Building fantasy football lineups on DraftKings is somewhat of a craft and can be an incredibly tough one at times. With so many high-dollar players to target and a plethora of players who seemingly have great matchups near the top, finding value is crucial.
But creating daily fantasy football lineups takes time and quite a bit of research. Although there are plenty of avenues to take in terms of research, sometimes going with a straightforward approach is the best route.
I'm going to dive into Week 6 of the 2018 NFL season by first looking at the top value plays at each position. Some of these names will be definite sleepers who could have low ownership, while others are likely on the radar of many fantasy football players. I'll go position-by-position and offer some insight into salary-saving options or sleepers. These names will help make your lineups different and free up salary for big names.
Before diving in let's first take a look at what qualifies as a "value play" on DraftKings at each position in terms of their pricing.
– Quarterback value plays are strong options and cost roughly $6,000 or less
– Value plays at running back should be $6,000 or less
– Wide receiver value plays cost roughly $6,000 or less
– Tight ends are key salary-savers and cost should be $4,000 or less
Opposing Defenses to Target in Week 6
I'm a big believer in the fact that numbers don't lie (in almost all cases). With that said, you'll want to dive pretty deep into matchups even if the surface numbers look good. There are often times where one team will struggle against a position, but it's due to previous matchups.
For example, a team may have incredible numbers against tight ends, but only faced teams who don't have legitimate pass-catching options at the position. In turn, this doesn't necessarily mean the matchup is as terrifying as it looks on paper.
All this means is that taking a deep dive into the matchups can be key, as well as looking at how the specific player facing that situation has done both recently and throughout the year. Almost all value plays feature some level of risk, but while evaluating them I'll look deeper into the actual matchup and risk involved with each spot.
Let's dive in and check out some of the top values by position, beginning with quarterbacks, where a few interesting names jump off the page.
*Note: These value plays are only from games on the main DraftKings slate which does not include Sunday or Monday Night Football.
Top DraftKings Week 6 Quarterback Value Plays
– Jameis Winston ($5,800) vs. Falcons
– Jared Goff ($6,000) vs. Broncos
– Russell Wilson ($5,700) vs. Raiders
– Baker Mayfield ($5,500) vs. Chargers
– Derek Carr ($5,100) vs. Seahawks
To be completely transparent, I'm not a big fan of playing Jameis Winston in fantasy football. I don't typically draft him in season-long leagues and I hardly ever use him in DFS. But the matchup this week is tough to ignore. The Buccaneers face a Falcons team who's allowed 1,435 yards and 12 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks. They've also given up 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns to signal-callers, giving Winston at least a somewhat realistic opportunity to score on the ground.
If that's not quite enough to persuade you on Winston, look no further than his career numbers against the Falcons. In five games played, the Buccaneers quarterback has completed 66.9 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions, per StatMuse. He should have no problem throwing for at least 250 yards and two scores.
Oh, no. Did Jared Goff come crashing back down to earth in Week 5? Any encore performance to a game in which you throw for 465 yards and five touchdowns while completing 78.8 percent of passes is going to be a drop-off of sorts. Sure, Goff threw just one touchdown and had his first multi-interception game against the Seattle Seahawks, but still totaled 321 passing yards.
Even in the type of showing you'd expect from a normal NFL quarterback, Goff managed nearly 20 DraftKings points. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback now draws a Denver defense which just allowed rookie Sam Darnold to toss three touchdowns and grab such a large lead he only threw 22 times.
And then we have Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson taking on the struggling Oakland Raiders. On the season, the Raiders have allowed 1,378 yards and nine touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks. While those numbers aren't bad, it's going to be tough sledding against the Seahawks quarterback.
Just last week, Oakland allowed Philip Rivers to complete 22-of-27 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns in a game the Chargers had total control of. Rivers attempted his second-fewest pass attempts dating back to Week 2 of the 2016 season and still had a huge day. Wilson should have no problem with the Raiders secondary.
Tier Two of Value of Quarterbacks
In the second tier of quarterbacks, I'm going to be pretty straightforward on these names. In most cases, they have upside and a solid matchup, but a bit more risk.
For Baker Mayfield, though, I don't see a ton of risk aside from the obvious. Using a rookie quarterback always comes with a few question marks. Regardless, I'll be rolling out Mayfield and his very nice $5,500 price tag in a home game against a below-average Chargers group. The No. 1 overall pick draws an opponent who's allowed 1,421 yards and 11 touchdowns to quarterbacks this season.
The matchup is there for Mayfield, and even going beyond that, the coaching staff is allowing him to air it out early and often. Over the past two games, the Browns quarterback has tallied 84 total passing attempts and even after throwing just one touchdown in Week 5, he scored just under 22 DraftKings points.
And then there's Derek Carr.
So much upside, yet so much pressure in Jon Gruden's offense. It has to be tough for the Raiders quarterback, and although he's thrown an interception in four of five games (including two multi-interception games), his fantasy numbers aren't bad. From Week 2 on, Carr has posted at least 14 DraftKings points with a 35.58-point showing in Week 4.
The Seahawks pass defense is solid, there's no questioning that, but at $5,100 and a floor that sits around 15 fantasy points, I'm more than happy to use Carr in big tournaments.
*All stats for defense vs. position courtesy of ESPN.
Top DraftKings Week 6 Running Back Value Plays
– Tevin Coleman ($5,400) vs. Buccaneers
– David Johnson ($5,900) vs. Vikings
– Bilal Powell ($4,500) vs. Colts*
– Chris Carson ($4,400) vs. Raiders
– Marshawn Lynch ($5,300) vs. Seahawks
*Powell if Isaiah Crowell ruled out
All the Tevin Coleman this week in a strong matchup with an incredible price. The Falcons running back is going to have a ton of ownership, but it's hard to argue with the situation. Devonta Freeman has been ruled out for the game, leaving Coleman primed to take on a heavy workload and huge role.
On the season, the Buccaneers have allowed 276 rushing yards on 75 attempts, 328 receiving yards and six total touchdowns to opposing running backs. With Coleman's pass-catching ability, he may have one of the highest-floors on the entire slate.
David Johnson is an interesting name on this slate, and although he's only $5,900, he may not garnish heavy ownership. The Cardinals offense is not even close to good and the matchup with the Vikings is less than ideal. With all that said, Johnson just manages to keep on trucking along and producing in a variety of ways. If he's shutdown on the ground, he catches passes and scores touchdowns, it's just that simple.
I'll happily take Johnson in big GPP's at this price, especially considering he's hit at least 16.1 DraftKings points in four of five games this season.
If Isaiah Crowell sits out, Bilal Powell should see all the work he can handle, and for a pass-catching back who's capable of producing on the ground, that's a great spot. Especially when you factor in his wonderful price tag of $4,400. The main reason I'm high on Powell (aside from the workload) is that the Colts have given up 39 receptions for a brutal 330 yards to running backs this season. Great spot for Powell, but you need to monitor Crowell's status.
Are we safe to buy the Chris Carson hype? I'm not overly optimistic about the situation just yet, mainly because Seahawks coach Pete Carroll can be a headache when it comes to running backs. But Carson has seen 51 carries over the past two games while totaling 218 yards and one touchdown. He now draws a Raiders defense allowing 127.2 rushing yards per game, the fifth-worst in the NFL.
At $4,400, it's going to be tough to pass on Carson, even with the risk of getting Carroll-ed and seeing him sidelined in favor of Mike Davis.
I opted against a "tier two" here, largely due to the fact that I think each of the value running back plays is a strong option. I did have Nyheim Hines on here before news came out that Marlon Mack will return from injury. With that said, Hines is in an interesting spot against the Jets, and if you want to take a flier on him, I can't blame you.
But to round out the running back list, I'm going with Marshawn Lynch in a spot that can't be ignored. The "revenge" narrative (sort of) against his former team in the Seattle Seahawks. We know Lynch runs angry and powerful, and I think we'd be crazy not to use Beast Mode at least once or twice when the Raiders play in London.
Seattle has been fine against the run, allowing 483 yards and four touchdowns to opposing backs, but prior to last week, Lynch had seen at least 18 carries in three-straight games. His reduced workload in Week 5 came due to the Raiders trailing the entire game, but I believe it'll land around 20 carries once again in this game.
*All stats for defense vs. position courtesy of ESPN.
Top DraftKings Week 6 Wide Receiver Value Plays
– Tyler Boyd ($6,000) vs. Steelers
– Corey Davis ($5,800) vs. Ravens
– Mohamed Sanu ($4,800) vs. Buccaneers
– Keke Coutee ($4,600) vs. Bills
– Chester Rogers ($4,500) vs. Jets
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton sure does love throwing to Tyler Boyd. It's been great to see the young wideout finally begin to thrive, and he's stepped up in a big way. Prior to last week, Boyd rattled off at least 91 yards in three-straight games, catching two touchdowns over that span.
Now, Boyd will draw a very beatable Pittsburgh Steelers secondary who'll have to lock in on A.J. Green. On the season, the Steelers have allowed the second-most receiving yards to wideouts (1,081) along with eight touchdowns. Boyd should have no problem bouncing back in a big way after a mediocre Week 5 in an elite matchup at home.
There's good and bad news when it comes to Titans wideout Corey Davis. The bad news is that, on the surface, he fell off a bit last week, catching just four passes for 49 yards. The good news is that very few will realize he was in a brutal matchup with TreDavious White. Even better news? He and Marcus Mariota have built a strong connection and that mediocre game last week should bring his ownership down.
Just the week before his tough game against the Bills, Davis hauled in 9-of-15 targets for 161 yards and one touchdown. Mariota's return from injury will seemingly have a huge impact on Davis, who draws a mid-tier matchup against the Ravens.
I'll be honest here, I'm not going to spend a massive amount of time breaking down Mohamed Sanu, but it's only because the appeal is obvious.
1. He's very, very inexpensive.
2. Sanu has arguably the best matchup on the slate against a brutally bad Buccaneers secondary.
3. It's gone overlooked, but Sanu has at least 15.6 DraftKings points in each of the past three games, totaling 23 targets in that span.
Tier Two of Value of Wide Receivers
*I don't believe this second tier of wideouts is far off from the first. I also think Sanu could easily be placed here, but his matchup is too nice to not highlight. All value wideouts listed are in play this week.
I mentioned above the TreDavious White matchup with Corey Davis. White will likely see a ton of Texans star DeAndre Hopkins in Week 6, and it could result in quite a few looks for Keke Coutee and Will Fuller. Even with both Hopkins and Fuller in the lineup last week, the coaching staff showed an obvious focus on keeping Coutee involved, as he caught 6-of-7 targets for 51 yards and one touchdown.
White won't be able to completely shut down Hopkins, but at the very least, his presence could result in a few extra looks being funneled to Coutee and Fuller. And at $4,600 with the trust of Deshaun Watson, playing the rookie wideout makes a lot of sense.
The Colts once again find themselves in a bit of a bind with T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle being ruled out for Week 6. Enter Chester Rogers, who's been a highly-targeted option for Andrew Luck over the past two weeks due to injuries. Over that span, Rogers has caught 16-of-22 passes for 151 yards.
Best of all, after a solid performance in Week 5, DraftKings didn't raise Rogers' price from $4,500. He's an excellent value play against a Jets defense who's given up the second-most receptions to wideouts (82) along with 1,026 yards and five touchdowns. Stacking Luck with Rogers in DFS games this week could also be a solid approach.
*All stats for defense vs. position courtesy of ESPN.
Top DraftKings Week 6 Tight End Value Plays
– Austin Hooper ($3,500) vs. Buccaneers
– Cameron Brate ($3,700) vs. Falcons
– David Njoku ($3,800) vs. Chargers
– Niles Paul ($2,600) vs. Cowboys
– Geoff Swaim ($2,900) vs. Jaguars
If you're going to shoot your shot with a value tight end in fantasy football, you need to know the risk involved. Sometimes it can pay off handsomely, but other times it can result in a zero-catch performance that leaves you pulling your hair out.
Fortunately, there are a few intriguing options to consider this week and they're all below $3,800. Going this low at tight end can open up a lot for the rest of your roster, and if the play lives up to expectations, you'll find yourself sitting pretty.
Let's start off with Austin Hooper, who's on a Falcons team playing in a matchup I've raved about multiples to this point. I know this is a big surprise, but while the Buccaneers struggle against quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, they're also horrible against tight ends.
On the season, they've given up 27 receptions for 415 yards and two touchdowns to the position. It's worth noting that those rough numbers come over the span of just four games as well when many other teams have played five. The real concern with Hooper is whether or not he'll get targets. Last week, the young tight end caught 9-of-12 targets for 77 yards, but the game before that saw just two targets. I'm a big fan of the spot and will be taking the risk on Hooper.
The Cameron Brate spot kind of plays into the whole argument that the Buccaneers vs. Falcons game should feature a ton of points. If O.J. Howard (MCL sprain) is sidelined, then this is a great spot for Brate, who's found the end zone in each of the past two games. The Falcons haven't been terrible against tight ends, but Jameis Winston looks toward the athletic tight end often in the red zone.
Don't look now, but the Browns turning the starting quarterback job over to Baker Mayfield may have just made David Njoku fantasy relevant. Njoku led the team in targets last week against the Baltimore Ravens and over the past two games has seen 18 targets (11 catches) and racked up 121 yards.
The only downside here is that Njoku faces a Chargers team who's allowed just 19 receptions and one touchdown to tight ends this season. But with Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce not on the main DraftKings slate, I have no issue targeting Njoku heavily. The man has to find the end zone at some point also, right?
Tier Two of Value of Tight Ends
With Jaguars former starting tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins heading to injured reserve, it opens the door for Niles Paul to hold down the fort. Many forget that Paul was actually in the mix to be the Washington Redskins' starting tight end a few years back. He had a solid 2014 season in which he caught 39 passes for 507 yards, but injuries set him back and the job eventually was held down by Jordan Reed.
Now with the Jaguars, Paul is getting another opportunity to showcase his talent. The 29-year-old did just that in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, hauling in 7-of-9 targets for 65 yards. His price didn't move after that game, and he now faces a Cowboys team who's given up 30 receptions to tight ends. At $2,600, I love the idea of using Paul as it won't take much for him to hit value.
On the opposite side of this matchup, Cowboys tight end Geoff Swaim isn't quite on Jason Witten's level yet, but it's obvious Dak Prescott likes him. With the Jaguars boasting an exceptional defense and the Cowboys wide receivers doing virtually nothing this season, we could see Swaim targeted often.
Over the past three games, Swaim has seen 15 targets, catching 11 of them for 141 yards and one touchdown. His upside won't be exceptional until he begins seeing more targets, but I expect that to happen sooner than later and possibly even this week.
*All stats for defense vs. position courtesy of ESPN.
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