Four weeks have passed in the NFL season, and we're a quarter of the way in. Betting has been a wild and crazy ride, but our best bets have somehow still gone 28-18-2 on the season. Our DFS sleepers and value plays have bene hitting, too, and we're ready to bring you a fresh batch of under-the-radar picks for Week 6.
The No. 1 key to success in daily fantasy is to identify value. You won't win any jackpots if you don't get the most bang for your buck during lineup construction, so you'll want to find a balance between proven weekly studs and high-value sleepers.
For years, this column has shined a light on the under-the-radar gems each week on DraftKings , FanDuel , and now SuperDraft . Anyone can spot the elite DFS stars, but it's the sleepers and value plays that separate lineups from the crowd and start making you some real money.
MORE: Week 6 best bets and top props | Odds, lines for every Week 6 game
By finding solid production at discount DFS prices, we afford ourselves more elite studs at other roster positions. That way, a larger percentage of our lineup is contributing, and we establish lineup variance by separating our entries from the rest of the DFS crowd.
Throughout the season, we will highlight our biggest hits from the previous week to prove the effectiveness of our strategies. Let's take a look at our massive list of successes from last week, with each player's Week 5 salaries as well as their final DraftKings points production.
| POS | PLAYER | GAME | SALARY | POINTS |
| QB | Joe Flacco | Colts at JAX | $5,500 | 30.6 |
| QB | Trevor Lawrence | Jaguars vs. IND | $5,700 | 25.2 |
| QB | Geno Smith | Seahawks vs. NYG | $5,900 | 22.6 |
| RB | D'Andre Swift | Bears vs. CAR | $5,700 | 20.0 |
| RB | Chuba Hubbard | Panthers vs. CHI | $6,100 | 18.5 |
| RB | Javonte Williams | Broncos vs. LV | $5,200 | 16.1 |
| WR | Brian Thomas Jr. | Jaguars vs. IND | $5,900 | 26.2 |
| WR | Terry McLaurin | Commanders vs. CLE | $6,100 | 17.4 |
| WR | Michael Pittman | Colts at JAX | $6,000 | 14.7 |
| DST | Broncos | vs. Raiders | $2,900 | 16.0 |
That's a tidy list of 10 hits averaging 20.7 points while costing just $5,500 each. Just another solid performance from our under-the-radar gems of the week!
Let's carry over our momentum and unveil the Week 6 DFS sleepers and value picks on DraftKings , FanDuel , and SuperDraft . We'll highlight the most affordable high-value options at each position, as well as their listed cost or scoring boost on each DFS site. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the weekend!
Best NFL DFS sleepers for Week 6: Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, Falcons at Panthers (DK: $6,200 | FD: $7,400 | SD: 1.2x)
These prices might not actually qualify as cheap, but they're still values relative to how Kirko has been playing of late. He's coming off a dynamo Thursday night game against the division-rival Bucs, having thrown for 509 yards and four TDs while maintaining a 72.4-percent completion rate and 114.8 QB rating.
Now he gets extra time to strategize his attack against the Panthers, who have surrendered the 6th-most DK points to QBs this season. Caleb Williams, who didn't look like he was ready for the NFL in Weeks 1-4, put up 300-plus yards and two tuddies against them. Cousins to the moon. You like that!? We sure do.
WEEK 6 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers
Joe Flacco, Colts at Titans (DK: $6,000 | FD: $7,200 | SD: 1.25x)
The Flacco magic we saw last season seems alive and well for the Colts, as the veteran threw for a staggering 359 passing yards and three TDs against the Jaguars last weekend. All said, he accumulated over 30.5 DK points on the day.
As a fellow soon-to-be 40-year-old, I'll be riding with Flacco until the wheels fall off. Tennessee looked good its last time out against the Dolphins, but Miami doesn't have a QB, while Flacco might be the best QB in the NFL since last December.
Other QBs whose Week 6 values exceed their price tags (bolded prices indicates volatility):
- Jared Goff, Lions at Cowboys ( DK: $6,400 | FD: $7,700 | SD: 1.15x)
- Derek Carr, Saints vs. Buccaneers (DK: $5,900 | FD: $7,500 | SD: 1.25x)
- Justin Fields, Steelers at Raiders (DK: $5,800 | FD: $7,600 | SD: 1.3x)
WEEK 6 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
Full Waiver Wire list | Top Players to Target | How to spend FAAB
Best NFL DFS sleepers for Week 6: Running back
J.K. Dobbins, Chargers vs. Broncos (DK: $6,200 | FD: $6,700 | SD: 1.3x)
As Sporting News collague and fellow fantasy analyst Vinnie Iyer said in our NFL meeting Tuesday morning, the Broncos have allowed 5.0 rushing yards per carry this season and yet, opposing teams are bailing Denver out by not running the ball consistently.
Don't count on Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers making the same mistake at home this weekend, coming off a bye and ready to rock their ground-and-pound scheme. Dobbins has easily been the most explosive Bolts back, racking up over 130 ground yards in two of LA's four games this season. Dob on 'em this weekend.
MORE: How to play DFS, and which sites/apps to use | Week 6 survivor pool advice
Tony Pollard, Titans vs. Colts (DK: $6,000 | FD: $7,000 | SD: 1.35x)
Pollard has scored between 15.2 and 18.8 DK points in three of Tennessee's four games this season, with the lone exception coming in Week 3 when the Titans got blown out by the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Colts are much more closely aligned with the Titans in terms of overall talent, so Tennessee should be able to establish the run. Coming off a bye and facing a bottom-8 run D, Pollard should eat well on Sunday.
Other strong Week 6 RB values (bold prices indicate volatilty) :
- Najee Harris, Steelers at Raiders (DK: $5,800 | FD: $7,200 | SD: 1.45x)
- Rico Dowdle, Cowboys vs. Lions ( DK: $5,900 | FD: $6,100 | SD: 1.35x)
- Austin Ekeler, Commanders at Ravens (DK: $5,600 | FD: $5,700 | SD: 1.5x)
- SD BONUS: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers vs. Falcons (SD: 1.3x)
- FD BONUS: Tyrone Tracy, Giants vs. Bengals (SNF): (FD: $5,800)
MORE: Learn about the SuperDraft Jackpot
Best NFL DFS sleepers for Week 6: Wide receiver
Terry McLaurin, Commanders at Ravens (DK: $6,400 | FD: $6,800 | SD: 1.2x)
McLaurin might seem priced too high to be considered a value, but that's where you would be wrong. The Ravens are a pass-funnel defense, having allowed the fourth-most DK points to wideouts this season, and TMC is easily Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jayden Daniels' favorite target.
The veteran speedster has racked up 100-plus yards and found the end zone in two of his past three games, and Washington will likely be playing from behind and passing often against reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and the high-flying Baltimore offense.
Rashid Shaheed, Saints vs. Buccaneers (DK: $5,600 | FD: $6,400 | SD: 1.3x)
Shaheed has been making a pretty convincing case that he's the best wide receiver in New Orleans, not just because Chris Olave has been largely underwhelming. Take out Shaheed's one dud game, and you've got game-by-game receiving yardage totals of 73, 96, 83, and 86, the last three of which were in Dallas, Atlanta, and Kansas City. At home against a Bucs defense that just let Kirk Cousins, Drake London, and Darnell Mooney go buckwild, we love Shaheed this week.
Other strong Week 6 DFS values (bold indicates high risk/high reward) :
- Diontae Johnson, Panthers vs. Falcons (DK: $6,100 | FD: $6,900 | FD: 1.25x)
- Darnell Mooney, Falcons at Panthers (DK: $5,300 | FD: $6,500 | SD: 1.35x)
- Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys vs. Lions (DK: $5,000 | FD: $6,100 | SD: 1.35x)
- Jerry Jeudy, Browns at Eagles (DK: $5,000 | FD: $5,700 | SD: 1.35x )
- Michael Wilson, Cardinals at Packers (DK: $4,600 | FD: $5,900 | SD: 1.5x)
Best NFL DFS sleepers for Week 6: Tight end
Tucker Kraft, Packers vs. Cardinals (DK: $4,800 | FD: $6,000 | SD: 1.3x)
Don't look now, but Kraft has emerged as one of Jordan Love's favorite targets in Green Bay. Over the past two weeks, the burly 6-5, 260-pound tight end has hauled in 10-of-14 targets for 141 yards and three TDs.
The Cardinals tend to struggle containing strong pass-catching tight ends, so Kraft is a plus play at home in PPR formats. Throw some Kraft singles into your lineups this weekend and watch in delight as he grills the Cards.
More Week 6 TEs worth a look (bold indicates volatilty) :
- Kyle Pitts, Falcons at Panthers (DK: $4,400 | FD: $5,900 | SD: 1.35x)
- Zach Ertz, Commanders at Ravens (DK: $3,700 | FD: $5,000 | SD: 1.5x)
- Cade Otton, Bucs at Saints (DK: $3,500 | FD: $5,200 | SD: 1.55x)
Best NFL DFS sleepers for Week 6: D/ST
Green Bay Packers vs. Cardinals (DK: $3,100 | FD: $4,500)
The Packers have been very good as a D/ST this season, averaging nearly 12 DK points per game and scoring 41 over the past three weeks. They have a high ceiling, as evidenced by their 21-point DK effort in Tennessee in Week 3, but they also have a high floor as they have yet to score fewer than seven fantasy points in a game. The Cardinals are good, but they're far from great and still make plenty of mistakes.
Other solid D/ST plays for Week 6 :
- Indianapolis Colts at Titans (DK: $3,100 | FD: $4,000)
- Las Vegas Raiders vs. Steelers (DK: $3,000 | FD: $4,000)
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