Sunday, October 29, 2017

Week 8 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Yanotchko)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

With that said, here are Dan Yanotchko's Week 8 NFL picks against the spread:

Washington Redskins +3 over Dallas Cowboys (3 Units)

This is a game that could potentially have playoff implications, as both teams need this win badly to keep pace with the Eagles. Dallas still will have Ezekiel Elliott in the lineup, but he will have a hard matchup against a Washington defense that has only given up 94.5 yards per game and only 3 touchdowns. I like Kirk Cousins being able to attack a weak Dallas secondary that has given up 11 touchdowns and 216 yards per game. Take the points at home here.

Atlanta Falcons -6.5 over New York Jets (5 Units)

The Falcons were stifled by the Patriots in their rematch last week, and this is a game that feels like the Falcons will use to jump start their second-half campaign. The Jets have played great all year, and they have been in most games, but Atlanta will have a much needed breakout game for their struggling offense. The Jets allow opposition rushers 126.6 yards per game, 4.3 yards per carry, and five touchdowns. The Jets secondary has also allowed a league-high 15 touchdowns through the air. This is a get-right game for Atlanta, so I'll give the points.

Detroit Lions +3 over Pittsburgh Steelers (3 Units)

The Lions have had a strong year, and now they also have a shot to win the NFC North due to the injury suffered by Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers have reeled off back-to-back impressive wins in Kansas City and against the Bengals as well. The Lions have a very stout run defense that only allows 94.3 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry, and they will be able to slow down Le'Veon Bell. Also the Steelers do not do well with distractions and Martavius Bryant is a big one. It's been an underdog year, so take the points at home.
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Week 8 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Hanson)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

With that said, here are my Week 8 NFL picks against the spread:

New York Jets +6.5 over Atlanta Falcons (3 Units)

Since losing their first two games, the Jets are 3-2 with both of their losses being one-score games. On the other hand, the Falcons began the season with three consecutive wins only to lose three straight including an embarrassing primetime loss against the Patriots last week. While I don't expect the Jets to pull off the upset here, I do expect them to keep this game closer than the spread suggests.

Los Angeles Chargers +7.5 over New England Patriots (2 Units)

Like the game above, I don't expect the Chargers to win this game outright, but I do expect them to keep the game close enough to cover. The Patriots have seemed to turn around their leaky defense by limiting their opponents to 17 points or less in three consecutive games, but the Chargers have won three consecutive games after their first four. I wouldn't be surprised if that extra half-point turns out to be the difference in this one.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, Under 43.0 (2 Units)

Leading the NFL in team defense, the Broncos currently allow just 258.5 of total offense. Not only are they the only team to not yet allow a rushing touchdown, but they have limited opponents to just 3.0 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Broncos offense has scored 16, 16, 10 and zero points over their past four games, respectively. As great as Kareem Hunt and Kansas City's offense has been this season, I expect this one to be a low-scoring affair with the Chiefs winning a 20-13, 23-16 type of game.

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Week 8 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Beazley)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

With that said, here are Sean Beazley's Week 8 NFL picks against the spread:

Cincinnati Bengals -10.5 over Indianapolis Colts (3 Units)

This game has blowout written all over it. The Colts offense will struggle again, and I believe the Bengals can score at will vs. the Colts defense. Bengals 34, Colts 17.

Pittsburgh Steelers -3 over Detroit Lions (4 Units)

The home/road splits are real when it comes to Ben Roethlisberger, but the difference here will be Le'Veon Bell. I think he propels the Steelers to a big win Sunday night. Steelers 30, Lions 24.

Los Angeles Chargers +7.5 over New England Patriots (4 Units)

The Patriots defense has looked better the past couple of weeks. This week, they get a hot Chargers team. This will be the game of the week IMO. A late Tom Brady comeback drive is the difference here. Patriots 31, Chargers 29.

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Week 8 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Trifone)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

With that said, here are John Trifone's Week 8 NFL picks against the spread:

Carolina Panthers +1 over Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4 Units)

I’m going back to the well with the Panthers this week. After back-to-back losses, they have a road division game against the 2-4 Bucs. The division is still wide open, so if the Panthers are going to hang with the Saints, they need to win games like this one. Carolina put up only three points at Chicago, but get a much weaker defense this week. I expect a close game so I’ll take the point, but I like the Panthers to win outright.

Washington Redskins +2 over Dallas Cowboys (3 Units)

The Redskins are 0-2 in the division this year with both losses coming to the Eagles. They’re coming off a 10-point loss on Monday night, while the Cowboys are coming off a 40–10 thrashing of the winless 49ers. I expect most people will like the Cowboys here, but I think Washington bounces back and gets their first division win.

New York Jets +6.5 over Atlanta Falcons (3 Units)

The Falcons appear to be a lot more mediocre than they were last year. Whether that’s the play calling, scheme, or lingering injuries to guys like Julio Jones, they’ve been unimpressive this year, coming off perhaps their worst game yet against the Patriots. They had all the motivation in the world after last year's Super Bowl collapse, and they weren’t even competitive -- finally scoring a touchdown in garbage time.

The Jets, on the other hand, are coming off two straight close division losses, but have looked a lot better than expected. They lost to the Patriots by a touchdown and were one controversial call away from potentially pulling off the upset. I think they have a chance to win this game but like them to at least keep it competitive. I’ll take the 6.5 points at home.

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Thursday, October 26, 2017

DFS Round Table: Favorite DraftKings Plays for Week 8

Every week of the 2017 NFL season, our contributors will provide their favorite DraftKings play of the week and share their thoughts in our weekly DFS Round Table post.

In some cases, the play is intended for tournaments (i.e., Guaranteed Prize Pools or GPPs); in other cases, it's for cash games (e.g., head-to-heads and 50-50's). Or both.

Who is your favorite DraftKings play for Week 8?

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Kevin Hanson: Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,700)

Averaging nearly seven yards per carry last week, Mixon had 68 yards from scrimmage on 10 touches (seven carries and three receptions) in the first half yet did not touch the ball in the second half. While Mixon expressed his frustration with the lack of opportunities after halftime, that is unlikely to occur again.

Since Bill Lazor took over as coordinator, Mixon had a minimum of 15 carries in his other three games and a total of 57 touches over that span. With a favorable matchup against the Colts, who have allowed the third-most DK points to opposing backs, Mixon and the Bengals are double-digit home favorites in Week 8. Given what should be a favorable game script in a lopsided contest, Mixon should get in the neighborhood of 17-20 touches with some TD upside at his bargain sub-$5,000 price tag.

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John Trifone: Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins ($5,800)

Chris Thompson has been getting more and more work lately, and has emerged as the Redskins clear best running back option. His role as a third-down back has been expanded and he has become the Redskins most explosive offensive weapon.

At just $5,800, Thompson has raised his floor high enough that he’s relatively safe, and still has a lot of upside. He has only one game all year with fewer than 15 DK points. I expect that to continue against Dallas.

Brendan Donahue: Josh Doctson, WR, Washington Redskins ($3,900)

While his stat line of three catches for 39 yards on five targets Monday night wasn't very encouraging, the fact that he got the start and played 54 of 64 snaps was. After the game, coach Jay Gruden said: "We drafted Josh to be the No. 1 guy. He just has had some injuries. Now that he's healthy, we want to see what he can do."

Doctson has the talent -- and now the opportunity -- to produce big fantasy numbers against the Eagles, who have given up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs. At just $3,900, he is the bargain of the week.

Sean Beazley: Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($7,900)

I'm​ ​playing​ ​a​ ​ton​ ​of​ ​Mike​ ​Evans​ ​this​ ​week.​ ​I've​ ​been​ ​waiting​ ​weeks​ ​for​ ​a​ ​smash​ ​spot.​ ​​ ​Since​ ​his first game where​ ​he​ ​scored​ ​22.3​ ​points,​ ​he​ ​has​ ​faced​ ​the​ ​following​ ​corners: ​Xavier​ ​Rhodes, Janoris​ ​Jenkins,​ ​Pats​ ​D​ ​scheme/Malcolm Butler,​ ​Patrick​ ​Peterson,​ ​and​ ​last​ ​week​ ​was​ ​playing​ ​with​ ​a banged​ ​up​ ​Jameis​ ​Winston.​ ​​ ​​ ​These​ ​are​ ​some​ ​pretty​ ​brutal​ ​matchups.​ ​​ ​Evans​ ​has​ ​a​ ​great matchup​ ​at​ ​home​ ​vs​. ​the​ ​Panthers,​ ​and​ ​I​ ​think​ ​he​ ​will​ ​score​ ​the​ ​most​ ​of​ ​any​ ​receiver​ ​this​ ​week. Fire​ ​up​ ​Evans​ ​in​ ​your​ ​lineup​ ​this​ ​week.

Dan Yanotchko: Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots ($4,600)

This week I like the value play of Dion Lewis, and the matchup he has against the Chargers. Ever since Mike Gillislee fumbled, Lewis has grabbed the reins as the primary Patriots running back. In his last two games, he has had 24 carries, 128 yards, 5.25 yards per carry, and a touchdown. The Chargers have the second worst run defense that gives up 140.6 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry as well. With the fearsome Chargers pass rush, I like Lewis and his receiving ability here.

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Sunday, October 22, 2017

Week 7 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Hanson)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

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With that said, here are my Week 7 NFL picks against the spread:

Carolina Panthers -3 over Chicago Bears (4 Units)

Making his NFL debut, Mitchell Trubisky threw the ball only 16 times as the Bears relied heaviy on their ground game -- 36 carries for Jordan Howard and 14 for Tarik Cohen. Few teams have a receiving corps as bad as Chicago's so it would make sense to try to rely on their running backs and take pressure off their rookie signal-caller, but Trubisky should expect a lot of eight-men boxes this week. So far this season, the Panthers have allowed only two running backs (and Tyrod Taylor) to rush for 50-plus yards against them and no back has more than 67 rushing yards (LeGarrette Blount). It was a nice start for Trubisky, but I expect things to be much more difficult this week.

San Francisco 49ers +6.5 over Dallas Cowboys (2 Units)

The 49ers are 0-6, but aside from their 23-3 loss in the season opener, they have lost five consecutive games by a field goal or less. Following this week's game, the Cowboys have Washington, Kansas City, Atlanta and Philadelphia over the next four weeks. In other words, it wouldn't surprise me if they are looking ahead a little bit, which makes this a dangerous trap game. I could see this turning out to be another field goal type of game for the 49ers as they keep it close enough to (at least) cover.

Seattle Seahawks -4 over New York Giants (3 Units)

Nearly two-TD underdogs on Sunday Night Football, the Giants looked much better than anyone could have expected as they blew out the Broncos on the road. They now return home to face another tough defense and are small road underdogs this week. Eli Manning threw only 19 times for 128 yards against the Broncos, but even if Sterling Shepard returns (a game-time decision), he has limited weapons around him given the team's injuries and a poor offensive line. I expect tough sledding for the Giants offense overall and like that the Seahawks don't have to start at 1 PM ET, which can be tough for west coast teams traveling east.

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Week 7 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Beazley)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

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With that said, here are Sean Beazley's Week 7 NFL picks against the spread:

Seattle Seahawks -4 over New York Giants (4 Units)

I normally don't pick West coast teams going East, but the Seahawks were blessed with a 4:25 start not a 1 PM start. I'll take Seattle with this small line as I think they are clearly better than the Giants. Seattle 26, NYG 20.

Green Bay Packers +4 over New Orleans Saints (5 Units)

I wish I got this pick in earlier this week when the spread was a couple points higher. If Aaron Rodgers were playing, this line would probably be in the -6 range, which just shows you how important he is. Brett Hundley steps in this week, and I like him so much I am playing him in cash on DraftKings (DFS) this week. (Scoop my H2H if you disagree!) I think Hundley has a solid game and the Packers win at home in a shootout. Packers 38, Saints 34.

San Francisco 49ers +6.5 over Dallas Cowboys (4 Units)

C.J. Beathard stepped in for an ineffective Brian Hoyer this week, and I really like their chances to pull the upset at home in this one. They are better than their record indicates, so this will be no cake walk for the Cowboys. I’m not gonna call for the outright upset, but I do think it will come down to the final drive in the game. Dallas 24, San Francisco 23.

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Week 7 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Yanotchko)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

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With that said, here are Dan Yanotchko's Week 7 NFL picks against the spread:

New Orleans Saints -4 over Green Bay Packers (4 Units)

It stinks to see one of the best quarterbacks in the game go down with what will most likely be a season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers, and I just don't think that they are equipped to overcome this. The Saints have been resurgent as of late, and they will be looking to thrust themselves into the fore of the NFC playoff picture with a suddenly winnable game at Lambeau.

The main reason I think the Saints will trounce Green Bay, is that the Packers pass defense just isn't good enough to handle Drew Brees, and their high-flying offense. The Packers allow 208 yards passing per game, and also have allowed eight touchdowns on the year, but their main problem is that they have only generated 11 sacks so far. I think Brees will have a clean pocket and time to throw, and also couple that with the first career start for Brett Hundley ... good luck with that.

Cincinnati Bengals +5 over Pittsburgh Steelers (3 Units)

Ok, so first the Steelers look old, washed up, dysfunctional, and just an overall mess by losing to Jacksonville at home, but then totally redeem themselves with a massive road win against the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals looked dreadful out of the gate, but they have managed to right the ship, and now this game is huge in terms of AFC North standings.

I think the Bengals are much closer to the Steelers overall than 5 points, and the main reason is that they have such a great defense. The Bengals have one of the best pass defenses in the league that only allows 160 yards passing per game, and a 57.4 completion percentage. While we know that Ben Roethlisberger is struggling, the Steelers will lean on Le'Veon Bell, but Cincy also only allows opposing rushers 103 yards per game, and a low 3.8 yards per carry. I just feel that Cincy will be able to keep this game close, and they could really need this one for tie-breakers.

Miami Dolphins -3 over New York Jets (5 Units)

There have certainly been quite a few surprises this league year, but I don't think that anyone saw the Jets beat down of Miami 20-6 in Week 2 coming. I see this game as a pride and revenge factor, and of course it never hurts to be playing this game at home to return the favor of being embarrassed. The Dolphins will certainly be loading up with running back Jay Ajayi, and he gets a great matchup against a Jets rush defense that allows 138.8 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. Also the Dolphins have a very stout front-seven that allows opposing rushers 80.4 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. I think Miami is returning the favor here to the Jets, and I think they will just blow them out.

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Week 7 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Trifone)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

John Trifone is a perfect 5-0 against the spread over the past two weeks and 9-2 ATS over the past four weeks.

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With that said, here are John Trifone's Week 7 NFL picks against the spread:

Indianapolis Colts +3 over Jacksonville Jaguars (4 Units)

The Colts ended up losing big late at Tennessee this past weekend, but through three quarters had been leading for most of the game. Jacoby Brissett continues to impress me, and I like the Colts as home underdogs in a division game this week. Jacksonville only put up 17 points at home against the Rams, and one of their scores was a Leonard Fournette 75-yard run. I’m not banking on him to get another one of those this week, and Fournette may miss this week's game after hurting his ankle in the second half of the Rams game. I like the Colts in a close and relatively low-scoring game here.

Carolina Panthers -3 over Chicago Bears (5 Units)

Prior to their loss at home against the Eagles on Thursday night, Carolina had been looking a lot like their 15-1 season where a couple years ago they made the Super Bowl. With the injury to Aaron Rodgers, the Panthers look like one of the top teams that could emerge in the NFC. They have a little more rest coming into this week since they last played Thursday night, and I like the defense to rattle rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Chicago has been competitive - much more than expected coming into the year - but they are overmatched this week. I don’t typically like small road favorites, but this is one of my favorite games on the board this week. I see a 31-10 kind of game with Carolina easily winning the turnover battle and the game.


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Thursday, October 19, 2017

DFS Round Table: Favorite DraftKings Plays for Week 7

Every week of the 2017 NFL season, our contributors will provide their favorite DraftKings play of the week and share their thoughts in our weekly DFS Round Table post.

In some cases, the play is intended for tournaments (i.e., Guaranteed Prize Pools or GPPs); in other cases, it's for cash games (e.g., head-to-heads and 50-50's). Or both.

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Who is your favorite DraftKings play for Week 7?

John Trifone: Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers ($7,000)

I’ll be going back to the Melvin Gordon well again this week. DraftKings has priced him down due to a tough matchup with Denver. However, Orleans Darkwa just burned them this past week, giving us their first 100-yard rusher of the season. Perhaps we can chalk that up to being a little fluky, but that aside, Gordon is heavily involved in the passing game as well. Week 1 in Denver, Gordon rushed for 54 yards but gained another 25 from five receptions and scored a touchdown. I expect he’ll have more success running the ball this week at home, and he always has touchdown upside. For the savings you can get for him versus some of the other top backs, Gordon looks like one of the better plays on the board.

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Kevin Hanson: Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers ($4,200)

Facing difficult corners on the outside, teams have had more success targeting their tight end(s) over the middle of the field against the Broncos as they have allowed the fourth-most DraftKings points to the position this season. Henry is starting to be more (consistently) involved in the passing attack as he a total of 18 targets, 10 receptions, 148 yards and two scores over his past three games. If you're playing the main slate, which excludes Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, etc., there are limited options at the position and Henry is one of my favorites.

Sean Beazley: Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans ($5,800)

One of my favorite plays this week is Titans TE Delanie Walker. Walker is at his highest price of the year, and is the top TE on the slate this week. TE is usually a position I pay down at, but on DK you can roll out a double-TE lineup. In fact, a double-TE strategy is a great way to differentiate yourself from the field as most people play a RB/WR in the flex spot. The Browns have been torched all season against the TE, and they haven't faced anyone nearly as good as Delanie Walker. With Corey Davis still out, I expect Walker to be the focal point of the passing attack.

Dan Yanotchko: Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers ($5,900)

This week I like Carlos Hyde of the 49ers, who gets a great matchup against the Cowboys. Hyde has been pretty steady over his last four-game split with 62 rushes, 181 yards and four touchdowns with 14 receptions as well. He gets a Dallas D that allows 118 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. With rookie C.J. Bethard starting, his usage should be heavy.

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Sunday, October 15, 2017

Week 6 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Hanson)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

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With that said, here are my Week 6 NFL picks against the spread:

Baltimore Ravens -6.5 over Chicago Bears (2 Units)

Making the switch from Mike Glennon to Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears scored a total of 17 points on Monday Night Football at home. That said, punter Pat O'Donnell threw one of the team's two touchdowns. The rookie will head to Baltimore on a short week where it's never easy to get a win. Few teams, if any, have less talented weapons than the Bears, which makes things even more difficult for a rookie quarterback. Even though Joe Flacco has looked bad -- more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (four) thrown -- this season, I think the Ravens will win by at least a touchdown.

DraftKings NFL $450K Post Pattern: DraftKings is running a one-week contest with $450,000 in prizes, $50,000 to 1st place and only $8 to enter.

Pittsburgh Steelers +3.5 over Kansas City Chiefs (2 Units)

Coming off a five-interception performance, there is real concern in Pittsburgh for Ben Roethlisberger, but I think we'll see a better performance in Week 6. (Of course, it can't get much worse than Week 5.) Instead of 55 pass attempts from Big Ben, I'd expect to see a lot of Le'Veon Bell early in this game. I'm not sure if the Steelers will hand the Chiefs their first loss of the season, but I do think this game will be close (enough to get the cover).

Jaguars vs. Rams -- Under 42.5 (2 Units)

Like we all expected, the Rams currently rank second in the NFL in scoring offense (30.4 PPG) just ahead of Tom Brady and the Patriots (29.6). Meanwhile, the Jaguars have run the ball extremely well behind rookie Leonard Fournette as they lead the league in rushing offense (165.2 YPG). In addition, Fournette (466) and Todd Gurley (405) trail only Kareem Hunt (609) in rushing.

The Jaguars have one of the league's best overall defenses and (in my opinion) the best cornerback duo in Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. As they load the box to slow Todd Gurley, I think we see less efficiency from the Rams offense. Much of their early-season success has come against bad defenses, but they managed to score just 10 points last week against the Seahawks.

I could see this game turning out to be 20-16 type of game with a lot of field goals and good defense. I'll take the under.

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Fantasy Football Start'em, Sit'em: Week 6 Fantasy Tight Ends

Ultimately, the decision of which player to start is largely determined by the composition of your roster (as well as your league's settings).

As an example, Evan Engram is listed below as a "start" for Week 6. And I'd feel comfortable going into Week 6 with him as my starting tight end.

That said, he may be a sit for your team.

In other words, if you owned both Travis Kelce and Engram, you should start Kelce -- and in turn, bench Engram.

So, while you won't find absolute start-sit recommendations below (use my Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings for that instead), the goal here is to highlight some players that I like (and would feel comfortable starting) as well as some players that I dislike for this week (and would prefer to keep on my bench).

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Week 6 Fantasy Football TE Start'em

 

TE - Austin Seferian-Jenkins, New York Jets (vs. NE)

Since serving a two-game suspension to begin the season, Seferian-Jenkins has a total of only 106 yards (7.07 Y/R). But the volume has been encouraging as ASJ has averaged five catches and six targets per game. With 26-percent team target share in two of his three games, he's one of just five tight ends to have two such games this season. (The other four are Charles Clay, Jason Witten, Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz.)

In a favorable matchup against the Patriots, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, Seferian-Jenkins could have his best game of the season this week. And given his volume, he has a pretty high floor for a position that is so TD-dependent.

DraftKings NFL $450K Post Pattern: DraftKings is running a one-week contest with $450,000 in prizes, $50,000 to 1st place and only $8 to enter.

TE - Evan Engram, New York Giants (at DEN)

Odell Beckham Jr. Brandon Marshall. Sterling Shephard. All out for Week 6 (or much longer). Losing their top-three wide receivers in Week 5, the Giants and Eli Manning will undoubtedly look Engram's way often this week. Of course, the Broncos will know that too, but I wouldn't be surprised if he sees double-digit targets this week.

Engram is coming off an 0-for this past week, but he has scored the 12th-most fantasy points (ninth in PPR) among tight ends this season with a 19/200/1 line on the year. Tied with Jimmy Graham with 34 targets, only Ertz, Witten and Kelce have more targets than Engram among tight ends.

TE - Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ARI)

It's been a challenging year for tight ends, but Brate has exceeded expectations with the fourth-most fantasy points this season even though he's already had his bye. Much of Brate's success is due to his three-game touchdown streak, but he has finished as the weekly TE10, TE3 and TE4 over the past three weeks, respectively. In each of those games, Brate has a minimum of four catches and a total of 19 targets.

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Week 6 Fantasy Football TE Sit'em

 

TE - Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (at NO)

Ebron has played five games this season and he's had four duds. Aside from Week 2 (5/42/1), he has two or fewer catches every week and has failed to reach double-digit receiving yards in three of five games this season. With the exception of Rob Gronkowski (116 yards), the Saints have held the other tight ends they have faced to less than 30 yards. Perhaps Ebron has a bounce-back game, but he needs to show more before I can trust him.

TE - Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders (vs. LAC)

Technically, Cook is my TE13 so he's not too far removed from being start-worthy in 12-team leagues. That said, the Chargers have yet to allow a touchdown to an opposing tight end and only Ertz has reached the 50-yard mark against them. One positive is that Cook has five-plus targets every week and has averaged 6.2 per game this season. That said he has finished as the TE20 or worse in three of four games and the Chargers have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position this season.

- More Fantasy Football Start'em, Sit'em for Week 6

Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings:
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Fantasy Football Start'em, Sit'em: Week 6 Fantasy Wide Receivers

Ultimately, the decision of which player to start is largely determined by the composition of your roster (as well as your league's settings).

As an example, DeSean Jackson is listed below as a "start" for Week 6. And I'd feel comfortable going into Week 6 with him as one of my starting wide receivers.

That said, he may be a sit for your team.

In other words, if you owned both Julio Jones, Keenan Allen and Jackson and start two receivers, you should start Jones and Allen -- and in turn, bench DJax.

So, while you won't find absolute start-sit recommendations below (use my Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings for that instead), the goal here is to highlight some players that I like (and would feel comfortable starting) as well as some players that I dislike for this week (and would prefer to keep on my bench).

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Week 6 Fantasy Football WR Start'em

 

WR - Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (vs. GB)

Thielen leads the team's receivers in targets (40), receptions (29) and has just three less yards (392) than Stefon Diggs (395) this season. With Diggs ruled out for Week 6, Thielen should see a high volume of targets against the Packers, who have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Even though Thielen has yet to score a touchdown this season, he's still the WR24 in standard-scoring formats. With Diggs out, he's on the WR1/WR2 border this week.

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WR - Chris Hogan, New England Patriots (at NYJ)

Always a threat to score 30 points in a given week, the Patriots are averaging 29.6 points per game through Week 5 and Hogan has made himself a home in the end zone. Scoring in four consecutive weeks, Hogan has a total of five touchdowns this season. Due to his red-zone success and the trust in him from Tom Brady, he has finished as a weekly top-12 fantasy wide receiver in every game except the season opener. At this point, Hogan has become a weekly must-start.

WR - DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at TB)

Starting a talented wideout that won't be shadowed by Patrick Peterson is usually a good bet. With Mike Evans sure to get shadowed by Peterson, that leaves D-Jax with a favorable matchup on the other side. Jackson had his first 100-yard game as a Buc last week and the upside is there for him to get another this week.

WR - Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (vs. TB)

Fitzgerald has had mostly quiet weeks this season -- WR26, WR82, WR5, WR23 and WR38, respectively. That said, there's another great opportunity for him to (attempt to) exploit this week against the Bucs, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers this season.

No quarterback has thrown more pass attempts than Carson Palmer (227) and Fitzgerald himself has had double-digit targets in three of five games with an average of 10.2 per contest. Given his volume and the matchup this week, Fitzgerald has the potential for his second top-10 week of the season.

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Week 6 Fantasy Football WR Sit'em

 

WR - Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders (vs. LAC)

The good news for Cooper (and the offense overall) is that Derek Carr (back) will return this week. The bad news is that Cooper has scored a fractional fantasy point in three consecutive games (with Carr and without Carr). In a matchup against the Chargers, who have an excellent tandem of cornerbacks, this may not be the week that Cooper bounces back to what we should expect from the talented wideout.

[That said, I think Cooper is an intriguing tournament play in DFS as Sean Beazley pointed out in our Week 6 DFS Round Table.]

WR - Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers (at KC)

The good news first is that Bryant had a season-high five receptions and tied his season high in targets with eight in Week 5. The good news ends there. The big-play wideout was limited to just 4.2 Y/R on his five catches and he has now finished outside the top-40 fantasy wide receivers in all but one game this season.

Last week's matchup against the Jags was clearly difficult, but based on this week's matchup, he's likely to see the most of Marcus Peters amongst the Steelers receivers. Given Ben Roethlisberger's home-road splits and talk of getting JuJu Smith-Schuster more involved at the expense of Bryant, there are valid reasons to be pessimistic about Bryant's Week 6 outlook.

WR - Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams (at JAX)

Based on his talent, there is always the potential for Watkins to turn in a performance similar to his Week 3 outburst (6/106/2 and 22.6 fantasy points). On the other hand, that hasn't been the norm. In his other four games with the Rams, Watkins has scored a total of 10.5 fantasy points. Granted, I'm not always going to score as many fantasy points as Watkins, who put up a goose egg on four targets last week.

But in my opinion, the Jaguars have the league's best cornerback duo with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye so the sledding will be tough whether the Rams make a concerted effort to get a frustrated Watkins more looks or not. (Unfortunately for Watkins, he's likely to be listed here again next week as the Rams face Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals in Week 7.)

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Fantasy Football Start'em, Sit'em: Week 6 Fantasy Running Backs

Ultimately, the decision of which player to start is largely determined by the composition of your roster (as well as your league's settings).

As an example, Alvin Kamara is listed below as a "start" for Week 6. And I'd feel comfortable going into Week 6 with him as one of my starting running backs.

That said, he may be a sit for your team.

In other words, if you owned Le'Veon Bell, Todd Gurley and Kamara and only start two running backs, you should start Bell and Gurley -- and in turn, bench Kamara.

So, while you won't find absolute start-sit recommendations below (use my Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings for that instead), the goal here is to highlight some players that I like (and would feel comfortable starting) as well as some players that I dislike for this week (and would prefer to keep on my bench).

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Week 6 Fantasy Football RB Start'em

 

RB - Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (vs. DET)

Adrian Peterson wasn't much of a factor in this backfield, but now that he's gone, there will be a few extra touches to go to both Ingram and especially Kamara. Before their bye, the trio had the following usage rates -- 46.72% for Ingram, 28.69% for Kamara and 23.77% for Peterson.

With AP now in Arizona, I could see that split be in the 60-40 neighborhood with Ingram getting the edge. In their two wins immediately preceding the bye, Ingram had 16 and 18 touches, respectively, and he should be a lock for 15-plus again this week.

He's yet to score a touchdown and he's averaged a pedestrian 4.05 YPC this season. That said, Ingram is still heavily involved as a receiver -- 22 targets in four games including eight in Week 4 -- despite Kamara's role in the offense as a change-of-pace option. While Kamara's 28 targets equates to an 18.67-percent target share, Ingram's 22 targets is 14.67 percent of the team total. Only 12 running backs have a higher percentage of team targets than Ingram. (Kamara is third.)

Before the bye, Kamara had double-digit fantasy points and a touchdown in back-to-back games and converted all 10 of his targets in Week 4. With one of the five highest implied totals on the week, there should be plenty of scoring opportunities for the offense in general. I have Ingram ranked inside my top 10 fantasy running backs and Kamara inside my top 24, which makes both of them viable starting options in standard-scoring formats.

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RB - Javorius Allen, Baltimore Ravens (vs. CHI)

Allen's carries have fluctuated this season -- 21, 14, eight, two and 21 -- but he should lead the backfield in carries once again in Week 6 with Terrance West already ruled out. One of the better receiving backs as well, Allen has 20 receptions over the past four games so he could get in the neighborhood of 20 touches against the Bears. The game isn't projected to be a high-scoring affair, but the Ravens are a touchdown favorite at home facing a rookie quarterback making his second start.

RB - Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders (vs. LAC)

It's been a slow start for Lynch as he has failed to average at least four yards per carry every week except Week 1 (4.2 YPC). On the year, Lynch has 57 carries for 194 yards (3.40 YPC) and two touchdowns plus four catches for 38 yards. Fantasy's RB27 through five weeks (RB36 in PPR), Beast Mode has a great opportunity in front of him this week.

First of all, the return of Derek Carr bodes well for the offense's ability to move the ball in general. That should lead to more sustained drives and scoring opportunities. Aside from Carr's return, the matchup is tremendous. The Chargers have allowed a league-high 5.47 YPC to opposing running backs. In addition, they have allowed three running backs to rush for more than 120 yards over the past four weeks.

RB - Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings (vs. GB)

It was McKinnon, not Latavius Murray, that took advantage of the season-ending ACL injury to rookie Dalvin Cook as he gashed the Bears for 146 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 22 touches last week. Meanwhile, Murray remained the inefficient and ineffective runner that he has been all year with 12 carries for just 31 yards.

Facing Aaron Rodgers and the high-powered Packers offense, the game plan should feature a heavy dose of McKinnon this week especially given that Sam Bradford and Stefon Diggs have already been ruled out. It's always possible for the Vikings to trail early given Green Bay's offensive firepower, but they are only 3.5-point underdogs at home this week.

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Week 6 Fantasy Football RB Sit'em

 

RB - Wayne Gallman, New York Giants (at DEN)

Gallman gained 82 yards last week on 16 touches including five receptions and he now has 29 touches over two games. Considering that New York's top three receivers are all out, the game plan may be to give both Gallman and Orleans Darkwa a sizable workload. That said, the Giants have one of the league's worst offensive lines, Denver's corners should be able to shut down New York's wide receivers with limited help and opposing running backs have 71 carries for only 167 yards (2.35 YPC) this season. In addition, the Giants are double-digit road underdogs with the lowest implied total of the week.

RB - Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns (at HOU)

In Cleveland's five games, they have lost three of them by exactly three points and two of them by double digits. In their close losses, Crowell has averaged 17 touches per game. In their two lopsided losses, Crowell has averaged nine touches per game. This week, the Browns are nearly double-digit 'dogs on the road in Houston.

Even though the Browns boosted their offensive line this offseason, Crowell is averaging only 3.13 yards per carry and the volume is unlikely to be there this week. Meanwhile, teammate Duke Johnson has scored a touchdown and double-digit fantasy points in three consecutive games. If I were to start a Browns running back this week, it'd be Johnson, not Crowell, regardless of format.

RB - Adrian Peterson, Arizona Cardinals (vs. TB)

It may feel weird to say that getting out of New Orleans is the best thing for a player's fantasy outlook, but that is obvioulsy true for Peterson, who looked like a square peg in a round hole in NOLA. And it wouldn't surprise me if Peterson leads the team in carries in his first game in the desert.

That said, the matchup is better for the passing game than the running backs. Opposing running backs have averaged just 3.27 YPC (third-lowest in the NFL) against the Bucs this season. In future weeks, Peterson may move into the RB2 range, but not this week.

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Fantasy Football Start'em, Sit'em: Week 6 Fantasy Quarterbacks

Ultimately, the decision of which player to start is largely determined by the composition of your roster (as well as your league's settings).

As an example, Carson Palmer is listed below as a "start" for Week 6. And I'd feel comfortable going into Week 6 with him as my starting quarterback.

That said, he may be a sit for your team.

In other words, if you owned both Aaron Rodgers and Palmer, you should start Rodgers -- and in turn, bench Palmer.

So, while you won't find absolute start-sit recommendations below (use my Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings for that instead), the goal here is to highlight some players that I like (and would feel comfortable starting) as well as some players that I dislike for this week (and would prefer to keep on my bench).

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Week 6 Fantasy Football QB Start'em

 

QB - Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (vs. CLE)

With 10 touchdowns -- nine passing and one rushing -- in his past two games, Watson has scored 33-plus fantasy points and finished as the weekly QB1 in back-to-back weeks. Even though Tom Savage started the season opener, Watson has scored the second-most fantasy points among all quarterbacks this season.

The great thing about Watson is that his dual-threat abilities provides fantasy owners with a solid floor even if he has an off day throwing the ball. For example, Watson threw for 125 yards and no touchdowns in Week 2 (his first start) yet scored 17.7 fantasy points as that week's QB7 due to a 5/67/1 rushing line.

Watson may not three-peat as the top weekly performer, but he gets a favorable matchup against the Browns. Not only have the Browns allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, but only three teams have a higher implied total based on Vegas odds this week than the Texans.

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QB - Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (vs. TB)

Palmer's matchup is nearly as good as Watson's as the Bucs have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game this season to opposing signal-callers. Aside from Tom Brady last week, the Bucs haven't faced elite quarterbacks yet they have allowed three 300-yard games in four weeks and the exception was a 288-yard performance by Eli Manning.

Even though Palmer hasn't been great, he has thrown three 300-yard games and averaged 314.6 per contest this season. While he's been inefficient (59.9% completion rate, 6.93 Y/A and 6-to-5 TD-INT ratio), he's making up for it with volume. Arizona's issues running the ball has led to Palmer throwing it a league-high 45.4 times per game, on average. Given the matchup, his efficiency may improve but I'd expect high volume to allow him to finish as a top-12 performer this week.

QB - Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. PIT)

Through five weeks of the season, no quarterback has scored more fantasy points than Smith. Granted, he's unlikely to hold that position through Week 16, but he's playing as well as he ever has. Leading the league with a 76.6-percent completion rate, Smith has thrown 11 touchdowns and no interceptions while adding a rushing score as well.

Smith has finished as a top-10 weekly quarterback in four of five games and has done so in both exploitable and unfavorable matchups. Only the Jaguars have allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, but Smith and Chiefs are playing well enough that he's still a top-12 option for me this week.

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Week 6 Fantasy Football QB Sit'em

 

QB - Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (at KC)

With well-known home-road splits, Roethlisberger struggled at home last week in what was a difficult matchup against an elite Jaguars secondary. Throwing five interceptions, he managed to throw only two touchdowns -- except they were to the defense. Roethlisberger has now finished as the QB25, QB22 and QB28 in his past three games, respectively.

The matchup isn't as tough as last week's matchup, but the environment will be tougher as the Steelers head to Arrowhead. Perhaps no quarterback has more around him than Big Ben does so a bounce back could happen, but I'd prefer to wait until he returns to Heinz Field in a more favorable matchup before starting him again.

QB - Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (vs. LAC)

The good news is that Carr (back) was cleared for Week 6's matchup against the Chargers even though he'll be less than 100 percent. Obviously, his return marks a significant improvement to the passing game and offense overall compared to E.J. Manuel.

If you need to start Carr, doing so isn't necessarily a horrible move, but he is just outside of my top-12 fantasy quarterbacks for the week. Back injuries are tricky so there is some concern there. Not that they've faced a "who's who" list of quarterbacks, but the Chargers have held all of their opposing quarterbacks to 242 passing yards or less this season with only one weekly top-12 performance on the year. I'd prefer to take a wait-and-see approach with Carr this week.

QB - Eli Manning, New York Giants (at DEN)

Scoring 22-plus fantasy points in Weeks 3 and 4, things didn't go as well in the short and long term for Manning in Week 5. While he scored only 13 fantasy points, the bigger problem is that he lost all three of his top receiving options including Odell Beckham Jr. to a season-ending broken ankle. That moves Roger Lewis up to the team's No. 1 wide receiver role for Week 6.

The other obvious concern for Eli this week is the team heads to Mile High to face the No Fly Zone. A couple of games don't have a point spread and/or over-under, but among the 24 teams that have both, no team is projected to score fewer points than the Giants (14.0) this week based on implied totals.

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Week 6 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Yanotchko)

Every week, four of our contributors pick between two and five games each and assign a number of units (one to five) to their selection based on their confidence in the pick.

A trend continues as the Patriots-Jets finds its way into Dan Yanotchko's Week 6 picks. Earlier, Sean Beazley picked the Patriots and John Trifone took the Jets and the points.

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With that said, here are Dan Yanotchko's Week 6 NFL picks against the spread:

New England Patriots -9.5 over New York Jets (4 Units)

The Patriots certainly have not looked like the team most experts though would dominate the season wire to wire, but this is the game that I think they will just blow the opponent off of the field. The Jets are a great story at 3-2, but of course, they have beaten Jacksonville, Cleveland, and Miami. When the Jets played a quality team in Oakland, they were throttled 40-25.

This will be another game where the Patriots defense improves, and will be able to hold the Jets in check for the day. Also, since there has been some concern about the hits Tom Brady has taken, look for a big day by Mike Gillislee, who gets a defense that allows 143 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry. I think there is just too much firepower here for the Pats, and they are looking to put the defensive struggles behind them and will crush the Jets.

Pittsburgh Steelers +3.5 over Kansas City Chiefs (3 Units)

It's been a rough week for Pittsburgh, as they have just been surrounded by controversy, and of course having Ben Roethlisberger throw five picks and only put up nine points on Jacksonville doesn't help at all either. You just can't read too much into one game and this is where the Steelers excel in bouncing back after a tough week. Pittsburgh always plays Kansas City tough, as they are 3-1 in their last four against the spread when playing the Chiefs.

I have a feeling that this will be a very back-and-forth game, and while the Chiefs are the best offensive team in the league, they do have holes on defense. The Steelers can attack a weak KC secondary that allows 248 yards passing per game, and they have also allowed nine touchdowns on the year. I think the Steelers will be throwing a lot to catchup, and I will take the points on the road here.

Denver Broncos -12 over New York Giants (4 Units)

I am not sure what else to say about the Giants season other than it has been a complete and absolute train wreck, and it just keeps getting worse. How is this for a scenario, you just lost your All-Pro wide receiver for the year, and you also had three other wide receivers go down with injury in the last game as well. Your offensive line cannot block very well, and now you have to travel to Denver to play possibly the best defense in the league who just happen to be coming off of a bye.

Since the Giants are missing their wide receivers, you would think they would try to go run heavy. The only problem with that strategy is that the Broncos only allow 50.8 yards rushing per game and 2.4 yards per carry. It will be a long night in Denver, and I just don't see the Giants competing in this contest.


- Note: All of our NFL picks against the spread will be centralized here.

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