DraftKings NFL: Week 6 Picks

DraftKings NFL: Week 6 Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.

QUARTERBACK

CASH

Matt Ryan, ATL vs. TB ($6,800): The Falcons come in with the highest implied team total on the Sunday main slate against the Bucs defense that has allowed the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 8 scoring quarterback in three of the first four games. In three home games, Ryan has finished as the No. 6, No. 2 and No. 8 scoring quarterback. Everything lines up for a major shootout in Atlanta this week with Ryan approaching 400 yards passing and multiple touchdowns.

GPP

Deshaun Watson, HOU vs. BUF ($6,400): Watson has posted at least 25 fantasy points in his last 4 games and hit for at least 4x value in each. His ownership gets depressed this week because of a low projected game total and a chest injury. The Bills have been stout against quarterbacks, but this game is on the road and the Texans are now employing three productive wide receivers with an emphasis on the passing game. Watson has proved to be matchup proof and can also get points with his legs. His upside of 30-40 points in a given week makes him a great tournament play.

RUNNING BACK

CASH

Christian McCaffrey, CAR at WAS ($8,300): Outside of Week 1 vs. the Cowboys, McCaffrey has posted at least 20 fantasy points in his last three games with ranks of No. 2, No. 4 and No. 12. His workload produces a solid floor every week and he is $1,700 less than Todd Gurley. The Redskins have been decent against opposing running backs, but Mark Ingram and David Johnson were able to get 21 and 17 points respectively.

T.J. Yeldon, JAC at DAL ($6,400):
There is not much salary relief at running back this week, but Yeldon at least provides some. In a game that should feature both teams running the ball and trying to win on defense, this looks like a low scoring grind out type of game. Yeldon has hit for 24 and 26 points the last 2 weeks at 4.9x and 4.7x value. His salary is now up to $6,400, so he would fall in line more with a 3.5-4.0x value line. The Cowboys have allowed three running backs to hit at least 3.5x value this year (Saquon Barkley, Chris Carson and Alfred Blue). Those running backs ranked No. 5, No. 6 and No. 13 in their respective weeks, so a top 12 finish for Yeldon can be expected.

GPP

Todd Gurley, LAR at DEN ($10,000): The question this week is whether to play Gurley in cash lineups or tournaments. After doing some lineup construction I am leaning toward Gurley in tournaments because I am going with some cheaper stacks that allow me to do so. Recommending Gurley is not rocket science, but you still need to know the context in why he is in line to continue smashing his salary. The weather forecast in Denver is 28 degrees and light snow. This combined with the Rams' wide receiver's shaky healthy situation lends me to think this is another Gurley game. Last week, we saw Isaiah Crowell carve up this Broncos defense for more than 200 yards. The holes that Crowell had to run through were the size of bus lanes. Gurley has finished as the No. 4, No. 1, No. 2, No. 10 and No. 2 running back each week and the Broncos also gave up 29.5 points to Kareem Hunt. Lock Gurley in for 30 points this week.

Joe Mixon, CIN vs. PIT ($7,500):
Mixon has only played two full gams this year but hit 3x and 4.2x value in both. This game lines up to be a nice matchup for him with the Bengals as a slight home favorite with a high implied team total. The Steelers have been tough against running backs because most teams attack them in the air, but I think the Bengals will look to establish the run early and often. The key to finding success in tournaments is taking high upside players that do not have the best matchups, but a path to hitting their ceiling at low ownership.

WIDE RECEIVER

CASH

Chester Rogers, IND vs. NYJ ($4,500): With T.Y. Hilton out, Rogers has been one of Andrew Luck's favorite targets the last two weeks. His attractive price tag plus target volume makes him a great cash game play. Rogers has posted 18.5 and 14.6 fantasy points the last two weeks and only saw a $100 increase in salary this week.

Mohamed Sanu, ATL vs. TB ($4,800):
I have been riding Sanu in cash games for a few weeks based on his low salary and high implied team totals. Sanu has crushed value for 4.1x, 5.6x and 4.3x the last 3 weeks. While his salary has risen from $3,800 to $4,800 now, the matchup at home against the Bucs provides another 20-point upside performance.

GPP

Will Fuller, HOU vs. BUF ($6,800): I already mentioned Watson for QB in GPPs and now I have Fuller. With Tre'Davious White covering DeAndre Hopkins, I think this becomes a Will Fuller game. Fuller has been quiet over the last 2 weeks which means his ownership is projected to be very low. Fuller should get a lot deeper looks and have a potential to hit 25 points or higher.

Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. OAK ($5,100):
This Seahawks/Raiders game in London has all the makings of a wild shootout. Both teams must travel a great distance in a short time and the defenses could be run ragged. Russell Wilson loves to hit Lockett with the deep ball, and the Dolphins attacked the Raiders deep with success. His consistency this year is also attractive in that he has hit for 3.5x value or greater in 4 out of 5 games.

TIGHT END

CASH

Austin Hooper, ATL vs. TB ($3,500): Tight end is putrid this week, and there are no two ways about it. So, I'm going to take a cheap TE in the highest projected total game with hopes he can get 60 yards and a touchdown. Hooper hit for 5.6x and 5.8x value in week 2 and 5 so he has potential.

GPP

Eric Ebron, IND at NYJ ($5,400): Ebron will still be popular, but not the chalk as he is dealing with an injury. Still, with no T.Y. Hilton and no running game, you must expect that Ebron will continue to get peppered with targets from Andrew Luck. The Jets defend against the TE pretty good, so that is another reason why his ownership will be down.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

CASH

Chicago Bears at MIA ($3,300): The Bears have put up at least 12 points in every game this year and get a Dolphins team that has some issues on its offensive line. While I am not a huge fan of taking DSTs on the road, this still a good spot and the price is right for the Bears. Also, four of Miami's opponents have posted at least nine points against them.

GPP

Dallas Cowboys vs. JAC ($2,300): The last three games, opposing defenses averaged 13 points against the Jaguars. Add in the Cowboys are at home as a slight dog with a very low total and I think you have a nice tournament play at low ownership. We saw "Bad Bortles" last week against a terrible Chiefs defense and the second straight road game, which is non-conference, poses another tough matchup.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Michael Rathburn plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: burnnotice, DraftKings: burnnotice, Yahoo: burnnotice, Fantasy Aces: burnnotice, FantasyDraft: burnnotice.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Rathburn
Known as “Rath” in the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) community, he has helped run operations for two prominent daily fantasy sports startups. Michael has taken his insider knowledge and expertise in daily fantasy sports to the content side. Rath won the 2016 FSWA "Baseball Article of the Year, Online" award and was a finalist for the FSWA Best Baseball Series in 2011.
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