Going into Week 6 of the daily fantasy football season, one thing remains true above all else—owners cannot afford to ignore the must-start players.
These players come in two forms. One is the surefire stars, such as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who posted 25.3 points this past weekend. The other is sleepers, best represented by Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin, who posted 39.8 points.
Without any time to rest ahead of another Thursday slate, let’s take a look at the must-start players at each position for Week 6.
Quarterback
Pony up for the stars under center this weekend, folks.
Brady’s sure to be at it again versus the Indianapolis Colts, owners of a defense that has allowed eight touchdowns to quarterbacks already, including more than 300 yards and pair of scores to Houston Texans backup Brian Hoyer last week.
Also sure to get that sweet 300-yard bonus? Try Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in what should be a shootout at home against the San Diego Chargers. He’s scored at least 16.26 points in every game, which isn’t a terrible floor at the price. San Diego allowed seven scores to quarterbacks over its first four games.
For a must-start sleeper, scroll all the way down and find one Teddy Bridgewater. The Minnesota Vikings were on bye last week, but don’t forget this is the cheapest price on Bridgewater all year despite his standing strong and posting 16.06 points in Week 4 against an elite Denver defense.
Bridgewater gets Kansas City, one of the worst teams against quarterbacks. The Chiefs have already allowed 13 passing scores to quarterbacks and are on the road.
A littler farther down on the list is Ryan Fitzpatrick of the New York Jets. This is also the cheapest he’s been despite scoring at least 14.06 points in four games. He gets Washington, which has let up seven scores to quarterbacks in five games.
Running Back
Outside of an encounter with the Seattle Seahawks while his starting quarterback watched from the sidelines, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte is as reliable as it gets.
He’s scored 21 or more points twice already this season, a threshold it’s hard to imagine he won’t reach against the winless, lost Detroit Lions. Considering Detroit has allowed seven touchdowns to backs already, the versatile Forte will get his.
No need to panic over Arian Foster, either. The Houston Texans star looked sluggish last week on his way to 20.8 points but figures to be in full form for an encounter with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which at face value doesn’t need a whole lot of explaining.
Speaking of the Jaguars, though, rookie T.J. Yeldon on the other side of the field is worth an investment. He’s one of the league’s only every-down backs. He’s scored at least 15.9 points over his last two games. Houston just gave up 15.8 to the struggling Frank Gore.
A Ryan Mathews gamble might pay off, too. Sharing a load with DeMarco Murray, Mathews now has 18.6 and 22.8 points in two of his last three games. It’s going to be hard for the coaching staff to ignore his productivity, especially going against a New York Giants defense that has struggled when opponents actually commit to the run.
Wide Receiver
Always pay up for a target hog like DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins is going to produce regardless of matchup because so much of the Houston attack runs through him. He’s scored 27.1 or more points in four of five games this year, two of those outings going for more than 30. Jacksonville doesn’t have the athleticism to match and has to worry about Foster.
Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green isn’t the target monster he used to be, but when he’s a big part of the game plan, he tends to explode, like he did in Week 3 for 47.7 points.
Green gets a laughable Buffalo secondary next, a unit that has allowed seven touchdowns to wideouts already.
It’s hard to ignore John Brown in the desert, who continues to act as one of the league’s premier deep threats. He has three double-digit outings in five games and now gets the Pittsburgh defense in what should be a shootout.
And while the threat of chasing last week’s production with Marquess Wilson is quite real, injuries to Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal remain impossible to project. Owners shouldn’t ignore Wilson, who seized his moment last week by going for 20.5 points, his second consecutive trip to double digits.
It’s hard to complain about a matchup with the lowly Lions, especially if one or both of the names in front of Wilson on the depth chart miss time again.
Tight End
Always pay for Rob Gronkowski. The end. (But seriously, his 10.7 points last week aren’t anything to worry about. And Indianapolis cannot defend much of anything this year).
Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers would be the other name to pay up for this weekend. He’s got two trips to double digits in four appearances and remains the top target in the passing game heading into a clash with the Seahawks, who just gave up 29 points to Tyler Eifert.
Julius Thomas in Jacksonville might be the sneakiest play at any position. DraftKings.com’s Adam Levitan provided some interesting numbers from Thomas’ surprise start:
This will lead to great production for Thomas soon.
Also of note is Miami’s Jordan Cameron. He hasn’t done much as of late, but out of a bye with a new coach, the Dolphins could use a new approach. Also coming out of a bye is Cameron’s opponent, Tennessee. The defense has allowed two total scores and at least five catches in two games to tight ends.
D/ST
There’s rarely a reason to go away from the priciest options at D/ST, which applies here.
Denver has scored at least 10 points in each game, with seven picks and 22 sacks. It gets to next terrorize Josh McCown and the Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals aren’t far behind, with at least 14 points in three games, highlighted by 11 picks and eight sacks, with the next opponent a Michael Vick-led Steelers offense.
To save a few bucks, consider the Patriots. The unit has 16 sacks and six picks in four games and next faces Andrew Luck, who has been hurt and already thrown seven picks.
Further savings seems available with the Vikings, owners of at least six points in each of four games this year, including eight sacks and four picks. The unit welcomes a Jamaal Charles-less Kansas City team to town in Week 6.
Enter the DraftKings $1.5M Play-Action Contest this weekend. Use Promo Code Nerdy Football when you sign up.
Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise specified.
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