TNF Start 'Em Sit 'Em Week 6 Chiefs vs Broncos: Isiah Pacheco, Courtland Sutton in the spotlight for fantasy football

Week 6 of the 2023 fantasy football officially kicks off on Thursday Night Football when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos. This particular matchup is loaded with potential options for fantasy lineups, especially considering the specific matchup and implied game script. This could potentially be a high-scoring game, which is often beneficial to overall fantasy scores.

While the game environment may suggest plenty of fantasy value, managers should always evaluate all of the available options before finalizing lineup decisions. Blindly starting players is often a recipe for disaster, often resulting in managers missing out on their optimal weekly scores.

The following breakdown should help avoid this dreaded situation and help managers make informed Week 6 lineup decisions. This can potentially help in getting off to a strong start in fantasy football this week.

Thursday Night Football Week 6 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em fantasy football

The Start/Sit Optimizer is one of the most valuable tools that any fantasy football should use before finalizing any lineup decisions. The tool breaks down every factor for any given player such as recent individual performances, injury situations, and direct weekly matchups, among many others. It consolidates all of the variables to generate player projections and lineup suggestions.

The Optimizer was utilized to help produce the following list of players to target, and others to avoid, for the TNF showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. Managers should also always pay close attention to the injury each week before making final decisions on certain players. This Week 6 matchup has a few injuries to keep an eye on.

The most important player with an injury designation for this game is Travis Kelce. While he is officially listed as questionable with an ankle injury, he's reportedly expected to be available. This is great news for any manager with Kelce on their fantasy football rosters.

Kelce has easily been the most dominant tight end over the past several years, and even if he's a bit limited by his ailment, he's still one of the best overall options in this challenging position to find consistent value. The rest of the Chiefs' usual offensive players appear ready to go, making all of them available in fantasy football this week.

As for the Broncos, starting running back Javonte Williams missed their last game with an injury but will be available this week after shedding his injury designation. They will likely use a committee approach to the position, which is never ideal for fantasy football production.

Tight end Greg Dulcich was also removed from the injured reserve list, though it appears unlikely he will be activated for Week 6, giving Adam Trautman at least one more start. In general, both teams will enter this contest relatively healthy, making the following list of starts and sits more based on individual matchups and recent performances.

TNF Week 6 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Picks

Patrick Mahomes

It's not exactly a hot take to claim that Patrick Mahomes is a must-start in Week 6 fantasy football lineups. He's one of the best quarterback options in every week, regardless of his matchup. He will get an added boost this week against an awful Broncos defense that has allowed more than 30 points in each of their past four games.

Russell Wilson

While Russell Wilson continues to get heavily criticized around the NFL for his disappointing performance since joining the Broncos, he's quietly having a solid fantasy football season this year. He has ranked as QB16 or better four times this year, including two top-ten finishes. Garbage time has heavily contributed to his inflated numbers, and that could be the case again when he faces the defending Super Bowl champions on the road.

Isiah Pacheco

After undergoing offseason surgeries for two separate injuries, Isiah Pacheco got off to a slow start this year. He appears to be healthy and rounding into form, improving his fantasy football ranking in every week so far. He now gets the best matchup possible for a potentially huge game as the Broncos are allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

Jerry Jeudy

Jerry Jeudy has been one of the most disappointing wide receivers during the 2023 fantasy football season so far. He was a popular pick during draft season but has failed to live up to the hype, averaging just six targets per game and failing to record 100 yards or a touchdown in any week. Despite all of this, he should still be started in Week 6 in a game script that will likely command a ton of passing plays from the Broncos.

Courtland Sutton

Much like Jeudy, the potential game script suggests that Russell Wilson will need to pass the ball often to keep up with the Chiefs, meaning Courtland Sutton has an excellent opportunity to see high volume. He has been the Broncos' leading receiver this year, despite his awful performance last week when he recorded just one reception. This looks like a solid bounce-back spot.

Travis Kelce

Despite being listed as questionable, Travis Kelce is expected to play in Week 6. This isn't much of a surprise as he finished the game last week after spraining his ankle. He also scored a touchdown after suffering the injury, so despite his questionable tag, fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to lock him into their lineups.

Managers looking to acquire any of these Week 5 targets should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.

TNF Week 6 Fantasy Football Sit 'Em Picks

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

With the exception of one solid week, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has basically been near-useless in fantasy football. He recorded 57 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 but has failed to eclipse four PPR fantasy points in any other game. Not only can he be benched, but he can be safely dropped in most fantasy leagues.

Jerick McKinnon

Jerick McKinnon has served as a featured receiving back for the Chiefs over the past few years, but he just hasn't seen enough volume this season to have any fantasy football appeal. He hasn't eclipsed five touches in a single game so far this year, and like CEH, he can be dropped in most leagues.

Broncos RBs

With Javonte Williams returning from a one-game absence, the Broncos appear headed for a dreaded committee approach to their running backs. Jaleel McLaughlin showed a ton of promise last week and could split some of the carries with Williams, while Samaje Perine is projected to continue his role as a receiving back. Until the workload distribution becomes more defined, it's difficult to trust any of them in fantasy football.

Chiefs WRs

Patrick Mahomes has been spreading the ball around to his deep group of speedy wide receivers during the 2023 NFL season. While all of them provide the upside to boom in any particular week, given their elite passing game, they all also have a dangerously low weekly floor. Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney are the best bets to score, but their entire group of receivers are better off left on the bench in most leagues.

Marvin Mims

Marin Mims has been the definition of a boom-or-bust player during the 2023 fantasy football season so far. His big play abilities have helped him exceed 15 fantasy points twice, but his low volume has resulted in fewer than five points twice as well. He makes for an ideal bench stash right now, but his weekly floor is too low to trust in lineups.

Adam Trautman

While Greg Dulcich is expected to miss another game this week, Adam Trautman still isn't a desirable fantasy option. He posted a strong performance last week with four receptions and a touchdown, but managers shouldn't be fooled. He had been held without a touch since Week 1 before then.

Edited by Colin D'Cunha