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 10 games. The Jets, Falcons, Saints and 49ers are on bye, and four additional games fall outside the main slate this week. The full-week action kicks off Thursday at 8:20 p.m. with Buccaneers-Eagles, and Dolphins-Jaguars is the next game on the schedule from London at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, while Seahawks-Steelers (Sunday night) and Bills-Titans (Monday night) wrap up the larger slate. A pair of prominent backfield injuries have opened up opportunities for replacements to step up, while a clash between the league's two worst scoring defenses should lead to some productive individual performances on both sides. The top Week 6 quarterback options include an elite bargain and a rookie who's starting to heat up.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Davis Mills, HOU at IND ($21): After looking incompetent over his first three appearances, Mills put together by far the best performance of his young career in last week's loss to the Patriots, throwing for 312 yards and three touchdowns. One day later, the Colts surrendered 442 passing yards and four touchdowns to Lamar Jackson. If last week's trends hold for both the Houston passing game and the Indianapolis secondary, Mills will have no trouble outperforming his meager valuation. Another performance similar to last week's would likely bump Mills' salary up at least a few bucks, so this could be the last chance to buy low on the rookie third-round pick.

RB: Devontae Booker, NYG vs. LAR ($12): Booker filled in admirably in last week's loss to Dallas after Saquon Barkley began the Giants' parade of injuries by hurting his ankle. Despite finding the end zone twice on 19 touches in that one, Booker's salary is just $2 above the minimum heading into this visit from a Rams team that ranks in the middle of the pack when it comes to defending running backs. While the injury-riddled Giants offense will likely struggle to move the ball, Booker should still provide excellent value through volume alone.

WR: Davante Adams, GB at CHI ($37): Adams eclipsed 200 yards with a touchdown last week and has seen a whopping 45 targets from Aaron Rodgers over the past three games as the clear-cut go-to guy in the Packers' passing game. Despite possessing a stingy scoring defense (20.0 points per game), the Bears have been more generous than league average to wide receivers, allowing 925 yards and seven touchdowns. Adams doesn't come cheap, but he's capable of carrying your lineup if he plays up to his massive ceiling in this clash of NFC North rivals.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Geno Smith (SEA, $23), Taylor Heinicke (WAS, $28), Sam Darnold (CAR, $30)

RB: Dalvin Cook (MIN, $30), J.D. McKissic (WAS, $16), Sony Michel (LAR, $15)

WR: Kadarius Toney (NYG, $16), Mike Williams (LAC, $26), Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET, $16)

TE: Mo Alie-Cox (IND, $16), David Njoku (CLE, $14)

DST: Carolina Panthers (vs. MIN, $14), Arizona Cardinals (at CLE, $20)

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

QUARTERBACK

Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. LAC ($33): After racking up north of 40 fantasy points in last week's win over the Colts, Jackson's averaging 26.8 fantasy points per game this season. The only quarterbacks averaging more are Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, each of whom cost $40, and you have to go through five more guys on the salary chart before you get to Jackson. The Chargers aren't the easiest of matchups, but Los Angeles isn't exactly an opponent to avoid after allowing 42 points to the Browns last week, and Jackson's dual-threat ability keeps him heavily involved regardless of game script; he's thrown for at least 235 yards and a touchdown in every game while adding at least 58 rushing yards in all but one. It also doesn't hurt that Chargers-Ravens has Sunday's second-highest over/under (52 points), trailing only Kansas City-Washington (55.5).

RUNNING BACK

Darrel Williams, KC at WAS ($17): Williams took on the lead role in Kansas City's backfield after Clyde Edwards-Helaire hurt his knee last week, and he should continue to occupy that enticing position for the duration of CEH's absence, with Jerick McKinnon mixing in occasionally. Andy Reid likes to keep defenses honest with plenty of running plays to begin a game, and he could lean on the ground game even more than usual with top aerial weapons Travis Kelce (neck) and Tyreek Hill (knee) both a bit banged up. Look for Williams to also make an impact in the passing game, as Washington has already allowed a league-high six receiving touchdowns to running backs.

James Robinson, JAX vs. MIA ($29): You'll need to play in a Thursday-Monday slate or a standalone to grab Robinson since he's playing Sunday morning across the pond, but he's a must-have option in those contests. Jacksonville's workhorse running back has found the end zone four times during his three-game touchdown streak while notching at least 19 touches and north of 20 fantasy points in each of those games. He's showing no signs of slowing down and if anything should pick up the pace even more against a Dolphins defense that's tied for the second-most scrimmage yards (850) and third-most touchdowns (eight) allowed to running backs.

WIDE RECEIVER

Ja'Marr Chase, CIN at DET ($24): Chase was the first wide receiver off the board in the 2021 draft, and it certainly looks like the Bengals made the right decision taking him fifth overall. He has five touchdowns through five games and is getting more involved as the season unfolds, having drawn 19 targets in the last two games after being targeted 16 times over his first three. Coming off a 159-yard performance, Chase should prove no match for a Lions defense that's allowing 27.6 points per game.

Chase Claypool, PIT vs. SEA ($18): Claypool returned from a hamstring injury in style last week, posting 130 yards and a touchdown, yet his valuation has dropped by $5 from last week for this visit from a Seahawks secondary that has allowed the second-most yards in the league to wide receivers (1,061). The week before he sat out due to the hamstring issue, Claypool was targeted 15 times, and JuJu Smith-Schuster's season-ending shoulder injury should lead to even more volume for the already often-used Claypool. Just keep in mind that he will only be an option in contests that include Sunday Night Football.

Mecole Hardman, KC at WAS ($13): Even if Hill and Kelce both suit up, there should still be plenty of room for Hardman to operate with Mahomes throwing him the ball against a Washington defense that has allowed the second-most points overall (31.0), as well as the second-most catches (79), fifth-most yards (1,025) and fourth-most touchdowns (seven) to wide receivers. Even though both Hill and Kelce played nearly the entire game before being banged up against the Bills last week, Hardman still finished with nine catches for 76 yards on 12 targets. He'll probably have a few extra plays drawn up for him this week with Hill and Kelce taking it easy during practice.

TIGHT END

Ricky Seals-Jones, WAS vs. KC ($11): With Logan Thomas sidelined by a hamstring injury, Seals-Jones is the top tight end in a Washington offense that likes to utilize the position in the passing game. He saw eight targets in that role last week, pulling in five for 41 yards, and the affordable Seals-Jones should make the most of his volume against the struggling Kansas City defense. In addition to allowing a league-high 32.6 points per game overall, K.C. has allowed the most receiving yards to tight ends (466).

DEFENSE

Los Angeles Rams, LAR at NYG ($13): The Giants opened last week's game without wide receivers Sterling Shepard (hamstring) or Darius Slayton (hamstring), and proceeded to lose Barkley, quarterback Daniel Jones (concussion) and Kenny Golladay (knee). It's possible New York gets some of those guys back, but we're talking about an offense that ranks in the bottom 10 as is at 20.6 points per game. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and company should feast against their injury-riddled opponents.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Patrick Mahomes (KC, $40), Trevor Lawrence (JAX, $23), Aaron Rodgers (GB, $30)

RB: Jonathan Taylor (IND, $23), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $32), Kareem Hunt (CLE, $19)

WR: DeVonta Smith (PHI, $19), Brandin Cooks (HOU, $17), Robert Woods (LAR, $21)

TE: Dalton Schultz (DAL, $15), Mark Andrews (BAL, $21)

DST: Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. SEA, $12), Green Bay Packers (at CHI, $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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