Moving onto Week 6 of the 2023 season, and we are going to give you some DraftKings bargain bin plays for the week. These are plays that are on the ultra-value/ GPP contrarian side. So generally avoid these plays in cash game lineups, but in GPPs- especially big fields go for it!
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Baker Mayfield v DET ($5,400)
Fresh off the bye week, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs host a Detroit Lions offense that ranks 4th in the league in Points Per Game (PPG), sitting behind only the Dolphins, 49ers and Bills…pretty impressive stuff from The Motor City men. Despite holding the Saints to only 9 points back in week 4, the Tampa Bay defense will have a much tougher outing against Jared Goff and the seemingly unstoppable David Montgomery, meaning Mayfield and co could find themselves down quick and needing to play catch-up. No team in the NFL is allowing fewer rushing yards to opposing backs than Detroit (72.2 YPG), so expect Baker to need to air it out early and often to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, as well as some short yardage work to pass-catching specialist RB Rachaad White. Mayfield has at least 1 passing TD in every game this year so far, with 3 last time out – he’s a solid start this week at only $5400.
Gardner Minshew @JAX ($5,000)
Back in 2018 Baker Mayfield recreated Brett Favre’s (in)famous jorts draft photo, alluding to where he may be heading with the number 1 pick that year. Flash forward 1 year and some 177 picks to when Gardner Minshew actually was drafted in some tiny denims as he was given the call by the Jags to become Nick Foles backup…what a world. Minshew has once again emerged from the shadows to claim a starting role replacing the injured Anthony Richardson who has been placed on IR. Minshew is a more than capable back-up and will be eased in gently with a very plus match-up against a Jags defense ranked 26th against opposing QBs. Jacksonville gave up 359 yards to Josh Allen in London on Sunday; with a majority of those coming in only 2 quarters – Minshew is no Josh Allen, but at $5000 I’m not needing him to be.
Desmond Ridder v WAS ($5,000)
After seeing Desmond Ridder only attempt 18 passes in Atlanta’s week 1 victory against Carolina, and Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for 35 carries in the Falcons week 2 win against Green Bay, it was a safe assumption that Arthur Smith was sticking to a formula of RUN + RUN + RUN AGAIN = WIN. Yet here we are in week 6 and Ridder is averaging 35 passing attempts per game as the Falcons remain undefeated in their 3 home games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, looking to make it 4 for 4 as they host the Washington Commanders. Things are starting to click with the 2022 3rd rounder and his main pass-catchers, with both Drake London and Kyle Pitts recording season highs in yardage last week in the win over Houston. Washington allowed Justin Field to post QB1 numbers last week with 282 yards and 4 passing TDs; if Ridder can return half of Fields’ total from last week he’ll return excellent value on a $5000 investment.
Emari Demercado @LAR ($4,900)
The ever reliable James Conner has been placed on the IR and will miss at least the next 4 weeks for a Cardinals offense that is proving to be much more combative than many had thought coming into the season. Undrafted rookie Emari Demercado filled in as relief for Conner after the veteran went down in Arizona’s week 5 loss to the Bengals, making the most of his 10 attempts, rushing for 45 yards and a score. The former TCU Bullfrog will most likely split work moving forward with Keaontay Ingram, but the sophomore, who appeared in 12 games last season, is dealing with a neck injury that kept him out of the game versus Cincinnati – so this is likely to be Demercado’s backfield for this week at least.
D’Onta Foreman v MIN ($4,400)
In another case of “next man up”, D’Onta Foreman of the Chicago Bears should also provide starter snaps for your roster on a backup price tag. Khalil Herbert limped off in the 3rd quarter in Chicago’s blowout win over the Commanders in last week’s TNF matchup, and is reported to be dealing with a high ankle sprain. Herbert is yet to practise this week, with all signs pointing to him missing at least this week’s game against the Vikings at Soldier Field. De facto backup Roschon Johnson is still in the League’s concussion protocol and special teamer Travis Homer is tending to a hamstring pull. Foreman has been a healthy scratch since week 1, but the former Panther is only 1 year removed from 914 yard rushing season and should see plenty of opportunities as the Vikings defense focuses on the re-born Justin Fields.
Chuba Hubbard @MIA ($4,300)
There has been a slow changing of the guard in Carolina at the running back position with career backup Chuba Hubbard slowly but steadily eating into the workload of off-season acquisition Miles Sanders. The hype surrounding Sanders and his projected workload has yet to materialise, with the former Eagle failing to bring with him the explosiveness that saw him rush for over 1400 yards last year in Philadelphia. Hubbard has outcarried his fellow back in Carolina’s last 2 games, and with Sanders now tending to a shoulder injury as well as still being impacted by an earlier groin strain, Chuba could be in for a vastly increased workload against the Dolphins. He feels like a free square this week at only $4300.
K.J. Osborn @CHI ($4,400)
*sigh* Cards on the table, I am not a Vikings fan, nor do I have any shares of Justin Jefferson in my season long teams; but there are some players that just make the game exciting and fun to watch, and JJ is one of those guys. Jefferson’s injury (and subsequent placement on the IR) is devastating to the Minnesota passing game, but Kirk Cousins leads the league in passing attempts per game with 41, and even if this comes down slightly in Jefferson’s absence, there’s still plenty to go around. Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has already said K.J. Osborn will play the “Justin Jefferson role”, so expect him to see plenty of looks from Captain Kirk moving forward. Tight End T.J. Hockenson will most likely be the first read for Cousins, but with rookie WR Jordan Addison still limited with an ankle injury, Osborn is set up to improve on his week 5 stat line of 9 targets, 5 receptions and 49 yards…all season highs. He’s worth rolling the dice at only $4400 against the Bears this weekend.
Josh Downs @JAX ($4,100)
The rookie from North Carolina has wasted no time in establishing himself at the No.2 option in the Indianapolis passing game, sitting behind only Michael Pittman on the team in targets, receptions and yards on the season. Unfortunately for the Colts, starting quarterback Anthony Richardson will miss at least 4 games after being placed on the IR; perhaps fortunately for Josh Downs, by far his most targets in any game this season came from Ricahrdson’s backup – Gardner Minshew, who will be throwing him the ball for the foreseeable future. Minshew targeted Downs 12 times back in week 3 and was once again in-sync with his favourite target in last week’s victory over Tennessee after Richardson exited the game. Expect plenty of targets for Downs as long as Minshew Mania is running wild in Indiana.
Robert Woods v NO ($3,800)
Sticking in the AFC South, it wouldn’t be a bargains column without some mention of the Houston Texans. C.J. Stroud and company welcome the New Orleans Saints and their formidable defensive unit to the NRG Stadium this week, with the bookies giving the Texans an implied team total of 20 points. If the home team has any chance of meeting that mark, it will need to be done through the air; the Saints have only given up 1 rushing TD all season…and that was to a QB. Woods may be in the shadows of Nico Collins and rookie Tank Dell so far this year, but week 5 saw him record more targets than the pair combined with 9. The veteran is a risky play, but he’s shaken off a rib injury and is back at practise as of Thursday.
Trenton Irwin v SEA ($3,300)
Tee Higgins sat out the Bengals week 5 victory over the Cardinals, which in some way explains the hyper-targeting of Ja’Marr Chase as Joe Burrow looked to his number one guy a staggering 19 times! Higgins’ absence also paved the way for Trenton Irwin to see an increased role in the passing game, with the undrafted 5th year wideout from Stanford seeing 10 targets to Tyler Boyd’s 7. Higgins is nearing recovery from the fractured rib that caused him to miss time, but is still limited in practice and yet to be cleared to play at time of writing. Even if Higgins were to play, the team may ease him back in and manage his workload, leaving the door open for Irwin to continue to be relevant for fantasy teams. He’s a huge dart thrown, but in a PPR format 10 targets from a QB as elite as Joey B is hard to ignore.
Zach Ertz @LAR ($3,600)
The veteran Tight End continues to be one of Josh Dobbs’ favourite targets, with Ertz sitting behind only a resurgent Marquise Brown in team targets and receptions. After a somewhat disappointing output last week against the Bengals, Ertz will be looking to get back on track as he gets to face a Rams defense that was obliterated by Dallas Goedert for 117 yards and a score in their own backyard last time out. Outside of the aforementioned Goedert, there are very few options at TE this week under $5k that have the same upside as Ertz – plug him in, save that $1500 and spend up elsewhere.
Logan Thomas @ATL ($3,500)
There’s clearly something about 32-year old tight ends I can’t get enough of this week. After Thomas suffered an ACL tear back in 2021, there were fears that his career was over but in the Commanders week 5 outing against the Bears he looked back to his best, hauling in 9 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown from Sam Howell. Washington are starting to find their rhythm in the passing game, and with the Commanders inexplicably failing to make use of Jahan Dotson, Thomas remains in contention to see plenty more work coming his way from sophomore QB Howell. Nobody has been more generous to fantasy TEs than the Falcons making Thomas an excellent cheap option this week for your lineups.
New England Patriots @LV ($2,600)
Pinch your noses, we’re wading through the muck with this one. The Pats are fresh off back to back defeats of 38-3 and 34-0, the worst 2 games of Bill Belichick’s time as their Head Coach, and now they get to face Jimmy Handsome…the man they drafted to replace Tom Brady before trading him away to the 49ers. The narrative spells a 3rd heavy defeat for New England, but this unit is a lot more solid than their previous 2 outings suggests. The Raiders are ranked 29th in the league in points scored per game, making this a good opportunity for New England to slow the rot. It’s not a confidence play, but at only $2600 rostering the Pats DST frees up some salary to invest elsewhere.
Chicago Bears v MIN ($2,500)
This pick is based less on the strength of the Bears DST and more on the Vikings taking the field for the first time since the loss of Justin Jefferson. Despite Chicago ranking in the bottom 3 against rushers, Minnesota have yet to truly establish the run game with the duo of Alexander Mattison and recently acquired Cam Akers, so the matchup may not be as attractive as it appears on paper. Justin Fields looks to have returned to the form of last season so we may see Chicago pull away quickly at home in this one while the Vikings figure out how to exist without their superstar WR on the field. If the Bears can neutralise the run and force Cousins into some high-risk throws, they may produce good value at their price tag of $2500.
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Image Credit: Steven Bisig – USA TODAY Sports
