So what have we learned, citizens of the fantasy football world? I’ve learned that even when you have a good week (which I finally did), you can still get smacked. This week, I counted seven total starting players that were on a team for me in one league and on my opponent’s team in another league. So I won a matchup because of Randy Moss, and I lost a matchup because of Randy Moss. That’s just unfair. I also had Steve Slaton, Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson work two different ways for me. Quite literally, success brought me failure. I thought I had felt all kinds of fantasy pain up to this point; I was wrong. As always, here are the guys that were money in Week 6 and the guys you should’ve kept on your bench.

SIDNEY RICE — Rice has put up big numbers lately, with double-digit fantasy point outputs in three of the past four weeks, including a 176-yard extravaganza in Week 6. The Vikings’ offense is firing on all cylinders right now, and at 6-0 it seems that they can do no wrong. But remember where Brett Favre’s Jets were early last year? If Favre can play like this for the rest of the season, Rice’s value remains high. If Favre trails off, so will Rice.

STEVE SMITH (CAR) — This should have been an awesome game for Smith: a soft matchup against the woeful Buccaneers. Carolina won and actually scored 28 points, and it seemed like the horrendous Panthers might finally have a productive fantasy day. But Smith caught just one pass for four yards, as Jake Delhomme struggled and Carolina’s running game exploded. Smith is another top-tier receiver caught in a terrible team situation, much like Terrell Owens and Santana Moss, just to name two. This year has proven, once again, that without steady quarterback play, high draft picks spent on receivers like Smith are completely useless.

TOM BRADY — Yeah, yeah, yeah, he dismantled one of the league’s worst defenses. Lucky for your lineup, but I’ll stop short of calling him the Messiah of the human race; ESPN has done that enough for all of us. Keep starting him, of course. No surprise there.

JOHNNY KNOX — The stats aren’t gaudy, but Knox is consistently putting up fantasy numbers this year. The Bears are using him primarily in the return game, but he already has three touchdowns this year. He’s not getting large numbers of yards, but he’s getting consistent points (even if they’re not high points), and that’s more than we can say for many hit-or-miss receivers in the NFL.

CEDRIC BENSON — Everyone wrote him off, but he has quietly crept into the elite statistical rankings this season. He has double-digit fantasy points in every single week thus far, amassing 531 yards (third-best in the league) and four touchdowns. Much to our surprise, Benson is for real this year.

MARQUES COLSTON — Colston had a huge day, posting 166 yards and a touchdown in the Saints’ drubbing of the Giants. Colston is playing with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, so you’d think he’d have a good week more consistently. But the truth is that out of five games, he’s had two explosions and three duds. Wide receiver consistency, again, is very much an issue. Do you want to take the risk on this guy?

THOMAS JONES — Take this one with a grain of salt, people. Yes, 210 yards is enough to catch anyone’s attention, but with the exception of this game and the first game (107 yards), his highest yardage output is just 54 yards. This could go either way; if Mark Sanchez continues to struggle, maybe Jones will be the Jets’ best option. But you’ve been warned.

MATT SCHAUB — Guess who leads the NFL in touchdown passes. Peyton Manning? Drew Brees? Brett Favre? Tom Brady, after a six-touchdown day? No! After a dismal Week 1, Schaub has thrown 14 touchdowns in five games and is second in the league in passing yardage. Drafted by most as a solid backup QB, he has turned out to be fantasy gold.

KEVIN WALTER — We all thought if Schaub played well, it would translate to Walter doing well, but it just hasn’t happened. He’s had one good game this year, and things just don’t seem to be looking up for him. It might be time to give up on this sleeper draft pick.

JULIUS JONES — Jones had two huge weeks this season, but the other weeks have been so awful that you really can’t start him. Whether they’re winning (just 34 yards rushing in a 41-0 rout of the Jaguars) or losing (30 total rushing yards in the previous two losses to Indianapolis and Arizona), Jones is not a consistent starter and should remain on your bench until we see some consistent numbers, although we probably won’t.

STEVEN JACKSON — Interesting situation here. We all know Jackson is a freak of nature, and despite playing for the embarrassing Rams, he has amassed enough yards to score nine or more fantasy points in every game so far. After such consistent production, would you believe that he has yet to score a touchdown? The Rams aren’t getting him into the red zone. So can you bank on a fantasy player that doesn’t score touchdowns? In this case, I think so. But it hurts, doesn’t it?

CHAD OCHOCINCO — It seems that when Ochocinco was having a terrible year last year, all we did was talk about his lousy numbers. But how many of us have noticed how consistently good he’s been this year? He’s got four games with 89+ receiving yards, and in one of those games where he didn’t amass the yards, he scored two touchdowns to make up for it.

WILLIE PARKER — This one is simple: do not start him until he gives you a good week. Don’t get cocky and start him against a bad team; if you did already, you were supremely disappointed in the Cleveland game. Rashard Mendenhall has established himself as a capable back, and he will carry the load while Parker heals, and maybe even thereafter.

BRANDON JACOBS — I feel bad for owners in this situation. Backup Ahmad Bradshaw is playing so well lately that usually both he and Jacobs can get good numbers, but personally I’d rather have Bradshaw right now. Jacobs has yet to break the 100-yard barrier and has just one touchdown so far. You might want to bench him for a little while.

KURT WARNER — I don’t know what to say about Warner this year. He’s got consistent passing numbers, but he hasn’t had more than two touchdown passes in a game yet. I don’t know if owners should be concerned, as his yardage hasn’t really dropped off significantly. My concern is the frequent turnovers (five interceptions, three fumbles). He’s doing well, but he’s just not dominating the fantasy world like he did last year.