We are back again Rush Nation! Week 5 I think it’s fair to say, was hit and miss. This season, unlike any other before it, is showing how unpredictable the scoring outcomes are. Players we are expecting to come to the fore are missing. Unknowns are stamping their authority on games. On top of that, players are going down at an alarming pace. So lets try and anticipate the blow ups and let’s turn the jets on!

Week 6 will be just as unpredictable. So far we have had the Falcons facility closing. The Colts have also now closed theirs. The schedule has already been reshuffled to make up for the missed games. With this in mind, keep as close an eye as possible on your line up. If in doubt, play it safe. Go with who you know will play.

My picks won’t take into account the facility closures. I will make these picks assuming games are going ahead. Because right now, we know no different. It is what is until the League says otherwise.

Tannehill loves his Tight End!

As predicted, the connection continues. Tannehill to Jonnu Smith is alive and well and for a second week this season, Smith broke the 20 points barrier. This seems to be a season where the top 5 tight ends have pretty much performed as advertised. The rest have had spells, good games and bad games. Jonnu Smith has been consistent though, and if the match up is right, could be a strong Tight End or flex consideration on any given week now.

Dee-No Samuel…

I expected more from San Francisco. I think it’s fair to say we all did. The injection of Deebo Samuel into this offense could have been the catalyst. It hasn’t been so far, however! Deebo scored a mere 4.2 Draft King points on 2 receptions for 19 yards, along with 3 yards on 1 rushing attempt. It’ll take him some time to get going following the injury, but this was way below expectation. Are the San Francisco 49ers suffering from a superbowl appearance hangover? We’ve seen it plenty of times before.

That brings me onto my week 6 recommendations. The aim as always will be to seek out those players at a bargain price. The players who are potentially underpriced but could over perform their price tag.

As was the case in previous weeks, player prices will reflect Draft Kings prices. The points scored will also reflect Draft Kings point scoring, which differs slightly from standard Fantasy points.

QB – Kirk Cousins ($6,100) vs Falcons

I’ve not yet decided if Kirk Cousins will be the Quarterback i will take into battle this coming Sunday. But regardless, you shouldn’t ignore him at this price. Especially against the Atlanta Falcons, who are the League’s worst team against Quarterbacks in almost every category. They currently allow an average of 33.1 Draft King points against Quarterbacks, with 15 passing touchdowns given up in 5 games. The Falcons Defense has managed only 2 interceptions during that time, too. This is a great match up for Cousins, and at the price, he has to be in consideration.

RB – Myles Gaskin ($5,400) vs Jets

This is an unbelievably good price. It almost feels like when you go to Asda (that’s Walmart for American readers) and find that an item has been “whoopsied”. Myles Gaskin seems to have emerged as his team’s lead Running Back, being involved in 66% of his team’s offensive snaps. Breida and Howard have been non-existent, which has helped magnify Gaskin’s impact. Apologies to any avid Jets fans, but the Jets are a disgrace. I could probably recommend a Running Back that plays them every week. They are currently allowing 31.5 Draft King points against Running backs per week, 5th worst. They’ve given up 7 rushing touchdowns, and 553 yards against Running Backs. Potentially the bargain of the week. Start Gaskin.

WR – Chase Claypool ($5,200) vs Browns

Speaking of bargains, Chase Claypool is absolutely in that discussion this week. I highly doubt you will see a repeat of last week’s performance. The Steelers Receiver notched up 116 scrimmage yards, and a whopping 4 touchdowns! You read that correctly, it is a 4 and not a typo! Now, the Browns have had a great start. No denying that. However, they’re deceptively bad against Wide Receivers. They have given up 8 touchdowns to opposition Receivers, coupled with 1016 receiving yards. Both stats will see the Browns ranked third worst in the league against Wide Receivers. This game could be a shootout, which should favour Receivers. At this price, Claypool is practically an enabler, and a good one at that!

TE – T.J. Hockenson ($5,300) @ Jaguars

I recommended Hockenson in week 4 against the Saints. Though he didn’t leap off the page in that game, he did bag himself a touchdown. Had that not been the case, it would have been a very disappointing outing. This week he finds himself up against another favourable Defense. The Jaguars give up 16.2 Draft King points on average against Tight Ends. This isn’t the worst in the league, but it puts them in the bottom third of the league. Hockenson still hasn’t had his breakout game yet this season. It could be this one. If you opt to go elsewhere this week though, I wouldn’t blame you. There’s some great matchups for the league’s better Tight Ends.

D/ST – Miami Dolphins ($2,900) vs Jets

There’s nothing to dislike here. The Dolphins are coming off a very strong defensive performance against the 49ers. A game in which they forced Head Coach Shanahan into benching their starting Quarterback at the half. This week, they welcome the sorry New York Jets to Maimi. When a Defense who can score Fantasy points meets a team that’s struggling to score any points at all, you have the perfect recipe for success. At least for the Dolphins anyway…

The Selection Process

Finally, to round out the picks, here is my initially proposed team. This is subject to change of course, but it’s a team I quite like the look of at first glance:

QB – Matt Stafford ($6,300) @ Jaguars

RB – David Montgomery ($5,800) @ Panthers

RB – Myles Gaskin ($5,400) vs Jets

WR – Adam Thielen ($7,300) vs Falcons

WR – Chase Claypool ($5,200) vs Browns

WR – Travis Fulgham ($4,400) vs Ravens

TE – Mike Gesicki ($5,500) vs Jets

Flex – Alexander Mattison ($7,200) vs Falcons

D/ST – Miami Dolphins ($2,900) vs Jets

Budget remaining – $0

I could quite easily stick with Kirk Cousins, and I may still do. My preference however is Matt Stafford. It’s just a personal preference. I rate Stafford as the better Quarterback and he still has a favourable matchup. The $200 extra that Cousins provides could definitely go elsewhere there.

Montgomery has a nice matchup against the Panthers. They’re the league’s worst Run Defense, so at the price, this seems a no-brainer. Gaskin of course also feels like a must.

Travis Fulgham is priced low. He is playing one of the League’s best defenses. However game script should force Philadelphia into airing the ball out here. Fulgham put his name firmly in lights last week with a huge game, 152 yards and a touchdown. This one is a risk, but at the price, it allows you to be strong in other areas. He also enables Adam Thielen, who feels a sensible choice against one of the league’s worst secondaries.

With some of the extra budget I had left over, I also opted for the upgrade at Tight End. I wanted at least a Running back and a receiver against the Jets, and Gesicki is priced very reasonably here. Not the most consistent, but does see his share of targets and has a great matchup.

Cook Down

Alexander Mattison should start against the Falcons with Dalvin Cook looking like he won’t be suiting up this weekend. Mattison had a good game against Seattle, and the Falcons pose another good matchup for him this week. He’s fairly pricey at $7,200, but he’s less than Dalvin Cook would have been. The Vikings trust him.

This is quite a flexible line up this week. Dolphins and Vikings players feel like must haves. Cousins may sneak back in at Quarterback before the games begin, as may Hockenson at Tight End. This will allow extra budget for the Receivers, as the Running Backs are firmly locked.

Best of luck Rush Nation. Some great matchups this week, and they have to be exploited. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of successes to speak of next week. Fingers crossed anyway!

-Nick Owen (@nickofwigan)