Whether you’ve played Daily Fantasy on Yahoo before or are trying it for the first time, this weekly column will take an early look at the DFS landscape and reveal who I like to build lineups for, stars to fade. , underrated plays and bargain bin options to help you build a better team.
Lineup Building BlocksJosh Allen ($41) @ Kansas City Chiefs
The top quarterbacks were the most consistent DFS building blocks to open the season, and this week, two of them go head-to-head in a matchup with easily the highest total on the slate (54.0 points). Allen was Fantasy’s top scoring QB last week, if you count his first half, and Buffalo won’t hold back after halftime against a Chiefs team that knocked them out of the playoffs. There is a real chance there will be no punters in this game, and KC has awarded the seventh most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Allen somehow averages more hasty yards and gains 1.5 more yards per pass than last season, and you just blur him in this DFS matchup to be contrarian in tournaments.
Rhamondre Stevenson ($26) @ Cleveland Browns
Stevenson led all backs in an instant last week when he fielded all 27 RB opportunities after Damien Harris left with a hamstring injury. Other RBs will contribute in Week 6, but Stevenson will be seen again with Harris regardless of who starts as New England quarterback. The Patriots get a Browns run defense that allows 5.3 YPC, the most EPA/rush (0.17) by a wide margin, and the third most imaginative runs to running backs. Cleveland also has the fourth average of most combined points in their games this season, and Stevenson is a rising star.
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Marquise Brown ($24) @ Seattle Seahawks
Brown has seen double-digit goals in four straight games, averaging 12.3 on the NFL over that period (tackling Cooper Kupp). He should be up and running again on Sunday with DeAndre Hopkins serving out the last game of his suspension and facing a Seahawks defense who have by far an NFL-high 8.6 YPA and the second most EPA/pass (0, 25) allows. This game has the second highest total of the week with 51.0 points – the next highest is five points lower. Seahawks matchups are essentially equal for the second most combined points scored in 2022.
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Brown’s salary this week remains lower than Jaylen Waddle’s, who has seen more than six targets in just one game this season and is likely to have Skylar Thompson as his QB this week. Expect another big fantasy performance from Brown before Hopkins returns.
Arizona Cardinals receiver Marquise Brown has been a target for fantasy players this season. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Star to Fade James Robinson ($22) @ Indianapolis Colts
Travis Etienne has taken over the Jacksonville backfield for the past two games and this week the Jaguars face a pass-funnel Colts defense that is number 2 in DVOA against the run. Running backs averaged 24.0 carries for just 79.2 yards (3.3 YPC) over five games against Indianapolis, including a 23 for 64 performance against Robinson earlier this season. On the wrong side of an uneven timeshare, struggling during his return from the Achilles operation and on a team with one of this week’s lowest implied totals, Robinson looks like a bad DFS player with a salary sandwiched between Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook.
Undervalued OptionsGeno Smith ($28) vs. Arizona Cardinals
It’s shocking that Smith has been the number 6 fantasy QB to open the year, but it wasn’t strange either. Seattle is pitching at a faster pace than they did with Russell Wilson, and the Seahawks’ schedule hasn’t been easy against the Broncos, 49ers and Saints. Smith has been incredibly accurate on deep passes, taking advantage of two great receivers (DK Metcalf looks much healthier than last season) and leads the NFL in CPOE. The Seahawks are remarkably number one on offense in DVOA.
Sunday looks like a good matchup as Seattle gets the second most yards per game while allowing the most. The Seahawks face an Arizona defense with a pass-funnel that ranks among the frontrunners in the EPA/rush but is at the bottom of the NFL in the EPA/pass (Seattle also just lost its lead for the season). Smith has become a fantasy starter and looks particularly attractive in DFS this week.
Breece Hall ($19) @ Green Bay Packers
Hall was No. 4 last week and he still doesn’t have a top-15 RB salary. The rookie had the most snaps within the five-yard line of all RBs last week as Michael Carter’s snap% continues to drop every game. Hall is remarkably in the top three of all running backs this season in terms of goals, yards received, yards per router run, breakaway run rate, tackles/attempts missed, and yards per touch. The Jets have been going hard with Zach Wilson and are getting a Packers beef defense that ranks 30th in DVOA this week.
Jeff Wilson Jr. ($19) @ Atlanta Falcons
Wilson scores top-five in rush yards beyond expectations, sandwiched between Saquon Barkley and Nick Chubb. He lost some playing time to Tevin Coleman last week, but that mostly got out of hand, and he’s played an average of 17.8 over the last four games. The extremely run-heavy 49ers are favored against an Atlanta defense that allows the second-most EPA/rush this season, leaving Wilson undervalued in DFS.
[Week 6 Fantasy Rankings: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | FLEX | DST | Kickers]
Bargain BinMarquez Valdes-Scantling ($11) vs. Buffalo Bills
Valdes-Scantling led Kansas City in routes and goals last week, JuJu Smith-Schuster looks completely washed and Mecole Hardman struggles with a heel injury. MVS is nearing the DFS minimum despite hitting Patrick Mahomes’ charities in this week’s highest over/under matchup by a wide margin.
Cade Otton ($10) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Cameron Brate could return against the Steelers, but Otton could have passed him on the Tampa Bay depth map anyway. Otton ran the most routes of all the tight ends last week, with more than a third coming out of the coveted slot. Otton also led Tampa Bay in goals, with Chris Godwin sitting out much of the second half with a worrying sign that he is not quite healthy. Especially at the weak tight end position, Otton is an obvious option on the DFS minimum.
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