NFL DFS: Week 6 GPP Pivots

Week 6 is almost here and just like that, we’re nearly a third of the way through the NFL regular season! We have a big slate to dive into and some big tournaments across the industry so let’s find some NFL DFS pivot plays!

The middle of the NFL schedule is my favorite time of the season to build NFL DFS lineups because we finally have a decent amount of data from the first 4-5 games to use and we don’t have to worry yet about which teams may sit starters as they lock up playoff berths as we do at the end of the year. Welcome to October, NFL DFS paradise!

This week I am trying to limit myself to 1-2 recommended pivots at each position. These are the plays that I feel the most strongly about and that I think will have less ownership than the chalkier plays but with as much upside. Without any further ado, let’s get to the picks!

Quarterback

Chalk: Matt Ryan, Jameis Winston

Pivots: Jared Goff, Russell Wilson

While everyone will be drooling over the passing game matchups in the Atlanta-Tampa game and it’s massive 58 point total. Jameis Winston in cash makes a lot of sense, but I am going to make sure to have some exposure to these two other QBs in GPPs who will likely be much less owned.

Jared Goff is a baller! I wrote him up last week and he went over 300 yards passing again for the fourth straight game but only had one passing TD as Gurley scored three times on the ground. He did throw two picks for the first time this year but attempted 30 or more passes again for the fifth straight time. Denver’s defense is no match for Goff and the potent Rams offense and with most people focusing on Gurley and the run game, I’ll definitely be pairing Goff up with whichever healthy receivers he has left in some lineups. With the Rams having the second highest team total on the slate, all we would need is Goff to rack up 3-4 passing TDs and Gurley to get only one to gain some serious leverage on the field.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big Russell Wilson fan, but it’s hard to ignore him in a plus matchup against a poor Oakland secondary. Wilson is always a risky play but has the upside to throw for 300+ and 3 TDs and possibly even run one in on the ground. His pass attempts are down this season with Seattle focusing on running the ball, however, I think this London game against the Raiders could shoot out, which could force Wilson into a pass-heavy game script that put him in position to go off.

GREEN BAY, WI – SEPTEMBER 24: Marwin Evans #25 of the Green Bay Packers grabs the face mask of Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals trying to make a tackle during the first quarter of their game at Lambeau Field on September 24, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

NFL DFS: Week 6 GPP Pivots

Running Back:

Chalk: Todd Gurley, TJ Yeldon

Pivots: Joe Mixon, Ronald Jones

I’m going to keep this simple. Gurley and Yeldon are cash locks for me, and I may even run Mixon in my flex spot as my third RB in cash, but I think he could end up the lowest owned of these three every-down backs. Mixon wasn’t eased back into action at all last, as he had 26 total touches for 115 yards and a receiving TD. The Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game is going to have some fantasy goodness with a second highest Vegas total on the main slate. Mixon is my favorite Bengal to smash into my lineups this week and I think the Bengals will have him heavily involved in their game plan both on the ground and in the passing game in a big game with division-rival Pittsburgh.

Ronald Jones is a deep GPP flyer considering he didn’t see the field in his first three games and only had 10 touches in his first NFL game last week as the Bucs got blown out by the Bears. This is all speculation, but the Bucs could look to get him some more carries and catches this week against the Falcons. In a game that everyone will target the passing games, you could be contrarian by rostering a relatively unknown player that’s extremely talented in the absolute best possible spot for receiving running backs.

Wide Receiver:

Chalk: Julio Jones, Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins

Pivots: Adam Thielen, Quincy Enunwa, JuJu Smith-Schuster

With all the buzz that the Atlanta-Tampa game is getting, we should expect Julio and Evans to be highly owned as the primary targets on their respective teams. Nuk Hopkins is also likely to be fairly popular as he continues to be very productive for the Texans and leaned upon heavily by his quarterback DeShaun Watson.

Adam Thielen was in this article last week and continues to be a fantasy force much to the disbelief of many. He’s tied for the most targets in the NFL at 66 through his first five games (with Antonio Brown) and 100+ yards in every game. Both he and teammate Stefon Diggs move around a lot in the Vikings formations so I don’t think either of them will get a full game of Patrick Peterson coverage. I love the idea of getting Thielen at low ownership and hope he has a massive game while some of the other more popular plays come up short.

Quincy Enunwa was shutout last week with no catches on only 5 targets. However, before that, he had 8+ targets in each of his first four games and has been rookie Sam Darnold‘s most reliable receiver this season. Recency bias should keep his ownership way down and his price is really cheap across the industry. The Colts have been bad against WR1 this year and while others chase Robby Anderson‘s big game, I want some shares of Enunwa instead.

JuJu was a hot commodity for a few weeks until Antonio Brown re-emerged as the Steelers #1 receiver. Between weeks 1-4, JuJu had a whopping 49 targets before only being targeted 4 times last week. He did, however, turn one of those targets into a touchdown. The Steelers are attempting 43 passes per game, which means there’s plenty of opportunity for JuJu and Antonio Brown both to have big games this week in a potential shootout. I’ll be loading up on shares of the Steelers slot receiver in the hopes that recency bias keeps his ownership down and saving a bunch of cap room from spending up on AB.

BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 30: The Washington Redskins offense lines up against the Baltimore Ravens defense during a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

NFL DFS: Week 6 GPP Pivots

Tight End:

Chalk: Eric Ebron (if healthy), Cameron Brate

Pivot: C.J. Uzomah

If Ebron goes on Sunday, I think he’ll be a fine option for cash games. He’s been targeted a ridiculous 36 times in his last three games and with T.Y. Hilton already ruled out, he’d likely be due for another double-digit dose of targets on Sunday against the Jets. Cameron Brate was the early week chalk, but now with OJ Howard looking like he will play, he could be “bad chalk” as those two are stuck in a timeshare.

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Uzomah is clearly a GPP-only target based on the lack of volume he’s been getting (only 2 targets a game over his first 5 games). However, he’s in a prime matchup against a Steelers defense that has been victimized by opposing tight ends (Hooper 9-77, Brate/Howard 9-106, Williams 5-51) over the last three weeks. While Uzomah hasn’t been targeted much, he has caught all but one of his 10 targets and has a touchdown this season. While the Steelers focus on shutting down A.J. Green, I expect Andy Dalton to feed Tyler Boyd and Uzomah over the middle and the aforementioned Joe Mixon in the flats.

Defense:

Chalk: Chicago Bears

Pivot: Baltimore/Tennessee

The Bears defense hasn’t let us down yet but will have their hands full as they travel to Miami to face a solid Dolphins team. If you’re looking to pay down a little bit, I don’t mind either defense from the Baltimore-Tennesee game which has the second lowest Vegas total on the slate. Tennessee has at least one takeaway in every game this season and has held their opponents to 23 points or less. Other than a week 2 letdown against the Bengals in which they gave up 34 points, Baltimore’s defense has been stingy giving up only 10.8 points per game in their other four games. I’ll have some exposure to both defenses in what I think will be an ugly slugfest on Sunday.

dark. Next. Week 6 Fantasy Football Player Rankings

Thanks for reading everyone! Remember, hit me up on twitter @ThunderdanDFS if you have questions. Good luck in your contests!