Daily Fantasy Football Best Bargains: Week 6 Values on Draft Kings
The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.
Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on DraftKings that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is DraftKings’ scoring system.
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins, Vikings ($7,100): Cousins is known to get hot, and after a solid outing vs. Seattle last week, his date with Atlanta should have him sizzling. The Falcons have given up 300+ passing yards in four of their five games, and surrendered 299 in Week 1. With Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson cooking, and RB Dalvin Cook likely out, Cousins is in position to have a blowup game. Cash in.
Joe Flacco, Jets ($6,500): Some people are cheapskates like Uncle Frank. If you’re one of those, Joe Flacco could be good enough to not sink your roster for the week. He has a matchup with Miami, a team with the 26th-ranked DVOA per Football Outsiders. While the Dolphins do rank 10th against the pass, they could boatrace the Jets early, forcing Flacco to chuck it all day long. He put up 195 yards and a touchdown without turning it over vs. Arizona last week, so there might be some usefulness left in him. I’d much rather go Cousins though.
Running Backs
James Robinson, Jaguars ($6,500): Robinson’s steady volume – double-digit carries every week – is appealing, even if he hasn’t found the end zone in the last two weeks. The rushing yardage has been middling of late, but his involvement in the passing game pretty much guarantees a decent RB2 floor, and he has low-end RB1 upside because he doesn’t come off the field near the goal line. This week he gets the Lions, who have the second-worst run defense in the NFL per Football Outsiders, so the math is simple here. Big volume + excellent matchup = easy DFS play. Start him.
Adrian Peterson, Lions ($5,500): Sticking with the same game, Peterson is another high-volume option with a strong matchup. Jacksonville ranks just 20th vs. the run, and he’s seen double-digit carries in three of Detroit’s four games. Jacksonville has been gashed for 120+ yards on the ground for four straight games, and gave up 88 rushing yards in Week 1. They’re vulnerable to power run games, and that’s what Peterson will bring.
La’Mical Perine, Jets ($4,600): Perine is extremely risky, especially since Adam Gase has a fetish for giving Frank Gore too many carries. Hopefully, the Jets releasing Le’Veon Bell signals they’re finally ready to explore the potential of their younger players. If so, and it’s time for Perine to see a heavier workload, the Dolphins are the perfect defense to face, as they rank dead last against the run. This is a complete dart throw who could provide a big fat zero, but his price tag allows you to go heavy on star power, and there’s a non-zero chance he’s fantasy relevant. That’s more than you can typically ask for from a sub-$5,000 player.
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton, Giants ($6,000): Slayton is the clear-cut No. 1 option for Daniel Jones, drawing six or more targets in every game this season. The Giants’ passing game is a mess, and Jones hasn’t thrown a TD pass in four games, but Slayton has still been fantasy relevant each week, and was awesome vs. Dallas. Slayton hauled in eight passes for 129 yards last week, and was robbed of a long touchdown by a ticky-tack penalty against a fellow receiver. Washington isn’t a terrible defense, but they aren’t quite stout; Slayton’s talent and target share make him fairly matchup-proof, and guys like that aren’t usually just $6,000. Take advantage.
Justin Jefferson, Vikings ($5,900): Jefferson bombed last week in a plus matchup vs. Seattle, while Adam Thielen monopolized targets. That’s a risk with rookie wideouts, but there’s no questioning Jefferson’s explosiveness. He’s only seen more than five targets once this season, so there’s a bit of elevated risk here, but two weeks ago he turned five targets into four receptions and 103 yards. With Atlanta on the schedule, and Dalvin Cook likely out, there’s a good chance he exceeds five targets, and the Falcons’ defense is generous enough to allow Jefferson and Thielen to both get theirs.
Jarvis Landry, Browns ($5,600): Landry has been a bit disappointing in 2020, and you’ll need to keep an eye on the injury report, but there’s a sneaky case for him in DFS this week. Pittsburgh’s defense seems daunting, but they’re quietly mediocre vs. the pass (17th) and they have the NFL’s worst DVOA against slot receivers (53.5%), while allowing 10.2 points per game. The Steelers are stout vs. the run, so Cleveland will eventually need to rely on Baker Mayfield, and that’s where he’ll be looking. Landry has proven in the past he’s capable of finishing as a Top 10 WR in any given week, so this price offers ridiculous upside.
Tight Ends
Evan Engram, Giants ($5,600): Engram rescued his day last week with a rushing touchdown, but the two targets he saw was shocking. I’ll treat it as a blip, as prior to last week Engram had been targeted at least five times in each of the Giants’ first four games. Washington’s defense isn’t awful, but they have the league’s worst DVOA vs. TEs (56.5%), and Engram is coming off a weirdly inactive game. If you buy positive regression – you should – he’s due for a nice outing.
Eric Ebron, Steelers ($5,200): Ebron’s involvement in this offense is on the rise, as he’s been targeted 13 times in the last two games, and he scored in Week 4. Ebron is never going to put up big yardage for you, but he’s at a bargain basement price tag, and Ben Roethlisberger has shown he’s willing to target him in the end zone. Cleveland is allowing 10.4 points per game to the position, so Ebron looks like a strong candidate for a score in Week 6.