16.52

The New York Giants have struggled containing tight ends, which could be a good thing this weekend for Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler. Chandler has been a factor in the red zone for Buffalo, scoring four touchdowns on the year. If Buffalo is in scoring territory, look for Chandler's number to be called playing against the New York linebackers and safeties. - Ryan R. Bonini

16.51

The Denver Broncos' Brandon Lloyd has become a hot potential trade target ahead of next week's NFL trade deadline. Our sources said the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, among other teams, might check on his price tag. The Rams would make sense because of Lloyd's experience with STL OC Josh McDaniels, but they have ample WRs, and it's hardly a guarantee for either team to be genuinely interested. Lloyd's fantasy value is in flux; he's worth hanging on to in case he lands in a better spot. - Tim Heaney

16.44

Bill Belichick has a fascination with stopping tight ends that are featured attractions of opposing offenses. We saw it when the New England Patriots limited Antonio Gates and Dustin Keller this year. Expect the same treatment for the Dallas Cowboys' Jason Witten, and in turn productive outings from Miles Austin (hamstring), Dez Bryant (thigh) and Felix Jones (shoulder). - Tim Heaney

16.42

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (toe) and Danny Woodhead (ankle) are expected to go versus the stout Dallas Cowboys' run defense. Law Firm and Woodhead are much better pass blockers than rookie Stevan Ridley, and if the New England Patriots must enter shootout mode to keep pace with Dallas, Woodhead will be heavily involved, which will hurt Ridley's fantasy utility. BJGE is worth a lineup spot if he can go. - Tim Heaney

16.37

Rob Gronkowski stayed in often versus the New York Jets in Week 5; the New England Patriots know he's one of the best blocking TEs in the league. Not the whole story: Gronk's stomach bug the morning before the game also hindered him. For Week 6, Aaron Hernandez (knee) might see fewer offensive opps; he played through notable pain last week and could use some rest. Gronk probably won't post the monster stats he did earlier in the year, but he deserves your confidence this weekend against a vulnerable Dallas Cowboys secondary. - Tim Heaney

16.32

Don't expect emerging shutdown cornerback Joe Haden (knee) to suit up for the Cleveland Browns. The Oakland Raiders' Darrius Heyward-Bey, who probably would be Haden's assignment if they had to pick an opposing wideout, could be in for a big day as he continues to mature as a receiver. The Browns did well versus the Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson a few weeks ago, though, so maybe they'll be able to contain similarly speedy Darren McFadden. - Tim Heaney

16.30

Coming off a bye week, Greg Little is primed to take a step forward. He'll be part of a cemented Cleveland Browns three-man wideout rotation with Mohamed Massaquoi and Joshua Cribbs that should help streamline the offense. Little's attitude, while at times looking like that of a rookie, hasn't been as big a problem as originally thought. Neither has his history with drops. He's in the staff's good graces. If he can do a better job adjusting to the defense's coverage shifts before snaps, he'll be on his way to a productive fantasy finish. Add him where you can. - Tim Heaney

16.27

The human side of football: Peyton Hillis has been less jolly this season. Contract talks, the controversy with his agent advising him to sit out  - he seems affected by them. The former journeyman is worried that this is his last chance at a big paycheck; it won't help if he keeps underperforming and the Cleveland Browns start favoring Montario Hardesty. Good news: Hillis will be fed the rock 20-plus times per game for the near future; it gives them their best chance to win. Don't expect them to ditch Hillis at the trade deadline. Still, Hardesty isn't a bad stash in case things turn sour. - Tim Heaney

16.22

The reports swirling around tailback Rashad Jennings' ability to return from a knee injury  sooner than expected? Exaggerated. The Jacksonville Jaguars made the right move in putting him on Injured Reserve; they needed another useful body and couldn't wait all that time for him to play less than half the season. Deji Karim remains the handcuff to Maurice Jones-Drew. - Tim Heaney

16.20

Sure, the San Francisco 49ers have cut down on the giveaways with Alex Smith under center, but, as Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz pointed out, the Baymen rank near the top of the NFL in sacks allowed per passing attempt. Expect Detroit to pressure Smith often this week, especially with rookie DT Nick Fairley seeing more work with Ndamukong Suh. - Tim Heaney

16.19

It was the perfect storm for Jahvid Best's big Week 5. The Detroit Lions' front five produced their best game of the season, and the Chicago Bears' safety issues allowed Best to blaze past the back levels of the D. Don't go thinking Best will consistently post ground efforts like this - especially against the stout San Francisco 49ers' ground stuffage this Sunday - but it's a reminder of how explosive he can be in the right circumstances. - Tim Heaney

16.13

The Packers lost veteran left tackle Chad Clifton (knee) for what could be the rest of the season. Marshall Newhouse stepped in and played remarkably well. He has long arms and is a natural blindside protector. The drop-off from Clifton shouldn't be too noticeable; in fact, Newhouse is probably a better run blocker. Green Bay could chip a little more with their running backs. - Cory J. Bonini

15.59

James Jones has shown up for fantasy owners in the last two weeks, but don't get too excited about it continuing with any regularity. Almost half of the Packers' targets have gone to Jermichael Finley and Greg Jennings combined. Jones and Jordy Nelson will be interchangeable most weeks; it will be nearly impossibly to predict which one will feast. In reality, Jones, Nelson, Donald Driver and Randall Cobb are all capable of usurping each other any given week. - Cory J. Bonini

15.52

The New York Giants' loss of guard Chris Snee (concussion) will hurt the running game more than the passing game. As a guard, his position is easier to fill than that of a tackle. With the team having a bye in Week 7, Snee could return to action the following week. While he is the team's best run blocker, his loss hits the team more from the chemistry standpoint. Even with his loss this weekend, keep running back Ahmad Bradshaw in your starting lineup. - Ryan R. Bonini

15.48

Offensive tackle Max Starks was released this offseason by the Steelers after he ballooned to nearly 400 pounds. He has since dropped 40 pounds and played well in his return to Pittsburgh. The Steelers' offensive line in general was much improved last week. - Cory J. Bonini

15.31

The Chicago Bears have given Adrian Peterson flashbacks to his fumbling problems the last few times they've faced him and are aggressive enough to do it again. Look for plenty of eight-man fronts as the Minnesota Vikings' Donovan McNabb will be dared to challenge the defense. - Tim Heaney

15.25

Chad Greenway should give the Minnesota Vikings a fighting chance at defending reception-happy Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte this weekend. Greenway has solid lateral movement and is better than most linebackers in pass coverage. Forte is still worth a start but might fall a bit short of expectations.  - Tim Heaney

15.24

Our Chicago Bears scribe wasn't sure if their switch to Major Wright and Chris Conte as starting safeties will help. Wright has been in and out of Lovie Smith's doghouse, and Conte is athletic but raw. Either way, a change needed to be made; Chris Harris has been toast most of the year, including on two big plays versus the Detroit Lions last week. - Tim Heaney

15.23

Short-range safety valve Dane Sanzenbacher could help in the Chicago Bears' need to revise the playbook. Just don't expect him to save your fantasy season. This offense limits what little upside he has; he isn't athletic and depends on receptions for his fantasy value. In the right setting, that's fine for filler, that's all. - Tim Heaney

15.22

Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said Thursday that Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring) would be the guy as long as he is healthy. Well, Mendy is not even on the Week 6 injury report and should garner a full workload this weekend. Mewelde Moore (ankle) is out, so look for Jonathan Dwyer to serve as the No. 3 back, but his touches will be very limited. Isaac Redman will spell Mendenhall. Fantasy owners need to be cautiously optimistic when it comes to starting Mendenhall. - Cory J. Bonini

15.22

The only way the Chicago Bears can make offensive adjustments with this roster is to alter the play calling. Cutting back on seven-step drops will hopefully leave Jay Cutler less vulnerable to being grounded. They'll probably increase their use of tight ends and running backs to chip pass rushers in order to help out a hole-filled offensive line. - Tim Heaney

15.21

With their dwindling cornerback depth, the St. Louis Rams will have to shake things up on defense to try to contain the Green Bay Packers. Maybe they'll blitz more or play more zone, but they have to have successful pressure versus Aaron Rodgers. Zone isn't their cup of tea, unfortunately. Optimism? You need a microscope to find it. - Tim Heaney

15.20

Over the bye week, the St. Louis Rams worked on ways to increase their protection of Sam Bradford and their efficiency in the red zone. We'll probably see more rollouts and three- and five-step drops from Bradford as the Rams try to keep him upright and get the passing gears moving again, especially against an aggressive Green Bay Packers defense. - Tim Heaney

15.19

PUP resident Mark Clayton should return to action within the next few weeks, adding to the St. Louis Rams' heap of wideouts. A worthy speculative pickup, Clayton should be a quick study in the new offense, and his connection with Sam Bradford from last season should put him in the lead when he's up to speed. Expect Mike Sims-Walker, who's scuffling of late, to suffer the most when Clayton emerges. - Tim Heaney

14.50

Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham have become almost interchangeable in two-receiver sets for the New York Giants. The G-men will still run plenty of three-receiver sets to put them both on the field, but Cruz's strong play has added a lot of trust from the coaching staff. Quarterback Eli Manning is also gaining confidence in him, as the two now have built more of a rapport over the first five weeks of the regular season. Cruz is showing he is willing to go after the football, which is a positive. - Ryan R. Bonini

14.47

Andy Reid's seat generates heat no matter the state of the Philadelphia Eagles, but he's on the figurative roasting recliner because of this 1-4 start. He hasn't won a playoff game since 2008, so if they miss the playoffs, it might be a good idea for this organization to let him go just to get the fans back on their side. In most scenarios, however, he's probably not gone. After 2011, he has two years left on his contract. Philly doesn't like to pay people who aren't there. - Nicholas Minnix

14.38

For Philadelphia Eagles fans (and fantasy football players who drafted this DT/ST), there seems to be little hope for the defense. The Wide 9 just isn't a good scheme for their personnel. Although the staff won't admit to it, they've reined things in a bit, but the bottom line is that they seem committed to it. There are no hot rumors, but it wouldn't be surprising if, by the trade deadline, the Iggles brought in a linebacker who fit their plan. - Nicholas Minnix

13.34

Cincinnati rookie receiver A.J. Green and tight end Jermaine Gresham could have huge fantasy days against the lowly Indianapolis Colts defense. Indy has no one capable of covering Green one-on-one, and their safety play has been shoddy. Gresham could exploit the miscast linebacking corps with intermediate routes. - Cory J. Bonini

13.31

Rumors have swirled recently about the Colts possibly trading Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis before the deadline next week, but neither player is likely to be dealt. Both guys will be looking for large deals after the year, so there is some merit to the notion, but Indy doesn't have anyone to replace Wayne, especially. - Cory J. Bonini

13.28

Don't expect to see Kerry Collins (concussion) back in the starting lineup at any point this year, as long as Curtis Painter remains healthy. We realize that is a tough blow for all of you owners that were counting on the almighty Collins' return to save your fantasy seasons. - Cory J. Bonini

13.26

Pierre Garcon and Curtis Painter have hooked up four times for touchdowns in the last two weeks, but our Colts sage says there has not been anything in the way of a trend to focus on. Two plays were blown coverage, and two scores were Garcon using his speed. Garcon may look for a big-money deal after the year, and some team just might be willing to overpay for him. That would be a mistake, because he does not have the makings of a No. 1 receiver and drops too many passes. This scenario kind of reminds us of when Bernard Berrian signed with the Minnesota Vikings after a few good years with the Chicago Bears. - Cory J. Bonini

13.19

In terms of the long-term outlook, or at least for the next games, the shot-in-the-dark estimate we received was a 60-40 split between Ryan Torain and Tim Hightower. Roy Helu Jr. doesn't get much consideration, either in Week 6 or for the next few. The insider's choice? Torain, because of his big-play potential. Hightower needs plenty of touches to be effective. - Nicholas Minnix

13.16

The educated guess in what could be the first of many weeks of educated guesses? A pretty even split of touches between Ryan Torain and Tim Hightower (shoulder) against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mike Shanahan has acknowledged his rep and confirmed that this will be his approach, though: If a back establishes himself, the Washington Redskins' coach will roll with him. - Nicholas Minnix

13.14

While the Colts could use this game as an audition to see if Delone Carter can be an every-down back, the team probably won't give him that chance since he is still raw as a pass protector and doesn't fully understand the offense yet. The Colts may give Donald Brown, who is awful as a pass blocker, around 50 percent of the touches. If the game is close or either back suffers an injury, look for Darren Evans to see his first NFL action. - Cory J. Bonini

13.13

Considering the Atlanta Falcons' designs while Julio Jones (hamstring) is sidelined, Harry Douglas will see plenty of one-on-one. Although some fantasy football players have been high on him, his resume doesn't inspire when he's had opportunities, so observers aren't expecting a big impact. The fact that Atlanta is willing to use Eric Weems and Kerry Meier says enough. - Nicholas Minnix

13.11

With Julio Jones (hamstring) out, the Atlanta Falcons will probably try to lean on Roddy White a little more. Last week, the Carolina Panthers played a good bit of zone against the New Orleans Saints, which left the middle open for Jimmy Graham. Perhaps the combo of those factors will mean good fantasy football things for Tony Gonzalez in Week 6. - Nicholas Minnix