Fridays are for Five lists of Five, baby. Let’s get you set for Week 6.
Because, honestly—all I want is for you to be better than your friends. You’re going to be surrounded by them on Sunday, probably. How sweet would it be if you could be sure you’ve checked every box possible that might guarantee you a resounding victory this week? Some kick-your-feet-up insights? I’ve got some.
I know my audience. The smoke-break audience. The quick-scan-of-the-phone-on-the-way-to-the-fridge audience. The give-me-as-much-info-as-possible-as-fast-as-possible audience. I’m a man of the people.
And so: the Five Lists of Five series. Think of these as byte-sized, two-minutes-to-yourself lists to scan during your weekend as you foam at the mouth for any competitive fantasy edge. As much relevant analysis as I can fit into, like, 250 words per player.
Capping it off this week with my topfive must-starters for Week 6.
I called him a league-winner back in August and said he’d eclipse 100 receptions. He’ll snag six-to-seven of those on Sunday.
Bold move, making this call against Denver. Fingers crossed.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (vs. Buffalo Bills)
The Wilson train has left the station, even while the Jets left Robert Saleh on the Tube in London.
He’s a must-start every week going forward. His line last week was absolutely inflated by the 23 targets, but I’d like to take that as Aaron Rodgers saying playcalling be damned, I’m going to just feed the rock to my ultra-athletic superstar wideout.
The Jets running game is going to improve as the season goes on, as early as this week. As soon as it does, Wilson will be out there creating more separation than he already is on quick passes. See below:
We don’t mind the decrease in air yards, so long as Rodgers keeps flicking him the ball within 2.5 seconds of the snap. We’ll see a lot of that on Sunday with the Buffalo pass rush.
Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)
My colleague Zach Thompson plugged Slayton last week with Nabers out, and wrote about him again this week, calling him a must-start:
With Nabers out in Week 5, he played 90% of snaps and caught 8-of-11 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown.
DJ threw 11 passes to Slayton, who caught eight of them for 122 yards – he had 122 total yards in the first four games
The Giants aren’t on the main DFS slate this week and are 3.5-point home underdogs to the Bengals. Cincinnati has been an excellent matchup for opposing wide receivers this season, which would help make Slayton a must-start this week if Nabers is out. The Bengals have allowed five wide receiver touchdowns in the last four weeks while giving up an average of 172.5 receiving yards to the position.
Zach was right that Slayton would be inheriting the Malik Nabers route tree. I doubt the Giants give it to anyone else this week. Roll Slayton out there with confidence.
Heck, stack him with Daniel Jones!
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
The Colts defense is bad. Let’s start there. I was wrong about their performance and their advanced stats not squaring. It’s all caught up now.
Pollard has quietly had a fairly excellent season for a fantasy running back in a RBBC backfield. He’s currently the RB25 in PPR points, but the Titans had their bye last week. He’s coming off a 22-carry effort against the Dolphins.
We love Pollard the most, however, because he leads the team in receptions (13) and has Will Levis—otherwise known as Please Just Be Checkdown Charlie 2024—in at QB, most likely. The Colts defense won’t be able to stop Pollard from ripping off at least one, potentially two explosive plays.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
Brian Robinson Jr. is a popular fade this week. It makes sense. The Ravens are a stout rush defense (they only allow 3.1 yards per carry) and Robinson has been most effective between the tackles and on straightforward running plays.
The Commanders are six-point underdogs in this game, which means they expect Daniels to have to air it out quite a bit to keep pace with the Ravens. Look for Ekeler to at least match his season-high in receptions (four) and potentially churn out 50+ YAC, plus whatever production he gets on the ground. I like a 15+ point game from him, here.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
Dan Johnson has been an editor, writer, and analyst for DraftKings and DraftKings Network since 2024. He’s previously held editorial posts at The Paris Review, Macmillan Publishers, Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, ASSIGNMENT Magazine, and FantasySixPack. You can find his various editorial work & writing (sports-related and non-) at all of the above.
Disclaimer
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
