Salary cap advice: Colts' Ballard, Wayne among wise Week 6 plays

Some big-ticket fantasy stars (Drew Brees, Maurice Jones-Drew, Brandon Marshall, Jimmy Graham) are off this week, but there's still plenty of value to be had in Week 6. Here is a position-by-position look at some of the best bargains entering Week 6, with prices based on current FanDuel 10-team leagues.

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• Wide receivers: Reggie Wayne had a career game last week, playing with so much emotion for his fallen leader and longtime friend, head coach Chuck Pagano. He won't set another career high, but Wayne's dedication (and reasonable cap number) makes him an appealing play against the Jets. Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Roberts are licking their chops to go against a Bills team that's been getting absolutely obliterated the past two weeks and is giving up five touchdowns worth of points per week this season. Percy Harvin may be the hardest receiver in the league to defend and he's in a great position to excel against the Redskins. Joe Haden returns for the Browns, which makes A.J. Green a little tougher to play this week but should help Andrew Hawkins' chances against Cleveland; the slippery slot man should be worth the paltry sum you'll have to fork up for him this week. And if you really want to get edgy, try Deion Branch in a return to Seattle. Players always like to perform well when facing their old team, and Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have enough respect for everything Branch has done for the Pats to try to make something good happen for Branch.

• Running backs: Of active Week 6 defenses, the Jets are the worst against the run, so take a look at the Colts' Vick Ballard. Filling in for an injured Donald Brown, Ballard is set to get a full workload at MetLife Stadium against a unit that's giving up more than 172 rushing yards per game. If you're looking to land a high-end pick without breaking the bank, target Adrian Peterson, who is fully recovered from his torn ACL and should have a big game against the Redskins at FedEx Field.

• Quarterback: Matt Ryan is the NFL's MVP at this point in the season; even coming off a bye week, the Raiders have little answer for Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones or the ageless Tony Gonzalez. Ryan won't come cheap, but he's worth every penny. There's a rookie who'll be much gentler on your budget, though: In his first taste of the battle of Ohio, Cleveland's Brandon Weeden threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns -- and that was before he discovered Jordan Norwood and Josh Gordon as solid receivers. Weeden should post similar or better numbers when the teams square off in Cleveland this time. Arizona's Kevin Kolb is also getting little respect from the price setters after being battered in St. Louis, but he'll bounce back against the Bills.

• Tight end: All Denver's Joel Dreessen does is score touchdowns (well, close: he's scored on nine of his last 36 catches), so those looking to save can land him at a fraction of the cost. Those with more to spend can't go wrong with the aforementioned Tony Gonzalez, a member of fantasy football's Mt. Rushmore, or Vernon Davis, who'll give the Giants fits Sunday.

• Kickers: Shane Graham, Ryan Succop and Dan Carpenter are all being offered for the minimum this week and should see ample field goal attempts. Scoop one up and spread the wealth to other positions.

• Defense: The Jets are in disarray, and the Colts are among the best teams in the league at pressuring the passer. That makes Indy the top choice among the teams with the lowest sticker price this week.