The Daily Dose: Week 5 FanDuel Starts
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Welcome to the Week 5 edition of the Daily Dose: FanDuel Starts of The Week. Every Friday on The Fantasy Footballers Podcast, the guys usually welcome in Chris Meaney from the FNTSY Sports Network to deliver his top DFS picks of the week. But this week we welcome in a very special guest and one of our very own staff writers Ben Cummins to the Daily Dose as he gives us his favorite picks for this week. Here I’ll summarize Ben’s picks and give you some bonus picks of my own. You can follow Ben on Twitter @BenCumminsFF and myself as well @brandontsanders. Don’t miss all of Episode #281, or you can jump straight to the Daily Dose segment on YouTube.
Quarterbacks
We start off the article with our favorite pass-happy bunch in the Quarterbacks. During the segment, Ben offered up some tried and true options as well as that super cheap and sneaky GPP play for this upcoming weekend.
Tom Brady @ CLE, $8,700
He’s back! And to be honest we wouldn’t be surprised to see “Angry Tom Brady” resurface and motivated to try to show up the commissioner and the league as a whole and push hard for a Patriots championship run. He has a very welcoming matchup coming back as they play the struggling Cleveland Browns this weekend. We should see Bill Belichick dial up the passing game tremendously with his MVP QB back in the fold, and after getting shut out by the Buffalo Bills last week, a statement will probably be made at the Browns expense.
Aaron Rodgers vs NYG, $9,100
This game is Ben’s personal favorite this week as it has “bonanza” potential of a high scoring affair from both sides. The New York Giants may still be without both their rookie defensive back Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie which could spell a big week for “A-Rod” to air it and find some of his favorite targets like Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Rodgers is the most expensive this week but may be worth the money spent to get money in your pockets.
Ben Roethlisberger vs NYJ, $8,600
Big Ben plays tremendously well at home, and the trend of the New York Jets giving up the 5th most passing yards in the league currently is a good indication that Number 7 could find Antonio Brown, Le’veon Bell, and Sammie Coates very easily in this weekend’s matchup.
Eli Manning @ GB, $7,700
With the opportunity of this matchup to be the most interesting for fantasy players out there, Eli Manning could also find some success this week against the Green Bay Packers, Cornerback Sam Shields is another scratch for this upcoming weekend, and that means the secondary is there for Eli’s taking. Too many weapons for Manning to find could equal a big day for his three wideouts and even the tight end position this week.
Derek Carr vs SD, $8,100
The Raiders have relied on the passing game pretty heavily the past few weeks with their running game struggling a bit with the injury to Latavius Murray, and lack of rhythm in that backfield has caused Derek Carr to look to his two stud wide receivers this year to get the job done. Both Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree have had over 30 catches a piece with Crabtree reeling in the majority of the TDs with 4 already for the season. Look for this trend to continue as Murray is dealing with a turf toe injury and is unlikely to play this week.
Brian Hoyer @ IND, $6,000
The sleeper and sneaky GPP play for the week is Brian Hoyer with a very low price tag. In the past two weeks, Hoyer has put up QB1 numbers and has find report with several of the options there in Chicago. The other great news is that even if Jay Cutler returns from injury, Hoyer may get the nod to remain the starter there in Chicago only increasing the chemistry he’s found with the likes of Zach Miller, Eddie Royal, and even Kevin White before he was placed on injured reserve. If you’re looking for a cheap option so you can stack up on other positions Brian Hoyer is your guy this week.
Running Backs
We got some pretty solid picks rolling out this week for the Running Backs in Week 5. Ben gives us some good concrete picks as well as two sneaky PPR plays for GPP to set in your lineups. These are the guys he wanted to highlight for you.
Le’Veon Bell vs NYJ, $8,600
Bell came back off of suspension swinging and made an instant impact last week when they took down the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime on Sunday night. He went for 144 yards rushing on the ground and had 5 receptions for additional 34 yards receiving. With Eli Rodgers still out of the lineup, “Juice” is the second best option at WR behind his teammate and good friend Antonio Brown. He should be able to have his way with the Jets this week as well, so throw him into your lineups and pay big for him this week.
DeMarco Murray @ MIA, $8,400
Most have held off on DeMarco being in Tennessee due to the drafting of Derick Henry to the Titans this past offseason and his involvement in the running game as well. That did not occur in Week 4 as Murray took the lion share of the carries which was 90%. If he continues to become the only go-to guy for the Titans, you need to stay in the flames here and keep the trend going. Add in a porous Miami run defense and the matchup couldn’t be better. We just hope Hurricane Matthew speeds along so this game can take place.
Melvin Gordon @ OAK, $7,700
Melvin Gordon has proven that he continues to get better and better each and every week. So far for the season he has over 230 yards on the ground and 6 touchdowns to pair with it. He’s also catching more passes out of the backfield with the absence of Danny Woodhead. He already has 13 receptions for the season, with only having 33 total all season last year. Another “bonanza” matchup to see between these two rival teams, and we could see some big time production from Gordon again this week.
Todd Gurley vs BUF, $7,600
A much more contrarian pick for Ben this week, but he likes the chances of Todd Gurley hitting paydirt this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. They are at home, and the Bills have surrendered 5 TDs to opposing offenses, 3 of those coming from Matt Forte of the New York Jets. Buffalo hasn’t played too many good running teams these past few weeks, so this could spell a great deal of trouble for them as they come into town to play the prolific Todd Gurley this Sunday. This game could but Gurley in a better rhythm than what we’ve seen as well and get him back on track to finish very high in RB rankings for 2016.
Terrance West vs WAS, $6,400
In his first full game without Justin Forsett lingering for carries and “Buck” Allen being inactive the past couple weeks, Terrance West made the best of his opportunity and went off on the Oakland Raiders for 113 rushing yards and 1 TD. As rookie sensation Kenneth Dixon is scheduled to return this week from injury, the goal is to gingerly bring him along nice a slow, and with another great matchup for Terrance West, he’s a cheap and must start for this week.
GPP PPR Plays:
Duke Johnson Jr. vs NE, $5,300 & Bilal Powell @ PIT, $5,100
Both of these gentlemen have seen 15 targets or more the past two weeks of playing, keep an eye on both, or play one of them if you’re strapped for the budget in Week 5.
Wide Receivers
On this week’s podcast, Mike wanted Ben to look into some serious GPP plays in hopes of grabbing the right WR that could take you into the money this week. Ben lists his diehards and the guys we should bunker down on to help us all out for Week 5.
Odell Beckham Jr. @ GB, $8,500
I know what you are going to say. OBJ has been quite the spectacle and his acting out with the media and is leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths about him. Yes, he fights nets and losses and tends to throw a few fits when he doesn’t get a play call he likes. Beckham is young and is going to need time to mature and develop on the social side of things, but he is very mature when it comes to putting up fantasy relevance. He has had some pretty rough matchups the past few weeks, but with Sam Sheilds gone for Green Bay, the prolific wideout is in for quite the game. Another big opportunity that Ben and I both think he will not squander and return to the elite WR that he is and make a splash in Week 5. Plus if you consider AB is going for $9,600, OBJ is quite a great discount for that WR1 you need in your lineups for GPP play.
Brandon Marshall @ PIT, 7,600
Brandon Marshall is coming into Week 5 as the 11th rank most WR in the NFL for targets, also getting 12 himself just this last week and 39 targets total this season. There is no sign of Eric Decker again this week, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are ranked 3rd highest on giving away passing yards to opposing teams this year. Sounds like a great time to play Brandon Marshall in hopes all those targets turn into big yardage and a few touchdowns.
Amari Cooper vs SD, $7,200
With the focus on Micheal Crabtree and his 4 touchdowns, 3 coming in just one game, a lot of people have been sleeping on Amari Cooper, even though he’s still in the high 30’s in targets with Crabtree, but he’s just seen the better defenders against him compared to Crabtree getting the second Cornerback option most games. With Jason Verrett now gone for the season with an ACL injury, this could be Cooper’s big break and put his name back on the map as the WR1 for the Oakland Raiders. Both will feast, but Cooper could go ham this weekend.
Tight Ends
As we sift through the yucky Tight End position this year, we need to pull some cheap but solid plays for Week 5 to get you paid. so Ben has some bargain bin guys for you to stack in your lineups this week.
Will Tye @ GB, $4,800
With Larry Donnell possibly injured for another week, and with Ben’s favorite game being this one, Will Tye is a great option this week. He has caught 5 passes in the past two weeks and that trend seems to be on the uptick again and against a defense that is struggling to hold opposing teams. A very cheap play for those wanting to go big on QB, RB, and WR this week.
Zach Ertz @ DET, $5,600
A bit of a higher price, but the returning Zach Ertz comes back to a great matchup to a Detroit defense that gave away 12 TDs to Tight End’s last year, the most in the NFL. With Carson Wentz playing so well already, he adds another great option he can slip out of the pocket and pass to this week. Definitely, worth the budget here in you have any left from the bigger positions that you’ve filled up already.
Defenses
Time to play it safe this week and play the two most dominant defenses in the league right now. Ben believes it’s better to pay up and get those points you need other than to get crafty and wind up not winning the money that is out there for you in Week 5. So with the following:
Denver Broncos vs ATL, $5,100
Minnesota Vikings vs HOU, $4,800
Brandon’s Picks
We have had 4 weeks to really asses and see what each team is made of and what the strategies are looking like when the plan versus their opponents. Let’s see if we can nail some of the players on the head this week and add some more option to your Week 5 lineups and get that cash flow.
QB: Joe Flacco vs WAS, $7,600
Flacco has been very steady the past few weeks and a great streaming QB candidate with all these juicy matchups that have been thrown his way in the early going. His luck continues in Week 5 where he takes on the Washington Redskins who are the 28th ranked defense overall and ranked 26th against the pass. Time to feast on that matchup and dish it out to Steve Smith Sr. and Mike Wallace again this week.
RB: Jordan Howard @ IND, $7,200
Jordan Howard really stepped up in his new role as lead back for Chicago and truly passed the “eye test” for most, and he’s quick on his decisions and makes the one cut, and runs downfield. It’s essentially what fantasy owners dream of when it comes to RB1’s. He plays what feels is a ghost town of a defense in the Colts, and looks to add a ton of carries and catches like he did the week before. He is also building great chemistry with Brian Hoyer in the past couple weeks, so be on the lookout for that connection as well.
WR: Dontrelle Inman @ OAK, $6,100
My contrarian or GPP pick of the week is Dontrelle Inman, last week the targets that went to him skyrocketed to 11 versus just the 4 or 3 he was getting in Weeks 1-3. He also swung up drastically to 120 receiving yards and grabbed his first TD of the year. Seems Philip Rivers is finally remembering Inman was his WR1 last year with Keenan Allen injured. Let’s hope this connection shows up even more so against the Oakland Raiders this week.
TE: Gary Barnidge vs NE, $5,700
I’m playing it safe this week and going with a guy who Cleveland is starting to favor more and more as the weeks’ progress in targets. “Maximum Barnidge” has seen an increase in receptions from just 4 in Week 2 to now 7 when they played the Redskins last week. The past two weeks he has over 50 receiving yards as well. Cody Kessler is going to need Barnidge this week and try to remain calm as he plays the very angry New England Patriots in Week 5.
Defense: Denver Broncos vs ATL, $5,100
Atlanta put up a record-breaking performance last week and really stunned the Carolina Panthers, mainly due to the alarming secondary problems that Carolina is facing without Josh Norman there. But now it’s time for the Falcons to come back to reality. They play the “No Fly Zone” Denver secondary that is notorious for shutting down and intercepting multiple passes to WRs from the opposing team. Plus Denver is playing at home this week. No brainer here, play it safe and collect those points the Broncos will get you.
Be sure to stop by next week as we’ll have brand new picks for you in Week 6. Don’t forget to catch all of Episode #281 of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast. See you next week DFS fans!
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