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Predicting studs and duds for NFL Week 6

Sep 9, 2018; Carson, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) returns a punt for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Week 6 in the NFL is here and there are 15 exhilarating matchups on the schedule.

One of these matchups includes a much-anticipated “Sunday Night Football” tilt when the New England Patriots host the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. This game is sure to spark some incredible performances while the GOAT attempts to outplay young Patrick Mahomes.

Aside from this, six franchises that sadly sport 1-4 records will be looking to take their teams out of the dumpster. This includes the Oakland Raiders, who head to London for an overseas clash with the Seattle Seahawks.

See which NFL players are primed for success or failure in our stud and dud predictions for Week 6.

Stud: James White, running back, New England Patriots

The Patriots offense has proven that there is plenty of room for both of the team’s star running backs to cook in the kitchen together. In Week 6, it should be no different when White takes the field at home to face the Chiefs. Kansas City’s defense should be the breeding ground for White to thrive when he touches the ball. The Chiefs have yielded the most total overall yards (461.8) on average per tilt. This should play perfectly into White’s versatile skill set since he does it all.

Dud: Mitch Trubisky, quarterback, Chicago Bears

We last saw Trubisky throw for a half dozen touchdowns before the Bears hibernated during their bye week. The chances of a repeat performance are highly unlikely as Trubisky faces an uphill battle in Miami against the Dolphins. Despite the team being a mess on offense, the Dolphins defense has given up only six passing touchdowns while forcing 10 interceptions. Keep in mind, two of these picks came from the hands of Tom Brady. Let’s do the math.

Stud: Jalen Ramsey, cornerback, Jacksonville Jaguars

Boy, does Ramsey have a savory matchup in Week 6. Even on the road, Ramsey should completely chew up and spit out a struggling Dallas Cowboys passing game. Quarterback Dak Prescott has simply been dreadful. And, the team has no clear No. 1 wideout to even put a dent into Ramsey’s coverage skills. The young cornerback could probably play blindfolded here while holding his nose to hide from the Cowboys offensive stench, and still not miss a beat. Jags fans can only hope a bumbling Blake Bortles, doesn’t ruin things from the other end.

Dud: Derrick Henry, running back, Tennessee Titans

So far this season, Henry has been extremely underwhelming. And he doesn’t look primed to suddenly snap out of his funk in a Week 6 showdown against the Baltimore Ravens. Henry will face a defense that has allowed only one running back score all season. This defense is likely going to force quarterback Marcus Mariota to have to throw in order to keep up, making Henry Mr. Irrelevant once again.

Stud: Odell Beckham Jr., wide receiver, New York Giants

Being the squeaky wheel and demanding more attention served Beckham well in his last game. In Week 6, Beckham should continue to build on his greatness when the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles defense has been extremely easy to exploit as of late and it has yielded a league-high 16.8 wide receiving catches on average per game. OBJ wants to be the team’s ball hog, and a favorable matchup with his NFC East divisional rival should present the winning ticket.

Dud: Davante Adams, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers

It is difficult to label Adams as a dud, but he stands to suffer with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman looming around Lambeau Field. This is the guy that was always a royal pain to quarterback Aaron Rodgers whenever the Packers played Sherman’s former Seattle Seahawks. At various times, Rodgers avoided throwing Sherman’s direction altogether. Unfortunately for Adams, he may be seeing more of Sherman — who is allowing a lowly 39.6 passer rating — than he likes.

Stud: Baker Mayfield, quarterback, Cleveland Browns

In Week 6, Mayfield and the Browns will look for their third win when the Los Angeles Chargers come to Cleveland. We predict the rookie quarterback will have to depend on his arm to stay competitive with the Chargers offense. Mayfield just passed for a career-best 342 yards, and that came against Baltimore. The Chargers defense is more giving, and is allowing a 65.7 pass completion rate. Plus, it has yielded 11 passing touchdowns, increasing Mayfield’s scoring chances.

Dud: LeSean McCoy, running back, Buffalo Bills

Shady and the Bills are averaging a miserable, league-low 12.6 points per game. This points total might not change much during a road visit to the Houston Texans. Overall, McCoy has been disappointing and has yet to score a touchdown or rush for 100 yards in a game. Now, McCoy will meet a defense that last held Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott to only 84 total yards and zero touchdowns. Plus, there are also trade rumors surrounding McCoy, who might not even be a Bill come Sunday.

Stud: Chris Carson, running back, Seattle Seahawks

Despite the Seahawks splitting work between their running backs, it is Carson who is garnering the lion’s share of carries. Carson last averaged 6.1 yards per carry and rushed for a total of 116 yards. He should continue delivering the goods in his team’s upcoming game in London against the Raiders. The Raiders defense is a joke and has awarded the fifth-most rushing yards at a pace of 4.9 yards per carry. Plus, light rain expected in London might command a heavier run script.

Dud: Joe Flacco, quarterback, Baltimore Ravens

Just as we began to toot Flacco’s horn in our top 20 quarterbacks ranking, he shifted into reverse. Flacco failed to score for the first time this season in a surprising overtime loss to the Browns. Now, Flacco will head to Tennessee to face the Titans. This team is sputtering on offense, but its defense has yielded only six passing touchdowns and a mere 210 passing yards on average per tilt. This particular game looks to be low-scoring all across the board.

Stud: Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle, Los Angeles Rams

What chaos could Suh and the Rams possibly dish up on the road in Denver this week? Probably a ton considering the Broncos offense, operated by quarterback Case Keenum, is not running full steam. Keenum has just been off and his offensive line has allowed eight sacks in the last two weeks. Suh and Co. will surely take advantage here. Therefore, this next game could offer Suh his first double-sack performance of 2018.

Dud: Adrian Peterson, running back, Washington Redskins

AP has a banged up shoulder but said it won’t keep him from playing against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. Though, it is hard to trust Peterson performing at a 100 percent level while dealing with the discomfort. He will also face a Carolina defense that has ceded only four rushing touchdowns and a mere 95 rushing yards on average per game. If the Redskins fall behind, just like they last did against the New Orleans Saints, they’ll abandon the run. It is worth noting that Peterson is also coming off of a six rushing yard performance.

Stud: Tyreek Hill, wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City’s matchup on the road against the Patriots is one of the most highly-anticipated for Week 6. This is when Hill will look to get his stats back on course. He has been held well within check in his past three games, but a more favorable defense awaits him. The Patriots have surrendered 11 passing touchdowns on the season, so quarterback Patrick Mahomes should get back to scoring. He’d be wise to attempt to put the ball into the hands of the fastest guy on his team. That’s his 5-foot-10 receiver, nicknamed Cheetah.

Dud: Jameis Winston, quarterback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Fitzmagic era got wiped out and the Bucs plan to feature Winston when the team returns from its bye to play in Atlanta. But, this is not an automatic recipe for success. Winston was rusty when he was first called to duty in Week 4 and threw two interceptions on 16 passing attempts. Going up against his fired-up divisional rival Falcons — desperate to improve from 1-4 — Winston might fall short. The Falcons will look to take advantage of a guy returning just a bit raw.

Stud: Shaquill Griffin, cornerback, Seattle Seahawks

What could possibly go right, and wrong, when the Seahawks and Raiders head to London? Well. Griffin might have some fun. The Raiders offense has been a huge dumpster fire. Griffin has been on fire, too — in a good way. The second-year cornerback will head to London looking to build on his interception count. This could very well happen considering quarterback Derek Carr has thrown a league-leading eight interceptions compared to just seven touchdowns. These stats are absolutely atrocious. Griffin is primed for a fantastic performance.

Dud: T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver, Indianapolis Colts

Provided Hilton plays, he has a fearsome matchup at the home of the New York Jets awaiting him. The Jets defense has yielded only five wide receiving touchdowns on the season. Plus, the Jets have excelled in blitzing and have produced 14 sacks. Quarterback Andrew Luck is going to feel the heat as well. Even worse for Hilton or whoever is stepping up to cover for him, is Luck only seems to have eyes for tight end Eric Ebron these days.

Stud: Phillip Lindsay, running back, Denver Broncos

Lindsay, who has been impressing thus far, has an excellent Week 6 home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. While the Rams defense is good, it doesn’t seem to care about all of the yardage opposing running backs are piling up on a weekly basis. To date, running backs are averaging 124.6 total yards per game as well as lofty 5.0 yards per tote. Lindsay is lightening fast and should fully exploit those gaping holes.

Dud: T.J. Yeldon, running back, Jacksonville Jaguars

With Leonard Fournette reportedly ruled out for Week 6, Yeldon will be the featured back when the Jags head to Dallas. While the Cowboys are painful to watch on offense, their run defense is yielding just 3.4 yards per carry. Opposing running backs have scored only two total touchdowns against Dallas while its defense has allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to the position. All signs point towards this game becoming a defensive battle, rather than a Jags offensive blowout.

Stud: Josh Rosen, quarterback, Arizona Cardinals

We are not sure what has gone wrong in Minnesota, but teams playing against the Vikings are taking advantage of busted coverage left and right. Next up, Rosen and the Cardinals head to Minnesota to see how well they can take advantage. Over their last two games, the Vikings have allowed 776 yards on offense and seven touchdowns. Win No. 2 for Rosen could be in sight considering the Vikings have also surrendered 26.2 points on average per game and experienced some unexpected upsets.

Dud: Joe Mixon, running back, Cincinnati Bengals

Mixon returned in Week 5 and fully took advantage of the Bengals holding a lead, recording 115 total yards and one touchdown. In Week 6, however, the Bengals will roll out the red carpet for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh’s defense was brutal against the run in its last game and held the Atlanta Falcons running backs to lowly 52 rushing yards and one touchdown. On the season, opposing running backs have averaged just 88.4 combined yards per game facing Pittsburgh.

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