RADIO
As we head into the first wave of team bye weeks, the main Sunday slate for DFS will get a little more complicated with fewer teams and players to pick from. This also implies that you have a higher risk of rostering some of the same players as your opponents. While it isn't an overly big deal, it is a factor that we must be aware of going forward. What has hopefully made DFS easier for some of you has been that five games into the season we have a much better understanding of new head coaches, offensive schemes, and how players may perform. The following teams are on a bye during Week 6: the Lions, Raiders, Texans, and Titans. Plan accordingly.
Last week was a solid performance as far as DFS values were concerned. Some of whom I recommended were Jeff Wilson (RB11), Rhamondre Stevenson (RB14), Jakobi Meyers (WR7), David Njoku (TE6), and Dallas Goedert (TE5). However, in the spirit of full transparency, I must apologize for advising you to play James Robinson. The stage was set for an epic performance against the Texans, who were giving up the most fantasy points to running backs through Week 4, but it didn't materialize as the Jaguars were soundly defeated by their archrival Texans 13-6 and for that, I owe you one if you played him.
This article will run every week throughout the regular season. It won't include obvious choices but instead players who appear to be undervalued in the current DFS landscape. If you didn't catch my Week 1 article that included some DFS tips and tricks, it can be found here. As the values currently sit, players will qualify as a value in DFS for this article if they are a quarterback in the 5k range, running backs who are 6k or less, wide receivers at 5.5k and under, and 4k or less for tight ends based on DraftKings salaries. When it comes to tournaments, stacking our quarterback with one of their pass catchers is something we should always plan for and we should be looking for players with higher guaranteed floors (and consistency) to get us over the 50/50 hump in cash games. No matter which one you decide to play this week, here are some bargain players with potential in Week 6. Let's get to those picks already!
Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code SUMMER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!
Quarterback NFL DFS Value Plays - Week 6
Geno Smith, SEA vs ARI | DK: $5,700, FD: $7,400
What more can be said about Geno Smith outside of the fact that everyone wrote him off? He said he wouldn't write back though. There probably isn't a better feel-good story in the NFL right now than Geno's early season success. I mean, the guy came into the NFL and had to inherit Rex Ryan and John Idzik as his head coach and general manager. He was basically Tim Robbins being sentenced to years of hard labor while having to spend 9 years tunneling his way out of Shawshank. The situation matters so much for quarterbacks when they first arrive in the NFL and as a rookie, Geno ended up in one that was the worst imaginable.
The Arizona Cardinals are giving up the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season and we should expect a shootout in this one. The Vegas over-under for Sunday's NFC West showdown is 51.0 points. So far this season Geno has been the QB15, QB30, QB7, QB2, and QB4! His only poor showing came in rainy playing conditions against a 49ers defense that has been eviscerating everything in their path. With an improved offensive line, Kenneth Walker, along with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the offense in Seattle is still cooking even with a different QB at the helm.
While we need to continue to see more consistency from Smith, he is playing well within the confines of the game and completing a staggering 75.2 percent of his passes! What's even more impressive is that his 8.3 yards per pass attempt are third-best in the league on top of having the best completion percentage by 6 percentage points. While some quarterbacks can pad their stats with short passes, Geno is slinging the rock all over the yard and throwing at will. Is this just a flash in the pan or are we watching The Replacements with Geno as Keanu Reaves and Pete Carroll as Gene Hackman playing out in real life?
Rashaad Penny's unfortunate season-ending injury could hurt the offense temporarily, but rookie Kenneth Walker is an elite prospect, and DeeJay Dallas could see some time spelling him out of the backfield. Like Detroit, the Seahawks are almost the sort of perfect storm for fantasy right now. They've got some elite weapons on offense and a defense that can't stop anybody. Every week has the potential to be a shootout. I'd like to take a moment to apologize for anything bad I've ever written or said about Pete Carroll. The man can flat-out coach.
Daniel Jones, NYG vs BAL | DK: $5,200, FD: $6,800
Danny Dimes and the 4-1 New York Giants were not something I would have expected to put in the same sentence before the season began. Brian Daboll has the Giants back to their old winning ways and has to be the early Coach of the Year candidate. Overall Daboll seems like a solid hybrid of intelligence, common sense, discipline, and player's coach all in one. So far Daniel Jones hasn't been putting up gaudy passing stats, but he's also dealing with a wide receiver corps that resembles a college program running the Triple-Option. Kadarius Toney and Wan'Dale Robinson have been sidelined with injuries and Kenny Golladay remains in Daboll's doghouse leaving him to throw to Richie James and David Sills.
Jones has yet to eclipse 217 yards passing over five starts this season, but he's been much better about not turning the ball over as he has just 3 turnovers in 5 games. Jones is also making plays with his legs averaging a total of 7 fantasy points per game solely from rushing alone. While that high number isn't likely to continue, it is nice for fantasy purposes knowing you have a QB who can earn fantasy points on the ground.
Currently, the Baltimore Ravens look like anything but the prominent defensive foe we are used to as they are giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks so far this season at 23.6 per game! While the unit did look a little better on SNF against the Bengals last week in a 19-17 victory, they have given up a lot of yards through the air so far in 2022. Jones for just 5200 on DK and 6800 on FD feels like such a bargain this week. If you are playing cash games this week just remember he can be very inconsistent at times. My weekly QB ranks for Week 6 are also below.
Running Back NFL DFS Value Plays - Week 6
Rhamondre Stevenson, NE at CLE | DK: $6,000, FD: $7,500
A player many felt had superstar potential before the season began, Rhamondre Stevenson found himself locked in a committee with Damien Harris through the first month of the season where he wasn't able to produce many winning weeks for fantasy. However, that all changed in Week 5 when Harris pulled his hamstring and looks to be out for quite some time. While we aren't ever wishing for any running backs to get injured, unfortunately, it is a harsh reality of the sport and we must be prepared. With Harris now sidelined, Stevenson should be viewed as an RB1 in all formats.
The Cleveland Browns' defense has been struggling and many have been critical of defensive coordinator, Joe Woods. Despite only facing Baker Mayfield, Joe Flacco, Mitch Trubisky, and Marcus Mariota in 4 of their 5 contests this year, the Cleveland defense is 29th in yards allowed, 27th in points given up, and 32nd in opposing rushing yards at almost 200 per game! The Browns are also giving up the third-most fantasy points to running backs this season at 26.9 per game. To say this is an absolutely juicy matchup for Stevenson this week would be a grave understatement.
Last week Stevenson saw 90 percent of the team's offensive snaps against Detroit and had himself a day rushing 25 times for 161 yards while catching 2 passes for 14 yards. He did not find the end zone, which means some positive TD regression could be coming his way this Sunday. With Mac Jones uncertain to start this week due to his lingering high-ankle sprain, the Pats may be forced to rely on the rookie Bailey Zappe. Stevenson has looked incredible on the ground and is averaging 5.5 yards per rush. At his DFS price, Stevenson is an absolute steal as he could be relied upon heavily.
Jeff Wilson Jr., SF at ATL | DK: $6,200, FD: $7,200
As Andy Holloway from The Fantasy Footballers would say: "It's good to stay in the flames with a player who looks like he is on fire from NBA Jam." Wilson Jr. has certainly been that through the past month of the season where he has rushed 65 times for 353 yards and 2 TDs, which is good for a 5.4 yards per carry average. According to Player Profiler, Wilson Jr. ranks in the top 10 in the following categories: team run plays per game (6th), red zone touches (10th), breakaway run rate (6th), breakaway runs (3rd), and his 375 rushing yards are good for 8th in the NFL.
With Jimmy Garappolo now their starting quarterback, it seems that the game plan for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers is to rely on their punishing defense, which is one of the best in the league, and to continue to pound the rock. After soundly beating the Carolina Panthers last week, the 49ers have another great matchup against a struggling Atlanta Falcons defense, who are giving up the 12th-most fantasy points to running backs. The 49ers are also 5-point road favorites in this game.
Since starting running back Elijah Mitchell went down with a knee injury in Week 1, Wilson Jr. has filled in nicely. As we know, head coach Kyle Shanahan loves to ride the hot hand and if Wilson continues to play well in conjunction with San Francisco's winning ways there is a chance he may remain the starter for the rest of the season. He feels like another great value this week in a game that the 49ers are expected to win, which means more rushing attempts for Wilson to help take time off the clock.
Kenneth Walker III, SEA vs ARI | DK: $5,400, FD: $6,500
While we do not yet know how the Seattle backfield is going to shake out in Week 6 in lieu of incumbent running back Rashaad Penny being sidelined for the rest of the season with a leg injury, we can bet on the uber-talented Kenneth Walker seeing the majority of the carries this Sunday. Walker hasn't seen a ton of action so far this season as he missed Week 1 with a hernia injury, but he is becoming a more regular part of the offense each week. Walker was a 2nd Round pick of the Seahawks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Last week against the Saints, Walker had 8 carries for 88 yards and a TD including a long of 69 yards that he took to the house for a score.
Last week, Walker played 88 percent of the offensive snaps after Penny's injury and the upcoming matchup against the Cardinals is expected to see a lot of points. The Seahawks have featured one of the more prominent rushing attacks in the league this season and we shouldn't expect them to miss much of a beat even with Penny out for the rest of the season. Walker was a highly touted prospect who looked great at the NFL combine and flashed some elite metrics that included a 98th-percentile 40-yard dash and a 96th-percentile speed score. Last season at Michigan State, Walker rushed 263 times for 1,636 yards and 19 total TDs. He is ready for the big time. Could we be seeing a changing of the guard at running back? Rookies like Breece Hall, Dameon Pierce, and now Walker appear to have taken over their team's backfield.
Wide Receiver NFL DFS Value Plays - Week 6
Jakobi Meyers, NE vs DET | DK: $4,800, FD: $6,600
After missing Weeks 3 and 4 with a knee injury, Meyers burst back onto the scene against a porous Lions defense and put up 7 receptions for 111 yards and a TD. While he has mostly been an absolute target hog for fantasy, Meyers has had trouble finding the end zone. That all changed last week and is hopefully a better indicator for the future. Meyers has established himself as the pure alpha in the Patriots' wide receiver room and earned 27 targets through all three games of his games the season when healthy. He is a player who is long overdue for some positive TD regression.
Meyers remains a bargain in DFS as his price on DK remains under 5k and the Browns' defense isn't too much better than the Lions' right now. Bailey Zappe may suit up at QB this Sunday, but it is hard to imagine that the Patriots won't be able to move the ball on Cleveland. Once Stevenson gets going on the ground it should help to open up things even more for Meyers in the air. His value is better on Draft Kings than it is on FanDuel right now due to the fact that DK uses full PPR scoring, but as long as he keeps earning targets at this rate and his value doesn't go up past 5.5k it is going to be difficult to keep Meyers off of this list every week. He is arguably the most underrated player in all of fantasy right now.
Romeo Doubs, GB vs NYJ | DK: $4,800, FD: $5,500
A player who has emerged even as a rookie, Doubs has looked good so far this season and has been close to playing a full game as he has been over 90 percent of the team's offensive snaps in the last 3 games. While he hasn't yet had a big game on the stat sheet, Doubs has found the end zone twice this year. With the departure of Davante Adams as well as several injuries on the offensive line, we should have expected that the Green Bay offense would be a little slow in getting out of the gates in the first month of the season. Could we expect more from Aaron Rodgers and Romeo Doubs going forward?
The Packers play the Jets this week and Doubs feels like a value at under 5k. So far this season he has made a strong case for being the WR1 and the matchup this Sunday is a favorable one for Green Bay. Doubs is a big-bodied receiver who seems to thrive in the red zone and is making us all wonder why he slipped so far in the 2022 NFL Draft where he went in the fourth round. In his last 20 games as a Junior and Senior at Nevada, Doubs put up 138 receptions for 2,111 yards and 20 TDs. He appears to have chemistry with Rodgers and has the kind of upside that we want from a wide receiver who is priced this low in DFS.
Alec Pierce, IND at JAX | DK: $4,300, FD: $5,900
After getting knocked out of Week 1's contest with a concussion where he missed Week 2's contest as well, Pierce has bounced back mightily in his last few games where he has seen a total of 20 targets catching 15 of them for 222 yards. While Matt Ryan has looked rough in the first 5 games of the season, Pierce isn't likely to see a double team due to Michael Pittman as the WR1 on the Colts. Pierce has been running more of the deep routes while Pittman has been running the ones underneath.
Pierce is averaging 14.8 yards per reception and was taken in the 2nd Round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Colts. He has some impressive athletic measurables at 6 foot 3, 208 lbs., and 4.41 speed. His 40-yard dash ranks in the 90th percentile with a 95th percentile speed score, 94th percentile burst score, and a 96th percentile catch radius according to Player Profiler. Pierce played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati where head coach Luke Fickell ran a heavy RPO scheme and their team was usually winning handily at halftime, which limited Pierce's opportunities and shrunk the team's overall passing pie. He is a player who is emerging on the Colts and has some serious upside. He is likely not going to be at this great of a discount for long and I can't help but feel like we are going to look back at the 2022 rookie wide receiver class in awe in a few years.
Tight End NFL DFS Value Plays - Week 6
Cameron Brate, TB at PIT | DK: $3,300, FD: $4,800
While the Tampa offense has looked anything like what we are used to, they have been decimated by injuries to their pass catchers and Tom Brady is looking more like his old self every week. The Bucs have a great matchup this week against a struggling Steelers team who defensively are struggling to find their way without TJ Watt. Even though they are on the road, Tampa Bay is an 8-point favorite this week and shouldn't have any trouble putting up points in this contest.
Brate was ruled out for Week 5 after being placed in concussion protocol but has seen a decent amount of targets so far this season with 19 in the first four games. While he has yet to catch a touchdown, we know that Brady loves to target his tight end in the red zone and the Bucs shouldn't have any trouble moving the ball. Cameron Brate is listed as questionable and on the injury report after suffering a concussion. If he does not play, keep an eye on your lineup as well as this article as it will be updated based on injury reports before Sunday.
Hayden Hurst, CIN at NO | DK: $3,800, FD: $4,900
As many of the other tight ends have become expensive this week, we should keep an eye on Hayden Hurst, who has become a target of Joe Burrow's in games that Tee Higgins has missed. Higgins did not practice on Thursday, October 13 and his status for Sunday is currently in doubt. Why does this matter? Because it is one less player that Hurst has to compete with for targets on Sunday. Typically when it comes to tight ends we want to be chasing players for DFS with a high touchdown upside or tend to be the top-two target on their team.
In Weeks 2 and 5 where Higgins was either knocked out of the game or didn't play, Hurst saw 7 targets in each of the contests where he caught 11 passes of 77 yards and a TD. In each of the last two weeks, Hurst has had a touchdown as well. While the matchup against the Saints is a tougher one this week, if we aren't going to spend up for Kelce or Andrews we are better off discount shopping at the tight end spot and spending up elsewhere. If Higgins does not play in Week 6, Hurst is one of my recommendations for your lineup.
Thank you for reading my article. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions on Twitter if you have any more DFS questions. Best of luck this week!
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
