This season marks year four of our SimLabs tool being available to the public. It’s a powerful feature that allows casual players to build competitive lineups effortlessly — or serious players to leverage their convictions more effectively. We’ve also added the feature of being able to export lineups from SimLabs directly to our models for easy tweaking of lineups.
I broke down some general uses of the tool from an evergreen perspective last season. Moving forward, we’ll be checking out some suggested starting points for building lineups.
The process is simple: from the SimLabs home screen, first select the field size and desired range of outcomes for your lineups. The field size depends on the contest type, while the “results range” allows you to customize how unique you want your lineups to be.
Then, find the box titled “include players” and type your preferred options — then sit back and let the sims do their thing. You can generate as many or as few lineups as you want, then upload directly to DraftKings to be entered into contests.
For more on what SimLabs is and how it works, check out our user guide.
Let’s check out some potential starting points in Week 6.
Caleb Williams + Drake London + Bijan Robinson (or Robinson + Atlanta Defense if Williams is out)
Of the three games on the slate with a 50+ point total, the one with the closest spread is Bears-Falcons. In theory, that gives it the highest shootout potential, as neither team will be in a position to run out the clock. The good news/bad news situation is Caleb Williams’ injury status. It looks like he could be a true game-time decision, which makes it hard to build around him but should also keep ownership down.
Assuming Williams goes, he’s a perfect example of an injured player we want to be early on rather than late, especially with this elite game environment. The Bears have enough weapons on offense and a wide enough target distribution that I don’t want to pick who to pair him with, and I’m also OK with “naked” Caleb if he spreads the ball around and/or scores with his legs.
Conversely, the bulk of the Falcons’ offense comes down to Drake London and Bijan Robinson, so getting both of them together makes for an ideal complement to Williams. Those three players should have a hand in the vast majority of the game’s production, with SimLabs picking other pieces as needed.
If Williams misses, I like pairing the Falcons defense with Robinson for somewhat obvious reasons.
Josh Allen + Kyren Williams
Normally in this column, I’m looking for pieces from the same game, but this week I’m trying something different with a chunk of my rosters. The logic here is fairly straightforward: Josh Allen is the favorite to lead all QBs in scoring, with the next-best option being Matthew Stafford. What would a game where Stafford disappoints look like?
There are two ways Stafford could be a letdown: the Rams’ offense fails entirely – not likely against the Cardinals – or most of their touchdowns come on the ground. That’s where Kyren comes in. If he scores early, the Rams can take their foot off the gas, which means even more work for their running back(s). That scenario also probably boosts Cardinals pass catchers against the Rams, but SimLabs can pick from the available options there.
On the Allen side, his game against the Raiders projects to be more competitive (4.5-point spread), which means a good chance of “Hero Ball” from the former MVP. That also means somebody on the Raiders is having a solid game. The obvious answer is Brock Bowers, but I want some Ashton Jeanty exposure as well in a quietly good rushing matchup. Consider boosting Jeanty if you agree with me on that take, as the Sims don’t give you much of him on their own.
Cam Skattebo + Chris Olave
I made the case for Skattebo as a sneaky good play this week, both in my main slate breakdown and in my line play matchup article. Much of it comes down to the matchup with the Saints. New Orleans ranks dead last in DVOA against the run, and the spread is close enough that the Giants should be able to play run-heavy football and hide Jameis Winston. Skattebo has at least 18 carries in all three Giants’ wins, all of which came against (by definition) better run defenses than the Saints.
By bringing it back with Olave, we’re looking to profit from a game script where the Giants get the lead and the Saints are playing catch-up. I’ll leave it up to the Sims to decide if the best way to do so is by including Winston – think a scenario where the Giants throw their way to a lead – or Saints QB Tyler Shough, who could see an uptick in volume if the Saints fall behind.
Obviously, we’ll get some of both, plus potentially other pieces from the contest or even the Giants defense. Either way, I want to be well ahead of the field on this game.
Pictured: Cam Skattebo
Photo Credit: Imagn
