Eleven games await fantasy players on Sunday’s main slate on DraftKings in Week 6. In addition to the typical primetime matchups, two teams are on a bye, and two teams meet in London. This is the final of three straight weeks with an early English kickoff before the International Series takes a break until Week 9 when it resumes in Germany
With 22 teams to pick from, there are plenty of options to consider as you build your Week 6 NFL DFS squad. There are seven games in the early window and four games in the later window on Sunday afternoon. Two games are tied for the highest over/under on the board, with the Dolphins-Panthers and the Rams-Cardinals coming in at 48.5 total points. The Dolphins have the highest implied team total on the slate, even though they won’t have rookie standout De’Von Achane.
Let’s take a look at a few players who stand out for Week 6, using the early projections in our NFL Player Models. Of course, these models update frequently.
Things will likely change between now and Sunday, but it’s still good to have a plan of attack.
If there’s news between now and lock — and there will be — the models will update to reflect that.
As always, they’re powered by Sean Koerner — the most accurate fantasy ranker in the industry from 2019-2021.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:
NFL DFS Quarterback Values
Matthew Stafford ($6,100) Los Angeles Rams (-7) vs. Arizona Cardinals (48.5 total)
With injuries piling up and controversies starting to brew, there is plenty of drama this week at quarterback. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same–Matthew Stafford remains the top value play at the position, according to early projections.
Stafford has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in both FantasyLabs’ and Chris Raybon’s projections.
As mentioned above, the 48.5-point total for this game is tied for the highest mark of the 11 games on the main slate, and the Rams have the second-highest Implied Point Total of the week.
Last week, Stafford fell just below his salary-based expectations but threw for 222 yards in his first multi-touchdown performance of the season. He has between 16 and 21 DraftKings points in all but one of his games this season, with five touchdowns in five games.
Volume hasn’t been an issue for Stafford, who is averaging 40.6 pass attempts per game. He has also averaged 290.2 passing yards per game, so the production has typically been there for the veteran QB in coach Sean McVay’s pass-reliant scheme. Last week, he got his favorite target Cooper Kupp back from injury but was still sure to keep Puka Nacua very involved as well.
Stafford also connected on a touchdown toss to Tutu Atwell. The Rams actually dealt Van Jefferson this week since the receiver has suddenly become such a position of strength after the emergence of Nacua. With so many productive options and a system that fits him so well, Stafford should continue to have consistency and a high ceiling for as long as he’s healthy.
This week, Stafford gets a very favorable matchup against the Cardinals, who have allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points to opposing quarterbacks. They have given up an average of 274.4 passing yards per game and eight passing touchdowns in five games. Last week, Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase went off in this matchup, and Stafford seems poised to leverage this same spot to exceed expectations for his salary, which is the eight-highest of the quarterbacks expected to play this week.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Values
Brandon Powell ($3,000) Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) at Chicago Bears (42.5 total)
Often times injury news that breaks after salaries are set can open up crucial DFS value, which seems to be the case this week for Brandon Powell, who is available at the minimum salary but expected to step into a big role this week to help the Vikings compensate for the loss of Justin Jefferson (hamstring) to the IR.
Powell has the highest Projected Plus/Minus and the highest Pts/Sal of all wide receivers in both the FantasyLabs projections and in Raybon’s projections.
Last season, Powell spent the year working with Stafford and the Rams but only managed 24 catches for 156 yards. The converted running back went undrafted out of Florida and has been a journeyman during his NFL career, also making stops in Detroit and Atlanta before landing in Minnesota for this season. He hadn’t been very involved this season until Jefferson left with a hamstring injury on Sunday.
After that, though, Powell emerged as the team’s third receiver behind rookie Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn. He hauled in four of his six targets for 43 yards and added a nine-yard rush. He was targeted in the red zone and made the catch but not for a touchdown. All of that production came in just 22 snaps played.
With a full week to work with Kirk Cousins and the starting unit, Powell should be set for a respectable game at his salary against the Bears. He doesn’t have quite the ceiling of Addison and Osborn, who are also great plays in this matchup, but he does come at such a cheap salary that his value is elite. With a full complement of snaps, he should have no trouble delivering value and has the potential to be a “must-own” free space play this week if he is as heavily involved as he was during his time on the field last week.
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NFL DFS Running Back Values
Raheem Mostert ($6,400) Miami Dolphins (-13.5) vs. Carolina Panthers (48.5 total)
Another player poised to pick up extra work due to injury is Raheem Mostert, who won’t be sharing carries this week with De’Von Achane (knee). The Dolphins are on a historic offensive pace and have the highest implied team total of the week, so Mostert should have a very high ceiling in this great matchup at home against the Panthers.
Mostert has the highest Projected Plus/Minus and the highest Pts/Sal in the FantasyLabs projections and the second-highest Pts/Sal in Raybon’s projections. He is also the only running back on the slate that matches 11 Pro Trends. On top of all that, he has a 98% Bargain Rating, so he’s very comparatively affordable on DraftKings.
Even sharing time with Achane, Mostert has been able to outproduce salary-based expectations in four of his past five games. He broke out with a big Week 2 against the Patriots with 28.7 DraftKings points on 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The next week he went even bigger with four total touchdowns and 45.2 DraftKings points against the Broncos.
After a slower Week 4 against the Bills, he posted a solid 15.8 DraftKings points last week despite playing just 59% of snaps and getting just 10 carries. He still had 65 rushing yards and his eighth touchdown of the year. Mostert has been good value even sharing time, but with getting more of the work, Mostert becomes a great option with an extremely high ceiling.
Another reason to add some extra Mostert to your lineup this week is that he has a tasty matchup against the Panthers. Carolina has given up the second-most DraftKings points per game to running backs this season. They have allowed nine running back touchdowns in their five games, along with an average of 128 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs.
Mostert will probably still be in a little bit of a timeshare since coach Mike McDaniel typically rotates his backs. Chris Brooks and Salvon Ahmed could mix in a little, or Jeff Wilson Jr. (ribs) if he’s ready to be activated from IR this week. However, whoever mixes with Mostert should leave him more of the work than Achane did. Even with just a small boost in usage, Mostert should be ready to smash this matchup for a big week.
NFL DFS Tight End Values
Logan Thomas ($3,500) Washington Commanders (+2.5) vs. at Atlanta Falcons (42.5 total)
Using THE BLITZ projections, Logan Thomas has the second-highest projected Plus/Minus and the highest Pts/Sal at tight end this week. He is in the top three in both of those categories in FantasyLabs’ and Raybon’s projections as well.
Thomas missed Week 3 with an injury after taking a dirty hit in Week 2 against the Broncos. When available, he has exceeded salary-based expectations in each of his four games this season with an average Plus/Minus of 5.4 DraftKings points. Thomas has multiple catches in each game he has played this season and has two catches on four red zone targets, finding the end zone on both of those plays.
Last week on Thursday night against the Bears, Thomas posted his best performance of the season. He hauled in 9-of-11 targets for 77 yards and his second score of the season. He seems to be developing a strong connection with QB Sam Howell and should continue to be one of the top targets in Washington’s passing game.
This week, the Commanders face the Falcons, who have allowed the second-most DraftKings points per game to opposing tight ends so far this season. Atlanta has surrendered an average of 62.6 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends, along with three tight-end touchdowns, which is tied for third-most in the NFL. Thomas is well outside the top 10 tight ends in terms of salary, but he should be a great value since his projections show he should far outproduce his price point.
