The DFS Academy is back for Week 6! As a reminder, we’re keeping things simple this year. While we have no original DFS article series, you can still catch our DFS podcast every week. This article is a breakdown of that show. Think of it as your DFS Week 5 study guide.
And don’t forget, you can play against us every week on DraftKings and FanDuel. Subscribe to the pod, hop in the Discord, and join the fun.
Here are your necessary links:
Answers to the Test
Last week’s Milli Maker winner dropped 246.82 points with a lineup of Justin Fields, Jonathan Taylor, Breece Hall, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, Jaylen Waddle, Jake Ferguson, Rico Dowdle, and the Saints D/ST.
Last week, Austin literally said, “Get different by pairing Fields and Hall!” In fact, almost every single player from this lineup was mentioned on the show last week.
It was a heavy DAL vs NYJ build, which made perfect sense given the game environment. From there, they stacked game after game—TB/SEA and CAR/MIA—and it worked.
Basically, the total opposite of what crushed in Week 5. DFS is hard, folks.
DFS Week 6 Picks
Cash Plays (Austin’s Specialty)
Cash is all about safety, and Austin has the syllabus.
Top of the Class
(Premium options, $8,000+)
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Puka Nacua (DraftKings: $8,700 / FanDuel: $9,800)
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Christian McCaffrey (DraftKings: $8,400 / FanDuel: $9,500)
Two elite options, both in smash spots, and neither should surprise you.
Band Nerds
(Mid-tier values, $6,000–$8,000)
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Kyren Williams (DraftKings: $6,300 / FanDuel: $8,400)
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Josh Jacobs (DraftKings: $7,300 / FanDuel: $8,700)
Both are volume monsters with great touchdown equity. Kyren’s price feels criminal, and Jacobs is due for positive regression in the red zone.
Bookworms
(Value plays, $4,000–$6,000)
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Dillon Gabriel (DraftKings: $4,400 / FanDuel: $6,400)
Cheap dual-threat upside. -
Hassan Haskins (DraftKings: $5,000 / FanDuel: $5,600)
Sneaky usage potential. -
Chris Olave (DraftKings: $5,100 / FanDuel: $5,900)
Volume is back, price hasn’t caught up. -
Kendrick Bourne (DraftKings: $5,000 / FanDuel: $5,700)
Only if Jauan Jennings and/or Ricky Pearsall sit. -
Keenan Allen (DraftKings: $5,600 / FanDuel: $6,300)
Target magnet. -
Jake Ferguson (DraftKings: $5,300 / FanDuel: $7,000)
Still underpriced given his role and red-zone looks.
C’s Get Degrees
(Punt plays <$4,000)
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Tennessee Titans D/ST (DraftKings: $2,400 / FanDuel: $3,900)
Don’t overthink it. They’re cheap, they get pressure, and that’s all you need from a punt defense.
Tournament Plays
Cash is safe, but GPPs are the real test. Here’s where we’re swinging for the ceiling.
Quarterback
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Austin: Justin Herbert (DK: $6,300 / FD: $8,500) – Love the game environment and ceiling.
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Ryan: Bryce Young (DK: $4,800 / FD: $7,000) – People are scared off, but they shouldn’t be. Dallas can’t stop QBs, and Fields just dropped 283 yards and two scores on them. 300 and 3 isn’t out of the question.
Running Back
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Austin: Kyren Williams and Christian McCaffrey – The combo gives you elite volume and touchdown chances.
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Ryan: Ashton Jeanty (DK: $6,900 / FD: $8,000) – The perfect bounce-back play. After a quiet week, he draws the team giving up the most RB touchdowns this year and the most RB points over the last three games.
Wide Receiver
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Austin: Ladd McConkey, Jaylen Waddle, Sterling Shepard, Tetairoa McMillan – A mix of safe floors and upside pivots.
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Ryan: Marvin Harrison Jr. (DK: $5,300 / FD: $6,900) – WR22 on the season but WR12 over his last two games. Arizona will be chasing points, and Indy has been roasted by WRs lately (Puka, Atwell, Adams, Franklin—all had big games).
Tight End
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Austin: Tucker Kraft (DK: $4,700 / FD: $6,700) – Leverage off Josh Jacobs or correlated with him for full game exposure.
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Ryan: David Njoku (DK: $3,500 / FD: $5,700) – Cheap, high-volume option. Dillon Gabriel targeted TEs 13 times last week, and Njoku caught 9 of them. Not many TEs have that kind of workload right now.
Defense
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Austin: Seattle Seahawks (DK: $2,700 / FD: $4,700) – Great mix of price and upside.
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Ryan: New England Patriots (DK: $3,100 / FD: $4,300) – Two special teams TDs already this year, and the Saints have already allowed one. NE ranks top-6 in fantasy defense and could easily get another. Also keeping an eye on Jacksonville, the current DEF1, who’s priced way too low.
Valedictorian Shootout
Ryan makes it three straight!
He wins 156.3 to 135.2, bringing the season score to 3–2. Big weeks from his RBs carried the load.
Austin’s lineup: Gabriel, CMC, Haskins, Nacua, Olave, Bourne, Ferguson, Allen, Titans
Ryan’s lineup: Young, Jeanty, Kyren, Tetairoa, MHJ, Puka, Olave, Njoku, NE
Winner gets bragging rights each week, and by season’s end, we’ll see who’s crowned Valedictorian and who ends up class clown.
Join the Class
Want in on the action? Play with us on DraftKings and FanDuel every week. We’ll post contests and announce the winners here.
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DraftKings Winner: otatoptry – 192.22 points – 11th win all time – our top player on DK
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FanDuel Winner(s): ertlt – 177.7 points – 4th win this season – locking us down on FD – Somebody come beat this person!
That’s the Week 6 DFS Academy recap. See you next week!
Here are your necessary links:
Looking for more? Here are Club Fantasy’s Week 6 rankings!