The DraftKings main slate for Week 6 is almost here. A few high-scoring teams are on a bye. And a couple more are in primetime games. So the slate is very different, missing teams like the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, who are on bye. The Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers are in primetime games. And that means DraftKings users will have to get creative in Week 6. We will start with a quarterback who hasn’t scored many DraftKings points this game but is in line for a big game.
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Week 6 DraftKings Main Slate Picks
Quarterback
Favorite Play: Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons ($5,000)
Penix Jr. has been playing incredible football lately. But it hasn’t translated into DraftKings points, largely because 75% of their touchdowns have been rushing touchdowns. That’s what happens when you have Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson in the backfield. Penix Jr. will have the chance to rack up the fantasy points this week, though. The Atlanta Falcons will welcome the Chicago Bears, who just got torched by Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers. Love threw for 367 yards last week in a true air-raid offense.
The Bears’ secondary has had a rollercoaster season. They have held four quarterbacks to under 160 passing yards, but two have thrown for over 350 yards. Wacky weather and an extreme time of possession advantage have defined the Bears’ defense five weeks into the season. However, Penix will test them, as he is eighth in estimated points added per play this season. So, while he isn’t scoring DraftKings points or touchdowns, he’s been extremely valuable for the Falcons. He’ll also be valuable for DraftKings users this weekend at his low salary of $5,000.
Contrarian Play: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers ($5,000)
This play may be my grossest of the season. Justin Herbert has been downright bad. The offense is banged up, and the Chiefs’ defense has been fantastic. Coaching has been suboptimal as well. So, what do we do? We play him at next to no ownership and hope the risk pays off. Look, is it a smart play? Absolutely not. However, Justin Herbert has excelled against this coaching staff in his career. He has thrown for over 300 yards in four of his 11 games against the Chiefs.
Justin Herbert ranks last among qualified quarterbacks in estimated points added per play, 55th out of 55. He is below Cam Ward and Cooper Rush. So this is a bounce-back chance based on history and talent. I wouldn’t be surprised if the offense throws up its sixth straight no-show on Sunday, either.
Running Back
Favorite Play: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots ($6,000)
Stevenson will be one of the most popular DraftKings plays this week. The Patriots are 7.5-point favorites against the New York Jets. The Jets struggle against running backs. The team allows the ninth-most fantasy points to the position. Add that Treyveyon Henderson will likely miss this contest. If Henderson somehow plays, change the favorite play to Ashton Jeanty, who gets a soft matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
As for Stevenson, expect him to touch the ball 20+ times against a Jets defense that allows the seventh-most rushing yards per game. He had a 71% snap share last game, along with 85% in Week 1 when Henderson missed. The Patriots are finally settling in on offense after scoring 45 points against the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Their 25.5 team total is the fifth-highest on the slate. Feel confident starting Stevenson on DraftKings this week.
Contrarian Play: Dameon Pierce, Philadelphia Eagles ($5,100)
Pierce likely gets the start for the Eagles this week. Saquon Barkley did not practice this Thursday. And Will Shipley got injured in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pierce is officially the next man up. The Eagles will also have to rely heavily on him this Sunday. Jalen Hurts is out with a blood clot in his calf, meaning that Tanner McKee will start for the Eagles.
Pierce played every snap at the position after Shipley went down. No other running back saw time in the backfield. The team is only a 3.5-point underdog, but it has the second-lowest team total this week at 17.5 points. Many will avoid Pierce on DraftKings for that reason. However, the Carolina Panthers are the sixth-worst team in estimated points allowed against the run. They have allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns, seven, tied with two other teams. The question is whether they can get the ball downfield for that to matter with mostly a backup offense. That is what makes Pierce a fantastic contrarian play.
Wide Receiver
Favorite Play: Tetarioa McMillan, Carolina Panthers ($7,200)
Now for the other side of the game. McMillan is in an excellent spot, with Jalen Coker returning from injury. This will let McMillan see more time in the slot. That is where the Eagles have been the worst team in fantasy points per game to receivers. The team gives up over 25 fantasy points per game to slot receivers. It showed up last week when Parker Washington had 124 receiving yards and scored twice.
McMillan is coming off a monster game. He scored 48.2 DraftKings points against the Detroit Lions. He’ll need to stay away from Quinyon Mitchell, one of the best receivers this season. If he can improve that 35% slot rate, he could be the Panthers’ key on Sunday.
Contrarian Play: Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans ($5,000)
A down week against the Houston Texans will scare DraftKings users away from Tate. It should not. Tate entered the week with 32 targets, the 11th most in the first four weeks. And even after the game, Tate still accounts for almost 50% of his team’s air yards (48.9%). The usage is still elite; the only concern is that Cam Ward has struggled mightily to start the year. Tate’s game against the Baltimore Ravens offered a glimpse of his upside. His 25.5 DraftKings points at a salary of $4,800 were good enough to crack the optimal lineup.
The Titans are 7-point underdogs against the Indianapolis Colts this week. They’re also in the middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, ranking 16th. The Colts allow the 11th-most estimated points added through the air. Tate’s breakout was paused for a game, but it looks to get back on track against a weak Colts secondary.
Check out all of our Week 6 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings
Tight End
Favorite Play: Isaiah Likely, New York Giants ($4,800)
In the last two games, Likely has led the position with 25 targets. Pair that with an outing of 32.4 DraftKings points in Week 5. That means we have a new high-end TE1 in the league. Likely’s DraftKings salary is only the sixth-highest at the position. The New Orleans Saints allow the eighth-most fantasy points to the position. Likely has the perfect salary and matchup blend this week. His salary is still under Dalton Kincaid, who has underperformed for several weeks. He will be a popular play, but he is worth the chalk this week.
Contrarian Play: Eli Raridon, New England Patriots ($2,800)
Raridon is quietly earning an increased role in New England. Last week, Raridon caught all five of his targets for 57 yards. He also earned his second straight week with over 55% of the offense’s snaps. At $2,800, his salary lets lineups pay for Bijan Robinson and Kenneth Walker III if DraftKings users choose to. The New York Jets are the third-best team against the position for fantasy points. This play is purely based on role and salary.
Final Thoughts
DraftKings Week 6 is shaping up to potentially be a wild one, with a bunch of prominent teams not on it. That means ownership will be extremely crowded near the top this week. So my advice is to get creative; there are a ton of ways to get different on this slate. Best of luck, everyone, for Week 6 of the DraftKings main slate.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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