It’s easy to let your DraftKings FLEX spot be left up to the amount of salary remaining after you fill out the rest of the squad. That’s the ‘flex-by-default’ strategy, and the purpose of this Week Six DraftKings DFS article is to help you avoid it. You can and should use the FLEX spot to strengthen and diversify your daily league lineups for Week 6 of the NFL season.

A couple of thoughts: 1) You don’t have to spend all the salary cap. A better player in a better situation may force you to leave a few hundred salary cap dollars on the table. Force yourself to roster the best lineup, even if it fails to use the whole cap. 2) As a scientist, I like to use players for which I can build a case based on multiple pieces of evidence. I look at things like opportunities, efficiency, opponent and game flow to start my research. I want as many players that are positive in all categories as I can fit. Having an idea of the players I want before I work with salaries helps me with #1 too.

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Week 6 DraftKings FLEX Options - Daily Fantasy Football Picks

Use this list as your flex cheat sheet; if a player is on here, there’s good reason to roster him in your last spot.

I assume that you have $6,500 or less to work with for this final spot on the roster. I also assume you’ll arrange accordingly so that the player with the latest game start is in the flex in case you should need to swap someone out.

Safe Options - Week 6 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Delanie Walker $5,500: Tennessee has a great matchup with Cleveland this weekend, one of the more generous tight end defenses for fantasy this season. They also have a high implied team total per Vegas, which is a hallmark of a safe play. With Greg Olsen and Rob Gronkowski being attractive tight end options at the top of the salary spectrum, and Jimmy Graham also in a great situation, I can definitely see using two tight ends this week.

Jeremy Maclin $6,300: Like vanilla pudding, it’s not exciting to roster Maclin, but it’s rarely as bad as you think. The Chiefs play what projects to be a high scoring game on the road against the Raiders, a pass-happy, offensive-minded team. Alex Smith is going to have to pass, is bolstered by the return of Jamaal Charles and Maclin is the centerpiece of the Chiefs passing offense. I think he scores this week on around 10 targets and is a good bet for the 100-yard bonus.

Doug Baldwin $6,500: Baldwin and Russell Wilson are among my favorite plays this weekend. They, and Jimmy Graham, mentioned above, get a terrific matchup defensively as the Falcons have allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and tight ends this season. Baldwin has been up and down, but it’s worth noting his ups have been in Seattle, where the Seahawks play this weekend, and in those games he’s 17/256 with two scores. Coming off the bye, he could fly under the radar but should be worth the price in any lineup.

Upside Options - Week 6 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Ryan Mathews $4,900: Philadelphia was largely disappointing in Week 5, but gets another chance to shine in Washington, one of the top fantasy matchups for opposing running backs. Mathews was good in Week 5, largely because he saw five targets and caught one for a touchdown. He’s a guy Philly wants to be involved and when healthy, he’s been able to make a big impact.

Giovani Bernard $4,600: The Bengals running back committee is a situation I’ve avoided so far this season, but with Jeremy Hill clearly less than 100% and game script set up to favor the passing game for Cincinnati, Bernard is making appearances in my DFS lineups on DraftKings.

John Brown $4,500: I think we can all agree that there’s value in the Arizona passing game this Monday vs. the Jets, but who will it be??? They’ve been terrible against receivers this year (second-most fantasy points allowed), but vulnerability to the deep ball makes Brown stand out. He’s disappointed more often than not, but we know he has big games in him. One strategy is to substitute different Cardinals receivers into the flex spot of your core lineup, but if you do go with just one, it’s Brown for me.

Value Options - Week 6 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Kamar Aiken $3,000: Aiken has a good shot at being the Ravens top receiver this week with Steve Smith Sr. doubtful and Mike Wallace also not fully healthy. Last year after Smith was injured, Aiken was consistently valuable, with multiple 100+ yard games and multi-touchdown games as well. The Giants aren’t the best matchup, but at this price, I think they give up at least 5/65/1 to Aiken if Smith is out.

Cameron Meredith $4,100: It will come as no surprise to find Meredith here after his explosive Week 5 performance on the strength of 12 targets from Brian Hoyer. Meredith looks a lot like Alshon Jeffrey on the field, and has almost made the star obsolete. In fact, Brian Hoyer was quoted today as saying he won’t force the ball to Jeffrey. Hoyer looks locked in on Meredith and Zach Miller, and all three guys should once again pay off vs. a suspect Jaguars pass defense.

Honorable Mentions: Coby Fleener ($3,500), Kenny Britt ($3,700), Tyler Lockett ($3,600) and Cameron Artis-Payne ($3,700) if Jonathan Stewart is out