This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.
The Week 5 slate included 12 games but just one with a game total over 47.5, but Week 6 is considerably different, with 10 games including three with totals over 50.0. On the flip side, there are two games with totals under 42.0, but even those offer some fantasy potential. The fairly low expected points last week still allowed for explosive chalk scores, so we can't get too carried away with the odds.
Speaking of chalk, I wanted to take a quick minute to reiterate that this article is meant for more than just cherry-picking some highlighted (or bolded) players and throwing them into a lineup. The goal is for the reader to understand the context of each player highlighted and help lead the path to realizing which players could be highly owned in cash games and GPPs, and how to utilize that for different contest types. We offer a number of different content pieces for even deeper breakdowns, such as our DFS Tournament Guide and weekly daily fantasy football podcast, and the hope is you read and listen to those to leave you best prepared for Sunday. If there are any additional things you think we should discuss, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below or reach out to me on Twitter (@RotoWireAndrew) or our subscriber chat.
RUNNING BACKS
Chase Edmonds, ARI vs. ATL ($4,600): With David Johnson ($7,600) unable to practice Wednesday or Thursday, the chances that Edmonds will get the start at home against Atlanta only grow. Traditionally a sieve to pass-catching running backs, the Falcons have been a bit better this season statistically, though they haven't exactly played a tough group of running backs as a whole, facing the Vikings, Eagles, Colts, Titans and Texans, respectively. Johnson would have gotten some attention because of the Cardinals' high pace of play, but his price was a little tough to swallow given the other upper-tier options. However, a $3,000 discount for a not-as-good-player in the same matchup is one many will jump on, so don't be surprised if Edmonds is heavily owned if Johnson is ruled out. Not only is Edmonds coming off a solid game when he had eight carries for 68 yards and a touchdown while adding three catches on four targets for 18 receiving yards, but the only running back behind him is D.J. Foster ($3,000), who has yet to play an offensive snap this season. Even better, Edmonds is only $100 more than Adrian Peterson, giving us a fantastic pivot away from a player who no one wants to play despite a great matchup against the Dolphins' horrific defense. And if Johnson does start but you still need a running back in this range, Miami's Kenyan Drake ($4,400) has almost as good of a matchup as Peterson, or you could gamble a bit with players like Phillip Lindsay ($5,300) or Matt Breida ($5,100) if you have slightly more salary.
Alvin Kamara, NO at JAX ($8,000): With running backs like Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Aaron Jones and Saquon Barkley (when healthy) not on the slate, Kamara's matchup against the Jaguars starts to look a little better considering Dalvin Cook ($8,400) has a tough matchup at home against the Eagles and Ezekiel Elliott ($8,500) still doesn't seem back to where he was in the second half of last season. The loss of quarterback Drew Brees continues to be felt, as Kamara has scored more than 17.00 fantasy points just once since Week 1, but he now faces a Jaguars defense that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game to running backs this season, one that just got absolutely destroyed last week by McCaffrey, who rushed 19 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns while adding six catches on eight targets for 61 receiving yards and another score. Granted, Kamara's usage won't be nearly as high, but he's still the best play-maker on a team that's relying on Teddy Bridgewater under center.
Le'Veon Bell, NYJ vs. DAL ($6,400): There are a number of middle-tier running backs who are intriguing, but Bell's usage in the Jets' offense is tough to ignore, and it doesn't hurt that only two teams on the slate have allowed more fantasy points to the position this season. Stealing from Jerry Donabedian's Week 5 Hidden Stat Line article (a must-read every week), Bell's 27 percent target share is the fifth-highest in the league and first among running backs, and while he hasn't been great in yards after contact per carry (28th-best in the league) or yards per carry (2.9!), his 78.1 elusive rating is 10th-best in the league, and he leads the NFL with 12 avoided tackles on his 27 receptions. The return of quarterback Sam Darnold ($5,100) should help take some pressure off Bell in the backfield, and he'll be looking to take advantage of a Cowboys defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs this season, though that's clouded a bit by the fact that Aaron Jones demolished them for 107 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries and 75 receiving yards on seven catches last weekend. Not wanting to rely on a Jets running back is understandable, and while Leonard Fournette ($6,700) has been getting as many touches as he can handle, his matchup against New Orleans really isn't one worth targeting. Instead, Mark Ingram ($6,600) against the Bengals is a much clearer path to success given that literally no other team has allowed more fantasy points to running backs, and while Ingram has shown multiple times this season that he can make a big impact on somewhat limited carries, he's not as safe for cash games because of the volume issues. And if that's too much of a risk, Derrick Henry ($6,100) against the Broncos, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs, is definitely in play.
QUARTERBACKS
Gardner Minshew, JAX v. NO ($5,000): Nine quarterbacks have scored more fantasy points than Minshew this season, and the eight who are also on Sunday's slate cost at least $1,000 more. Additionally, the Saints defense isn't that bad, but they do come in having allowed more fantasy points per game to quarterbacks than all but four teams. Then again, they've faced Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott and Jameis Winston, respectively. Nevertheless, Minshew comes in with multiple touchdown passes in four of five games this season, and he threw for a season-high 374 while adding 42 rushing yards last week at Carolina. Given the price disparity between him and the upper-tier options, and even the middle tier, Minshew is likely to be popular in cash games for those looking for some salary relief, and he makes a heck of a lot more sense than other quarterbacks in his salary range like Andy Dalton ($5,400), Teddy Bridgewater ($5,300), Kirk Cousins ($5,200), Sam Darnold ($5,100), Case Keenum ($5,000), Marcus Mariota ($4,900), Joe Flacco ($4,800) or Josh Rosen ($4,500).
Lamar Jackson, BAL v. CIN ($6,900): Jackson sits just behind Russell Wilson ($6,600) for the most fantasy points among quarterbacks this season, though his matchup at home against the Bengals is better than Wilson's at Cleveland. Jackson was uncharacteristically bad last week against the Steelers, throwing three interceptions and failing to reach even 170 passing yards, and while Cincinnati has been decent against the pass, Kyler Murray ($6,500) tagged them for 93 rushing yards and a touchdown this past weekend while Josh Allen got them for 46 rushing byards back in Week 3. Stacking Jackson with some of his receivers hasn't been that fruitful for tournaments this season, and his rushing floor definitely makes him more of a cash play than one for GPPs, but he could be a little under-owned this week in both contest types because of how many people will focus on Patrick Mahomes ($7,500) and Deshaun Watson ($6,700) facing off in a game with 55.0-point total on DraftKings Sportsbook, the highest of any game this weekend.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Cooper Kupp, LAR v. SF ($7,100): Kupp leads the league with 63 targets, while only Michael Thomas ($7,800) has more receptions (45 to 41), and Thomas (543), Cooper (512) and Chris Godwin (511) are the ones with more receiving yards than Kupp's 505. He's been targeted at least nine times in every game this season while finishing with more than 100 yards in each of the past four, a span that also saw him score four touchdowns. Oh, and only three players have more red-zone targets than Kupp. Needless to say, he's Goff's favorite target all over the field, and he could be even busier this week with Brandin Cooks ($5,400) possibly missing out because of a concussion. Speaking of that, Robert Woods ($5,600) really hasn't been all that great this season, but he's now considerably less than Kupp and would surely be part of a Rams stack for those looking in that direction. And even though he hasn't been great, Woods has still been targeted 32 times in the past three games. All that being said, Kupp and Woods, to a lesser extent, are more cash-game plays, with the upside siding more with guys like Julio Jones ($8,000), DeAndre Hopkins ($7,400), Tyreek Hill ($6,900) and Odell Beckham ($6,800), with Adam Thielen ($6,700) kind of a hybrid since you're relying on Kirk Cousins to get him the ball consistently.
D.J. Chark, JAX vs. NO ($5,500): Stealing from Jerry again, Chark has yet to play more than 82 percent of snaps for the Jaguars, but he has run a route on 90 percent of Minshew's dropbacks. Additionally, his 2.76 yards per route ranks fifth among all players with at least 20 targets, and he hasn't been charged with a drop all season. Finally, he is sixth in the league in air yards (536), eighth in air-yard share (38 percent), he leads the league with eight catches on throws of at least 20 yards and his 12 targets of at least 20 yards is tied for second in the league, one behind Will Fuller, per PFF. He's now facing a Saints defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, and the fifth-most among teams on the slate. At a similar price, Michael Gallup ($5,600) has a solid matchup against the Jets (11th-most fantasy points allowed to wide receivers), and he comes in off a monster game against the Packers last week, catching seven of 14 targets for 113 yards and a touchdown. Teammate Amari Cooper ($7,000) was even better, catching 11 of 14 targets for 226 yards and a touchdown, his fifth of the season, but he comes at a considerable price increase versus Gallup, who has had at least seven targets and six catches in all three games he started this season.
Terry McLaurin, WAS at MIA ($6,000): A matchup between two of the worst teams in the NFL should surely end up as a shootout, right? If that's the case (and for the record: that is not expected to be the case, with DraftKings Sportsbook offering a total of 41.5), McLaurin deserves plenty of attention as a player who leads Washington in targets, receiving yards, air yards, aDOT and receiving touchdowns. Paul Richardson ($4,900) and Trey Quinn ($3,700) don't exactly throw much excitement into the mix, though DeVante Parker ($4,200) and Preston Williams ($4,100) at least offer some big-play upside, with Parker leading the league with a 20.1 aDOT among players who have 10 targets (Cody Latimer is second at 17.4), while Williams' 411 air yards are more than players like Courtland Sutton ($5,000), Tyler Lockett ($6,400), Thielen, Josh Gordon and Gallup despite playing one fewer game. It's a stupidly long shot for this game to end up with enough fantasy points to warrant game-stacking, but crazier lineups have won GPPs.
TIGHT ENDS
George Kittle, SF at LAR ($5,200): First off, you can almost never go wrong with Travis Kelce ($7,000), which applies this week just as much as any because the Chiefs are playing in the game with the highest total and the Texans' good numbers against tight ends seem to be more about their opponents (Saints, Jaguars, Chargers, Panthers, Falcons) than their effectiveness at slowing that position down. Kelce is pretty much always a good play, it's just a matter of whether he fits into the optimal roster construction. At $7,000, he makes for a solid part of a Chiefs stack, but as a one-off, Kittle might make more sense given his role in the 49ers' passing attack. He leads the team in routes per quarterback dropback, and he's been targeted at least eight times in three of four games. Playing Zach Ertz ($5,400) at Minnesota is far from an ideal setup, while Will Dissly ($4,900) at Cleveland isn't all that enticing when Mark Andrews ($4,800) is home against Cincinnati. Unfortunately, Andrews is now dealing with a shoulder injury in addition to the foot issue he's had, and while his targets are in the range of Kittle, he hasn't reached 50 yards since Week 2. Given the options higher up the salary scale, Kelce and Kittle figure to be the two highest-owned tight ends.
Gerald Everett, LAR v. SF ($3,600): The other side of Kittle's game gives us the likely pay-down option in cash games, as Everett comes in after catching seven of 11 targets for 136 yards last week against Seattle, and he scored a touchdown on one of his eight targets the week before against Tampa Bay. With Cooks possibly being held out because of a concussion, there are targets to be had, even if the throws that usually go to Cooks don't really profile for ending up in Everett's hands.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
49ers at LAR ($2,700): The 49ers have been excellent at getting to opposing quarterbacks this season, posting 13 sacks in four games, partially helping them to seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries, and impressive total given that only the Steelers and Patriots forced more turnovers through Week 5, and both of those teams played five games versus the 49ers' four. Meanwhile, Rams QB Jared Goff has thrown seven interceptions and lost three fumbles in five starts, and given his issues and the price of the San Francisco defense, they could be popular. For those with some money laying around, the Ravens ($4,100) have a nice matchup against the Bengals, and while their defense hasn't been that good (admittedly, the Ravens haven't been good either), Seattle ($3,400) facing Baker Mayfield could be interesting, even in Cleveland.
