Examining Cafe Value: NFL Week 6

If you're unfamiliar with Cafe Value, it is our special sauce of sorts. The Cafe Value accounts for things such as strength of opponent, player cost and Vegas odds. It reveals which players project to offer you the most bang for your buck. Below, I'll highlight the players with the five highest Cafe Values at DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 6 at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and defense. There isn't a great deal of overlay between players appearing on each site's top five at each position, and that speaks volumes about differences in pricing and scoring at each site.

DraftKings

Quarterback

Andy Dalton has turned into a matchup-proof quarterback this year, and his price has yet to catch up to his new level of production. He's projected to best 20 fantasy points scoring, yet he's priced at under $6,000. He should be one of the more popular options at quarterback this week and for good reason. Of the other quarterbacks, Blake Bortles stands out as another quarterback option I like a great deal this week in GPPs assuming he's healthy enough to play. Bortles is nicked up, but indications are that he should be a go this weekend. The Texans defense has been lost this year and Football Outsiders (FO) ranks them 27th defending the pass while Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranks them 17th in pass coverage. Colin Kaepernick's run-pass threat at $5,000 against a soft Ravens defense is worth firing a few bullets on in GPPs at a modest $5,000, namely if the Ravens offense is missing key pieces, which it could be.

Running Back

Jamaal Charles season-ending torn ACL has opened the door to a new lead runner in their backfield, and while Knile Davis costs more than him, Charcandrick West is expected to be the primary ball carrier. It's possible he'll cede goal-line work to the more punishing Davis, but any time you can get a feature back who's expected to touch the ball around 20 times at $4,000, they're going to be enticing, and West certainly is. I'd prefer use him in GPPs as opposed to cash games, but the salary relief he provides does make him a viable punt if you're looking to squeeze a few studs onto your roster an unable to cut salary elsewhere.

Dion Lewis has replaced Shane Vereen as the pass-catching back in the Patriots offense, and no team has a higher over/under total than the Patriots. They're going to hang a big score on the Colts, and Lewis will have a great opportunity to pile up fantasy points through the air while chipping in on the ground, too.

Jeremy Hill entered the year as the more desirable running back in the backfield for the Bengals, but he's been wholly ineffective save for some work at the goal-line. Meanwhile, Giovani Bernard has bounced back from something of a sophomore slump of sorts and he's an all-around back who has run the ball well and is a weapon in the passing game as well. The Bills are a stout run defense, but Bernard's steady playing time and ability to score points on the ground and through the air make him a bargain at just $4,600.

Theo Riddick has carved out a role in the Lions backfield thanks to his excellence as a pass catcher. He's less than 100%, but assuming he is healthy enough to play, he's an intriguing punt at $3,300. Riddick leads all running backs in receptions with 30, and he's turned those receptions into 228 yards and a pair of scores.

Wide Receiver

The top Cafe Value plays at wide receiver are a very talented bunch. Allen Hurns remains underpriced despite exploding for 116 yards receiving and a touchdown in back-to-back games and leading the Jaguars in receptions and receiving yards. DeAndre Hopkins is the NFL leader in targets by a wide margin, and he's turned his looks into elite production (42 receptions for 578 yards receiving and three scores). Both Hurns and Hopkins should turn in strong efforts in an AFC South showdown. Eric Decker is quietly talented and faces the injury depleted secondary of the Redskins, and I'd expect him to be low owned which adds to his GPP appeal.

Tight End

Defense

The Broncos offense has been dreadful this year. Who would have ever thought a Peyton Manning led offense would be terrible. For that reason, the Browns defense makes for an intriguing GPP dice roll at home. If they're able to force a turnover or two, they'd pay off their minimal cost. The defensive unit that stands out to me, though, is my favorite defense of the week on DraftKings, price considered. The Jets defense is coming off of a bye week and have allowed the fewest points per game (13.8) while forcing the second most turnovers (13). Kirk Cousins and the Redskins are no strangers to turning over the ball, and that elevates the floor and ceiling of this stout defensive unit.

FanDuel

Quarterback

Andy Dalton is a repeat tout as his price hasn't caught up to his production on FanDuel either, so I'll move on to the other noteworthy quarterback in this group, and that's Tom Brady. The Patriots have an enormous 32.25 point over/under total, and Brady's playing at arguably the highest level in his Hall of Fame caliber career. He's yet to throw an interception, and he leads the league in NFL QB Rating. Also, in case you've been living under a rock, he likely has a little extra motivation to stick it to his opponent this week. Since Brady is the second most expensive quarterback, his ranking second in Cafe Value should tell you all you need to know about how dominant we project him to be this week, and if it doesn't, just look at that juicy projection north of 25 fantasy points.

Running Back

Wide Receiver

DeAndre Hopkins is a holdover from the DraftKings top five, so I won't dive into analysis for him once again. Instead, I'll point out that Larry Fitzgerald's price has not caught up to his production. He's leading the league in receiving touchdowns (six) and has been incredibly efficient ranking in the top-10 among wide receivers in receptions (35) and receiving yards (490) despite barely cracking the top 20 in targets. Julian Edelman is one of Tom Terrific's two favorite pass catchers, and he's great exposure to the biggest team over/under total of the week. Allen Robinson and Steve Smith make up the sub-$7,000 duo in the top five Cafe Values at wide out. Robinson leads the Jaguars in targets and has been excellent even having matched up with a few tough corner backs thus far this year. Monitor Bortle's playing status, but if he plays, I love Robinson this week. One of my favorite plays at any position is Smith -- assuming he's able to play. Smith has practiced in back-to-back days and easily the top pass catcher in the Ravens offense. There aren't many wide outs who can boast such a distinct advantage in targets over the second most targeted member of their offense. The 49ers have been awful defending the pass, and FO ranks them 29th defending number-one wide receivers. Smith is a great play in all game types.

Tight End

With prices so tightly clustered at tight end, you don't see the likes of Larry Donnell and Richard Rodgers on this list. Nope, the top five is a who's who at the position. Rob Gronkowski is the class of the position and the only player at tight end who has a projected fantasy score flirting with 20 points. Antonio Gates made huge waves in his first game of the season in Week 5 after serving a four-game suspension, and he was the most targeted pass catcher for the Chargers in that game. The Chargers are big underdogs, and that should dictate a game flow that results in Philip Rivers airing out the ball a ton. Of the remaining tight ends on this list, Tyler Eifert is the one I'm most confident using. He's blossomed into a stud this year, and if E.J. Manuel is forced into starting duty for the Bills -- as it looks like he probably will be -- the Bengals offense could be in a position to work with short fields. Eifert is a red-zone terror leading tight ends in touchdown grabs with five, but he's more than a touchdown-or-bust option as he's averaging 62.4 yards receiving and 4.8 receptions per game.

Defense

Two defensive units stand head and shoulders above the rest in this group. The first is the Seahawks defense. They're home favorites in a stadium that's one of the toughest for road teams to visit. They'll be tasked with shutting down the one-man show offense that is Cam Newton and the Panthers. Oddsmakers peg this as a defensive struggle, and I'm inclined to agree. That said, I'd prefer use them in GPPs because I like the previously touted Jets defense more. Their price isn't as great of a bargain on FanDuel as it is on DraftKings, but it's still a slight bargain when considering their aforementioned dominance in year one with Todd Bowles as their head coach.