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Brandin Cooks remains the top value play of the week, a title he has held since week four. Cooks bounced back last week finishing as the WR18 on the week posting nine receptions for 89  yards on 13 targets. He saw 147 Air Yards last week and regained the league lead in Air Yards Share. At $6,000 on DraftKings, Cooks remains a value and is a recommended play in all formats.

Devonta Smith disappointed in an island game last week, posting only 5.1 fantasy points in what was perceived to be a smash spot against Tampa Bay. Regardless, he still led the Eagles in Air Yards on the week and is the only Eagles receiver to post over 100 Air Yards in a week on the season. Recency bias and matchup makes Smith a great contrarian play this week against a Raiders secondary that has limited fantasy points for receivers. He is the top value play on the week and a must-start in tournament lineups.

With the Bills, Cowboys, Jaguars, Chargers, Vikings, Steelers, Broncos, Browns, Colts, 49ers, Saints, and Seahawks all off the main slate, most would think it creates opportunity. However, for this week, in particular, I believe it establishes chalk. A combination of matchups and injuries limits the opportunities. 

Patrick Mahomes stacked with combinations of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce will be popular, and I’m not suggesting to fade them. However, lineups with Mahomes, Darrel Williams, and Mecole Hardman could make for an exciting turnout. Hill has hit on a 50-percent ROI thus far. If the Chiefs go up early, we could see a week where we could have pivoted to another player and seen variance from Mahomes builds. 

The High Value Touch DFS Index is here to help you find the best plays for the dollar in DFS. This is done by looking at leaders in Carries Inside The 10-Yard Line Per Game and Targets Inside The 10-Yard Line Per Game and comparing their prices on DraftKings and FanDuel to create a rating. We look at these touches close to the end zone because touchdowns lead to fantasy points, and fantasy points lead to cashing our lineups in DFS!

In the index, Swift and Jones are the two I am most willing to roster in both cash and tournaments. Mike Davis and Leonard Fournette make for interesting players to have in your tournament player pool, that have the potential for multiple touchdowns in a given week. Derrick Henry is a stud that should be rostered if you can afford it but is outside of the index because he is cost-prohibitive, especially on FanDuel.

Lamar Jackson let down many DFS players last week as the Ravens running backs rushed for three touchdowns. Going back to him this week with his highest upside wide receiver will be an opportunity to leverage his more popular teammates. Also, see why playing the Titans passing game is a great contrarian angle to take in the highest scoring game of the week.

The final stack features Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs. Carr is playing some of the best ball of his career this year and doing so in a way ideal for fantasy owners. The main beneficiary of this play has been Ruggs. He’s turned the No. 2-ranked Average Target Distance (18.8 yards) into 350 (No. 9) Completed Air Yards and 445 (No. 14) receiving yards. He’s looking like the un-guardable deep threat promised out of Alabama last year.

This new season-long mini-series is brought to you by the RotoUnderworld Game Analyst Team. The Game Analyst Team consists of over 75 individuals that chart and re-watch every snap from every game in the NFL between game end, and Monday afternoon. The guys you have generally not heard from before stop in to drop some tidbits from their weekly game charting process in hopes to give us a sneak peek into the depth of the games each Sunday.

Another week of the NFL season flies by. Attending the Carolina Panthers vs Minnesota Vikings game was the highlight of my weekend and I think would have been my favorite game to watch regardless. We are through six weeks in the NFL season, and currently looking at 3 three-win teams in the playoffs and multiple under .500 that are very much in the hunt. The 18th week and the seventh playoff team will surely make this one interesting heading into the middle six of the season.

The Broncos have performed well to start this season, starting off with a 3-3 record. Teddy Bridgewater is moving the offense and the defense has been stout. They face a depleted Browns offense, and have a great spot for fantasy assets.

The Browns are a nightmare. They are without Baker Mayfield, Kareem Hunt, Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham Jr., and potentially even Jarvis Landry. With limited talent at receiver and running back, along with Case Keenum at the helm, the Browns are going to struggle to move the ball and compete in this matchup.

Miles Sanders is seeing a larger Opportunity Share and a consistent Target Share, and he’s trending towards seeing higher-value touches against week defenses. The connection between Jakobi Meyers and Mac Jones is growing stronger. Meyers has the talent and the opportunity, but the touchdowns haven’t come yet.

Rashod Bateman is here, people. He blew expectations out of the water in his first game, and it’s only gonna get better from here. The Ravens have a favorable schedule going forward, and it’s clear that Bateman is going to play a large role in this passing offense.

The Eagles allowed over 120 total yards to Leonard Fournette last week and have allowed four straight games with 80-plus rushing yards given up to a lead RB. Philadelphia has also allowed 4 or more receptions to RBs every game this season. While Kenyan Drake is generally the primary pass-catching back, Jacobs has 11 receptions in four games this season and will continue to see targets from Derek Carr. Jacobs is set up for a great matchup against Philadelphia Week 7.

Sterling Shepard is left standing, but will likely face one of Donte Jackson, A.J. Bouye, or C.J. Henderson (if healthy). The Panthers allowed less than 200 passing yards to opponents four of the last five weeks. A Week 6 Vikings matchup broke that streak (Kirk Cousins threw for over 370 yards). Despite a bad performance against a great Vikings WR corps, the Panthers secondary has been sneakily solid against opposing WRs. Now they face Daniel Jones, who has 4 touchdowns to 4 interceptions this season. Shepard and the limping Giants WR corps is not in for a good matchup this week.

Khalil Herbert may still be available in some leagues. We recommended Herbert last week and hopefully, you have him rostered. If he is somehow still available, he may have taken over Chicago’s RB job with his strong performance against Green Bay. He rushed 19 times for 97 yards and a TD and added two catches. He looks explosive and instinctual as a runner. This week, Damien Williams may or may not be off the COVID list, but Herbert is an ascending player who is earning more and more opportunities.

Rashod Bateman was recommended as an addition in previous articles and now I am stomping my feet for you to please add him. This past week, he was tied for a team-high six targets. The Baltimore offense is humming, and Bateman could quickly become a weekly starter. Get him rostered before the inevitable breakout game.

Start Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette every week. Play Chris Godwin and Mike Evans as needed, but expect volatility; Antonio is Tom’s WR BFF. When Gronk returns, there’ll be (cliché alert!) even more mouths to feed… but Antonio will get his targets.

If you don’t already have Ja’Marr Chase on your roster, there isn’t much you can do now. If you drafted him very early in rookie drafts as directed this offseason by PlayerProfiler and the Breakout Finder, you’ve won. If you didn’t, there’s no way you’ll get him now. As to his Bengal teammates, if you have Tee Higgins or Tyler Boyd, they are still OK as a WR2 or WR3, but don’t expect much more out of them.