Hello again, I’m back after a week long hiatus. Some of you may have seen that I recently won a HPT main event a few weeks ago. To celebrate the win, I fulfilled a promise and took my fiancé and our three year old son to Disneyland last week. Mickey and his friends were great hosts, but between the Southern California heat wave and my son’s relentless energy, I had nothing left in the tank to even think about DFS last week (let alone write about it). I’m back now and ready to attack week 6 of the NFL season, as things are really starting to heat up.

Denver at Cleveland (Broncos -4, 42.5)
This game is one of several lack luster matchups on paper that week 6 has to offer. Denver’s defense ($3700) has been so stifling that I would avoid Cleveland’s offense entirely. I’m sure most people will be thinking the same, so if you’re looking for a good contrarian stack, the Browns do have that going for them. On the other side, Peyton Manning is cheap this week at only $6600, and the Cleveland D is pretty awful. Manning has not been good overall this year, but has shown he can still put up a good stat line from time to time (KC game). Stacking him with Emmanuel Sanders ($7600) would be my choice if down that path. The best matchup for the Broncos offense is on the ground, but Denver’s running game is still very muddled. Ronnie Hillman ($4600) and CJ Anderson ($4500) are both cheap enough to take a flier on, but your guess as to who will get the most action is as good as mine. Overall, there are better games to approach from a viewing as well as DFS standpoint.

Cincinnati at Buffalo (Bengals -3.5, 42)
Both teams come into this game playing pretty well, especially the undefeated Bengals. While this should be an interesting game to watch, I have a strong feeling that it will be a defensive struggle and likely on the uglier side. Buffalo’s whole offense is banged up, including QB Tyrod Taylor. Even though they’re at home, I don’t like a single Buffalo skill player against a very tough Cincy D. I think Buffalo’s defense should get a lot of pressure on Andy Dalton, and at $3200 is a legit play. Speaking of Dalton ($5700), he keeps having good games and keeps getting priced cheaply the following week. This isn’t a good matchup for him, but he’s certainly worth a gamble at his price point. Stacking him with AJ Green ($7600) always has the potential for a huge output. TE Tyler Eifert at $4900 is another viable option as well. Buffalo smothers opposing run games, so it’s likely best to avoid any Bengals RB. I’ll definitely be watching this game on Sunday, but will probably be fading it from a DFS standpoint.

Kansas City at Minnesota (Vikings -4, 43.5)
Here’s another one of those lackluster matchups I mentioned. Normally, this would be a showdown between two of the best RBs this century. Unfortunately, all-world RB Jamaal Charles ripped up his knee last week and is done for the year. That leaves us with two below average passing games and Adrian Peterson. Peterson ($7600) is always a good choice, and this week he gets a solid matchup at home, where he usually thrives. Besides Peterson, there isn’t anyone on Minnesota that I’m looking at playing. Kansas City doesn’t have much more to offer either, at least in my eyes. Jeremy Maclin has been quietly having a very good season in ppr scoring, and at $6500 I would feel very comfortable with him on my roster. Travis Kelce ($5000) has been quietly doing little these last couple weeks, but with Charles out I like Alex Smith to look for his best buddy at TE a lot more. Other than that, this is a game that wouldn’t exist to me if not for the Red Zone channel.

Houston at Jacksonville (Jaguars -1, 43)
Another boring matchup with a low total adds to the list of lackluster games this week. Houston is establishing themselves as a train wreck, while Jacksonville has long been one. In defense of the Jags, they’re starting to look like a team with a lot of potential, as QB Blake Bortles ($5200) has been lighting it up lately with young receivers Allen Hurns ($5000) and Allen Robinson ($5900). Just when things get rolling for the young Jacksonville QB, Bortles is reported to have a mild shoulder sprain in his throwing shoulder. I’m not sure what to make of this, but it’s buyer beware for anyone looking to invest in the Jags passing game this week. Houston comes into this week switching back to journeyman QB Brian Hoyer. This doesn’t really change much as the only viable option in the Texan passing game is DeAndre Hopkins ($7700). I probably wouldn’t stack him with Hoyer, but Hopkins has been dominating all year and it certainly worth his price. Arian Foster ($7000) is also playable, but I’m not thrilled about rostering him at his price point. Nobody else on either team is on my radar this week, there’s not a lot to see here imo.

Chicago at Detroit (Lions -3, 43.5)
Here we go again, another game with all the excitement and anticipation of a visit to the grocery store. Both teams stink, and both have little to offer as far as DFS lineups go. Chicago has Jay Cutler back, so at least their offense is relevant again. Alshon Jeffery is questionable, and until he actually suits up and plays I would avoid him. Martellus Bennett ($4800) is a solid play at TE, and Matt Forte ($7100) is someone I’d be very happy to fit into my roster. Nobody else on the Bears really appeals to me, though Marquess Wilson at $4000 is worth a dart throw if Alshon doesn’t play. For the Lions, the cupboard is pretty bare. Megatron is still Megatron, but with no one else to really worry about, he’s been getting schemed out of having big games and isn’t worth playing to me. The only player with any appeal to me from Detroit is young Theo Riddick at $3300. He’s very boom or bust as mostly a receiving back, but he’s Stafford’s favorite check down option, and worth a gamble at that price if you need a cheap flex to fill out your roster. Don’t bother with anyone else in this relatively meaningless game.

Washington at New York Jets (Jets -6, 40.5)
I’m getting tired of saying lackluster, so let’s call this matchup underwhelming instead. Both teams are playing decent football, but are primarily fueled by playing good defense and running the ball. Not to say that isn’t a good strategy for winning, it’s a great one. Unfortunately, when two teams that play this style go heads up, it’s usually an ugly and boring affair. Ugly and boring usually means not much fantasy scoring, so this is a game I would avoid for the most part. Both defenses are very stout against the run, so I would fade all the RBs in this one. Neither team really lights it up through the air either, so that leaves one man to get excited about: Brandon Marshall ($7100). His aging bones got a rest last week, so he should be ready to catch a bunch of short to medium passes and maybe a TD or two. He’s proven himself worthy of a roster spot every week, and is the only skill player in this game worth playing. Both defenses are legit plays, especially the Jets D at $3100. If this game is played, but nobody is there to see it, does it really happen?

Arizona at Pittsburgh (Cardinals -3.5, 44.5)
Finally, an interesting matchup with many exciting players to watch! Big Ben is still out, but this game should still have a decent amount of big plays and intrigue. Carson Palmer ($6600) has a great matchup against one of the most vulnerable secondaries in the league. Fire him up, and feel great to stack him with either Larry Fitz ($7000) or John Brown ($5200). Fitzgerald is the more enticing play at WR, but his salary has finally caught up to his production. As far as RBs go, I don’t really know what to make of their situation. Between the Johnson brothers and a healthy Andre Ellington, it’s tough to say what the breakdown of touches will be. Pittsburgh has a solid front seven, so I’m just gonna stick to the Cards passing game. As for the Steelers, Le’Veon Bell ($8500) and Antonio Brown ($8300) are weekly studs that always look sexy on a roster. The guy that intrigues me this week is Markus Wheaton ($3300). He’s been pretty worthless most of this year, but linked up with QB Mike Vick on a huge TD pass last week, and I think that the Steelers might try to take more advantage of the single coverage Wheaton frequently gets. While it’s not the game of the century, this is one of the better matchups that we get this Sunday.

Miami at Tennessee (Titans -2.5, 43.5)
Back to another matchup of mostly irrelevant teams, both in DFS and real life. I’m not going to waste much of your time on this game. Miami just fired their head coach and promoted former player Dan Campbell to take over in the interim. Usually when things like this happen and a hard nosed guy takes over, teams will simplify things and go back to running the ball a lot. For this reason, I like Lamar Miller this week ($4300). I have a feeling he’s going to get a lot of action, and at his price he’s worth the gamble. There isn’t another player on either team that I feel comfortable playing. Moving on.

Carolina at Seattle (Seahawks -7, 40.5)
In a rematch of last season’s NFC Divisional playoff, we get a game similar to the Cincy/Buffalo tilt. While it’s a good matchup that should be an exciting football game, it doesn’t really bode well for DFS rosters. I honestly don’t care for anyone in the matchup. Cam Newton has been stellar this year, but I don’t see him having a big game in the toughest road environment in football. On the flip side, Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense has been pretty average, and Carolina has a more than solid defense. Marshawn Lynch is supposed to play, but we don’t know how effective he’ll be or if he’ll even play. Luke Keuchly is also likely to return. All things considered, this is a game I am excited to watch, but not to play in DFS.

San Diego at Green Bay (Packers -10.5, 50.5)
Here we go, a game that should be exciting to watch as well as good for DFS rosters. San Diego has to go to Lambeau on a short week after losing a tough one on Monday night. Phillip Rivers is still very good at playing QB in the NFL, but the health of his offense is an issue right now. His offensive line is banged up, trusted WR Malcolm Floyd is playing hurt, and Stevie Johnson has been out with injury as well. Stevie is questionable this week, but if he plays, I love his potential at only $3800. Stacking Rivers ($6300) with either Stevie, Keenan Allen ($7600) or Antonio Gates ($4600) seems like great value to me. Vegas tells us that they like Green Bay to win by a lot in a high scoring game, which means Rivers should be throwing a lot. Speaking of Green Bay, you can’t ever go wrong by starting Aaron Rodgers in your QB slot. However this week I think the best play for the Pack is Eddie Lacy ($6300). San Diego has a bottom tier run defense, and if the game plays out as expected, Lacy should be getting a lot of action in the second half as well as goal line opportunities. This should be a good one to watch.

Baltimore at San Francisco (Ravens -2.5, 44)
Baltimore has been awful this year, squeaking out one pathetic victory that was handed to them by Pittsburgh a couple weeks back. Despite that, they come to Levi’s stadium as road favorites against the lowly 49ers. My, how the mighty have fallen. These two teams played in the Super Bowl not long ago, and now they’re squaring off in the 1-4 Turd Bowl instead. Even though these teams stink, there are some legit DFS plays to be had. I don’t really like Baltimore’s offense without Steve Smith and with Justin Forsett banged up. The guys I like are on the Niners. Colin Kaepernick played well on the road last Sunday night, and now he heads home to face a defense that was just shredded by Josh McCown. On top of that, Kap is only $5k! He could be one of the best value plays of the week, and his teammate Anquan Boldin is right there at only $4300. When the Niners passing game hums, it’s because Kap and Boldin are connecting. Stack them together at a dirt cheap price and load up the rest of your roster.

New England at Indianapolis (Patriots -10, 54.5)
This game has Patriots blow out written all over it. Andrew Luck is supposed to play, but that’s been the case the last two weeks as well. Brady, Gronk, and Edelman are all obvious plays. Dion Lewis at $5800 seems like another obvious play, but he was just added to the injury report with an abdominal issue. If you’re the gambling type, take a chance on LeGarrette Blount for only $4400. The Pats have bludgeoned Indy the last few times out with a power running attack, and that would mean a lot of Blount on Sunday night. For the Pats, I’d feel good about starting Donte Moncrief at his price of $5000 whether Luck plays or not. The rest of that offense is dependent on Luck to me, so check in on Saturday to see if there’s a clearer picture regarding his health.

New York Giants at Philadelphia (Eagles -4, 49.5)
Monday Night Football gives us a pretty interesting matchup with some solid DFS potential. Both teams had strong offensive showing last week, and that should continue this week as neither side is above average on D. The biggest question mark here is Odell Beckham Jr. ($8900). ODB is questionable with a bad hammy, and while it seems like he’s going to play, his Monday night game time leaves you no room to pivot to another elite receiver should he sit out. I still like the idea of stacking him with Eli ($6800), but it comes with some substantial risk. The guy I really like for the Gmen is Rashad Jennings at only $4300. He’s a gamble, but he does a bit of everything out there, especially catching check downs from Eli. Shane Vereen is also enticing at only $4200, being the main third down/receiving back. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is coming off of their great offensive performance, although it came against the tissue paper soft defense of New Orleans. After watching Carlos Hyde succeed against New York, I would feel pretty good about starting Demarco Murray ($6000). Darren Sproles has faded out like I thought he would, and I expect that Chip will start looking to ride the workhorse that Demarco can be from here on out. In the passing game, Bradford is cheap at $6000 and certainly has the potential to blow up, I’m just not sure who you’d want to stack him with. He’s still a high risk/reward guy to me until he strings together multiple great games.

And there you have it, week 6 is almost here, and we’re almost half way through the regular season. Check back with me on Saturday for some important injury updates, and please say hello to me on Twitter.

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