Early Week 6 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers

The 2024 NFL season continues to be a rollercoaster for fantasy managers

In Week 5, Kirk Cousins and Joe Flacco were the QB1 and QB4, respectively. The top three running backs were Tank Bigsby, D'Andre Swift, and Rico Dowdle. Darnell Mooney, Alec Pierce, and Darius Slayton finished as top-seven receivers. And two of the top four tight ends were Tucker Kraft and something called "Charlie Kolar". Fun.

With many already looking ahead to next week, here's a look at my way-too-early Week 6 fantasy football rankings. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format.

Our team at USA TODAY Sports has you covered with plenty of content to help with your Week 6 lineup and roster decisions. Wondering who the best waiver-wire claims are? We have that covered so you can make your pickups. Need to know what players you can drop ? We have that as well. We also have a list of the 10 best buy low/sell high candidates for this week.

Please note: These rankings will change significantly as the week goes on. Check back on Sunday morning for final updates.

Week 6 fantasy football quarterback rankings: Risers and fallers

• UP: Dak Prescott – Dating back to last year, Dak has finished as a top-seven quarterback in six of his last eight home games, including five top-three finishes. He’ll face a Lions team that’s allowed two top-eight performances from opposing passers.
• UP: Caleb Williams – The rookie gets the matchup of the week in the Jaguars. To date, Jacksonville is ceding the most fantasy points to the position. The last three quarterbacks to face them have finished as the QB1, QB7, and QB5.
• UP: Daniel Jones – Danny Dimes has quietly been the QB10 in fantasy since Week 1. He’ll face a Bengals defense that’s allowed the opposing signal-caller to finish inside the top-14 in four straight games.
• DOWN: C.J. Stroud – Houston will likely be without Nico Collins (hamstring) for this one, and Stroud has finished as the QB15 or lower in three of his last four games.
• DOWN: Baker Mayfield – No quarterback has finished higher than QB15 against the Saints (MNF pending). Baker is still a low-end QB1, however.
• DOWN: Trevor Lawrence – In a dream Week 5 matchup, Lawrence racked up 371 passing yards and still only finished as the QB10. He’s now finished as the QB10 or lower in 17 of his last 20 games. Meanwhile, the Bears have surrendered the second-fewest points to quarterbacks in 2024.

Week 6 fantasy football running back rankings: Risers and fallers

• UP: Breece Hall – It’s weird to put a consensus top five pick in this section, but that’s where we are with Hall at this point. Over the last two weeks, Breece has finished as the RB58 and R40. Yuck. He should have an easier time against a Bills team that’s allowed double-digit half-PPR points to seven backs through five games, including at least 15.8 to four of them.
• UP: D’Andre Swift – The 25-year-old is averaging 19.8 touches since Week 1, and he has posted RB3 and RB2 performances over his last two games. He should stay hot against a Jaguars front that’s giving up the sixth-most points to opposing backfields.
• UP: Tank Bigsby – Speaking of the Jaguars, Tank Bigsby exploded for 129 yards and 2 scores against the Colts. The Bears are a run-funnel defense, ranking 10th-worst against running backs this season.
• UP: Chase Brown – After averaging just 6.3 touches the first three weeks, Brown has toted the rock 32 times since Week 4. As a result, he’s finished as the RB5 and RB11 over the last two weeks.
• DOWN: Najee Harris – The 26-year-old has totaled at least 16 touches in all five games this season, and yet he’s finished higher than RB28 just once (RB20 in Week 3).
• DOWN: Travis Etienne – Last year’s RB3 is trending in the wrong direction this season. Etienne received a season-low six carries in Week 5 and has yet to finish higher than RB20.
• DOWN: Zack Moss – The veteran was out-touched 15 to 13 by Chase Brown in Week 5. He’s still a strong flex play in good matchups, but the Giants have ceded the 13th-fewest fantasy points to the position.
• DOWN: Rachaad White and Bucky Irving – This committee is a nightmare for fantasy owners right now. In half-PPR leagues, neither back has finished higher than RB23 since Week 1.

Week 6 fantasy football wide receiver rankings: Risers and fallers

• UP: Stefon Diggs – Nico Collins ranked fifth in the league through Week 4 with a 29.3% target share. If he can’t play in Week 6, a chunk of those looks should trickle down to Diggs, who has been a top-20 receiver in three of five weeks so far.
• UP: Drake London – London’s targets have gone up every week, and only Garrett Wilson has more targets since Week 3. The Panthers have surrendered at least 15.7 half-PPR points to five different wideouts since Week 2.
• UP: Tee Higgins – Higgins seems to have a huge role in a highly concentrated Bengals offense. The 25-year-old has racked up 24 targets over the last two weeks.
• UP: Josh Downs – Speaking of racking up targets, Downs has 21 in his last two games. He’s a high-end WR3 if Joe Flacco is the starter.
• UP: Jalen Tolbert – In the first game following Brandin Cooks being placed on IR , Tolbert was peppered with 10 targets, including the game-winning touchdown. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be an intriguing flex play against a Lions secondary that’s giving up the fourth-most points per game to receivers in 2024.
• DOWN: Marvin Harrison Jr. – Outside of an explosion in Week 2, Harrison Jr. has finished as the WR19 or lower in four of his five games. The Packers are not an intimidating matchup, but it’s hard to place the rookie inside the top-12 right now.
• DOWN: George Pickens – Against the Cowboys, Pickens ranked third among Steelers receivers in both snaps and routes run. The talent is there, but the role isn’t. He has yet to finish higher than WR25 this season.
• DOWN: Calvin Ridley – Ridley has finished as the WR50 or lower in three of his four games and has a total of just six targets in his last two games. Expectations need to be kept in check until further notice.
• DOWN: Jauan Jennings – The honeymoon period seems to be over for Jennings, who managed just one catch for 13 yards in Week 5.
• DOWN: Keenan Allen – The veteran has totaled six receptions for 52 scoreless yards since returning from injury in Week 4.

Week 6 fantasy football tight end rankings: Risers and fallers

• UP: Tucker Kraft – Kraft has outscored all other tight ends by 8.2 half-PPR points over the last two weeks. He should remain heavily involved as long as Christian Watson is out.
• UP: Dalton Schultz – The injury to Nico Collins resulted in the veteran tight end being targeted a season-high six times in Week 5. If Collins is forced to miss time, Schultz is back on the streaming radar.
• UP: Mark Andrews – Andrews pulled in four receptions against the Bengals in Week 5, which is four more than he totaled in his previous two games. Perhaps his role will grow in what should be a high-scoring affair versus Washington.
• DOWN: Dallas Goedert – A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are expected back for the Eagles in Week 6, which means Goedert goes back to being third fiddle in this passing game.
• DOWN: Cole Kmet – Kmet has finished as the TE15 or lower in every game Keenan Allen has played this season. Proceed with caution.

Week 6 fantasy football rankings

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Early Week 6 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers