Welcome to Week 6 of the NFL season and the next edition DFS RB Coach! Running back scoring was down this week, but not here. We had two of the top four scoring backs this week with De’Von Achane (21.5 points) and David Montgomery (20.9). We also had Jaleel McLaughlin (17.9) who was a smash of a play at his price. Bijan Robinson’s (11.8) day was somewhat salvaged with a late touchdown, but we are still disappointed with that performance for sure, and my other two value plays flopped, but that’s the risk we run with cheap backs sometimes. Enough about last week though, let’s look to keep that momentum going into Week 6. It’s time to start putting those DraftKings and FanDuel lineups together and hit the big paydays! The Carolina Panthers vs. Miami Dolphins game has the highest total on the slate, but no game has a crazy number this week. Let’s dive into my favorite RB plays!

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Week 6 Plays

NFL DFS RB Top Plays

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars

Etienne had a monster game against the Bills last week, rushing 26 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching four passes for 48 yards to finish with 39.4 ppr points. It was his third game of the year with over 17.5 ppr points already and he continues to see heavy involvement in the Jags offense as he already has four games with at least 18 carries and has picked up at least 3 targets in every game this year. I like this matchup against the Colts once again (had him in the RB coach Week 1 against the Colts when he scored 21.4 points). 

Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Hard not to like what we are seeing from Kamara thus far. In his first game back, he rushed 11 times for 51 yards while catching 13 passes. In game two, he rushed 22 times for 80 yards and a touchdown while catching three passes. He has scored 21.4 and 18.7 points in his two games of action and if he is going to continue to get 25 touches per game, he should have no issue continuing to score a lot of points. This matchup against the Texans is a good one and I expect another strong showing from the veteran tailback in a game that should allow for Kamara to get a lot of work, both on the ground and through the air. 

 

NFL DFS RB Mid-Tier Plays

Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins

With Achane’s injury, Mostert returns to the more prominent role that we saw him in over the first three games when he scored 13, 28.7, and 45.2 dk points. He has had some fumble issues, but he has looked really good thus far overall, averaging 5.4 YPC, catching 15-17 targets, and scoring 8 total touchdowns already. The Panthers rank as the second best matchup in football this year for running backs and the Dolphins should have zero issue with this Panthers team, which should lead to a lot of work and success for Mostert. 

De’Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles

Swift exploded in Week 2 when Gainwell was out, scoring 30.1 dk points on 175 rushing yards, and he hasn’t looked back. He has scored at least 16.8 dk points in four straight games now. He is seeing more receiving work now too, coming off a game with 6 receptions; he has 10 receptions on 10 targets over the last two games. The Jets have a good defense, but it has proven to be beatable by running backs this season, both via the ground and in through the air, which works out perfectly for a guy of Swift’s skillset. 

 

NFL DFS RB Value Plays

Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinals

Demercado will likely be the highest rostered running back on the slate. He is extremely cheap and he looked good in relief of James Conner last week, rushing 10 times for 45 yards and a touchdown while catching one pass for 12 yards. The Cardinals are always a safe bet for heavy RB involvement and how can you not like a heavily used back at this price. I expect to see at least 15 touches in this game, which makes him kind of a no-brainer punt play. His rostership may not be super crazy in GPPs, but cash game players will likely lock him in.

*Friday ADD* Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

With Miles Sanders being ruled out, Hubbard becomes an even bigger chalk/free square than Demarcado. Hubbard is incredibly cheap and this matchup against the Dolphins is not a bad one, as they've allowed a lot of points and yards this year. Hubbard has played pretty well this year, averaging 4.4 YPC and catching 12 of 14 targets. I could easily see him hauling in about 4-5 passes in this game while gaining north of 70 total yards. If he finds the end zone, that would just be the cherry on top. There is nothing wrong with double-digit points at this low of a price tag. 

 

NFL DFS RB Fades

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Taylor made his season debut last week, but he was kind irrelevant, rushing 6 times for 18 yards. He only played 10 snaps and while that number is going to grow… how much will it grow the very next week? I would imagine not a ton, especially after we watched Zack Moss go completely bananas last week and continue to be a shining piece of the Colts offense this year. Moss is going to get a bunch of work again this week, even if Taylor steals a bit more. I just can’t see this hefty of a price tag paying off in this game. If anything I would play Moss at the cheaper price, but I am probably just fading the backfield entirely this week in a tough matchup against the Jags.