This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.
These are my favorite DraftKings plays for Week 6, picking strictly from the 13-game Sunday slate (as of Thursday afternoon). At the end of the page, I'll briefly touch on the Thursday night (Broncos-Chargers) and Monday night (Jets-Cardinals) games, which are part of the Thursday-Sunday 15-game slate on DK.
Before we start, here are a few injury situations that need to be monitored leading up to Sunday. Keep in mind that this isn't a comprehensive list of fantasy-relevant injuries, but rather the key ones I'm watching as pertains to DraftKings in Week 6. This will be a weekly feature the rest of the season, because so much changes between Thursday afternoon and Sunday morning.…
Green Bay's Eddie Lacy (ankle, $5,800) seems to be on track for Sunday against Dallas, while backup James Starks (knee, $3,400) will be away from the team until Saturday for personal reasons. Still, Starks will be an intriguing option in the (now unlikely) event he's available and Lacy isn't. Starks also has a knee injury, further complicating the matter. I'm not interested in a banged-up Lacy at his price, even if Starks isn't around to cut into the starter's workload. WR Jordy Nelson ($8,000) and TE Richard Rodgers ($2,900) could end up being the true beneficiaries from all this.
With Redskins TE Jordan Reed (concussion) looking very shaky for Sunday against Philadelphia, the team will need to redistribute his 9.2 targets per game, as backup tight ends Vernon Davis and Niles Paul only figure to account for part of the total. RB Chris Thompson ($3,200) and WR Pierre Garcon ($3,800) will both be interesting if Reed sits, but DeSean Jackson ($5,800) and Jamison Crowder ($4,400) would still seem a bit overpriced.
Theo Riddick (ankle, $5,300) and Dwayne Washington (ankle, $3,500) both missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, creating serious questions in the Detroit backfield. If one sits, the other becomes interesting. If both sit, Zach Zenner ($3,000) would be a nice bargain against the banged-up Rams defense. Recently-signed Justin Forsett won't be available on DFS sites until next week. The situation is obviously a mess, and the Lions will likely also be without Eric Ebron (ankle); it may just be best to target the passing game via wideouts Marvin Jones ($7,200) and Anquan Boldin (ankle, $3,900)
Baltimore's Steve Smith (ankle) probably won't be available against the Giants, and fellow wideout Mike Wallace (ribs/chest, $5,200) may be questionable. Wallace is interesting on the basis of likely target volume if he plays, but if not, Breshad Perriman ($3,000) and Kamar Aiken ($3,000) could both be busy, along with TE Dennis Pitta ($4,300)
Anyway, here are my favorite non-injury-dependent players for Week 6 on DraftKings:
Quarterback
Tom Brady, NE (vs. CIN), $7,700 – It looks like a great week for high-priced quarterbacks, with Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson all drawing favorable matchups. Brady may actually have the least-friendly matchup of the bunch, but he's also the best bet to pile up volume, after attempting 40 passes in last week's road win over Cleveland. As you may or may not remember, the Patriots loved to push the pace and air it out early last season, before an assortment of injuries forced them to take a more cautious, balanced approach. They especially liked to go no-huddle at home, often piling up lofty snap counts, which helped Brady average 42 attempts, 314 yards and 2.8 total touchdowns in eight home games, even though four of those were essentially blowouts.
Andy Dalton, CIN (at NE), $5,500 – Dalton is quietly averaging 300 yards per game this season; a reality that's obscured by his flukish lack of touchdowns (five). The Bengals have been oddly terrible in the red zone, which may partially be due to Tyler Eifert's (back) continued absence, but mostly just seems like a sample-size fluke. Cincinnati has scored touchdowns on just 40 percent of red zone possessions (T-30th), after converting at 65 percent (T-5th) last year, 58 percent (10th) in 2014 and 71 percent in 2013 (2nd). Dalton is a good bet to reach 300 yards with at least one touchdown, likely having to play from behind against a Pats team allowing 259 passing yards and 86 rushing yards per game. At this price, you'd be more than happy with 21 DK points, a total Dalton surpassed in each of Cincinnati's previous three road games.
Other options:Drew Brees, NO (vs. CAR), $7,900; Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at MIA), $7,500; Aaron Rodgers, GB (vs. DAL), $7,300; Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. ATL), $6,900; Blake Bortles, JAX (at CHI), $6,300
Running Back
Le'Veon Bell, PIT (at MIA), $7,900 – This is the best week I can ever remember for elite running backs, with Bell, LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray all offering fantastic combinations of matchup and price. Bell may actually have the worst matchup of the trio, but it's not as if Miami is a defensive powerhouse, thus far allowing 4.2 yards per carry and an NFL-worst 151 rushing yards per game. Miami only has decent DraftKings numbers against running backs because of a flukish lack of touchdowns, along with minimal receiving production. Expect Bell to break both trends this week, as he's drawn 17 targets in two games, averaging 25.1 DK points without the assistance of a touchdown. He figures to eventually be priced around $9,000, or at least in the mid-to-high $8000s.
LeSean McCoy, BUF (vs. SF), $6,900 – McCoy will face a San Francisco team allowing the 2nd-most rushing yards per game (147) and eighth-most per carry (4.4)...and that was with star LB NaVorro Bowman (torn Achilles) in the lineup the first four games. Playing without Bowman for the first time, San Francisco surrendered a season-high 157 rushing yards to Arizona's David Johnson last week. McCoy, meanwhile, gashed the Rams for 150 rushing yards on 18 carries, topping 20 DK points for a third straight game. In a matchup with serious blowout potential, McCoy should once again reach 20 points and may even push for 30. He's another player who won't be priced this way for long.
Other options:DeMarco Murray, TEN (vs. CLE), $7,700; Lamar Miller, HOU (vs. IND), $6,600; Carlos Hyde, SF (at BUF), $5,100; Jamaal Charles, KC (at OAK), $5,100; Arian Foster, MIA (vs. PIT), $4,700; Giovani Bernard, CIN (at NE), $4,600; T.J. Yeldon, JAX (at CHI), $4,400
Wide Receiver
Jarvis Landry, MIA (vs. PIT), $6,800 – If a team that loves to go no-huddle figures to be playing from behind, it's a good bet the squad's top receiving option will get peppered with a high volume of targets. Things actually didn't play out that way last week, as Tennessee held an absurd 70-41 advantage over Miami in snaps while gobbling up more than 61 percent of possession, perhaps forcing the Dolphins to also slow things down in order to give their beleaguered defense a breather. Pittsburgh's explosive offense should put up points in a less methodical manner, giving Miami plenty of time to respond and perhaps go back to the no-huddle. Expect Landry to return to his usual double-digit targets, after losing a streak of eight such games. As always, Pittsburgh is strong against the run but somewhat vulnerable to the pass, allowing 4.1 yards per carry and 77 rushing yards per game, compared to 7.1 yards per pass attempt and 302 rushing yards per game
Michael Thomas, NO (vs. CAR), $4,300 – I've obviously gone a bit heavy on high-priced recommendations in this week's write-ups -- in part because there are so many discount options at wide receiver. Thomas is probably my favorite of that group, as he's produced at least 9.6 DK points in every game, including 20.1 and 14.4 on 11 and nine targets, respectively, in his last two appearances. Granted, Willie Snead was absent from the first game and a bit limited in the second, but even with the second-year slot man now healthy, Thomas will undoubtedly retain a significant role. Long reliant on three-wide formations, the Saints may spread things out even more than usual in an effort to exploit Carolina's well-publicized struggles at cornerback. The 6-foot-3 Thomas has already scored twice on a team-high six red-zone targets, with his height advantage over Snead (5-11) and Brandin Cooks (5-10) portending plenty more looks from in close. And while yet to catch a pass of more than 25 yards, the second-round rookie also profiles as a legitimate deep threat, having made plenty of big plays during college in a run-heavy Ohio State offense. Look below for more low-priced options at WR.
Other options:Antonio Brown, PIT (at MIA), $10,000; Odell Beckham, NYG (vs. BAL), $8,800; Jordy Nelson, GB (vs. DAL), $8,000; Allen Robinson, JAX (at CHI), $7,800; Amari Cooper, OAK (vs. KC), $7,500; Julian Edelman, NE (vs. CIN), $6,800; Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs. ATL), $6,500; Allen Hurns, JAX (at CHI), $4,700; Chris Hogan, NE (vs. CIN), $4,600; Robert Woods, BUF (vs. SF), $4,200; Cameron Meredith, CHI (vs. JAX), $4,100; Jeremy Kerley, SF (at BUF), $4,000; Tavon Austin, LA (at DET), $3,900; Brandon LaFell, CIN (at NE), $3,200; Chris Conley, KC (at OAK), $3,100; Breshad Perriman/Kamar Aiken, BAL (at NYG), $3,000
Tight End
Gary Barnidge, CLE (at TEN), $3,300 – Arguably the most shocking breakout star of the 2015 season, Barnidge took a while to get going this year, drawing just two and five targets the first two weeks. He has since put up at least six targets, five catches and 12.6 DK points in three straight contests, reestablishing himself as a crucial piece of an offense with only two other legitimate weapons -- RB Isaiah Crowell and WR Terrelle Pryor. Even considering the sub-par matchup as well as his minor hip/arm injuries, Barnidge stands out as an obvious bargain, offering 20 DK-point potential if he can finally reach the end zone.
Other options:Greg Olsen, CAR (at NO), $7,000; Rob Gronkowski, NE (vs. CIN), $6,700; Jimmy Graham, SEA (vs. ATL), $4,900; Zach Ertz, PHI (at WAS), $4,000; Zach Miller, CHI (vs. JAX), $3,800; Richard Rodgers, GB (vs. DAL), $2,900; Dwayne Allen, IND (at HOU), $2,900; Jacob Tamme, ATL (at SEA), $2,800; C.J. Uzomah, CIN (at NE), $2,500; C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU (vs. IND), $2,500
Team D/ST
Chicago Bears (vs. JAX), $2,300 – The injury-marred Chicago defense held up better than expected the past two weeks, first notching two picks and two sacks in a 17-14 win over Detroit, and then sacking Andrew Luck five times in a 29-23 road loss. Not to say this is a strong unit, but given the price and favorable matchup, the Bears D/ST provides a very reasonable means to save some budget for those aforementioned premium running backs. Jacksonville's young offense has thus far been a huge disappointment, with Blake Bortles taking 12 sacks and throwing six picks in four games behind a shaky offensive line.
Other options: Buffalo Bills (vs. SF), $3,000; Pittsburgh Steelers (at MIA), $3,400; Tennessee Titans (vs. CLE), $3,300; New York Giants (vs. BAL), $3,000; Jacksonville Jaguars (at CHI), $3,000; Baltimore Ravens (at NYG), $2,600
Extended Slate
Denver at San Diego – With Trevor Siemian (left shoulder, $5,200) expected to play, Emmanuel Sanders ($7,000) is a solid choice against a Chargers secondary missing both starting cornerbacks and possibly fill-in starter Craig Mager (questionable-shoulder). I like San Diego WR Tyrell Williams ($4,000) even more, as he'll likely spend much of the game matched up with Broncos CB Bradley Roby, the relative weak link of a dominant secondary. Williams exploded for 25.7 DK points last week, and he's drawn five or more looks in every game, averaging 6.8 targets and 14.4 DK points for the year. A Siemian-Sanders-Williams stack won't be common and is highly intriguing, though it might be better with just Sanders and Williams.
New York Jets at Arizona – John Brown ($4,500) will be in all of my lineups for the Thursday-Monday contests, now woefully underpriced after supplanting Michael Floyd as Arizona's No. 2 wideout the past two weeks. Brown logged 91 and 94 percent of offensive snaps the last two games, showing he's clearly moved past his early-season injury/conditioning issues. He only caught one pass last week, but he has 31 targets over the past three games, highlighted by a showing of 27.4 DK points in Week 4 against the Rams. Carson Palmer ($6,000) is also an elite option, likely to bounce back strong against a Jets team allowing an NFL-worst 9.2 yards per pass attempt. The Palmer-Brown stack may be popular, but it's still a great (and cheap) choice.
