The first quarter of my daughter’s seventh-grade year is over and — proud daddy moment — homegirl’s getting straight A’s…unlike her proud daddy, whose NFL fantasy football bold predictions won’t land me on the honor roll, as witnessed by last week’s festival of mediocrity:
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1) We Could Possibly See Carolina QB Bryce Young Be Good for Four Full Quarters
I’m officially off the Bryce train. He’s been given what seems like dozens and dozens of chances from us fantasy nerds, and he always lets us down — always. (E.G., last week facing the Dolphins, we suffered through a blah 198 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing.) To Young’s credit, he led the Panthers to a nice fourth-quarter comeback, but that’s not four full quarters, is it? Alan’s Grade: D+
2) The Buffalo Bills Might Not Cakewalk Their Way Through Sunday Night
Much to my Bills-loving wife’s chagrin, I got this one right. And I get extra credit for Buffalo losing at home, 23-20. Alan’s Grade: A+
3) Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty Might Just Have an Encore Performance…And Then Some
Yeah, not so much. Week 4, the rookie dropped 31.5 fantasy points on Chicago, but then in Week 5, he fell back to Earth, managing just 10.1 in an ugly 40-6 loss to the Colts. But he didn’t out-and-out suck — 109 total yards is a reasonable number — so I get a slight bump. Alan’s Grade: C-
4) Giants QB Jaxson Dart Could Be a Top-10 Fantasy Beast
Jaxson Dart was not a top-10 fantasy beast. Jaxson Dart was a top-16 fantasy regular dude. Meh. Alan’s Grade: D+
That all shakes out to a GPA of 2.08, spiritually similar to Bryce Young’s career NFL grade. All of which means if I want to keep up with my daughter, I’d damn well better pick it up.
So let’s get bold, y'all.
4 NFL Fantasy Football Bold Predictions for Week 6
1) This Might Not Be the Breakout Week for Eagles RB Saquon Barkley
Here in 2025, Barkley hasn’t been garbage in FantasyLand, where he sits at RB11, averaging 12.7 fantasy points per game. In the real world, however, things are a bit more bleak: He’s racked up 267 yards on the ground and 4 total touchdowns, which projects to 908 yards and 14 TDs over a 17-game season — a far cry from last year’s 2,005 and 18.
His Eagles roll into New York for a Thursday night clash with the division rival Giants, who rank 27th in rushing yards allowed (700). But last week, they held Alvin Kamara and the Saints rushing corps to 88 yards, so it might be a stretch to assume Saquon will blow up.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley PrizePicks Projection: 85.5 Rush Yards
2) Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Could Get a Historically Ugly Welcome to the AFC North
In his first NFL start last Sunday, the rookie out of Central Florida was competent, posting 190 yards through the air to go with 2 touchdowns, giving him a fantasy finish of QB19, a better ranking than Chargers’ signal caller Justin Herbert, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, and, to nobody’s surprise, Bryce Young.
But last week’s game was in London, and this week’s game is in Pittsburgh, and last time I checked a map, that ain’t just around the corner.
The Steelers are fantasy’s DST7, and riding on back-to-back performances of 16 (Week 3’s DST3) and 10 (Week 4’s DST5).
Coming off of a bye, Pittsburgh’s hot D is well rested, and coming off of an overseas flight, the Browns rookie isn’t. A 5-interception game isn’t off the table.
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel PrizePicks Projection: 181.5 Pass Yards
3) Rams QB Matthew Stafford Could Deliver a Historically Ugly Beatdown of the Ravens
In their four losses, the Baltimore defense has allowed 44, 37, 38, and 41 points. A deep dive into those numbers tell us that the Ravens D stinks. For that matter, a shallow dive tells us they stink.
Matthew Stafford, however, most definitely doesn’t stink. Currently fantasy’s QB9 and averaging 19.9 fantasy points, the future Hall of Famer — you may disagree, but he’d get my vote — boasts one of the NFL’s best one-two WR punches in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Taking our deep and shallow dives into account, this is a plus-matchup for Stafford. And even on the unfriendly turf of M&T Bank Stadium, the 17th-year man out of Georgia could do terrible, terrible things to the Ravens.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford PrizePicks Projection: 262.5 Pass Yards
4) Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence Might Turn Into the Generational Signal Caller Some Envisioned
On Monday night, Lawrence delivered one of the signature plays of the NFL season, stumbling, bumbling, and almost fumbling his way into the end zone for a fourth-quarter TD that gave Jacksonville a 31-28 dub and sent the defending AFC champ Kansas City Chiefs to a record of 2-3.
His 27.2 fantasy points (QB5) was his personal best for 2025, and we might be living in the moment Lawrence truthers have been waiting for, the moment in which he morphs into prime Andrew Luck.
On Sunday, the Jags host a Seahawks squad that allows, as per NFL.com, the 16th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Facing a pedestrian pass defense that just flew over 2,400 miles gives the Clemson product a chance to prove that — as many pundits touted before he was drafted in 2021 — Lawence could evolve into one of the best of his era.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence PrizePicks Projection: 220.5 Pass Yards
Will this batch of prognostications improve my bold predictions grade? Who the heck knows, but one thing we do know is you can win real money on PrizePicks with your NFL predictions.
Just pick More or Less on at least two player projections and potentially win real cash with your picks every week.
And follow Playbook for the entire NFL season, where you'll always enjoy boldness galore.
