It’s hard to know what a sleeper even is anymore when it comes to Fantasy Football, but, for the purposes of this article, we’ll use the term to mean an asset that’s likely to be undervalued heading into a given week. A player that’s going to be overlooked when it comes to ownership, yet one that has a reasonable path to make people regret that decision. Someone who might set your lineup apart from the pack in a GPP, if you will.
With that in mind, let’s go position-by-position for an early look at Week 6’s slate on DraftKings.
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QUARTERBACK
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons, $6,500
Look, I’m not suggesting that that best way to go about a bad decision in fantasy football is to double-down with the same move the next week; but I also think Stafford’s modest output against the Jaguars was the product of sequencing more than any sort of self-inflicted flaw. So, on a slate where there are too many viable and high-priced quarterback options to count, allow me to go back to well while others will probably cut their losses and carry on elsewhere. Detroit had five red zone scoring drives last Sunday versus Jacksonville — the second-most of any team in Week 6. Unfortunately for Stafford owners, those drives ended in three combined rushing touchdowns between D’Andre Swift ($5,400) and Adrian Peterson ($4,600). That’s not going to happen every single game, especially when opposed by a defense like the Falcons, who rank 30th in passing DVOA and eighth in rushing DVOA. It’s not like the high-leverage opportunities were a fluke, either, as the Lions are actually tied with the Titans for the most red zone scoring attempts per contest (4.6). Considering Atlanta’s surrendered 300-plus passing yards in each matchup they’ve had this season, Stafford’s in a great spot to rebound from last weekend’s disappointment.
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RUNNING BACK
Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team vs. Dallas Cowboys, $5,000
Gibson got a little bit of attention last week, hovering around 8% ownership in GPPs in a decent matchup against the Giants; yet a relatively unremarkable performance has his salary back down at $5K. Clearly, this is not an easy running back situation to invest in. Not only does Washington tend to possess one of the lowest implied team totals on each and every slate, but J.D. McKissic ($4,600) is continuously out-snapping Gibson and Peyton Barber ($4,000) is always lurking in the shadows to steal a goal line touch. Still, that’s not to suggest that there isn’t a lot to like about Gibson’s spot in Week 7, specifically. First and foremost, Dallas’ defense can turn any opponent into at least a league-average offensive attack, as they’ve allowed an NFL-worst 36.3 points per game. Looking closer at the RB production, the Cowboys have conceded 2.7 opponent rushing touchdowns per contest dating back to Week 4 — easily the most in football. With the knowledge that McKissic has yet to garner a carry inside the 10-yard line, it’s Gibson that receives the huge boost in ceiling thanks to Washington’s matchup this Sunday. In the right script and with 13 catches to his name over his past three games, it’s not hard to envision Gibson breaking out.
WIDE RECEIVER
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, $6,200
I’m genuinely curious to see where Allen’s ownership ends up this Sunday. There are just a lot of extenuating factors to consider, not the least of which is the talent surrounding him at this tier of WR pricing. Kenny Golladay ($6,700), Tyler Lockett ($6,600), Tyreek Hill ($6,400), A.J. Brown ($6,300), Odell Beckham ($6,100), Terry McLaurin ($5,800) and Chase Claypool ($5,700) make for an interesting mix of great matchups and recency bias; one that I could see allow Allen to slip through the cracks a little bit. I mean, the formula is there. Not only is the veteran wideout coming off a bye week, but he was forced to leave the Chargers’ Week 5 loss to New Orleans due to a back injury. However, no one should be forgetting the type of production and role that Allen’s had since Justin Herbert ($6,400) took over as the starting QB in Los Angeles. In fact, in the three games they’d played together prior to the contest against the Saints, Allen was averaging an eye-popping 13.3 targets. With Jacksonville surrendering a league-high 8.6 yards per opponent pass attempt, I’ll have a lot of exposure this weekend in tournaments.
TIGHT END
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans, $4,600
Generally speaking, I’m looking to pay down at tight end, which is no longer a possibility with Tonyan. Still, when it comes to differentiating yourself, I don’t think many will be going back to the third-year TE this Sunday. Like most of the Packers’ offense in Week 6, Tonyan laid an egg against the Buccaneers, finishing with just three catches and 5.5 DKFP. Combine that with the return of Davante Adams ($7,900) and it’s easy to see how the public might come to the conclusion that Tonyan’s 15 minutes of fame are up. However, this is not the time to jump off the bandwagon. Green Bay has the slate’s highest implied point total in Week 7. On top of that, the Texans are allowing the sixth-most DKFP per contest to the position, while they’re also surrendering a ghastly 6.1 opponent yards per play overall in 2020. Tonyan is going to remain a red zone threat for Aaron Rodgers ($7,000) and I’d be shocked if he didn’t get a few looks in that area this weekend in a script where the Packers will be scoring non-stop.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) 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 I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.