Injuries are the story across the NFL right now, with some notable names expected to miss time. Anthony Richardson, Justin Jefferson, De'Von Achane, and James Conner are all notable players expected to miss multiple weeks of action for their respective teams. Being able to determine who to play in NFL DFS because of these injuries could be crucial in having success in Week 6.
In this weekly article, we'll be taking a look at stacks and bring-back options that are ideal plays in GPPs (guaranteed prize pools) on DraftKings and FanDuel. Salaries and scoring formats can differ on both sites, making some players much better options on one site compared to the other.
When looking at stacks and bring-back players each week, you have to take into account potential game scripts and correlation. Before the sixth week of the season, here are my favorite stacks and bring-back options in NFL DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
- Trevor Lawrence ($6,500 DK, $7,600 FD)
- Calvin Ridley ($6,700 DK, $7,000 FD)
- Christian Kirk ($5,400 DK, $6,600 FD), Zay Jones ($4,100 DK, $5,800 FD), or Evan Engram ($4,500 DK, $5,500 FD)
The Jacksonville Jaguars will return home to host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6 after playing their last two games in London. Trevor Lawrence had his best output in Week 1 against the Colts, throwing for 315 yards and one touchdown. The strong-armed quarterback excelled versus Indianapolis in the season opener, and the Colts are 20th in pass defense DVOA and are allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. What makes Lawrence such an enticing quarterback to stack is the number of skill players he has at his disposal.
After hauling in eight of his 11 targets for 101 yards and a score in Week 1 versus the Colts, Calvin Ridley tallied a total of seven catches, 110 yards, and one touchdown from Weeks 2 through 4. Just this past week, the veteran wideout bounced back with seven receptions for 122 yards in a win over the Buffalo Bills. While the other receivers on the Jaguars are getting more usage than expected, Ridley is still the one who possesses the highest ceiling each week.
Christian Kirk has been extremely consistent since posting a dud in Week 1. In three of the last four weeks, Kirk has caught at least six passes and has recorded at least 78 receiving yards. Zay Jones is dealing with a knee injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Bills, but he's caught a touchdown in two of the three games he's been active in this season. Evan Engram has eight targets in four consecutive games and using a tight end is one way to differentiate when double-stacking Lawrence this week.
Bring-back options:
- Michael Pittman Jr. ($6,300 DK, $6,500 FD)
- Jonathan Taylor ($6,600 DK, $6,500 FD), Zack Moss ($6,200 DK, $7,400 FD), or Josh Downs ($4,100 DK, $5,600 FD)
Even with Richardson sidelined for the Colts, Gardner Minshew has proven he can still keep this offense afloat enough for the skill players to matter in fantasy. Michael Pittman Jr. leads the Colts with a 28.7% target share and he logged eight receptions, 97 yards, and a touchdown in Week 1 versus the Jaguars. Jonathan Taylor is still easing back into the offense after seeing limited touches in Week 5. Getting ahead of his breakout game will be advantageous in DFS and using a running back from the Colts will certainly be a bold strategy.
Attacking Jacksonville on the ground hasn't panned out for teams as they are fifth in run defense DVOA entering Week 6. That said, Zack Moss just carved up a stout run defense of the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 to the tune of 165 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Downs has seemingly had a solid rapport with Minshew. Back in Week 3 with Richardson inactive because of a concussion, Downs caught eight of his 12 targets for 57 yards. And in last week's game with Richardson leaving early, Downs caught all six of his targets for 97 yards.
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Miami Dolphins vs. Carolina Panthers
- Tua Tagovailoa ($7,600 DK, $8,300 FD)
- Tyreek Hill ($9,300 DK, $8,000 FD) or Jaylen Waddle ($7,600 DK, $6,800 FD)
Everyone is going to flock toward using Raheem Mostert this week — and understandably so — with the news of Achane expected to miss multiple weeks. The Carolina Panthers are ranked dead last in run defense DVOA and Mostert should shoulder the majority of the backfield touches. Stacking Tua Tagovailoa is one way to gain leverage over those who use Mostert as the Dolphins boast the highest projected team total (31 points) on the main slate. In each of his two home games this season, Tagovailoa has thrown for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns.
Determining who to stack with Tagovailoa is somewhat easy with Tyreek Hill garnering a 29.6% target share. Hill has scored a touchdown in four of the first five weeks and he's registered 150-plus yards in three games so far. With Jefferson out for at least a month, Hill figures to see more popularity among expensive wideouts on both sites. Jaylen Waddle had a season-high 10 targets and a touchdown in Week 5, but he has still yet to have an explosive game. Even with the Dolphins scheming up most of their offense for Hill, Waddle is still capable of breaking off chunk plays and he'll be rostered in fewer lineups than Hill most weeks.
If you want to include Mostert in your stacks with Tagovailoa, I don't mind it. The Dolphins are fourth in running-back usage in fantasy this season and Achane isn't going to be active in Week 6 versus the Panthers. Getting exposure to the entire Dolphins offense when they are expected to score 30-plus points again is a wise idea this week.
Bring-back options:
- Adam Thielen ($5,900 DK, $7,400 FD)
- Miles Sanders ($5,000 DK, $5,900 FD), DJ Chark Jr. ($4,000 DK, $6,000 FD), or Jonathan Mingo ($3,500 DK, $4,900 FD)
Adam Thielen is still entirely too cheap on DraftKings for the usage he's seeing for the Panthers. The experienced pass catcher has at least eight targets in four straight games and he's found the end zone in three of his last four. With the Panthers expected to be playing from behind for the majority of Sunday's contest, Thielen figures to be busy as Bryce Young's No. 1 option again.
Miles Sanders is another bring-back option that is more of a DraftKings play than FanDuel. Before dealing with an injury, Sanders had five-plus targets in each of the first three weeks of the season. Expect some dump-offs to Sanders at a cheap salary in a game where Carolina will be playing catch-up. DJ Chark Jr. and Jonathan Mingo are cheap bring-back options that have seen increased usage in recent weeks. Chark is a vertical threat in the offense and Mingo caught five of his seven targets in Week 5 with Terrace Marshall Jr. failing to log a single snap.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
- Matthew Stafford ($6,100 DK, $7,300 FD)
- Cooper Kupp ($9,000 DK, $8,700 FD)
- Puka Nacua ($8,000 DK, $7,900 FD) or Tutu Atwell ($5,100 DK, $5,500 FD)
While his numbers don't jump off of the page right now, Matthew Stafford is dealing for the Los Angeles Rams right now. Stafford had his first multi-touchdown game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 and he's already had three 300-plus-yard outings this season. The gunslinging signal-caller will now face the one-win Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 6. The Rams are third in neutral pass rate, they own the second-highest projected total (27.75 points) on the main slate, and the Cardinals are 30th in pass defense DVOA this season.
Cooper Kupp made his season debut in Week 5 and it was as if he never missed any time. The All-Pro pass catcher would immediately lead the Rams in receptions (8), targets (12), and receiving yards (118) in his first game back from his hamstring ailment. Ja'Marr Chase just produced 15 receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 19 targets against the Cardinals in Week 5.
Even with Kupp back on the field, rookie Puka Nacua still proved to be a valuable commodity in DFS. Nacua managed to catch seven of his 11 targets for 71 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Eagles this past week. Tutu Atwell also found the end zone off of a throw from Stafford and he would have had more than two catches for nine yards in Week 5 if Stafford didn't miss him on a deep throw. With Van Jefferson being traded to the Atlanta Falcons, there is certainly room for all three of these wideouts to produce against the Cardinals.
Bring-back options:
- Marquise Brown ($5,300 DK, $7,000 FD)
- Emari Demercado ($4,900 DK, $5,900 FD) or Michael Wilson ($3,800 DK, $5,300 FD)
The Cardinals have been surprisingly competitive in multiple games this season. Marquise Brown has tallied double-digit targets and a touchdown in three of his last four games. The speedy wideout also leads Arizona's offense with a 26.4% target share and the Cardinals are expected to be playing from behind (again) this week.
Upon James Conner being placed on injured reserve, undrafted rookie Emari Demercado is expected to become the starter until the veteran returns. Keaontay Ingram has missed the last two games with a neck injury and Demercado flashed some explosiveness while finding the end zone in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Zach Ertz doesn't possess much of a ceiling despite his somewhat consistent usage in this offense, so I'm not overly interested in him in tournaments. Michael Wilson had a quiet output in Week 5 following a two-touchdown performance in Week 4 versus the San Francisco 49ers. The first-year receiver averages 17 yards per reception, so he only needs a few opportunities to pay off his salary.
The Milly Maker winner in Week 5 single-stacked Joe Burrow with Chase and did not use a bring-back from the Cardinals. That is certainly a viable strategy again in Week 6 when the Rams host the Cardinals.
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