GPPs are not won by using a lineup with all the most popular players on the slate. Being a contrarian in a big-field event in your roster construction can help separate your lineup and gain you leverage over the field when some of the more popular names bust.
Hence, the goal of this article won’t be to just highlight the popular “play-it-safe” names. We won’t avoid all the chalky names, because good players are still good players most of the time. However, highlighting contrarian roster constructions and ways to make your lineup unique while maximizing upside will be the goal.
Remember, in most cases, the person who finishes in 10,000th place and the person who finishes in 1,269th place receive the same amount of money in many of these larger field contests, so there is no reason to simply follow the crowd to feel comfortable.
Let’s dive into Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season.
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Top DFS Contrarian Stack
Game Stack: Los Angeles Chargers @ Miami Dolphins
Justin Herbert ($6,300) – Ladd McConkey ($5,700) – Keenan Allen ($5,600) – De’Von Achane ($7,700)
The Chargers will be without lead RB Omarion Hampton this week vs the Dolphins, and even against their porous defense, I expect they will have some issues running the ball. That should lead to more dropbacks for Justin Herbert, who leads an offense that is second on the season in pass rate above expected (PROE).
Herbert has had a couple of rough weeks in a row from an output standpoint, but the Dolphins have acted as a get-right spot for pretty much every QB they’ve faced this season, and currently are allowing the third most FPTS per game to the position and are dead last in success rate vs the pass. He should rebound with a big game here.
Herbert also makes sense in this spot because even with the great matchup, none of the Chargers WRs are more than $6,000. While this could be another Quentin Johnston multiple-TD game, the Chargers’ third-year WR has been dealing with a hamstring injury and is coming off his worst game of the season, where he was outproduced by both McConkey and Allen. I’d venture with such a weak opponent that this is where the Chargers really try to get Ladd McConkey going, who did score last week (5 rec. 39 yards, TD, 5 targets) and also had a punt return TD called back. He looked in top form last week, and a big statistical game vs the Dolphins would not be shocking at all. Using the reliable Allen alongside him here for a double stack also makes sense, given the unknown production at RB for the Chargers this week. Allen should be used as an extension of the run game, and if he finds the end zone as well, it should more than pay off his $5,600 salary.
On the Dolphins’ side, they should be looking to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Tua Tagovailoa is banged up, and the Chargers are still a top 10 passing defense. However, it’s a good matchup for De’Von Achane, who only managed 16 yards on 10 carries last week, but will face a Chargers rush defense that has regressed of late and just allowed 111 rush yards (7.92 YPC) to Bill Croskey-Merritt last week.
Quarterback
Bryce Young ($4,800)
It’s always good to remember the difference between Bryce Young, the real-life QB, and Bryce Young the fantasy QB. Fantasy Bryce Young is likely going to be behind big again this week, either due to his own turnovers or the fact that the Cowboys will just score at will vs the poor Panthers defense. That should again have him dropping back 30+ times, something he’s done each of the last two weeks, and give him a shot at passing for upwards of 250+ yards.
Young has struggled with the lack of weapons he has in Carolina, but he is facing one of the worst secondaries in the league in Dallas, which ranks 31st in EPA per dropback on defense. He’ll also be getting back versatile TE Ja’Tavion Sanders ($3,200), who should be able to get him more cheap yards and an explosive play or two. Either way, at just $4,800, combining Young with Sanders and/or Tet McMillan ($6,000) gives you an effective low-cost stack to build around for GPPs.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs ($7,300)
The RB position has two big names at the top this week in Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey who are both in great spots, but are also $1,200 and $1,300 more expensive than Jacobs. The Packers set up as massive home favorites of 14 points this week so it’s well within the range of outcomes that Josh Jacobs explodes for a massive game against the Bengals’ rush defense that ranks 26th in EPA per rush and ends up producing better value for the week, or even ends as the slate’s highest producing RB.
Jacobs is coming off his best game of the year when he rushed for 2 TDs and caught four passes for 71 yards vs Dallas and is also well rested with Green Bay off a bye. He should be ready to roll and makes for a great payup target whether you’re fading the top two RBs or not.
Rachaad White ($6,000)
White produced nicely last week for those who took the dive with us, scoring twice vs the Seahawks’ tough rush defense while adding in 30 yards as a receiver. He’ll be up against another solid defensive line this week in San Francisco, but one that has been run on at times this season. The 49ers allowed 5.2 YPC last week to the Rams RBs and the week before that allowed 6.0 YPC to the Jaguars RBs, who totaled 138 yards on 23 carries. They did make a great play late in the game with the Rams that created a fumble, but overall this defense has been a solid matchup for opposing RBs of late.
With Bucky Irving out and the Buccaneers back at home this week, White should be in a spot where he’ll get better traction as a runner and potentially even push for 18-20 carries. Even with his price up to 6k, when you add in his receiving prowess, the upside with White at this price is still good enough to build around. He’s again a name you don’t mind building around even if there is some higher ownership attached.
Wide Receiver
Higher End: DK Metcalf ($5,500)
The Browns do have a ferocious defensive line, but this price looks entirely too cheap for Metcalf. The former Seahawk is coming off his best game of the year when he took a slant for a long TD and posted 126 yards and a TD vs the Vikings on five catches. He should be busy this week as well with the Browns being such a good run stopping unit (2nd in rush EPA) and the Steelers likely looking to use Metcalf a lot on short screens to counteract the rush.
Despite a couple of slower games, Metcalf has now scored in three straight games and faces a Browns defense that does funnel to the WR position as they’ve allowed 7 TDs to the position already (3rd most on the season). His price looks entirely too cheap for the upside he possesses in this spot.
Lower End: Isaiah Bond ($3,700)
Bond didn’t get off to a great start with new QB Dillon Gabriel but you do have to love the intent shown by the Browns to get the duo going. Gabriel targeted Bond eight times in the game and even though they only connected on two passes, a lot of those throws were deep balls that were just off the mark. You’d have to expect that, going forward, the two will be more efficient, especially against weaker pass defenses.
The Steelers have had issues most of the season containing teams’ top receivers and are coming off a game last week in Europe where their secondary nearly blew the game, allowing both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to go for 100+ yards on the day. Given his role and growing connection with Gabriel, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Bond pull off a similar sort of day and at just $3,700 if he even pulls off 3/4 of what Addison did vs. the Steelers, he’ll be a great value for DFS this Sunday.
Tight End
Jake Tonges ($3,700)
I want as much exposure to this 49ers-Buccaneers game as possible this week and looking at the 49ers TE position makes plenty of sense after what we saw AJ Barner do to the Buccaneers last week. Tampa gave up seven catches on seven targets to the Seahawks’ starting TE, who also found the end zone twice. Tonges is acting in a similar role in San Francisco where he’s been a reliable outlet for whoever is starting at QB and managed his third TD of the season last week vs a tough Rams defense.
The 26-year-old tied for the team high with 11 targets in that game and should be relied on heavily again with Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings both looking very questionable to play at the moment. When you add in the injury issues the Bucs also face with three CBs on the injury report, this game just has a ton of appeal for both offenses, so getting a key piece like Tonges for cheap, at a position that doesn’t have a huge spread in scoring most weeks, looks like a great way to go for GPP lineups.
Defense/Special Teams
New England Patriots ($3,100)
The Patriots have a solid matchup vs. a Saints offense that is currently 28th in yards per play and 26th in EA per play. New England’s defense is also starting to take shape as a unit and are coming off their best performance of the season, having just limited the reigning MVP to 20 points, while also adding in three turnovers.
From a DFS or game theory perspective, you have to love this spot as well with New England. A lot of people will be looking to use a cheap Drake Maye at QB, but if their defense or special teams ends up scoring, it will really limit the output for Maye and give you a lot of leverage on those Maye lineups. At $3,100, New England is also expensive enough that they’re not likely going to draw a ton of heat this week as well. Overall, just a solid spot to chase a rising unit that has its best player back in Christian Gonzalez and are up to -3.5 favorites now vs. the Saints.
