NFL Week 6 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from the Monday Night Football doubleheader

Surprise inactives shake up the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills: Buffalo was without tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver Curtis Samuel, while Atlanta made former starter Ray-Ray McCloud III a healthy inactive. As a result, both teams leaned more heavily on their available starters.

The Chicago Bears make bye week adjustments: Chicago’s two-week break between games led to increased playing time for rookie tight end Colston Loveland and a deeper rotation at running back.

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Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons

Falcons make changes at wide receiver: Atlanta was without two of its usual top three wide receivers — one due to injury, the other by choice.

The Falcons led the league in 11 personnel usage last season, featuring Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III as their primary wide receivers. All three returned in 2025, but Mooney was ruled out Saturday with a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago before Atlanta’s bye. He didn’t practice all week. McCloud, meanwhile, was a surprise inactive. He played 50.9% of the offensive snaps over the first four weeks — a steep drop from 85.8% last season. After catching three passes for 51 yards in Week 1, he totaled just three receptions for 13 yards over the next three games.

Casey Washington replaced Darnell Mooney as the Falcons’ X receiver, just as he did in Week 1 and again in Week 4 after Mooney suffered his injury. Atlanta shifted to 12 personnel as its base offense for this game, using it on the vast majority of plays. As a result, Kyle Pitts Sr. and Charlie Woerner effectively filled Ray-Ray McCloud III’s role. Pitts logged a season-high snap rate. David Sills V, who had played 45 snaps entering the week, served as both the third wide receiver in 11 personnel and as Washington’s backup in select 12 personnel formations.

There are several possible reasons why Atlanta made Ray-Ray McCloud III inactive. It may have been due to underperformance, with the team simply ready to move in a different direction. The Falcons also entered the game planning to lean heavily on 12 personnel, potentially favoring other wide receivers for their contributions on special teams. A trade could be in the works, and the team may have wanted to avoid injury risk. There’s also the possibility of a disciplinary matter that has not been made public.

Atlanta’s other wide receivers likely won’t offer much fantasy value unless Darnell Mooney returns to full health and builds more chemistry with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Entering the game, Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. were the only Falcons with more than 200 receiving yards; no other player had more than 80.

They were also the only Falcons to record receptions over the first 50 minutes, with London clearly serving as the focal point of the passing game.

Bills adjust without Dalton Kincaid: Dalton Kincaid was ruled out with an oblique injury after being limited in practice all week.

Kincaid was initially listed as questionable, and his absence wasn’t confirmed until the inactives were announced 90 minutes before kickoff. The Bills entered the game with only two active tight ends — Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes — and made no practice squad elevations. Fortunately, both had seen significant playing time this season. Buffalo had employed a tight three-man rotation through the first five weeks, with all three logging between 128 and 183 snaps. Kincaid was the primary option in single-tight-end sets, while Knox and Hawes handled most of the work in two-tight-end formations, though the team rotated heavily across all personnel groupings.

This week, Dawson Knox handled nearly all third-down snaps as the lone tight end and split early-down work with Jackson Hawes. Neither player was heavily involved in the passing game, though Knox did score Buffalo’s first touchdown on a 19-yard reception.

The Bills are on a bye next week, which could give Dalton Kincaid enough time to recover. If Kincaid is expected to miss additional time, Knox becomes a viable waiver-wire option in deeper leagues. He’s unlikely to see a high target share, but his red-zone involvement gives him better touchdown odds than many streaming options.

Monitor Joshua Palmer’s health: Josh Palmer exited in the second quarter with an ankle injury after being tackled and did not return.

The Bills entered the game already down one of their top five wide receivers. Curtis Samuel was limited in practice Thursday, downgraded to a non-participant Friday, and returned to limited work Saturday while dealing with neck and rib injuries. He was listed as questionable but ultimately did not play. Samuel had been a healthy inactive earlier in the season but had recently overtaken Elijah Moore on the depth chart, leading to Moore being inactive last week. With Samuel sidelined, Moore returned to the active roster this week.

Palmer started the game and opened with a 45-yard reception on the Bills’ first play — his most productive outing in the past month. He rotated in over the next few drives, logging six of the team’s first 14 offensive snaps. After Palmer exited with an injury, Tyrell Shavers saw the biggest increase in playing time, followed by Elijah Moore.

If Palmer’s injury proves to be serious, Curtis Samuel and Moore are likely to remain active moving forward. They, along with Shavers, would form a heavy rotation at wide receiver, making it difficult to trust any of them as consistent fantasy options.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Falcons ran several plays with tight end Charlie Woerner in the backfield and Bijan Robinson lined up at wide receiver. Robinson lined up more at wide receiver in this game than in any other game this year or last year.

Falcons halfback Nathan Carter was inactive for a second straight game. He was listed on the injury report with a hamstring injury, but was a full participant in practice all week. This left Atlanta with only two running backs on the gameday roster.

Wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge was limited on Thursday and Friday, upgraded to full on Saturday due to a groin injury and wasn't given a game status. He was London’s backup this week.

Atlanta elevated wide receiver Deven Thompkins from the practice squad for this game on Monday.

The Bills' Ty Johnson continues to see snaps on early downs over Ray Davis, but Davis happened to score a touchdown on his limited snaps.

Chicago Bears @ Washington Commanders

Jacory Croskey-Merritt sees another uptick in snaps: The seventh-round rookie made his first start last week and dominated early downs this week.

The Commanders opened the season with Austin Ekeler as their lead back, but Chris Rodriguez Jr. took over as the starter after Ekeler was lost for the year. In each of the first four games, Croskey-Merritt typically entered on the third drive and handled most of the early-down work for the remainder of the game.

That pattern changed last week when Croskey-Merritt earned the start and operated as the team’s primary early-down back throughout the game. He responded with over 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns. This week, he rotated out even less frequently on early downs, receiving significant volume but with less efficiency than in previous outings. Rodriguez was active but clearly limited after missing practice all week with a calf injury and entering the game listed as questionable.

Rodriguez could reclaim a larger share of the workload once fully healthy, but Croskey-Merritt appears poised to maintain a 75% early-down role — similar to what Brian Robinson Jr. held in Washington last season. As long as the Commanders are favored, Croskey-Merritt remains a strong fantasy start. When they’re underdogs, he becomes a more volatile option.

Backup wide receivers step up for Washington: Washington’s top three wide receivers did not practice this week.

Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), Noah Brown (groin/knee) and Curtis Samuel (heel) all missed practice throughout the week, aside from a limited session by Samuel on Friday. Brown missed his fourth straight game, while McLaurin sat out for the third week in a row. Samuel was listed as questionable, but pregame reports indicated he was expected to play. Washington elevated wide receivers Tay Martin and Ja’Corey Brooks from the practice squad to bolster depth.

As in previous weeks, Samuel and Chris Moore served as the primary wideouts, while Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey rotated in during three-receiver sets. Moore caught his first touchdown since 2022, while Lane and McCaffrey each recorded receptions of over 30 yards — helping offset Samuel’s limited production.

The Commanders’ approach of splitting snaps among their backup receivers continues to make it difficult for any one player to emerge as a reliable fantasy option outside of deeper formats. Ideally, McLaurin and Brown return soon to stabilize the offense.

The Bears take more of a committee approach at running back: Kyle Monangai played more often on early downs than usual, while Roschon Johnson played his first offensive snaps of the season.

Through the first five weeks, D’Andre Swift handled roughly two-thirds of Chicago’s offensive snaps, including a 100% share of goal-line work. He was used consistently across most situations. Freshman back Kyle Monangai played 28% of snaps, with a handful of plays where Chicago lined up without a running back.

Coming out of the bye, the Bears made noticeable adjustments. Swift remained the primary passing-down back, but Monangai split early-down work almost evenly — a deliberate shift in strategy rather than a response to game script or in-game performance. Over the first four games, Swift played 33 snaps across the team’s first two drives, while Monangai logged just five. This week, Monangai led 8-6 in that same stretch. Additionally, Roschon Johnson saw his first meaningful action of the season.

The rotation was especially notable considering Monangai missed Thursday’s practice with a thigh injury before returning for full sessions on Friday and Saturday.

Overall, the new approach worked. Swift saw fewer carries early but was leaned on heavily in the closing minutes as the Bears looked to set up a game-winning field goal. He finished with 14 carries for 108 yards and added two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Monangai ran five times and caught a 25-yard pass. If this early-down split continues, it could hurt Swift’s fantasy value — he compensated with explosive plays this week, but that level of efficiency may not be sustainable.

Colston Loveland takes on an expanded role at tight end: Loveland was close to even in snaps with Cole Kmet for most of the game.

The 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft was in a rotation with Kmet throughout the preseason, sharing the field in two tight end sets and splitting single-tight-end sets with the starters. Surprisingly, Kmet was the clear starter over the first two weeks of the season. Kmet played 90% of snaps over the first two weeks, compared to Loveland's 55%. The two typically shared the field in two-tight-end sets, with Kmet playing over 75% of single-tight-end sets on early downs as well as third downs.

Loveland suffered a hip injury early in Week 3, causing him to miss Week 4. He was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday, but was a full participant on Saturday and ready to go for this game. This week, Kmet and Coleland were in a near-even split in single tight end sets for most of the game, with Kmet receiving more snaps near the end of the game. While Kmet still had an overall lead in snaps, this was a big increase for Loveland and a decrease for Kmet. The Bears didn’t run many two-tight-end sets this week, but they likely will run more in future weeks. This should lead to more playing time for both players.

Loveland is not someone you want in fantasy starting lineups, but this is one step closer to Loveland becoming a fantasy-relevant tight end.

Miscellaneous Notes

Chicago running back Travis Homer’s practice window opened on Tuesday. He was a full participant in practice all week with a calf injury, but Chicago decided to leave him on injured reserve.

While other Bears rookies received an increased role this week, Luther Burden III’s role was very similar to Week 4. However, he caught four passes for 51 yards, which could lead to more playing time going forward.

Kicker Cairo Santos couldn't play due to a right thigh injury. He was a full participant in practice all week. He was ruled questionable on Saturday. The Bears elevated kicker Jake Moody from the practice squad for this game on Monday.

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels was a full participant in practice all week with a knee injury and wasn't given a game status.

Commanders tight end John Bates was limited in practice on Thursday, upgraded to full on Friday with a shoulder injury and wasn't given a game status.

Table Notes

Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.

Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.

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