Week 4 was my best article of the season thus far. We had Miles Sanders, Rashaad Penny, and Jamaal Williams in the running back section, and all of those guys were in the optimal lineup. It’s rare to hit like that, but it has me excited to keep rolling here. There’s a ton to discuss with this Week 5 slate, so let’s get started with the quarterbacks!
The players below are the ones I’m looking at for GPP considerations for Week 5:
Quarterbacks
DraftKings
Tom Brady (QB – TB): $6,000 vs. ATL
I was blown away to see this price tag on Brady. This is the greatest quarterback of all time, and his offense continues to improve. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Julio Jones are all back, and it should make this one of the most dangerous passing attacks around. Brady showed that in Week 4, collecting 385 yards and three touchdowns against the Chiefs. We expect a comparable performance here, with the Falcons ranked 24th in yardage surrendered.
Week 4 was my best article of the season thus far. We had Miles Sanders, Rashaad Penny, and Jamaal Williams in the running back section, and all of those guys were in the optimal lineup. It’s rare to hit like that, but it has me excited to keep rolling here. There’s a ton to discuss with this Week 5 slate, so let’s get started with the quarterbacks!
The players below are the ones I’m looking at for GPP considerations for Week 5:
Quarterbacks
DraftKings
Tom Brady (QB – TB): $6,000 vs. ATL
I was blown away to see this price tag on Brady. This is the greatest quarterback of all time, and his offense continues to improve. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Julio Jones are all back, and it should make this one of the most dangerous passing attacks around. Brady showed that in Week 4, collecting 385 yards and three touchdowns against the Chiefs. We expect a comparable performance here, with the Falcons ranked 24th in yardage surrendered.
Geno Smith (QB – SEA): $5,500 at NO
Geno has been a breakout with the Seahawks. The former college superstar has at least 17 DraftKings points in three of his four games, combining for 57.6 fantasy points across his last two outings. That’s absurd from such an affordable player, and the Saints just surrendered 275 yards to Kirk Cousins on Sunday. We also don’t mind that Seattle enters this matchup as an underdog, which should also lead to a friendly game script for Geno.
FanDuel
Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR): $7,400 vs. DAL
Stafford has looked bad for most of the season, but this price is dropping too far. This is still a Top-10 quarterback in my book, and it’s just a matter of time before he returns to the 25-point stud we’ve become accustomed to. A matchup with Dallas is an excellent way to kickstart him, with the Rams projected for 24 points in this spot. Their running game has done nothing all year, so we have to assume those points will come solely from Stafford.
Carson Wentz (QB – WAS): $6,800 vs. TEN
What’s with the disrespect for Wentz? While he hasn’t necessarily looked good, the fantasy production has been there. He ranks seventh among quarterbacks with 19.1 FanDuel points per game, scoring at least 29 FD points in two of his four games. Wentz will be the best bargain on the board if he can reach that average at this price. It seems much more likely against Tennessee, with the Titans owning a 27th OPRK against opposing signal-callers.
In Consideration: Zach Wilson (QB – NYJ): DK $5,300/FD $7,200 vs. MIA
Wilson had over 20 fantasy points on both sites and faces a Miami team surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
Running Backs
DraftKings
Leonard Fournette (RB – TB): $6,900 vs. ATL
People will fade Fournette after seeing him rush three times for -3 yards on Sunday Night, but that’s a mistake. The versatile back had seven catches for 57 receiving yards, playing in about 80 percent of the snaps this year. That’s one of the most significant snap shares for any back, and Fournette has proven to be an $8K player in that sort of role. The Falcons are a fantastic matchup, too, ranked 21st in yards-per-carry allowed.
James Robinson (RB – JAC): $6,300 vs. HOU
Robinson had an ugly Week 4 along with the rest of the Jags, but that game script was a nightmare. This former top back was stellar before that, averaging 20 DK points per game through his first three outings. That’s absurd from a $6,300 player, especially since he’s usurped Travis Ettienne on the totem pole. Matching up with Houston is the best part of this, with the Texans surrendering the most DK points to opposing backs.
FanDuel
Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN): $7,300 vs. CHI
Fantasy managers are panicking about Cook, but we’re not ready to do that. He’s still getting his usual 15 carries and five targets a game, and it’s just a matter of time before he returns to being a Top-10 overall player. Cook has cooked Chicago over recent years, totaling at least 82 yards in each of their last four matchups while averaging over 100 yards per game. That should be easy to reach here, with Chicago surrendering the third-most yards-per-carry and seventh-most fantasy points to opposing ball carriers.
Chase Edmonds (RB – MIA): $5,700 at NYJ
It’s been a volatile start for Edmonds, but he’s still putting up fantasy points. The pass-catching back has at least 8.5 FanDuel points in three of four games. You can’t ask for any more from a sub-$6K player, and people will definitely fade him after Raheem Mostert dominated the backfield on Sunday. Getting to face the Jets is wonderful, too, with New York owning a 19th OPRK against opposing running backs.
In Consideration: Damien Harris (RB – NE): DK $5,600/FD $7,200 vs. DET
The Lions have surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and Harris looks like the lead back with 18 carries for 86 yards in Week 4. He’s also scored in three straight games and should get a handful of goal-line opportunities here.
Wide Receivers
DraftKings
Mike Evans (WR – TB): $6,900, vs. ATL
If we love Brady, we have to adore his top target. That happens to be Evans, averaging over 20 DK points per game this season. That’s the stud we’ve become accustomed to, with Mike picking up at least 1,000 yards every year since he was drafted in 2014. He’s the only active player to do that, making it hard to understand why he’s below $7K. He annihilated Atlanta last season, too, accruing 12 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
Tyler Lockett (WR – SEA): $5,600 at NOS
Why does DraftKings continue to list Lockett this low? In his days with Russell Wilson, he was a $7K player, and it looks like nothing has changed. Tyler has at least 14 DK points in three straight games, averaging 18 fantasy points per game in that span. That’s ridiculous from such a cheap player, and we love that he’s got 30 targets as well. If you’re using Geno, Lockett must also be in your lineup.
FanDuel
Chris Godwin (WR – TB): $7,000, vs. ATL
We’ve been waiting for Godwin to get healthy to deploy him, and it looks like we’re there. He played 80 percent of the team’s snaps in Week 4 and could be looking at a full workload here. This guy is averaging 83 catches for 1.092 receiving yards over the last three years, and he’ll be $1,000 more in a month if he returns to that player. Godwin throttled the Falcons in their most recent matchup, tallying 15 catches for 143 yards in Week 13 of last season.
D.J. Moore (WR – CAR): $5,900 vs. SF
Yes, we’re horrified about Moore as well, but this price is silly. Moore was sixth in the NFL with 163 targets last year, and Carolina will inevitably get him the ball. That was the plan in Week 4, peppering DJ with 11 targets. We call that the “squeaky wheel” effect because they need to feed him, or he’ll be gone. San Fran is a tough matchup, but you better believe Carolina will throw the ball 30-40 times to keep up with the 49ers.
In Consideration: Amari Cooper (WR – CLE): DK $6,000/FD $7,000 vs. LAC
Many people will fade Coop after his Week 4 bust, but we’re returning to the well. He faces a Chargers secondary missing their top corner while picking up 27 targets across his first three games.
Tight Ends
DraftKings
David Njoku (TE – CLE): $3,800 vs. LAC
Woah, it’s wild to see Njoku below $4,000! This has been one of the best tight ends in the NFL, picking up 14 receptions for 162 yards over the last two weeks. Not many tight ends have done that for the year, and it’s no surprise with the potential this guy has flashed in the past. The Chargers are far from a concerning matchup, ranked 30th in total defense.
FanDuel
Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL): $5,600 at TB
None of the statistics are going to back this play. Pitts has been pitiful through the opening month, but this is arguably the most talented tight end in football. That’s why Atlanta spent so much to get him and why he’ll eventually be a $7K player. This is the perfect game script to get him going, with Atlanta entering this matchup as a massive underdog. It’s a Tampa team you can throw on, too, yielding 250 passing yards and two touchdowns a game.
In Consideration: Tyler Higbee (TE – LAR): DK $4,300/FD $5,500 vs. DAL
Higbee has been the second-best receiver in this Rams offense, picking up at least nine targets in three of the first four games. He’s also got at least 61 yards in three straight and should get in the endzone eventually with that sort of usage.
Defense/Special Teams
DraftKings
Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST: $3,400 vs. HOU
Jacksonville has been making Top-10 picks for a decade, and it’s finally starting to show. This defense has been particularly good, ranked fourth in the NFL with just 16.8 points allowed per game. The D/ST has been equally as impressive, ranked fourth with 11.3 DK points per game. They should keep rolling against a Houston team that ranks 25th in points scored and 27th in total yardage.
FanDuel
San Francisco 49ers D/ST: $4,400 at CAR
San Fran just made Stafford look like crap on Monday Night, and it’s scary to think how badly they’ll slaughter Baker Mayfield. The Panthers have the fewest yards in the NFL through four games while having the lowest time of possession as well. That’s rough since San Fran leads the NFL with 15 sacks, likely turning Mayfield into minced meat.
In Consideration: New England Patriots D/ST: DK $2,900/FD $3,600 vs. DET
Detroit has been amazing thus far, but it’s tough to believe in an offense this beat-up. The Patriots always set some of the best gameplans in the NFL, and they shouldn’t have any issues against this lackluster Lions roster.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
