Starts & Fades 6.24

This article is intended to highlight some players who may have a positive or negative weekly outlook relative to their baseline value.

“Starts” are players who might generally be on fantasy benches but might have a terrific perceived matchup or game script/environment, or the potential for an expanded role due to past performance or injuries to teammates or opponents. 

“Fades” are players who were likely drafted as fantasy starters or have performed as automatic starters lately but face a particularly tough week due to a poor matchup or a lack of short-term role clarity due to an injury, etc. 

Here are a few of my notable starts and fades for Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season, with some notes on my thought process included:

QB

Start: Daniel Jones, NYG (vs CIN)

• Danny Dimes, often undrafted in single-QB fantasy leagues, has finished as a top-12 option in three of his five starts this season. He’s had multiple TD passes in three of his past four games and had his season high in rushing yards (38) in last week’s upset win at Seattle.
• Sunday night, the Giants host the Bengals as 3.5-point home underdogs in a game with one of the highest implied point totals (48.0) of the week. Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense seem to be clicking on all cylinders at the moment, while their defense has allowed major fantasy production to opposing QBs and passing games this year, especially in their past three games against the Ravens, Panthers, and Commanders.
• Giants impressive rookie WR Malik Nabers missed last week’s win with a concussion and has not yet been cleared to return. Veteran WR Darius Slayton filled in admirably for Nabers against Seattle, leading the team in all receiving categories with his 8/122/1 stat line. My assumption is that Nabers will return to the lineup this week, giving the Giants’ offense their most explosive playmaker back.
• I’m playing Jones as a back-end QB1 this week against a struggling Bengals defense in what projects to be a high-scoring SNF game. While there is a worst-case scenario where Nabers sits out another game, Jones’ (and Slayton’s) performance last week leads me to believe the Giants’ offense will be successful on Sunday night with or without their star rookie WR.

Fade:  C.J. Stroud, HOU (at NE)

• Stroud has picked up his second NFL season right where he left off as a rookie, as one of the best QBs on the planet. Through five games this season, he’s third in the league in passing yards and already has his Texans leading the AFC South by two games plus an early tiebreaker over the Colts.
• Stroud and the Texans head to Foxboro as touchdown favorites over the Patriots in a game with one of the lower implied point totals (38.0) of the week. New England rookie QB Drake Maye will make his first career start behind a porous Pats offensive line that has allowed 19 QB sacks, second most in the league.
• Texans superstar WR Nico Collins suffered a hamstring injury on his long TD reception last week and has since been placed on IR. He leads Houston in catches (tied for 3rd in the NFL), receiving yards (1st), and receiving TDs (T-6th).
• While there’s a chance that Drake starting gives the NE offense a spark and gets this game going back and forth, I think it’s way likely to play to the low implied point total that Vegas projects it to be. I prefer to keep Stroud on benches (if feasible with byes, etc.) this week in single-QB leagues to play an option with more rushing upside or in a better projected game environment.

RB

Start: Tyjae Spears, TEN (vs IND)