Week 6 of the fantasy football season is upon us, which means another week with a fresh start for daily fantasy football players.
Daily fantasy football uses a salary cap system for picking teams for its most popular games, and that means looking for the best values will help you win every week. Saving in some areas while spending big in other areas will lead to the best team which scores the most points.
This week, we’ll be taking a look at players and citing their values on DraftKings (where you can get a bonus on your first deposit just for clicking that link!), DraftStreet, and FanDuel. If you’re curious about rules, scoring systems, and other available games, be sure to check them out.
So who are the best players to play this week? Which have the best prices for their potential scoring performances? Which players are overpriced, and worth avoiding completely? Check out my picks, and leave yours in the comment section below.
Best Values
Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars ($5,300 on FanDuel)
No team in the NFL allows more passing yards per game than the Denver Broncos. That’s great news for Chad Henne, who will assume the role of quarterback in place of the injured Blaine Gabbert on Sunday.
Henne’s Jags won’t win the game, but that’s good for fantasy purposes. There will be plenty of garbage time and plenty of chances for Jacksonville to try to play catchup, meaning the better of the two Jacksonville quarterbacks will get plenty of opportunities to throw the ball. For as cheap as he is (he’s half the cost of Peyton Manning on virtually every site), he’s a medium-risk, high-reward play this week who could net a huge return on investment.
Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts ($6,100 on DraftKings)
The San Diego Chargers allow lots of yards on the ground to opposing running backs, ranking among the bottom 10 in the NFL in run defense. Yet they’ve managed to keep running backs out of the end zone all season, instead allowing Michael Vick and Jake Locker to score for the only two rushing TDs they’ve given up this season.
Something has to give.
For a cheap price, put your money on Richardson and the Colts punching in a touchdown or two on the ground against a defense that can’t create turnovers and gives up a lot of yards. Add in Richardson’s involvement in the passing game, and that makes him even more of a steal for this price.
Garrett Graham, Houston Texans ($3,100 on DraftKings)
Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans love to throw the ball to tight ends. Want proof? Owen Daniels was targeted 40 times this season, which is only two less than Anquan Boldin. Backup Garrett Graham, who will take over for the injured Daniels, has already been targeted as often as Kenny Britt.
And going up against the St. Louis Rams will only help matters, as they have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. They’ve allowed 11 touchdowns and grabbed only three interceptions this season, and that’s after facing both Jacksonville and Arizona. No matter what you think about Matt Schaub, there’s no way to defend an argument that says he’s worse than Carson Palmer or any Jacksonville quarterback.
Worth the Price
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers ($13,813 on DraftStreet)
Minnesota allows the third-most passing yards per game. They lack talent at defensive back, and other teams are able to exploit that.
Cam Newton is looking to break out of his slump, and finally get his offense on track against a lackluster defense. He’s been up and down all season, but that’s what is to be expected from Newton. He’s ready to break out, and he’ll do so eventually. Your job as a fantasy football player is to pick the right game for his breakout.
This is the right time to use Newton. It’s a great matchup, and it should be a competitive game. There’s some risk involved, but it should easily payoff in the end.
Andre Johnson, Houston Texans ($7,000 on DraftKings)
Remember all those mean things I said about the St. Louis pass defense earlier? They apply here, too. The Texans may run up the score against St. Louis out of sheer frustration, or they may just score a lot in order to secure a much-needed victory.
Johnson is nursing an injury, so keep an eye on his status. But he seems like he’ll be ready to go, which means he could easily wind up as a top-5 fantasy receiver this week, and he only costs top-15 money.
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys ($7,000 on FanDuel)
Witten and the Cowboys face the Washington Redskins this week, who might as well hold open tryouts for their safety positions. There is just no talent in the defensive backfield for Washington, and it’s going to be exploited by Tony Romo and his favorite target, Jason Witten.
The Redskins have allowed a touchdown to a tight end every week so far this season. That trend will continue into Week 6.
Must Avoid
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints ($10,300 on DraftKings)
New Orleans will face the New England Patriots this week, which is enough reason to turn you away from Brees’ ridiculous price tag. Yes, the Patriots have inflated pass defense stats thanks to a few weeks against Andy Dalton, Josh Freeman and Geno Smith. But they’re a well-coached and talented defense no matter how you attempt to spin the facts.
Combine that with the high cost for Brees, and it’s just not worth it. Brees is a fantastic quarterback, but in daily fantasy the value of a player is more important than his pedigree. You could theoretically win this week by using Brees, but there are better ways to spend your cash.
Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills ($10,735 on DraftStreet)
Other than allowing the Green Bay Packers’ backs to run for 158 yards in Week 3, the Cincinnati Bengals have not allowed opposing running backs to carry the ball for more than 100 yards yet this season. The Buffalo Bills and Fred Jackson will fall under “rule” and not “exception” this week.
With Thad Lewis starting at quarterback, the Bengals will key in on the running game and force Lewis to beat them with his passing ability. That’s bad news for Jackson, who’s been off to a surprisingly good start this season.
Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers ($6,900 on FanDuel)
In his last two games, Patrick Peterson has been targeted 18 times in primary coverage on a receiver. During that span, he has almost as many interceptions (three) as the receivers have receptions (four). (Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus)
Peterson will be locked on to Boldin all day, which means Colin Kaepernick will have to look elsewhere to avoid costly turnovers. There are plenty of good options in Boldin’s price range that you shouldn’t risk using Boldin with such a tough assignment from the defense.