Week 6 Fantasy Football Instant Reactions: Patrick Mahomes returns to MVP form

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Fantasy football analyst Ray Garvin shares his thoughts on Week 6’s most noteworthy action.

Mahomes Lights up Detroit as Chiefs Roll Back to .500

Kansas City came into Sunday night at 2-3 with everyone questioning whether this was the beginning of the end. The team answered that question. The Chiefs handled the Detroit Lions, 30-17, at home in a game that felt like they were in control from the second quarter on. Patrick Mahomes was surgical, going 22-for-30 for 257 yards and three touchdowns with a 132.2 passer rating. He added 32 yards and another score on the ground to finish with four total touchdowns and 31.5 fantasy points, the clear QB1 for Week 6 ahead of MNF. Mahomes looked completely comfortable picking apart a defense that blitzed often but never got home.

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Travis Kelce remains the heartbeat of this passing game. It is trust and chemistry with Mahomes, plain and simple. Back-to-back heavy involvement weeks, then six catches on seven targets in Week 6, good enough to finish as the TE9 with 9.6 half-PPR points while handling 18% of the targets. When Rashee Rice returns he profiles as the No. 1, but Kelce is going to matter every week. Hollywood Brown turned four looks into two scores and finished as the WR8. The backfield stayed committee-sized with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, more useful as bye week flexes than set-and-forget starters, but the renewed run commitment helps the offense breathe.

I know it has been a long season for managers waiting on the Xavier Worthy pop. He finally found the end zone, but the line tells the real story. Two catches for 20 yards on four targets is a thin usage profile. The touchdown can hide that, but we all know Rashee Rice is on the way. Treat him as a boom-bust flex you play when you need juice, not floor.

For Detroit, Jared Goff’s night looked fine on paper, 23-of-29 for 203 yards and two touchdowns, but most of it came underneath. The Lions were out of sync after halftime and the run game completely vanished. They ran it only four times for six yards in the second half and that’s not how Dan Campbell wants to play. Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 17 carries for 65 yards and one catch for zero yards while David Montgomery saw only four carries and two catches for 37 yards. That’s a concerning split for a backfield that’s supposed to drive this offense.

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Amon-Ra St. Brown salvaged a quiet fantasy night with nine receptions but he managed just 45 yards on 10 targets. Sam LaPorta stayed hot with five grabs for 55 yards and another touchdown, making it back-to-back weeks finding the end zone.

This game also offered the mini breakout Jameson Williams managers have been begging for. Six receptions for 66 yards and a score on seven targets, and he led Detroit in receiving yards. That is a real positive step, but the context matters. Amon Ra had an off night by his standards, the run game disappeared and a lot of Detroit’s work lived underneath. Jamo will stay volatile week to week because his role pushes downfield and this offense flows through St. Brown and LaPorta when they are humming.

Instant Reaction: This felt like a statement from Kansas City. Mahomes looked like an MVP again, Kelce is the trusted piece that keeps the engine humming and Hollywood offers weekly upside even if it swings. Worthy is a start if you have him. For Detroit, this is still one of the best offenses in the league, on the road against a very good team, so no panic here. Just keep an eye on Montgomery’s role and expect the Lions to get their balance back next week.

Have a Day, Drake Maye (and Kayshon Boutte)!

The Patriots walked into New Orleans and came out 25-19 behind their second-year star quarterback. Drake Maye finally paired the fantasy box score with his strong real-life play and he did it with control. He completed 18 passes for three touchdowns, added 28 rushing yards and took only one sack as New England moved to 4-2 and Maye sat as the fantasy QB1 heading into Sunday night.

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The pass catchers rotated the spotlight again but this time, it was Kayshon Boutte who popped. He entered Sunday night as a top-five wide receiver in PPR with timely scoring while DeMario Douglas chipped in a tidy 3-71 and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs was quieter than last week, yet the room remains dangerous with every snap. The run game still has no juice, which only funnels more to Maye’s plate — and he is handling it.

Instant reaction: Drake Maye is a locked-in elite fantasy starter the rest of the season.

Horrific Trip for Justin Fields, Jets

Justin Fields just put up one of the ugliest outings you will ever see on a football field or fantasy scoresheet. He completed nine passes for 45 yards with a 58.7 quarterback rating and the Jets finished with -10 net passing yards. He took nine sacks and was hit 15 times. The late-game magic that has masked issues did not arrive either. In the fourth quarter, Fields completed one pass for seven yards and added three carries for eight. He ran seven times for 31 on the day and even that could not jump-start an offense that should have been able to steal a win, because Denver was not good on the day.

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New York is 0-6 and the vibes are bad. In one-quarterback leagues, you can bench Fields. In Superflex, he is a matchup call at best while the staff figures out answers. A veteran pivot in Week 7 would not surprise me.

Instant reaction: Fields is not startable right now and the Jets should consider Tyrod Taylor in Week 7.

No QJ = Ladd’s Big Game

Without Quentin Johnston and rookie Omarion Hampton, the Chargers went into Miami and stole a 29-27 win by virtue of Justin Herbert’s arm and toughness. On the deciding drive, Herbert shrugged off a hit, ripped a dart to Ladd McConkey and set up the game-winner with under a minute. Herbert finished 29 of 38 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and took only one sack.

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The backfield question had a clear answer, too. It was Kimani Vidal who handled the job, not Hassan Haskins, turning 18 carries into 124 yards and adding three catches for 14 yards with a receiving score while Haskins mixed in for six carries. McConkey finally delivered with nine targets for seven grabs, 100 yards and one touchdown, good for a 23.7% target share and 29% of the air yards. Keenan Allen was quiet at 4-27 and Oronde Gadsden II chipped in 7-68.

Instant reaction: Kimani Vidal is the primary back while Hampton is out.

Pickens and Ferguson Keep Rolling

George Pickens and Jake Ferguson did their jobs even as Dallas fell, 30-27, in Carolina. Dak kept the offense afloat and Pickens kept scorching, ripping the Panthers for nine catches, 168 yards and a touchdown. That makes it five straight games with a TD and 27 half-PPR points, pushing him to WR4 on the season going into Sunday night. With CeeDee Lamb sidelined, Pickens has been every bit of the alpha Dallas traded for, winning downfield and bailing out drives.

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Ferguson continued to deliver as a trusted outlet and red-zone option, giving this passing game two difference-makers even when the rest of the roster sputters. All told, Dallas put up 27 on the road and it still was not enough because this defense is a weekly target.

Instant reaction: I do not care who they play — start your fantasy weapons against the Dallas Cowboys defense.

Dowdle Dominates Dallas

Rico Dowdle revenge game.

Against his former team, Dowdle posted 30 carries for 183 and added four receptions for 56 and a score on five targets. That is 239 scrimmage yards, the most in a single game in Panthers history, and his second 200-yard game of the season while the rest of the NFL has only one combined. Over his last two games, he has played 80% of the snaps with an 84% share of team rushes and a 20% target share. A wild 52% of his carries have gone for five-plus yards and 36% have moved the chains or scored. That workload equals 54 touches for 375 total yards and 54.6 fantasy points.

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The tape matches the numbers. Dowdle is driving this offense and refusing to come off the field.

Instant reaction: Dowdle has earned lead status or, at worst, forced a two-headed committee when Chuba Hubbard returns.

Brian Thomas Jr. (Finally) Delivers Best Performance Yet

Brian Thomas Jr. is the only Jacksonville skill position player who paid off as Seattle won on the road. The Jags rushing attack gave you 19 carries for 59 yards, so Trevor Lawrence had to air it out. He was sacked seven times yet still threw 42 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. BTJ commanded 10 targets and turned them into eight receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown.

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He opened the day with 3-47 and a score in the first quarter, dropped a middle shot that could have added more and even had a 50-plus-yard touchdown wiped out because Travis Hunter lined up in the neutral zone. Thomas is up to 11 touchdowns and 1,573 receiving yards, most among the 2024 receiver class, and he sits as the WR5 in half-PPR this week going into Sunday night.

On the other side, Jaxon Smith-Njigba went off (again) with 8-162 and a touchdown, but BTJ was the win you needed.

Instant reaction: Your patience paid off. Keep starting BTJ.

Rams Letdown vs. Ravens

The Rams gave us the biggest fantasy letdown of the slate. They beat Baltimore 17-3, yet almost no one got home. Matthew Stafford threw for 181 yards with one touchdown after back-to-back 300-yard games. Puka Nacua left banged up, came back in and finished with just two catches for 28 yards. Davante Adams saw nine targets but managed just 4-39. The only pass catcher to score was Tyler Higbee, who most of you left on the bench.

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Kyren Williams saved the day a bit with 13 carries for 50 yards and a rushing touchdown, plus two catches for 37. That is it.

This came against a Ravens defense that just surrendered 40 points to Houston, which makes the dud sting even more. If you told me Tyler Huntley would be in by the end of the game and Baltimore would score just three total points, I would have called a Rams avalanche. We did not get it.

Instant reaction: Do not panic as long as Puka is OK; you still start your Rams next Sunday morning vs. Jacksonville in London.

The Bourne Supremacy

With George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall still sidelined, Kendrick Bourne took over again for San Francisco. He turned five targets into five catches for 142 yards, stacking another 140-plus yard game after Thursday night in Week 5. Mac Jones peppered him whenever he had time and finished 26 of 38 for 344 yards with two picks while taking six sacks. Christian McCaffrey delivered a steady dual-threat line with 17 rushes for 54 yards and a touchdown and seven grabs for 57.

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Across the field, Tampa Bay lost Emeka Egbuka to a hamstring injury, and Baker Mayfield leaned on Kameron Johnson, who posted 4-64 and a score while Tez Johnson popped a 45-yard touchdown. Cade Otton chipped in 5-51 and Rachaad White logged 17-65 with a rushing TD.

If the Niners are still short at pass catcher next week, Bourne is an auto fantasy start.

Instant reaction: If Kittle, Jennings or Pearsall sit again, you start Bourne with confidence, and in deeper leagues, you can chase other Bucs receivers while Egbuka heals.

Golden Finally Flashing

Matthew Golden finally flashed for Green Bay. The rookie saw five targets and turned them into three grabs for 86 yards (with a long of 35) as he and Jordan Love connected on timely shot plays. Golden’s burst showed up and the staff schemed him into space. It was not a blowup fantasy line, yet, the usage was exactly what we needed to see with Romeo Doubs at nine targets and Josh Jacobs also at five.

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Love went 19-of-26 for 259 yards with one touchdown and one pick while Jacobs churned 18 carries for 93 yards with two scores and added five catches for 57. Tucker Kraft chipped in a 43-yard day and a touchdown. Across the field, Joe Flacco kept Cincinnati afloat with 45 attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns as Ja’Marr Chase posted 12 targets, 10 catches, 94 yards and a ridiculous score in traffic.

Instant reaction: Golden is stacking positives, so buy-low now in fantasy before the rookie’s spike week hits.

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