Week 6: DraftKings Optimal Lineup

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-10-16 20:06:34

It’s hard to believe that we are already to Week 7, but here we are. The fact that there are only 17 Sundays during the regular season is what makes the NFL so great. What also makes the NFL so great is fantasy football. DraftKings awarded another millionaire last week as Jquave76 took down the Millionaire Maker with a lineup that put up an impressive 229 fantasy points. Luckily for those of us who have yet to be crowned a millionaire, we get another shot at the million this week for only $27.

Even though Jquave76’s total of 229 fantasy points was impressive, it was nothing compared to this week’s optimal lineup on DraftKings which put up 273 fantasy points. The optimal lineup featured a few popular plays as well as a few contrarian plays which once again debunks the myth that in order to win tournaments, you have to construct a lineup that is full of contrarian plays. It does help to have those contrarian plays to set your team apart from the competition, but you can also afford to use a few studs throughout your tournament lineups.

Week 6 DraftKings Optimal Lineup

The first thing that stands out to me here is the fact that Cam Newton was only $6,100 on DraftKings this week and yet he was less than 1% owned in the Millionaire Maker event. While the matchup against the Bengals wasn’t ideal, Newton has one of the highest ceilings of any quarterback regardless of the matchup thanks to his ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs.

Moving on to the running backs, it didn’t surprise me to see two of the best workhorse backs in the NFL in DeMarco Murray and Matt Forte. The best running backs to target in weekly fantasy football are the ones that see the bulk of the work, can catch the ball out of the backfield, and get all of the goal line carries. Both fit the bill and both came up with huge fantasy outings against the Seahawks and the Falcons.

Additionally, It didn’t surprise me to see a wide receiver in the Flex spot. The general consensus is that the mid to cheap receivers typically have a higher ceiling than the mid to cheap running backs. There are obviously cases where you want to target a running back in the Flex spot, but for tournaments, it may pay off to take a boom or bust wide receiver or differentiate yourself by taking two tight ends. The last note with the optimal lineup is the defense. The Eagles have now scored 69 fantasy points in the last three weeks combined. It may be time to start buying in on them as a viable fantasy option each week due to their ability to create turnovers and find the endzone.

Noto’s Week 6 Lineup

Total: 126.54

While everyone can certainly make a case for their team under-performing each week, I think I have as good of an argument as any. Matt Ryan had one of his worst fantasy outings of the season despite the Falcons being projected as the highest scoring team of the week. The Falcons were charged with seven dropped passes in the game, but if you watched, they could have easily been charged with more. Dropped passes can kill drives and can certainly kill a quarterback’s fantasy outing.

As if Ryan wasn’t bad enough, I got even less production out of my receivers. After Welker had seen 16 targets in the prior two games, he caught the only pass thrown his way in what appeared to be a favorable matchup against the Jets. He finished with a solid (sarcasm) eight receiving yards. Then we have Roddy White who had a quiet day of his own with only three catches for 40 yards (although he did contribute to the Falcons dropped passes total).

I’m typically not one to vent, but it’s healthy to get things off your chest every once in a while right? All in all, it was a disappointing week. Ryan and the receivers just didn’t produce enough on their end for my team to have a fighting chance despite getting solid efforts from Matt Forte, Joique Bell, Rob Gronkowski, and the Titans defense. That said, I get the feeling that my big week is right around the corner so as always, ON TO THE NEXT WEEK!