This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 6 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT and features 11 games. The Lions, Raiders, Texans and Titans will all be on bye, notably taking a few exploitable defenses out of the mix. Additionally, the Thursday Night Football (Commanders-Bears), Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Eagles) and Monday Night Football (Broncos-Chargers) matchups will be excluded from the Sunday main slate. Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 6, but the biggest is the Sunday Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000 to the top 2,700 finishers, including $50,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 14,700 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $300k Sunday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested plays for Week 6 include a star quarterback stacked with his playmaking wideout, a tight end facing a defense that's struggled to defend the position and a star running back who can be had at a surprisingly affordable salary.
QUARTERBACK
Josh Allen, BUF at KC ($41): Allen's the only player averaging over 30 fantasy points per game, and he should be worth paying up for against a Kansas City defense that's tied with Tennessee for the most passing touchdowns allowed (12). In addition to throwing for at least 400 yards twice and posting a 14:4 TD:INT with his arm, Allen has also rushed for more than 40 yards in all but one game while adding two touchdowns with his legs. He threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 68 yards in last year's 42-36 overtime playoff loss to Kansas City, and Allen's likely to post a similar performance in the game with this slate's highest over/under (54 points).
Honorable Mentions:
Kyler Murray, ARI at SEA ($36); Tom Brady, TB at PIT ($28); Geno Smith, SEA vs. ARI ($28)
Against the Grainers:
Patrick Mahomes, KC vs. BUF ($34); Matthew Stafford, LAR vs. CAR ($25); Teddy Bridgewater, MIA vs. MIN ($23)
RUNNING BACK
Dalvin Cook, MIN at MIA ($22): Cook's a bargain. Minnesota's workhorse running back has rushed for at least 90 yards three times through five games while compiling at least 17 carries in all but one and finding the end zone three times. It's not immediately clear why his valuation has dropped $6 from its previous lowest point, but don't question it and take advantage of that development against a Dolphins team that allowed five rushing touchdowns to the Jets last week, including three to running backs. Cook's off to an underwhelming start as a pass catcher in 2022, but this matchup also offers a nice opportunity to get on track in that department, as Miami's 280 receiving yards allowed to running backs are second most in the NFL.
Breece Hall, NYJ at GB ($19): Hall was the first running back selected in the 2022 NFL Draft at 36th overall, and he's getting more and more comfortable with each game. He has scored at least 12.2 fantasy points in each of the past four games and finds himself in good company alongside Austin Ekeler as the only players in the league with over 200 yards apiece rushing and receiving. Hall was actually unlucky not to score more than the 26.7 fantasy points he racked up against Miami last week, as he was twice stopped at the 1-yard line on long catches, only to have Michael Carter punch it in on the next play. Those were Carter's first two touchdowns of the season, so Hall should return to being the Jets' goal-line back of choice heading into a matchup with a Packers defense that's allowing over five yards per carry to running backs (562 yards on 110 attempts).
Honorable Mentions:
Leonard Fournette, TB at PIT ($24); Jeff Wilson, SF at ATL ($19); Kenneth Walker, SEA vs. ARI ($18)
Against the Grainers:
Christian McCaffrey, CAR at LAR ($31); Eno Benjamin, ARI at SEA ($15); Cam Akers, LAR vs. CAR ($15)
WIDE RECEIVER
Gabe Davis, BUF at KC ($24): Davis put to rest any doubts about the health of his ankle last week, burning the Steelers for 172 yards and two touchdowns. In last year's playoff win over Buffalo, Kansas City made a concerted effort to take away Stefon Diggs and force others to beat them. Davis obliged with a historic 201-yard, four-touchdown performance, but the strategy ultimately worked since Kansas City won the game. If Davis can muster even half of his production from that game, he'll finish among the leading fantasy scorers in Week 6, and his prominent role in Buffalo's Allen-led passing game makes Davis an appealing option in what should be a shootout.
Chris Godwin, TB at PIT ($22): Without T.J. Watt (pectoral/knee) creating pressure, opposing quarterbacks have been able to sit in the pocket and pick apart a vulnerable Steelers secondary, resulting in league-high receiving yardage (1,106) and touchdown (nine) totals for wide receivers against Pittsburgh. With each passing week, Godwin gets further removed from last season's Week 15 ACL tear, and he could be due for a breakout game after totaling 13 catches for 120 yards on 16 targets over the past two weeks. In case you've forgotten what a healthy Godwin's capable of, we're talking about a player who had 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns in 2019, as well as 98 catches for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns last season despite missing the final three games after his knee injury. Buy low now, because that window could be closed by this time next week.
Michael Pittman, IND vs. JAX ($20): Pittman's a bounce-back candidate here as the Colts close out their season series against the AFC South rival Jaguars. He missed the Week 2 matchup due to a quadriceps injury but piled up 17 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets in his first two games played this season, picking up right where he left off after his 1,082-yard breakout sophomore season. Pittman has cooled down with just eight catches for 90 yards on 14 targets in his last two games, but he's too talented to be held down much longer, especially with rookie Alec Pierce emerging as another threat to draw the defense's attention.
Honorable Mentions:
Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. CAR ($39); Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. ARI ($21); Jakobi Meyers, NE at CLE ($16)
Against the Grainers:
Tyreek Hill, MIA vs. MIN ($29); George Pickens, PIT vs. TB ($16); JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC vs. BUF ($14)
TIGHT END
Zach Ertz, ARI at SEA ($22): Seattle's technically allowing the most fantasy points in the league to tight ends after giving up three rushing touchdowns and a passing TD to Saints "tight end" Taysom Hill, but the Seahawks have struggled against actual tight ends as well. Hill's passing score was caught by Adam Trautman, and the week before that, T.J. Hockenson gashed Seattle for one of the season's most impressive stat lines at any position with eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Ertz should have no trouble adding to this defense's woes as he's a consistent part of Arizona's passing attack, having caught at least six passes in each of the past four games and drawing double-digit targets in three of those.
Honorable Mentions:
George Kittle, SF at ATL ($20); David Njoku, CLE vs. NE ($17); Cade Otton, TB at PIT ($10)
Against the Grainers:
Travis Kelce, KC vs. BUF ($27); Kyle Pitts, ATL vs. SF ($13); Noah Fant, SEA vs. ARI ($11)
DEFENSE
Los Angeles Rams, LAR vs. CAR ($13): The Panthers will be motivated to turn things around after firing coach Matt Rhule, but it's hard to see Carolina finding much success on offense given the team's poor quarterback play and lack of weapons. Baker Mayfield's averaging less than 200 passing yards per game, and his 4:4 TD:INT has been accompanied by six fumbles, but he's been lucky enough to lose only one of them thus far. He's dealing with a high-ankle sprain, so a Panthers offense that's already averaging a league-low 271.4 scrimmage yards per game will have to choose between a hobbled Mayfield and backup quarterback P.J. Walker, who has a dreadful 2:8 TD:INT in his career. This is a get-right game at home for the 2-3 Rams, and a Los Angeles defense that's notched multiple sacks in all but one game this season should easily outperform its modest valuation.
Honorable Mentions:
San Francisco 49ers, SF at ATL ($20); Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TB at PIT ($19); Indianapolis Colts, IND vs. JAX ($13)
Against the Grainers:
Baltimore Ravens, BAL at NYG ($17); New Orleans Saints, NO vs. CIN ($12); New England Patriots, NE at CLE ($11)
