Panthers vs. Buccaneers in London has the 9:30 a.m. ET start time (NFL Network) that can drive fantasy football owners crazy. Of course, it's even earlier as you travel further west. There's a good chance people out in California won't be out of bed before the game kicks off, so it's a good thing there aren't a bunch of key injury questions leading up to kickoff. Inevitably, it's NFL football and you'll probably find yourself tuning in, especially if you have fantasy investment in the game.
DraftKings added a DFS Showdown slot for this game, so we've added a single-game lineup at the bottom. We'll also take a look at start-sit decisions, along with some reasons that the early afternoon game in London stinks for fantasy owners in the U.S.
WEEK 6 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
9 reasons the 9:30 a.m. ET London kickoff stinks
1. We're forced to watch the Buccaneers misuse Ronald Jones II
Seriously, can't they just see that Peyton Barber is worse than Jones? Jones has the superior 4.6 yards per carry in 2019 to Barber's 3.5. The Panthers have allowed 4.7 yards per carry to running backs, but we'll probably be sitting there watching the only game going wondering why Bruce Arians is letting us down...again.
2. It's harder to tolerate Jameis Winston interceptions when none of your other players are playing yet
If you have Jameis in your starting lineup any other Sunday, you can make the decision best for your sanity and just avoid watching his particular game. You'll check in later and cross your fingers that his fantasy point total isn't too bad. As the only game in this time slot, you'll still be waking up as Winston throws a pick-six.
3. Yes, it's even worse to wake up for lineup decisions on the West Coast for a 6:30 a.m. kickoff
This one is pretty self explanatory. With no injury questions, we'd strongly advise setting your lineup Saturday night.
WEEK 6 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
4. Joey Slye's big leg might get spotted by a Premier League team and signed away, forcing you to pick up a new kicker
Slye has been my kicker crush all season. He won a state soccer title in high school, and those loyal readers who listened to me and picked up Slye wouldn't want him to get signed by an English Premier League team.
5. We'll be forced to listen to the game with American announcers, even though we know British ones are there, too
From someone who watches a lot of English soccer, I can vouch for the lexicon of British announcers being so deep compared to American ones. And we can't fool ourselves -- there will be a local announcing booth at the game, too. Sadly, in the U.S., that won't be the feed we get.
6. Christian McCaffrey's so good we might spit out hot coffee on a family member
McCaffrey is on pace to break the yards from scrimmage record by more than 250 this season. There will be at least one spit-your-drink moment in this game from McCaffrey, except this time the drink will be steaming hot coffee.
WEEK 6 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | FD cash | FD GPP | DK cash | DK GPP
7. You have to choose between Sunday church services and rooting on your fantasy tight end
Starting Greg Olsen or O.J. Howard? You might still be praying Sunday morning, but it will be for a red-zone touchdown while you're on your couch wondering why you didn't draft Travis Kelce.
8. If you start the wrong player, you'll be mad for an even longer portion of the day
You know that feeling when you can't stop thinking about a lineup decision and make your call at the last minute? We don't know who's gonna let you down -- maybe Jameis, or Jones, or Curtis Samuel -- but when they do, there's a lot of day left to think about how you messed up.
9. We're forced to watch 12-plus hours of football on Sunday (this might be good, depending on your perspective)
On the bright side, an actual football game is better than being subjected to a terrible pregame show. On the downside, by the time Sunday Night Football kicks off, there's a chance you literally won't be able to move.
WEEK 6: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts
Start 'em, sit 'em: Panthers vs. Buccaneers
Must starts: Christian McCaffrey, RB; Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, WRs
Can't sit these three under any circumstances - they're all too liable to have a huge game.
Probable starts: D.J. Moore, WR; Greg Olsen, TE; O.J. Howard, TE
There's a universe where you have three better WRs than Moore, but most teams are probably starting him against a Tampa defense that can be thrown on. Olsen and Howard are probably your best TE, and Olsen should have a good day like he did against the Bucs back in Week 2. Howard's riskier, but at this point, you probably don't have better after drafting him as a starter.
MORE WEEK 6 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder
Toss up: Curtis Samuel, WR; Ronald Jones, RB
Samuel caught a touchdown in Kyle Allen's first start this season, but his last two weeks have been poor. He's a borderline play, and when you take into account that the Bucs' have a vulnerable pass defense, things might tilt in his favor. We discussed Jones above -- if you can feel any sort of confidence he'll lead in touches, he's a fine play, but he's not without risk.
Probable sits: Peyton Barber, RB; Jameis Winston, QB; Kyle Allen, QB
Barber's been less effective than Jones, who is just a toss-up in his own right. Winston has more upside than Allen, but both are outside our starting QB tier in our Week 6 rankings.
Deep-league specials
If you're in very deep leagues, these teams' third wide receivers could have relevance to you. It's a better passing matchup for Jarius Wright and Carolina, but Jesus "Bobo" Wilson is the bigger-play threat if you want some semblance of upside.
DraftKings DFS Showdown: Panthers vs. Buccaneers
Going away from Christian McCaffrey in a single-game contest is tough, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. He had his worst game of the season against Tampa Bay, but Cam Newton was also useless that night, and I expect McCaffrey's great form to continue across the pond. If you don't believe as much in CMC and pivot off him in the captain's slot, I'd suggest getting both starting QBs into your lineup, as I expect a lot of points in this one.
Captain: RB Christian McCaffrey, Panthers
FLEX: QB Jameis Winston, Buccaneers
FLEX: WR Chris Godwin, Buccaneers
FLEX: WR Curtis Samuel, Panthers
FLEX: RB Dare Ogunbowale, Buccaneers
FLEX: WR Bobo Wilson, Buccaneers