as the Eagles play two deep safetys to guard against deep ball and have great trouble covering the slot relative to the outside with the Avonte Maddox slot.
Departure: WR Antonio Brown
Without Rob Gronkowski (ribs), Brown should be locked and loaded into lineups every week due to his high ceiling. You may have smooth gameplay here or there and this could certainly be one of those, but it’s hard to imagine having many better WR3 options.
MORE WEEK 6 DFS: Best Stacks | Best values | Lineup Creator
Site: TE Cameron Brate
Brate hasn’t gotten involved enough with Gronkowski (ribs) on the shelf, as the Bucs have simply turned to roll all three of their wide receivers at 11 people. You don’t need the Harvard education that Brate has to know that you could easily come close to zero from him.
Sit: RBs Giovani Bernard and Ronald Jones II
Bernard shot into the end zone last week, but Fournette is still the man with the most touches there. Neither Bernard nor Jones should even be on the list of leagues that are not deep, as long as Fournette is healthy.
WEEK 6 PPR RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker
Start: Buccaneers DST
The Bucs are short-staffed, but they still have some playmakers. They can get to Jalen Hurts multiple times in the passing race, and he tends to force a few shots into coverage per game. They are one of the 12 best options with a high floor but a limited ceiling.
Sit down: K Ryan Succop
The fact that Brady is so competent in the red zone has prevented Succop from becoming one of the top 12 options so far this season. You can probably find kickers who have more advantages from multiple field goals this week.
WEEK 6 STANDARD RATINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker
Eagles: who to start or sit in in fantasy football on Thursday night
Start: QB Jalen hurts
Hurts is the last high-floor quarterback with his running volume and enough touchdowns on a regular basis. He gets a great passing showdown, and he should be throwing a ton in the second half trying to catch up with Tom Brady. He’s in your all-season lineup every week unless you have another great passer.
Start: RBs Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell
This is a bit out of the box, as the Eagles aren’t a running back team when it comes to using their backs and the Buccaneers’ ground defense is dominant. But without tight end Dallas Goedert (COVID-19 list), they need shorter pass options for Hurts. However, the Bucs are struggling primarily to cover their backs and will not have linebacker Lavonte David (ankle). Myles Gaskin’s performance in Week 5 (10 receptions, 74 yards, two TDs) should inspire the Eagles to use Sanders and Gainwell in the outfield. Sanders can always turn a touch into a long score. Gainwell can get good use in the red zone. That makes them flexible PPR options from regular to deep league.
Start: WR DeVonta Smith
The Alabama rookie is getting into his groove as the clear go-to guy from Hurts. You can grill this exhausted high school with your route, speed, and speed across the field. You should hit double digit targets and achieve something like 8-100-1.
Seat: WRs Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, Greg Ward
The Eagles can’t handle multiple wide receivers consistently with Hurts passes. You can do better with guys from other teams if you are desperate for WR3 or flex.
Start: TE Zach Ertz
Ertz reverts to his familiar role as the best tight end on his longtime team with Goedert unavailable. The Bucs have also struggled to cover tight end, and the wily veteran will turn back the clock for a night with Hurts.
Sit down: K Jake Elliott
Elliott has a great leg, but the Eagles aren’t scoring enough outside the red zone to trust him.
Sit: Eagles DST
Javon Hargrave has been a revelation with the inside passing race, and Slay has been on point with the conclusions. But there’s no way you can expect them to slow down the GOAT.
Buccaneers vs. Eagles: FanDuel Single Game Lineup
- MVP (1.5X): QB Tom Brady $ 16,500
- AnyFLEX: WR Chris Godwin $ 13,000
- AnyFLEX: WR DeVonta Smith $ 12,000
- AnyFLEX: WR Antonio Brown $ 11,500
- AnyFLEX: TE Zach Ertz $ 6,500
Brady and Godwin should be the standout combination of the Buccaneers working the slot often, but Brown may have some success on cross paths in front of deep balls if Slay focuses on Evans. Smith should have a great game against the Bucs secondary with great volume. Ertz was an obvious free space with Goedert set to miss the game.
Buccaneers vs. Eagles: DraftKings Showdown lineup
- Captain (1.5x): WR Chris Godwin $ 14,100
- FLEX: QB Tom Brady $ 12,400
- FLEX: WR DeVonta Smith $ 8,800
- FLEX: WR Leonard Fournette $ 7,800
- FLEX: TE Zach Ertz $ 3,200
- FLEX: RB Kenneth Gainwell $ 2,400
The same logic applies here with Godwin, Brady, Smith, and Ertz. Fournette is there because of the Eagles’ running defense issues, and Gainwell is there because of his use of garbage time.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.