Yahoo DFS Football: Week 6 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 6 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The Week 6 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT and features 12 games, while the Chiefs-Bills (5:00 p.m. EDT) and Cardinals-Cowboys (8:15 p.m. EDT) games are both scheduled for Monday. After some shifts to the schedule, there's no Thursday night game, and the Chargers, Raiders, Saints and Seahawks will be on bye. Even with some high-powered offenses out of the picture this week, there are still plenty of favorable matchups to exploit and some opportunities that have been created by recent injuries and shifts in playing time. Some of the standout Week 6 options include a pair of previously unproven wide receivers coming off career games, a fill-in running back set to step into a nearly ideal situation and a quarterback and defense that have both benefited from an extra week to prepare for their favorable upcoming matchups.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Matt Ryan, ATL at MIN ($29): It feels like this game will go one of two ways for Ryan, who will be playing under a head coach not named Dan Quinn for the first time since 2014. He'll either continue the poor trend from his last three games (249.7 yards per game, 1:2 TD:INT) or deliver an inspired effort and return to the dominant form he showed in the season's first two contests (361.5 yards per game, 6:1 TD:INT). Considering he's facing a Vikings defense that ranks among the six most generous in both passing yards (271.4) and points (30.4) allowed per game, Ryan's more likely to boom than bust, especially if he gets Julio Jones (hamstring) back.

RB: David Montgomery, CHI at CAR ($21): Montgomery hasn't found much running room recently, totaling 101 rushing yards on 34 carries (3.0 YPC) in the last three games after rushing 29 times for 146 yards (5.0 YPC) over the first two weeks. Still, there are plenty of reasons for optimism regarding Chicago's workhorse back, as he finally scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in last Thursday's win over the Buccaneers and also tallied career highs in targets (eight) and receptions (seven) in that game. With an extra three days to rest thanks to the early nature of last week's game, Montgomery should be fresh to attack a vulnerable Panthers run defense that has allowed no fewer than 117 rushing yards in every game and eight touchdowns on the ground through five weeks. 

WR: Travis Fulgham, PHI vs. BAL ($18): Fulgham has emerged as the top option in Philadelphia's beat-up receiving corps. After making the most of his pedestrian three targets in Week 4 with two catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, Fulgham put his newfound chemistry with quarterback Carson Wentz on full display with 10 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets against the Steelers in Week 5. Even if one of DeSean Jackson (hamstring) or Alshon Jeffery (foot/illness) comes back, Fulgham should remain Wentz's go-to guy against a Ravens defense that just dominated the Bengals but allowed nearly 700 passing yards over the two preceding games.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Kirk Cousins (MIN, $28), Andy Dalton (DAL, $27), Aaron Rodgers (GB, $35)

RB: Myles Gaskin (MIA, $18), Devin Singletary (BUF, $18), Ronald Jones (TB, $20)

WR: Julian Edelman (NE, $20), Marvin Jones (DET, $13), Olamide Zaccheaus (ATL, $13)

TE: T.J. Hockenson (DET, $19), Evan Engram (NYG, $16)

DST: Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. CLE, $16), Carolina Panthers (vs. CHI, $12)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Matthew Stafford, DET at JAX ($31): Jacksonville's beat up in the secondary and has struggled to defend the pass all year -- three of the five quarterbacks the Jaguars have faced have thrown for 300-plus yards, while the other two combined for a 6:0 TD:INT. Stafford has had an extra week to prepare for this matchup coming out of a bye, and Detroit doesn't have much of a running game with which to support its quarterback. Plus, Stafford has improved noticeably after getting top wide receiver Kenny Golladay back from a hamstring injury, posting a 5:1 TD:INT in two games with Golladay after recording a 3:2 mark sans Golladay in the first two weeks.

RUNNING BACK

Alexander Mattison, MIN vs. ATL ($14): With Dalvin Cook (groin) likely to sit out against a Falcons defense that's allowing the second-most points in the league (32.2), it's Mattison's time to shine. Cook's 22-year-old backup has averaged 4.7 yards per carry in his first 18 games and filled in admirably after Cook got hurt in last week's loss to the Seahawks, finishing the game with 20 carries for 112 yards on the ground while catching all three of his targets for another 24 yards. He should handle the bulk of Minnesota's backfield workload against a Falcons team that has allowed opposing lead backs to top 100 scrimmage yards with a touchdown three times through five games while allowing four touchdown receptions to running backs. 

Derrick Henry, TEN vs. HOU ($35): Henry has scored two touchdowns in each of his last two games, and he got a light (for him) workload with just 19 carries in Tuesday's blowout win over the Bills, leaving him fresh for a mouth-watering matchup with a Houston defense that's allowing 160.4 rushing yards per game (second most in the league). While Henry hasn't contributed much in the passing game (six catches for 32 yards on 10 targets), he's averaging 25.3 carries for 94.0 yards per game on the ground, and the workhorse running back is likely to top both those averages if game script holds up as expected for the 4-0 Titans against the 1-4 Texans.

WIDE RECEIVER

Calvin Ridley, ATL at MIN ($30): Regardless of whether you opt to stack him with Ryan, Ridley should be in your lineup against a Vikings defense that has allowed the fourth-most yards (967) to wide receivers and is tied for the most touchdowns allowed to the position with nine. The 2018 first-rounder has made the leap from good to great; outside of a Week 4 goose egg in which he was hampered by a hamstring injury, Ridley has topped 100 receiving yards in each of his other four games, totaling 29 catches for 485 yards and four touchdowns on 45 targets in those contests. While Ridley could lose out on some volume if Julio Jones (hamstring) is able to suit up, he would also benefit from seeing less defensive attention, so Ridley's a strong choice here any way you slice it.

Chase Claypool, PIT vs. CLE ($22): The Steelers seem to have spent their impromptu Week 4 bye working a bigger role for Claypool into the offense, as he exploded for seven catches, 110 yards and three touchdowns on 11 targets, plus a fourth touchdown on the ground, in last week's 38-29 win over the Eagles. The rookie second-rounder out of Notre Dame already has an additional 84-yard touchdown to his name as well, and it's possible Claypool's valuation will only climb from here if last week's performance was a sign of his involvement to come. In Week 6, he'll face a Browns defense that held the Colts without a passing touchdown last week but allowed 12 passing scores in its first four games.

Jamison Crowder, NYJ at MIA ($23): Crowder proved last week that it doesn't matter whether it's Sam Darnold (shoulder) or Joe Flacco throwing him the ball. The slot receiver is by far the top option in the Jets' passing game, and Crowder has eclipsed the 100-yard mark on double-digit targets in all three games he has played this season, totaling 22 catches for 335 yards and three touchdowns on 33 targets. Even with Flacco set to be under center for a second straight game, Crowder's vastly undervalued relative to his expected volume. The Dolphins are likely to pull ahead of a Jets team that has lost every game by double digits, creating plenty of opportunities for Crowder to rack up receptions and try to break a few big plays.

TIGHT END

Travis Kelce, KC at BUF ($30): If you're playing a full-week or Monday contest, Kelce should be worth paying up for against a Bills defense that's playing on a short week and has allowed the most catches (39) and yards (418) to tight ends while also being tied for fifth-most touchdowns allowed to the position with four. Kelce's 46 targets are one shy of Darren Waller's league-leading total among tight ends, and he has turned all that attention from quarterback Patrick Mahomes into 32 catches for 405 yards and three touchdowns. That stat line just goes to show you how bad the Bills have been against the position, as "Tight end facing Buffalo" has outperformed Kelce so far this season. If Sunday-only contests are more your speed, consider locking in another elite tight end option in Mark Andrews ($27) or swinging all the way from the top of the price spectrum to the bottom for Minnesota's Irv Smith ($10). Smith had a mini-breakout last week with four catches for 64 yards and will be facing a Falcons defense that has allowed a league-high seven touchdowns to tight ends while ranking among the five most generous defenses in terms of catches (33) and yards (336) allowed to the position.

DEFENSE

New England Patriots, NE vs. DEN ($22): Much like the Colts were against the Jets in Week 3, the Patriots should be well worth their hefty valuation against the Broncos. Bill Belichick has had an extra week to prepare for this game after it got postponed, while the Broncos have already gifted opponents six interceptions, two fumbles and two safeties in just four games. Denver's expected to get starting quarterback Drew Lock back from a shoulder injury, but Lock didn't exactly look like a world-beater with only 216 passing yards in Week 1, and he scored negative fantasy points before getting injured in Week 2.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Kyler Murray (ARI, $38), Ben Roethlisberger (PIT, $35), Ryan Tannehill (TEN, $28)

RB: Jonathan Taylor (IND, $25), James Robinson (JAX, $26), Mike Davis (CAR, $23)

WR: DeVante Parker (MIA, $19), Allen Robinson (CHI, $27), Adam Thielen (MIN, $26)

TE: Irv Smith (MIN, $10), Mark Andrews (BAL, $27)

DST: Miami Dolphins (vs. NYJ, $18), New York Giants (vs. WAS, $13)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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