NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer Rules and My Favorite Angle for Week 6’s Main Slate

Our Lineup Optimizer is an incredibly powerful tool inside our Player Models, particularly when creating a large number of lineups. However, it’s just that — a tool. We still have to make decisions. Otherwise, everyone would have the same 150 lineups in each contest.

This is intended more as a teaching piece than a step-by-step guide. These rules are suggestions that can show you how to translate your read on these games into lineups.

Each week I’ll go over my favorite DFS angle for the given week and go over some of our Lineup Optimizer settings that are worth considering.

Now, let’s get to it!

My Favorite Week 6 NFL DFS Angle

The year of the wide receiver continues this week with three guys in eruption spots who all currently project for under 10% ownership. Jamarr Chase, Mike Evans, and Justin Jefferson all possess legit 30+ point upside heading into Sunday’s main slate.

Chase takes on the Saints potentially without teammate Tee Higgins to siphon targets and without Marshon Lattimore’s elite shadow coverage, with him expected to miss this week. The Bengals have actively been scheming Chase designed looks each week, and we can expect that to continue.

Mike Evans gets a decimated Steelers defense missing four key pieces, including two starting corners. Brady has thrown the ball 52 times in consecutive weeks, giving Evans a massive floor/ceiling combo.

Jefferson continues to flash his dominance on a weekly basis. Last week’s monster stat line easily could’ve been bigger if not for Dalvin Cook soaking up red zone touchdowns. Dolphins top corner Xavien Howard has been plagued by injury and seems likely to give it a go despite being less than 100%; a recipe for disaster against Jefferson.

Lineup Optimizer Rules to Consider

Below are the rules to consider for Sunday. For more context on optimizer rules or the Showdown format in general, check out my NFL Showdown Primer.

General

Minimum salary cap: 99.6%. Leaving more than this causes you to lose significant win equity.

Flex positions: WR, RB.

Player Correlations

Optimal tournament construction includes stacking your quarterback with at least one, but usually two, pass-catcher(s) from the same team and at least one pass-catcher from the opposing team.

A mobile quarterback with a big rushing game is more likely to only need one teammate paired. These settings can be accomplished through rules in the “Position” tab or through the Player Correlations tab for more control.

Including Eno Benjamin with Kyler Murray stacks makes sense this week, given his low salary and pass-catching role.

On the flip side, I will not be including Kenneth Walker in Geno Smith lineups.

Kenny Pickett has been serviceable this year, which should make Diontae Johnson and George Pickens viable bring-backs with Tampa Bay stacks.

Player Groups

You want to avoid pairings like Dalvin Cook with Justin Jefferson in GPPs to assure your ceiling isn’t capped. The Player Groups tab gives you more control over the process, but the Position tab can be used to completely group out running back paired with a wide receiver from the same team.

Custom

Winning GPP lineups typically use 2-3 players that are less than 10% owned. The Lineup Optimizer allows you to accomplish this quickly.