Fantasy Football Week 6 Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em: Chiefs trust next man up Darrel Williams, and so should you

Now that the bye weeks are here, we get to see which Fantasy managers have enough depth on their rosters to survive with plenty of star players being out. And we’re also dealing with several key injuries as well. This is when the fun begins.

The teams on a bye are New Orleans, Atlanta, the 49ers and the Jets. That means you don’t have Alvin Kamara, Cordarrelle Patterson, Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts and Deebo Samuel, among others. And we also just lost guys like Russell Wilson (finger), Saquon Barkley (ankle), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee), Kenny Golladay (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) due to injury, along with many other standout players dealing with ailments.

You might find yourself starting players you never expected because of a desperate situation. Some quarterbacks to consider include Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz because of positive matchups. Darrel Williams, Devontae Booker and Brandon Bolden are potential running back replacements. At wide receiver, Tim Patrick, Rondale Moore and Amon-Ra St. Brown are in good spots. And we have tight ends like Dan Arnold and Ricky Seals-Jones who could be reliable.

Your Fantasy rosters will be tested this week. Hopefully, the players you have available to use — and the ones you are forced to start — help lead you to a victory.

Editor’s Note: Projections are provided by CBS Sports and not Jamey Eisenberg. Projected points are for PPR leagues.

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Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em

Darrel Williams has been here before for the Chiefs. Just last season in the NFL playoffs, Williams was the lead running back for Kansas City when Clyde Edwards-Helaire was dealing with hip and ankle injuries, while Le’Veon Bell was struggling.

In the Divisional Round against Cleveland, Williams had 13 carries for 78 yards, along with four catches for 16 yards on four targets. Then in the AFC Championship Game against Buffalo, Williams had 13 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown, along with one catch for 9 yards on one target.

He scored 12 PPR points in each outing and proved to be a serviceable option. And that’s what I’m expecting from him in Week 6 at Washington with Edwards-Helaire out again.

Williams isn’t going to be a superstar Fantasy running back this week or for however long Edwards-Helaire is out. But he can be a potential top-15 Fantasy running back this week in all formats, and I would start him with confidence.

He was already playing in tandem with Edwards-Helaire, and Williams has two rushing touchdowns and three games with at least two receptions on the season. He should be looking at around 15 total touches, and he should have the chance to score against Washington.

It’s not an easy matchup since Washington has allowed just five total touchdowns to running backs, and only Zack Moss, Cordarrelle Patterson (if you count him as a running back) and Alvin Kamara have scored more than 11 PPR points against this defense. But I’m trusting Andy Reid and the Chiefs offense to have a big performance this week after a down game against Buffalo, and Kansas City is a 6.5-point favorite on the road.

Washington will likely dare the Chiefs to run in an attempt to slow down Patrick Mahomes, and that should benefit Williams. We also could see Jerick McKinnon get work, but Williams should be the lead running back with Edwards-Helaire out.

“We have trust in the other two guys,” Reid said Wednesday. “Particularly Darrel, he’s been productive since he’s been here.”

This should be another chance for Williams to prove himself as the lead running back for the Chiefs. And he’s worth trusting as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in Week 6.

Colts (vs. HOU): The Texans come into this game having averaged 10.3 points in their past three games against Carolina, Buffalo and New England. Davis Mills has four interceptions over that span, and he’s been sacked 10 times in those outings. The Colts had a good first half against the Ravens in Week 5 before falling apart, but the defense also played well against the Dolphins in Week 4. The Colts DST is a top-10 Fantasy option for Week 6.

• Packers (at CHI)

  Dolphins (at JAC)

  Bengals (at DET)

Ravens (vs. LAC): The Ravens DST has been a letdown so far this season, and this is not a unit to trust in Week 6 against the Chargers. Baltimore only has five turnovers on the year, and the Chargers are averaging 35 points per game in their past three outings. Justin Herbert has no interceptions in his past three games, and the team has just two fumbles on the year. It should be a rough outing for the Ravens DST this week.