FanDuel Ownership % Rates NFL Week 6

The ownership rates below are from the $1 buy-in Mini Dive GPP at FanDuel.

Quarterback

I'm not seeing any huge shockers in the ownership rates. I full expected Tom Brady to lead the way in ownership given the hype surrounding the Pats/Colts rematch, his hot start, the high over/under total and all of the other factors surrounding the game that suggest he should lead the position in scoring this week. He's my favorite option this week in all game types, and his ownership cements his status in my cash games rosters while not dissuading me from using him in GPPs. I am delighted to see Joe Flacco's miniscule ownership rate. If Steve Smith plays, and all signs seem to be pointing in that direction, a Flacco/Smith stack is one of my favorites, and it's incredibly affordable. I'll be back on the Sam Bradford bandwagon again this week in GPPs, too, and I love Carson Palmer's ownership rate as well. Finally, Andy Dalton's ownership is a smidge higher than I expected, and his salary at DraftKings could result in even more ownership there, but I still like him in GPPs, namely if the Bills are -- as expected -- without Tyrod Taylor. The potential for the Bengals offense working with short fields is very enticing, and while the Bills defense has been good this year, Dalton is matchup proof at this point.

Running Back

Holy moly! Both Patriots running backs, Dion Lewis and Legarrette Blount, crack the top five in ownership percentage. With DK offering a full-point per reception and Lewis featuring a better value salary there, his ownership should be even HIGHER there. Of the two, I'd much rather use Lewis at both sites, and Blount's ownership doesn't exactly make him a contrarian pick either. A bye week hasn't resulted in gamers forgetting how good Chris Ivory was in the first four weeks of the season. Eddie Lacy has yet to rush for 100 yards and his touchdown and receiving production have been lackluster, but gamers wisely see a big point spread where the Packers are favored at home, a high team over/under total and a soft defense and recognize he should have a big game salting away the lead. My love for Adrian Peterson has grown from an already high level with sub-10% ownership. It looks like gamers are shying away from Le'Veon Bell a smidge in GPPs due to a tough matchup, and that boosts his GPP value since his upside is unmatched at the position thanks to his elite running and pass catching skills and his guaranteed big workload. DeMarco Murray is coming off of his best game and the Eagles have a high team over/under total. The Giants aren't a soft run defense, but Murray's stock is up in GPPs with his low ownership rate. A few other notes, I'd expect Charcandrick West to have higher ownership on DK due to providing more salary relief there and both Danny Woodhead and Darren Sproles to see a bump in ownership there due to the full point awarded for receptions. Even with a bump to his ownership, I'm completely enamored with Woodhead thanks to a game flow that should feature the Chargers airing it out a ton to play catch up. Finally, Giovani Bernard looks like a solid GPP option to me with sub-5% ownership. He's playing far more snaps than Jeremy Hill, and while Hill is a goal-line vulture, Bernard is a well-rounded back who can rack up points on the ground and through the air.

Wide Receiver

Back atop the heap at wide receiver is Julian Edelman. You know why he's there, so I won't expand on that yet again. DeAndre Hopkins could best Edelman in ownership at DK since he rivaled his ownership rate at FD despite a larger gap in salaries there. Hopkins is my favorite option at wide receiver this week, but that's in part because I'd rather pair Brady with Gronk than with Edelman. You can't go wrong with either of the two highest owned receivers. Looking at the ownership rates of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, once again sign me up for the latter in GPPs thanks to a sizable ownership gap that exceeds the gap in their talent levels and upside. Gamers shied away from Odell Beckham Jr. due to his absence from Thursday's practice. Sunday's gamers will be more informed about his status for Monday night's game, and positive reports about him playing should result in his ownership rate shooting up substantially, perhaps north of 20% I'd guess. A solid showing from the Redskins against Matty Ice in Atlanta doesn't scare gamers as both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker crack the top 10 wide outs in ownership rate. Kudos for not falling into the recency bias trap, gamers. I like both this week, and Decker is one of the better bargain plays at any position. Speaking of bargain plays, Kamar Aiken's ownership rate is lower than I expected, and regardless of the playing status of his teammate, Steve Smith, I'll gladly plug him into GPPs at both sites and spread the savings elsewhere. Speaking of Smith, his ownership should get a shot in the arm if he's officially declared active for Sunday's game. I'm actually surprised his ownership is under 1% with news of Smith participating in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday and signs pointing toward him being active. The 49ers defense has been trash this season, and Smith is one of my favorite plays at any position.

Tight End

Wowza, Antonio Gates. The DFS community is a bargain shopping bunch, and Gates is a bargain relative to his production in his season debut. He led the Chargers in targets and blew up in game one of the year for him. That said, his sky-high ownership makes Rob Gronkowski, the best player at his position, and the skill position player with the biggest gap over the second best player at his position, a dreamy GPP option. As I noted above, my preference is to pair Gronk with Brady instead of using Edelman, and that is cemented with Gronk's ownership rate. Tyler Eifert has earned his ownership rate, and his nose for the end zone and rapport with Dalton makes him a strong play, as the ownership suggests. Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron are two of my favorite low ownership options. Even after keeping Charles Clay in check, Football Outsiders ranks the Titans dead last stopping tight ends. I'll grab some shares of Cameron on DK for $3,000 both as a tight end, and perhaps as a flex paired with Gronk. There are no other real shockers here in terms of ownership, at least in my opinion.

Defense

Whelp, Justin and I agreed on The Blitz Defense Analysis podcast that the Denver Broncos looked the part of the best defense this year, and it looks like the rest of the DFS gaming community is on the same page. They've rushed the passer and forced turnovers at a rate better than anyone else. Yes, they're on the road, but their upside is through the roof. That said, their ownership rate enhances the appeal of selecting a few other high-ceiling defenses in GPPs. I remain firmly entrenched in my stance that the New York Jets are the best value on DK and an awesome play on FD, too. However, in GPPs, I might veer off of them for the Green Bay Packers since they're far lower owned than the Jets. The Packers are the biggest favorites and they're at home. That's dreamy. They've also done an awesome job rushing the passer and forcing turnovers, adding to the likelihood they'll pile up points when the Chargers are put in predictable passing situations.

I really hope Lewis is ruled inactive. I think its going to be a Blount day anyways but that would make me feel better but likely skyrocket Blount's ownership levels.

This is one of my favorite posts. I think ownership % is so important and don't really understand why it's downplayed so much. I'm checking this every week. Thanks Josh!

Are you going to be posting ownership rates for the rest of the year....THIS IS A HUGE HELP BRO AND I'M SURE WILL INCREASE SITE TRAFFIC TREMENDOUSLY

You got it, cmnegro. You'll see the ownership percentages posted on here Thursday night or Friday morning every week.

So I need to preface this comment with the fact that I live 5 miles from Lambeau Field... That being said I am really surprised Aaron Rodgers ownership is only 4.1%. Rodgers had a poor game last week not only by his standards but also by the the standards of what we call 'Packer Nation' here in Green Bay. I think with it being home game, next week a Bye Week for the Packers... Rodgers and the rest of the team is going to do everything in their power to leave the field feeling like they are the #1 team in the NFL for two weeks. Add to that I see Eddy Lacy is over 12% but the Packers throw the ball even when they are ahead by a comfortable margin. Just my .02 but this could be Rodger's best game of the year. Too bad it's such a hard team to stack with Nelson out and Adams probably not going to play.

Its probably because Rodgers is so expensive and everyone is wanting to pay up for Brady this week because of the revenge game. People are on Eddie Lacy, but this may not be the same on DK. I'm actually surprised because I thought people would be off Lacy due to the last few weeks. But he is a beast playing for one of the best offenses in the NFL, he is bound to break out sometime. Rodgers is definitely a tourney play at 4% ownership I'd stack him with Cobb or James Jones. Even Richard Rodgers if you really want some low % upside.

Rodgers is just the type of pivot who can win tournaments. As Lox mentioned, Brady is going to soak up most of the big ticket quarterback ownership, and the table above also reflects that. Rodgers is special though, and capable of matching or besting Brady. It's always easy to overlook the fact he can score some points with his legs, too, and the fact the Patriots could opt to sledgehammer their way to a big victory with Blount isn't out of the question either.