The Patriots won a thriller in Tampa Bay last Thursday 19-14 to move to 3-2 on the season. The defense got back on track and held the Bucs to just 14 points, and they'll look to stymie the New York Jets in Week 6.
Tom Brady failed to reach 23 DKFP for the first time in four weeks, only posting 17.62 on Thursday night. His lone TD was thrown to Chris Hogan, who had eight catches on 11 targets, good for 21.4 DKFP. Hogan has now scored at least 17 DKFP in four straight weeks, and he's established himself as one of Brady's favorite targets.
This week's game against the Jets becomes increasingly important due to their surprise three-game winning streak. The Jets sit at 3-2 (second in the AFC East), so the Patriots will need to buckle down this week to avoid falling behind in the division race.
That said, we have a number of exciting NFL games on the Week 6, 11-game main DraftKings slate. As always, you can reach me on the ol' Twitter machine **@SBuchanan24**.
GAME NOTES
Highest Scoring Game
Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints – 50 Projected Points
The Saints and Lions square off in the Superdome in Week 6 with the week's highest projected point total. The Saints are the favorites by 4.5 points coming off their bye week. The Lions have mostly contained opposing quarterbacks up to this point, only allowing an average of 275 passing yards per game with seven interceptions. The running backs for the Saints are an interesting aspect of this game with the recent trade of Adrian Peterson to the Cardinals. With Peterson officially out of the mix, the Saints can now focus on their combo of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. With both backs fully capable of catching out of the backfield, they'll face a Lions' defense that's allowed 291 receiving yards to opposing backs, which ranks the fourth highest in the league. Between the two, they're averaging a combined 12.5 targets per game, which could end up being a focal part of the Saints' attack in this game.
Lowest Scoring Game
Chicago Bears vs. Baltimore Ravens – 40 Projected Points
The Bears will visit Baltimore to take on the Ravens in what is being projected as the lowest total of the 11-game main slate. The Ravens are 6.5-point favorites over the Bears, who own a 16.5-point projection, the lowest on the week. The Ravens' defense could be a popular pick this week as it matches up against Mitchell Trubisky, who was only able to throw for 128 yards on Monday night against the Vikings with the limited amount of weapons at his disposal. The Ravens' defense is one of four on this slate that averages double-digit fantasy points on DK. In games the Ravens haved won, this unit averages 18 FPPG.
DVP MATCHUPS
Format: Team vs. Opponent, Defense vs. Position Rank
Worst QB Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1st |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgs Steelers | 2nd |
| Chicago Bears | Baltimore Ravens | 5th |
Best QB Matchups
| Team | opp | dvp rank |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | New England Patriots | 32nd |
| Houston Texans | Cleveland Browns | 29th |
| Arizona Cardinals | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 28th |
Worst RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | Minnesota Vikings | 2nd |
| Cleveland Browns | Houston Texans | 3rd |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Arizona Cardinals | 5th |
Best RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Los Angeles Rams | 32nd |
| New York Jets | New England Patriots | 31st |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgh Steelers | 30th |
Worst WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1st |
| San Francisco 49ers | Washington Redskins | 2nd |
| Los Angeles Rams | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3rd |
Best WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32nd |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Kansas City Chiefs | 31st |
| New York Jets | New England Patriots | 28th |
Worst TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | San Francisco 49ers | 1st |
| Minnesota Vikings | Green Bay Packers | 2nd |
| Arizona Cardinals | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3rd |
Best TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | Cleveland Browns | 31st |
| San Francisco 49ers | Washington Redskins | 30th |
| New York Jets | New England Patriots | 29th |
TARGET REPORT
Last Week's Leaders
| player | team | last week's opp | targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Brown | PIT | JAX | 19 |
| Keenan Allen | LAC | NYG | 12 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | HOU | KC | 12 |
| Davante Adams | GB | DAL | 11 |
| Pierre Garcon | SF | IND | 11 |
| Marquise Goodwin | SF | IND | 11 |
| Chris Hogan | NE | TB | 11 |
| Travis Kelce | KC | HOU | 11 |
| Le'Veon Bell | PIT | JAX | 10 |
| Andre Ellington | ARZ | PHI | 10 |
Last Three Week's Leaders
| NAME | TEAM | LAST 3 WEEKS TARGETS | AVG TARGETS YTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Brown | PIT | 42 | 12.8 |
| Keenan Allen | LAC | 32 | 10.4 |
| Andre Ellington | ARI | 32 | 8 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | ARI | 32 | 10.2 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | HOU | 32 | 12.2 |
| Mike Evans | TB | 31 | 10 |
| Pierre Garcon | SF | 29 | 8.8 |
| Jarvis Landry | MIA | 28 | 10.8 |
| Chris Hogan | NE | 26 | 7.4 |
| Jaron Brown | ARI | 24 | 7 |
LINEUP QUICK HITS
QB To Build Lineups Around...
Deshaun Watson ($6,700) –Watson is my QB to build around for the second time in this young 2017 season. He has another fantastic matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. The Browns have not been able to contain opposing quarterbacks thus far, allowing 11 passing touchdowns and an average of 243 passing yards per game. Those numbers jump out even more when factoring in that the Browns have played the Steelers, Ravens, Colts, Bengals and Jets. Watson has been a fantasy point monster since Week 3, averaging 31.8 DK points in that span with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. As the sixth-most expensive QB on this slate, Watson still gives you the flexibility to fill out the rest of your lineup but has the potential to be one of the top scoring players of the week.
WR To Pair Him With...
DeAndre Hopkins ($8,100) –Hopkins is the third-most expensive wide receiver on this 11-game slate, but he also draws one of the most favorable matchups. Hopkins, who has lined up on the left side on 58% of his snaps, should see CB Jason McCourty. Of the 26 targets thrown his way, McCourty has allowed 17 catches for 174 yards with only two interceptions. With Hopkins seeing an average of 12 targets per game, he should have plenty of opportunities in Week 6.
The Top Running Back Will Be...
Melvin Gordon ($7,800) –Gordon is coming off a huge Week 5 that saw him score 37.3 DK fantasy points by carrying the ball 20 times for 105 yards and catching six of his eight targets for 58 yards with two touchdowns. While he and Kareem Hunt ($8,200) are both in favorable matchups, I prefer Gordon because of the salary savings and his opportunities in the passing game. Of the 94.2 fantasy points scored on the season, Gordon has accumulated 36% of those from his targets, compared to the 12% that Hunt has in the passing game. Gordon is currently averaging 5.4 targets while Hunt is only at 3.4. Gordon gets an Oakland defense that's allowed 4.1 YPC along with 22 catches on 27 targets for 260 yards.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Steveazors) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
