Where did this version of Brian Hoyer come from? His performance has been impressive and may result in him keeping the Bears' starting job. He has passed for over 300 yards in each of the last three games and has thrown two touchdowns in each of them. Chicago will likely be playing from behind and that will result in a greater reliance on the pass. He has a good matchup against the Jaguars in Week 6. If you need a bye week or injury replacement, he’s worth the waiver add.
Cody Kessler suffered a rib injury during Week 5 and had to leave the game. X-rays were negative and it looks like he’ll be ready for Week 6. Cam Newton and Carson Palmer missed their Week 5 games because of concussion symptoms. They should be ready to play in Week 6. Of course, it depends upon their recovery and being able to clear the concussion protocol. Watch the practice reports and proceed with caution. Trevor Siemian expects to play in Week 6. If he’s ready to return, the starting job will continue to be his. Paxton Lynch performed poorly in Week 5 and that leaves the starting gig for when Siemian is healthy.
Minnesota and Tampa Bay are on bye in Week 6, so Sam Bradford and Jameis Winston will need to be replaced. Replacing them should be easier, as they’re not high-scoring fantasy quarterbacks. Brock Osweiler is an option and he should rebound with an excellent matchup against a weak Indianapolis secondary. Hoyer and Siemian also look like safe bets.
My sleeper for Week 6 is Alex Smith. He’s coming off a bye week and will be looking to bounce back after a rough game against Pittsburgh in Week 4. He’ll have a healthier Jamaal Charles in the backfield to balance the offense. In his last four games against Oakland, he’s passed for two touchdowns in each game. I think he’ll throw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also a threat with his legs and should add another 30 yards on the ground.
Quarterbacks, Week 6
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, KB: Kyle Bennett, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | KB | DG |
| 1 | Tom Brady | NE | vs. CIN | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Drew Brees | NO | vs. CAR | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 3 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | vs. DAL | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | @ MIA | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Cam Newton | CAR | @ NO | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 6 | Andrew Luck | IND | @ HOU | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 7 | Russell Wilson | SF | @ BUF | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| 8 | Carson Palmer | ARI | vs. NYJ | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | Derek Carr | OAK | vs. KC | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | Blake Bortles | JAC | @ CHI | 10 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 11 | Carson Wentz | PHI | @ WAS | 11 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| 12 | Matthew Stafford | DET | vs. LA | 19 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | Philip Rivers | SD | vs. DEN | 12 | 10 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 13 |
| 14 | Dak Prescott | DAL | @ GB | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 19 |
| 15 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | vs. CLE | 13 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 20 |
| 16 | Matt Ryan | ATL | @ SEA | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 14 |
| 17 | Tyrod Taylor | BUF | vs. SF | 16 | 21 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 21 |
| 18 | Eli Manning | NYG | vs. BAL | 20 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| 19 | Brian Hoyer | CHI | vs. JAC | 17 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 22 |
| 20 | Andy Dalton | CIN | @ NE | 18 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 15 |
| 21 | Kirk Cousins | WAS | vs. PHI | 21 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| 22 | Joe Flacco | BAL | @ NYG | 22 | 17 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 16 |
| 23 | Alex Smith | KC | @ OAK | 24 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| 24 | Trevor Siemian | DEN | @ SD | 23 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| 25 | Ryan Tannehill | MIA | vs. PIT | -- | -- | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 |
| -- | Brock Osweiler | HOU | vs. IND | -- | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Colin Kaepernick | SEA | vs. ATL | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |