Ten unheralded players set to shine in NFL Week 6

Another week of NFL football gives us another week of unheralded players poised to have big games. NFL Week 6 gives us plenty to look at.

Whether it’s because of steady improvement, better known teammates that will draw the attention of the opposition or simply a vulnerable opponent, these players are ready to have a big week.

So, which 10 unheralded players poised for big games in NFL Week 6?

Jesse James, tight end, Pittsburgh Steelers

The second-year tight end has a long way to go before we can say he’s completely filled the void left by Heath Miller. Still, James is off to a great start.

He’s caught at least two passes in every game. James has also had a knack for the end zone, scoring three touchdowns, including one in each of the last two weeks.

The Miami Dolphins’ defense will certainly have its hands full against Pittsburgh in Week 6. Opposing quarterbacks have put up a 101.5 passer rating against the Dolphins through the first five weeks of the season. With Ben Roethlisberger rolling into town, that number doesn’t figure to go down.

Miami simply doesn’t have the secondary to handle Pittsburgh’s many weapons. The Dolphins will have to do everything in their power to limit Antonio Brown and Sammie Coates, not to mention a brilliant rushing attack led by Le’Veon Bell.

That will create openings in the middle of the field for James. If the Steelers move the ball well (which they should), a handful of those openings will come in the red zone and could lead to more scores.

Devin Taylor, defensive end, Detroit Lions

Taylor — who hadn’t been completely healthy during a slow start to the season — finally broke through with a big game in Week 5, recording a sack on Carson Wentz.

In Week 6, he gets a date with the Rams. This is an offensive line that needs some serious help — especially on the right side.

In Week 5, Buffalo outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander made life very difficult for Case Keenum, hitting the Los Angeles quarterback four times, sacking him three. Taylor, the left defensive end in a 4-3 defense, will get the same matchups in Week 6.

Still, don’t expect Taylor to see many double-teams. The Rams’ offensive line will have its hands full against Ezekiel Ansah.

That will leave Taylor with plenty of one-on-one assignments on the edge. He should be a constant presence in the face of Keenum.

Brian Quick, wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams

The good news for Los Angeles in its fans is that the Rams have a favorable matchup in Week 6 as well. Quick hasn’t caught a lot of passes this season, but has been a big-play target.

Quick is averaging 18.5 yards per reception in 2016. Over the last two weeks, he’s caught five passes for 120 yards for an average of 24 yards per reception.

The Detroit defense is vulnerable to big plays. It has allowed the 10th-most yards per pass attempt in the league. The Lions have also allowed a league-high 14 touchdowns through the air.

Keenum may have a slight problem staying upright through the game. But even in the face of a big pass rush, he will get plenty of chances to throw the ball. When that’s happened to Detroit this year, the results have not been good for the Lions.

Quick may not catch a lot of passes. Still, chances are good that he’ll make a few impact plays.

Eddie Royal, wide receiver, Chicago Bears

On the other end of the spectrum is Royal. Filling in for the injured Kevin White, Royal has hauled in 14 passes over the last two weeks.

It’s safe to say that Royal has a strong connection with quarterback Bryan Hoyer.

Hoyer and Royal will get a fantastic opportunity to pad those numbers on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Through their first four games, the Jags have surrendered 51 receptions for 625 yards and seven touchdowns to opposing receivers.

If nothing else, expect Royal to be a solid possession receiver for his quarterback this week. With Royal’s speed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him break a big play.

Allen Barbre, left guard, Philadelphia Eagles

Carson Wentz may command most of the attention. But in order to beat the Washington Redskins, the Eagles are going to have to run the ball.

The good news is that running behind Barbre has proven fruitful through four games. While Philadelphia lost to the Lions in Week 5, Barbre was a dominant force on the line.

“He cleared out Miles Killebrew on Sproles’ 15-yard run and opened the hole on Sproles’ 10-yard run, the two key plays on the Eagles’ first touchdown drive,” Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Daily News wrote. “His pancake block of Armonty Bryant early in the fourth quarter freed Sproles for the 10 yards that got the Eagles into range for the go-ahead field goal.”

That was against Detroit’s defense, which is far better against the run than Washington’s. The Redskins have allowed more than five yards per carry, the worst total in the NFL.

The play of Barbre and fellow guard Brandon Brooks will go a long way in determining this game’s outcome. Heading in, that’s a favorable matchup for the Eagles.

Aaron Lynch, outside linebacker, San Francisco 49ers

The return of Colin Kaepernick will be the main talking point, but San Francisco’s chances of pulling an upset here will depend at least as much on its defense. For the defense to have a big game, it will need to pressure Tyrod Taylor. Nobody is more important to the 49ers’ pass rush than Lynch.

Given that he not only plays on a bad team, but is also coming off of a four-game suspension, it’s easy to overlook how good Lynch has been. Playing in a relatively limited role, Lynch racked up 12.5 sacks over his first two NFL seasons. More importantly, he served as a constantly disruptive force for opposing quarterbacks.

In his first week back to action, Lynch tallied two pressures on Drew Stanton, despite being on the field for less than half of the team’s defensive snaps. That may not seem like much, but the Cardinals ran the ball far more than they threw it in Week 5 and played virtually the entire second half with a lead.

This week, Lynch gets a meeting with the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo’s offensive line has played okay, but not great. On the season, this offensive line has surrendered 23 quarterback hits and 10 sacks. Even during the recent three-game winning streak, the line has given up 16 hits and eight sacks.

Lynch should have plenty of opportunities to build on those totals this week.

Chris Conley, wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs

Conley, who seemed like a solid breakout candidate at the beginning of the year, finally showed his potential in Kansas City’s last game. The physically gifted receiver hauled in six passes for 70 yards.

Coming off of a bye, Conley is primed for another good game. The Chiefs travel west for a game with the rival Oakland Raiders. Conley’s quarterback, Alex Smith, has enjoyed tremendous success at the Oakland Coliseum.

Naturally, a good day for a quarterback will become a good day for his receivers.

Granted, this is a much better Raiders’ team than Smith has faced in those previous outings. Defensively, though, the Raiders are still very much a work in progress.

The Oakland offense may ensure that the Raiders win far more than they lose. But until this defense tightens up, we can reliably count on quarterbacks and their receivers having big days in nearly every game.

Conley seems ready to turn a corner and play to the level that his physical skills suggests he should. We should hear his name a lot on Sunday.

C.J. Fiedorowicz, tight end, Houston Texans

Ahead of Houston’s Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans, head coach Bill O’Brien assumed play calling duties for his team.

The results have been good for Fiedorowicz.

Over the Texans’ first three games, Fiedorowicz caught two passes for seven yards. With O’Brien calling the shots in Weeks 4 and 5, the tight end hauled in eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

There’s really no reason to think that this won’t continue in Week 6 against the Colts. The Indianapolis secondary will have to work to limit the big-play skills of Will Fuller, who’s having a strong season. Also, while DeAndre Hopkins is not having a strong season, the Colts have certainly not forgotten that he caught 19 passes for 263 yards in the team’s two meetings in 2015.

Indianapolis doesn’t have a particularly strong defense to begin with. Containing those two will not be easy. If and when that manages to happen, Fiedorowicz should find plenty of soft spots in the middle of the field.

Deion Jones, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons

Jones was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in September. Undersized linebackers with speed (like Jones) may well be the future of the NFL. Quarterbacks like Jones’ Week 6 opponent, Russell Wilson, are why such linebackers are necessary.

Jones hasn’t recorded a sack in his brief NFL career. But if he is called upon to blitz, Jones has the speed to chase Wilson down. The rookie linebacker has also proven himself capable of solid pass coverage.

Wilson hasn’t run as much this year as he has in past seasons. Still, the Seattle quarterback is most effective and frustrating on defenses when he’s out of the pocket making plays.

That element may not be gone with a linebacker like Jones on the other side, but it is limited.

Jones handled Cam Newton reasonably well in Week 4. The spotlight will definitely be on him again, lining up against another dual-threat quarterback. Jones has been up to the task whenever he’s been called on this season. Until he fails in this type of spot, we should continue to expect big plays from this promising rookie.

Marcus Cooper, cornerback, Arizona Cardinals

In Week 5, Marcus Cooper intercepted a pass against Blaine Gabbert. The interception set up a Cardinals’ field goal that essentially put the game away. It also went a long way towards putting Gabbert on the bench in San Francisco.

That was Cooper’s third interception of the season. His first two came against Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. One of those was returned for a score.

Winston has thrown eight interceptions, the second most in the NFL this season.

The only man who has thrown more is Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will share the field with Cooper on Monday night. The New York Jets’ offense has been well below average this year. The receivers — an unquestioned strength of the 2015 team — have failed to make big plays. Fitzpatrick has seldom taken advantage of the rare opportunities that he’s been given.

Cooper has done very well against slumping quarterbacks this year. He reads the signals well at the line and is quite adept at jumping routes.

Week 6 against Fitzpatrick figures to be another big game for Arizona’s corner.