The San Francisco 49ers kicked off Week 6 with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks. There is still plenty of action ahead with a full Sunday slate of games.
Bye weeks are in full swing. The Chiefs, Rams, Dolphins, and Vikings are each taking their week of rest.
As you seek to maximize your DFS lineups, here’s a look at a few players who could have the inside track to outperform their price points. Be sure to get some superstars in your lineup still, but here are some lower-budget names that could help you win your competitions!
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
Quarterbacks:
Kirk Cousins ($6,200)
After a slow start to the season following his Achilles tear and change in teams, Kirk Cousins looks to have settled in. He is coming off his best performance of the season. Cousins threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns last week against the Buccaneers. The 38.4 fantasy points this tallied on DraftKings scoring ranked second among all players last week and the most of any quarterback.
Heading into this week, Cousins and the Falcons are set to face off with the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers rank dead last in points allowed on the season and are 28th in yards allowed They also rank 31st in passing touchdowns, 23rd in turnover percentage, 27th in first downs allowed, and have the second-worst score percentage across the NFL.
Cousins has been one of the better fantasy football quarterbacks throughout his career and has settled in once again. The Panthers defense provides a great chance for him to continue his production. Expect Cousins to outperform his price point as the 10th most expensive quarterback this week and have a chance to pile on points against a poor Panthers defense.
Justin Fields ($5,800)
Justin Fields continues to be undervalued based on his fantasy football production. The Steelers quarterback spot is again up for grabs as Russell Wilson is now off the injury report. As the Steelers prepare to face off with the Las Vegas Raiders, this could be Fields’ last guaranteed start so expect the motivation factor to be high. In addition, the Raiders have struggled greatly on defense this year. Through the opening five weeks, they rank 28th in points allowed, 16th in yards allowed, and 31st in turnovers.
While he has not done quite enough to cement himself as the long-term starting quarterback just yet, Justin Field ranks 9th among all quarterbacks in fantasy points this season based on DraftKings scoring. His 19.2 average fantasy points per game is more than quarterbacks such as C.J. Stroud, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts to start the year.
Fields is coming off of an underwhelming performance against the Dallas Cowboys last week. However, his ability with both his arms and legs provides him a much higher floor than your average quarterback. With a struggling defense as an opponent, the pressure lingering from Wilson’s potential return, and some likely positive regression from last week, expect Fields to put the pieces together in this game. He still has yet to have a full breakout performance, but count on him to outperform his cost as the 14th-most-expensive quarterback on the week.
Running Backs
J.K. Dobbins ($6,200)
One of the early bright spots of the season has been J.K. Dobbins. The former Ravens standout had played just nine total NFL games since the 2020 season due to injuries. This offseason, he was handed a prove-it deal from his hometown team, the Los Angeles Chargers. He burst onto the scene to start the year recording 266 rushing yards across the opening two weeks of the season.
Dobbins has quieted down since this point but has a chance for another breakout performance this week as the Chargers face off with the Broncos. Most notably, Gus Edwards is set to miss this game due to an ankle injury which should open the door for more opportunity. Edwards had logged 38 carries across the opening four weeks.
Los Angeles has found its identity as a run-first team this season. They have rushed the ball 115 times collectively while Justin Herbert has attempted just 91 passes on the year. Herbert also has yet to throw for more than 179 passing yards in a game this season. The Broncos and Chargers have similar identities as defensive-minded teams who run the ball often. Expect Dobbins to be near the forefront of the game plan and be given the ball plenty in this matchup. Dobbins has averaged 16.6 fantasy points per game this season and, even while missing a game due to the bye week, ranks 21st among all running backs in fantasy production this year. Expect him to build on this, and outperform his price point.
Bucky Irving ($5,400)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face off with the Saints in New Orleans this week and the door should be open for expanded opportunity for Bucky Irving. Buccaneers starting running back Rachaad White is listed as doubtful with a foot injury. White leads the Buccaneers in carries this season with 51 and has started all five games.
While White has been the starter, it has been Bucky Irving who has been the more productive running back. Irving has carried the ball 44 times this season and produced 247 rushing yards and a touchdown. In contrast, Rachaad White has rushed for just 187 yards on the season.
The Saints rank 23rd in the league in yards allowed on the season and will be tasked with slowing down the rookie. Irving is a dynamic back who also has added eight receptions for 46 yards out of the backfield this season. Expect Irving to receive a career-high in touches and have his best performance in the NFL thus far in Week 6.
Antonio Gibson ($5,300)
As the Patriots prepare to face off with the Houston Texans, Antonio Gibson is another running back whose outlook is positively impacted by injury. New England is set to be without their starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson for the matchup. Stevenson ranks 8th in the NFL in carries on the season and has rushed for 356 yards and three touchdowns overall.
In his absence, it will be Antonio Gibson set to step up. The former third-round pick has made his impact felt as well this season. Through the opening five weeks, he has tallied 35 carries for 207 yards while also adding 86 receiving yards. The Patriots also made a quarterback change this week and will hand the offense over to the rookie Drake Maye for the first time. As they look to get the third overall pick rolling, don’t be surprised if they utilize Gibson in the short passing and screen game as they attempt to make life easy.
Ultimately, there will be plenty of opportunity for Antonio Gibson in this matchup. Expect him to produce his best game of the season and outperform his price point as the 27th-most expensive running back by a major margin.
Wide Receivers
Tank Dell ($6,200)
The Texans enter this matchup with a 4-1 record and a great chance to pick up another victory this week against the Patriots. However, they will be without their top pass-catcher, Nico Collins. This is a massive hit to the Houston offense as Collins leads the entire NFL with 567 yards through the air and also has added three touchdowns.
Don’t expect the Texans offense to miss a beat. Tank Dell will receive an uptick in targets. So far this season, Dell has had just 13 receptions for 137 yards. The second-year pass-catcher had five or more receptions in seven of the 11 games he played last year and also recorded over 100 yards through the air three times. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Texans’ offense, but the largest will not be in the lineup this year.
Expect this to be a breakout performance for Dell, as he reminds the rest of the NFL of the caliber of wide receiver that he is. The Patriots rank 24th in yards allowed on the season and are 25th in passing yards allowed. Expect this to be a great opportunity for the Texans to pour on points in a blowout victory and for Dell to be at the forefront of production.
Darnell Mooney ($5,300)
Through the opening five weeks of the season, Darnell Mooney ranks 14th among all wide receivers in fantasy production. He has recorded 24 receptions for 330 yards and three touchdowns already this season. Mooney also ranks 17th in the NFL in receiving yards.
While Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and the rest of the offensive weapons will also be relevant to the offensive production, it also prevents Mooney from being too high on opposing scouting reports. He finds himself in a perfect sweet spot of being a big play threat who also receives significant targets in the regular flow of offense.
The Falcons will face off with the Carolina Panthers this week who have struggled greatly on the year. They are just 1-4 and rank dead last in points allowed on the year. Carolina also ranks 28th in yards allowed, 22nd in passing yards allowed, and 31st in passing touchdowns allowed. Kirk Cousins is coming off his best game in a Falcons uniform in which he threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns last week. Expect Atlanta to pour on points in this matchup and for Mooney to have plenty of opportunities in this matchup.
Jerry Jeudy ($5,000)
The Cleveland Browns are set to face off with the Philadelphia Eagles this week as the biggest underdogs on the NFL slate. The Browns have struggled greatly this year and enter with a 1-4 record while ranking 30th in scoring, 32nd in yards produced, and 30th in passing yards. Deshaun Watson has been dreadful so far this season, but if this game is to approach blowout territory it should only increase the opportunities in the passing game.
Enter Jerry Jeudy who has quietly been the most productive wide receiver on the Browns roster. Amari Cooper headlines the passing attack and has recorded 20 receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Jeudy is right in the same realm and has recorded 19 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown this year.
While the Browns offense has struggled, they have a great chance to attack through the passing game in this matchup. The Eagles have struggled to stop opponents through the air this year. They rank 21st in points allowed, 27th in yards allowed, and 24th in both passing touchdowns and passing yards given up. Expect the Browns to air it out in this matchup and for Jerry Jeudy to have plenty of opportunities for production. Getting him as the 33rd most expensive wide receiver is great value.
Tight End
Kyle Pitts ($4,400)
The tight end production across the board has been a crapshoot this year. Kyle Pitts enters as the eighth most expensive option at the position and has as good of a chance as any of the names in front of him to lead all tight ends in production this week. Pitts is coming off his best performance of the season as he had seven receptions for 88 yards last week. In the season overall, he has tallied 15 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown on the year.
The Falcons should be expected to put up some significant points this week against a struggling Panthers team. Expect Kirk Cousins to build off his 500+ yard passing performance last week against a Panthers team that has allowed the most points of any team in the NFL. Carolina has not allowed fewer than 22 points or 331 yards and has allowed 35+ points twice already this year.
Expect Atlanta to have no problem moving up and down the field this week. Cousins has settled in and the Falcons offense is beginning to cruise. They can be counted on to continue this and for Kyle Pitts to be a key part of the production. He has logged at least 65% of offensive snaps every week and eclipsed 85% of snaps twice already this season. Just about any tight end is a risk but Pitts is in as good of a spot as you could ask for.
Hunter Henry ($3,800)
The Patriots are on the other side of a game with blowout potential. New England made a quarterback change this week and will give Drake Maye his first snaps as an NFL starter. Oftentimes teams look towards the tight end as a security blanket for young quarterbacks. Hunter Henry is plenty capable of filling this role
As they face the Houston Texans, don’t be shocked if this game gets out of hand early. The goal of this game and the rest of the season will be for Drake Maye to find his footing as the quarterback. Overall this season, Henry has recorded 16 receptions for 180 receiving yards. He had his best performance in Week 2 when he tallied 109 of these receiving yards.
This may not be the cleanest pathway to production, but as the 14th most expensive tight end Hunter Henry is worth a swing. As you look to optimize your budget, there are cleaner outlooks at other positions so don’t shy away from digging in the bargain bin for a tight end.
Defense & Special Teams
Denver Broncos ($3,200)
A bit more expensive than we typically go for Defensive & Special Teams, but the Denver Broncos are worth it this week. Their defensive unit has shined to start the year and ranks second in points allowed and third in yards given up so far this year. They have a great opportunity to build off this production against a Los Angeles Chargers team which is constructed with a similar defensive mindset. The Chargers rank 28th in scoring and 29th in yards tallied on the offensive end but have allowed the fewest points this season and rank fifth in yards given up.
Expect this to be a snoozefest of a game in which there is little offensive production on either side. But this also paves the way for a positive defensive performance from the Broncos. Justin Herbert has not thrown for more than 179 yards in a game this season and Los Angeles is also without running back Gus Edwards. Don’t have this game very highly on your viewing priorities but expect Denver to continue their streak of strong defensive performances and help many successful DFS lineups this week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) 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.
