Fantasy Football Week 6: Best Matchups to Exploit Including Commanders vs. Bears and Chargers vs. Dolphins

In this article, I will utilize each week of the regular season of the 2025 NFL to highlight teams that are facing a variety of funnel defenses and fantasy alternatives that could potentially profit from those teams.

What Kind of Defense Is a Funnel?

A defense that is subjected to an extremely high number of pass attempts or rushes is referred to as a funnel defense, in case you were unfamiliar with the term. I’m going to take a hard look at how opponents are playing these defenses in neutral game script, which is when the game is within a score either way, and I’m also going to evaluate how good or poor these rush and pass defenses have been as of late.

There is no such thing as a precise science when it comes to identifying funnel defenses, and a poorly written game script can always throw off our best-laid plans. This is a fact. Over the course of the past several seasons, I have discovered that it is beneficial to examine matchups through this lens in order to determine whether or not there are any helpful improvements to the always-agonizing start-sit process that we put ourselves through each week.

With additional data, this analysis will become more accurate. In every season, it takes place. We have now gathered sufficient information to be able to determine which teams are developing into funnel defenders for the duration of Week 5.

Commanders vs. Bears

It is with great courage that I encourage you to assume the role of the guy who went crazy in Week 5. Because of the spreadsheets, I have no other option.

Last week, Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for a total of 150 yards and two touchdowns, and this week, he will be facing the most pronounced run funnel defense in the National Football League. Croskey-Merritt is currently leading the league in all of the fancy running stats. During the current season, Chicago’s opponents have run the ball at a league-high 52 percent clip in neutral game script. Additionally, when the game is within one touchdown, they have been five percent below their predicted pass rate. To summarize, Chicago’s front seven is susceptible to being bullied, and their opponents are aware of this fact.

As they did in 2024, the Bears are currently surrendering the highest rate of rush yards before contact in the National Football League through the first five weeks of the season. The average number of missed tackles per carry for this season is higher than that of any other team. They are also particularly poor at tackling.

This is what the zoomers are referring to as a smash play from JCM. In order to include him in your lineups, you need to discover a way to do so.”Deebo” On the other hand, Zach Ertz, whom I wrote about this week, and everyone else should be considered desperation possibilities in 12-team leagues versus Chicago. Samuel is not likely to be affected by the relative lack of drop back volume that Washington is experiencing.

Chargers vs. Dolphins

Here is a Double Run Funnel Matchup, which is quite uncommon: There are two defenses that are being mercilessly attacked on the ground since, unfortunately, they are unable to stop anyone.

First, let’s take a look at the Chargers, who have been subjected to a 52 percent pass rate from their opponents in neutral situations throughout the course of this season. That ranks as the fourth lowest in the National Football League. I would not categorize the Bolts as anything close to an extreme run funnel because their opponents in neutral script have a pass rate that is slightly higher than what is expected of them than what they actually have. De’Von Achane, on the other hand, should be prepared for a significant amount of labor, and the pass volume might not be available for anyone who is not named Achane or Jaylen Waddle.Darren Waller, on the other hand, is commanding targets at an oddly high rate, as I discussed in the Regression Files for this week.

Now, let’s talk about the Dolphins, who entered Week 5 with a neutral pass rate of 48 percent, which equaled them with the Bears for the lowest in the National Football League. A pass rate that is lower than predicted has been encountered by only three defenses in the year 2025. In the event that you have a notion of who might be the lead back for the Chargers in Week 6 — Hassan Haskins or Kimani Vidal — that individual might benefit from an increased rush volume against Miami.

Greg Roman, the offensive coordinator for the Chargers, made a strong attempt to establish the run in Week 5 against the Commanders. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the squad had lost Joe Alt, a pass-protecting stud. The Bolts had a neutral pass rate of 66 percent, which put them in first place in the league heading into Week 5. This rate was a disappointing 52 percent when measured against Washington.

A Chargers attack that is more focused on running the ball might be pretty significant for Haskins or Vidal when they are competing against a Dolphins defense that has allowed the highest rate of rush yards after contact. This is due, in part, to the fact that they allowed Rico Dowdle to look like Jim Brown in Week 5.

Seahawks vs. Jaguars

In Week 6, Darnold will face the pass-funnel Jaguars, whose opponents have passed the ball 66 percent of the time in neutral script this season. Darnold will face the Jaguars. There have only been five teams who have seen a neutral pass rate that is higher than expected against them. Just the week before, we witnessed the Seattle offense adapting to a pass-funnel matchup. In their game against Tampa, the Seahawks had a pass rate that was one percent higher than what was anticipated. The pace that they were at prior to the game was five percent lower than that. The result was that our analytics idol, Sam G. Darnold VII, attempted a season-high 34 passes as a result of this change.

Evidently, this indicates that JSN will cook once more during the sixth week.It would be beneficial for Cooper Kupp to receive a few of Darold throws as well. Since Week 2, he has a target share of 21 percent, which places him in second place on the team. The percentage of Kupp’s routes that are being targeted is very significant, coming in at 26 percent.After his performance against the Buccaneers, in which he caught seven passes and scored two touchdowns, AJ Barner might be a potential option in another matchup that involves a pass funnel. His route participation rate of sixty percent in Week 5 was the highest it had been all season.

Bengals vs. Packers

To this day, I continue to be extremely doubtful that Joe Flacco is even somewhat comparable to Jake Browning in terms of his capabilities. The Bengals’ offensive line is a complete and utter failure, Joe Flacco is a statue, and this week they are going up against one of the most vicious pass rushes in the National Football League. It is as it is.

That being said, you should be aware that up to Week 5, the Packers have been confronted with the greatest neutral pass rate in the league (67 percent), as well as the sixth highest neutral pass rate over what was anticipated. Green Bay’s rivals are taking to the air a far greater number of times than not.

It is the kind of tendency that may result in something in the neighborhood of fifty drop backs for Flacco, who is anticipated to make his debut in Week 6 for some reason. This volume is most likely to be beneficial to targets that are located in a short area. As a result, it is quite likely that Ja’Marr Chase will be able to get away with it, just as he did the previous week against the Lions. Additionally, it is possible that Chase Brown, who is being targeted at an eye-watering rate, will be able to get away with a number of check downs from Flacco, our elder millennial quarterback king.

 

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