Fantasy football: Brandon Aiyuk among must-start wide receivers for Week 6

MIAMI, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Brandon Aiyuk and DeVonta Smith are among my must-start wide receivers for Week 6 of the 2022 fantasy football season.

Each of my must-start pass catchers ranks inside the top 42 of my rankings, which means they should be in lineups for leagues with at least 14 teams that can start up to three wide receivers.

Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson is the top player in my overall Top 50 wide receiver rankings for Week 4. Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Ja'Marr Chase and A.J. Brown also are in my Top 5.

Chris Godwin, Tyreek Hill, DK Metcalf, Gabriel Davis and DeVonta Smith are among my Top 10 options and should be in every starting lineup.

Davante Adams, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Brandin Cooks are among the wide receivers who should be out of fantasy football lineups as the Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans will each serve Week 6 byes.

Buffalo Bills wide receivers Stefon Diggs (L) and Gabriel Davis are both fantasy football WR1s in Week 6. File Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI

Gabriel Davis

Davis logged 88 yards and a score in Week 1, but struggled in his next two appearances this season. He rebounded with 171 yards and two scores on three catches in the Buffalo Bills' Week 5 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bills offense ranks No. 1 in the NFL overall, led by quarterback Josh Allen's top-ranked passing attack. This week, they will battle the Kansas City Chiefs in what is expected to be a shootout.

The Chiefs allowed the eighth-most fantasy points and tied for allowing the third-most receiving scores to wide receivers through five games. I expect Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw for more than 300 yards apiece in this meeting of AFC powers.

That prolific passing duel should lead all of their pass catches to fantasy football relevance. Davis should find the end zone again. I also expect at least eight targets for the Bills weapon.

He is my No. 9 option for Week 6.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) logged at least 11 targets int two of his last three games. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI

DeVonta Smith

Smith is my No. 10 wide receiver for Week 6, joining Philadelphia Eagles teammate A.J. Brown in my Top 10. Smith caught a season-high 10 passes for 87 yards in Week 5. He also hauled in eight catches for 179 yards and a score in Week 3.

Smith received more targets than Brown in two of the last three weeks. This week. the Eagles will battle the Dallas Cowboys. I expect Cowboys All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs to lock onto Brown for most of this game, leading to more targets for Smith.

Look for at least 12 targets for 10 catches and 100 yards from Smith in this matchup. He is a low-end WR1 or high-end WR2 this week.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) will battle the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla. File Photo by Mark Black/UPI

Adam Thielen

Thielen is another player off to somewhat of a slow start, for fantasy football purposes. The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver did not eclipse 72 yards and scored just one time through his first five games.

Thielen, who scored 24 touchdowns over his two previous season, will likely find the end zone again soon. His eight targets per game over his last three appearances is a positive sign that he continues to hold an important role in the Vikings offense.

This week, the Vikings will battle the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins allowed the sixth-most fantasy points and ninth-most receiving yards to wide receivers through five weeks. I expect Thielen and Justin Jefferson to provide a lot of fantasy points in this matchup Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Thielen is my No. 15 option and can be used as a WR2 or WR3.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is a fantasy football WR2 for Week 6. File Photo by Mark Black/UPI

Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk is the second-most targeted San Francisco 49ers pass catcher this season, trailing only Deebo Samuel. He totaled 27 looks and 17 catches through his first five games. He also found the end zone once.

Look for Aiyuk and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo -- one of my top waiver wire targets -- to connect at least eight times against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta.

The Falcons allowed the seventh-most fantasy points, tied for allowing the third-most catches and allowed the seventh-most receiving yards to wide receivers through five weeks. They also just allowed more than 60 yards to three different Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers and 351 passing yards to Tom Brady in a Week 5 loss.

Look for Aiyuk, my No. 18 option, to be Garoppolo's top target in Week 6. He can be used as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3.

Alec Pierce

Pierce was one of my favorite wide receiver targets this week on the waiver wire. The Indianapolis Colts offense struggled in Week 5, but Pierce provided positive output when quarterback Matt Ryan looked his way.

The rookie wide receiver logged a season-high nine targets last week's win over the Denver Broncos. Those targets translated into eight catches for 81 yards.

Pierce's usage in the Colts offense is trending up after two-consecutive weeks with at least six targets and 80 yards. This week, the Colts will battle the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Look for this game to have somewhat of a slow tempo, as both teams attempt to establish their running games. Pierce will likely be a better option in points-per-reception formats, as I expect at least eight catches for 75 yards. He is my No. 30 option this week and can be plugged in as a fringe WR3.

Week 6 fantasy football wide receiver rankings

1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings at MIA

2. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills at KC

3. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams vs. CAR

4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals at NO

5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles vs. DAL

6. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at PIT

7. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins vs. MIN

8. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks vs. ARI

9. Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills at KC

10. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles vs. DAL

11. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers vs. DEN

12. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos at LAC

13. Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals at SEA

14. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins vs. MIN

15. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. MIA

16. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at PIT

17. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys at PHI

18. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers at ATL

19. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers at ATL

20. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. ARI

21. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys at PHI

22. George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. TB

23. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers at LAR

24. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers vs. NYJ

25. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars at IND

26. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns vs. NE

27. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. TB

28. Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots at CLE

29. Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos at LAC

30. Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts vs. JAX

31. Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers vs. NJ

32. Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals at SEA

33. DeVante Parker, New England Patriots at CLE

34. Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers vs. DEN

35. Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs vs. BUF

36. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts vs. JAX

37. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets at GB

38. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons vs. SF

39. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals at NO

40. Darius Slayton, New York Giants vs. BAL

41. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kansas City Chiefs vs. BUF

42. Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills at KC

43. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs vs. BUF

44. Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens at NYG

45. Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers vs. NYJ

46. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals at NO

47. Noah Brown, Dallas Cowboys at PHI

48. Robbie Anderson, Carolina Panthers at LAR

49. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. TB

50. Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars at IND