Welcome to the Last Word on Sports NFL DraftKings Week 5 Lineup.
There’s a lot of controversy in the daily fantasy sports industry this week, but we will forge ahead as usual and let the talking heads decide what the future of the industry will be. Last week’s lineup was posted late due to a slight snafu at LWOS, and it didn’t score very many points. There’s no reason posting the results because it undoubtedly ranked in the bottom third of entries, if not worse. If you didn’t read it, I put my eggs in the Shane Vereen basket, which was a very unfortunate choice that led to the very unfortunate results. It seems like I have an every other week thing going with good lineups so that should make you feel good about this week! I think. Either way I’m going to give you a lineup whether you feel good about it or not, so here it is.
DraftKings Week 5 Lineup
Michael Vick, Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback, $5100
There aren’t many stats that can back up this choice besides the rock bottom price of $5100. It’s only $100 more than the minimum for quarterbacks. You’ll get a starter that has the potential to get some rushing yards, and interceptions are only negative one point, so even if he throws two or three it’s not going to kill his total.
Dion Lewis, New England Patriots Running Back, $4800
The Patriots play the Dallas Cowboys this week. In week two the Philadelphia Eagles completed nine passes to their running backs against the Cowboys, in week three the Atlanta Falcons completed six passes to their running backs, and in week four the New Orleans Saints completed an incredible 13 (!) passes to their running backs. Dion Lewis is quickly becoming one of the best pass catching running backs in the NFL, and should see plenty of passes thrown his way on Sunday. Given DraftKings’ point per reception format, this is a great play at a good price.
Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams Running Back, $4300
Todd Gurley had 148 yards rushing last week in the second game of his career, and this is going to be one of the last weeks he is available this cheap. Jump on him while you have the chance. It also helps that he plays the Green Bay Packers who let Bears running back Matt Forte run all over them in week one. Although, if the Rams get behind early and need to pass in the second half, Gurley’s opportunities may be limited.
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons Wide Receiver, $9200
Julio Jones had a very mediocre game last week. I do not see the same thing happening this week. The Falcons play a Washington Redskins team with a decimated secondary that has been taken advantage of by opposing receivers almost every game this year. I expect Jones to do the same on Sunday, and then some.
Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos Wide Receiver, $7400
Truthfully, I would rather have Sanders’ teammate Demaryius Thomas here, but there just was not enough salary to go around. It’s ok though. I’m mostly buying the situation here as opposed to the player. I love the matchup versus the Oakland Raiders secondary. They have Charles Woodson starting at safety, and a guy named David Amerson starting at cornerback on the side of the field that Sanders typically plays. Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy in 19-freaking-97 and plays a position that requires him to run and hit people. Give me the younger, faster player in that situation. As for David Amerson, have you ever heard of him? I thought not. Sorry, David.
Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver, $5900
Something has to give here. Cooks has certainly underwhelmed so far this season, but he leads the Saints in targets. He has only caught 65% of those targets thus far, while last year he caught 82% of his targets. The regression to the mean has to happen at some point, and I’d bet on this week. Additionally, his price has been so depressed over the past few weeks due to underperformance that he has become a value play at $5900. I expect a bounce back week here against the fast paced Philadelphia Eagles.
Owen Daniels, Denver Broncos Tight End, $2700
I like Owen Daniels in this spot for many of the same reasons that I liked Emmanuel Sanders earlier. Except in this case it’s multiplied because of the Raiders unbelievably poor play against opposing tight ends this year. That isn’t the only reason I like the Daniels play here though. He’s nearly minimum price, and he has actually ran the fourth most pass routes of all tight ends this year. He’ll have plenty of opportunity to run all over the Raiders on Sunday.
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs Running Back, $7800
I felt that I needed an expensive, steady running back to go with my two slightly more risky choices, and I felt that Charles was the best choice for what I was looking for. He’s scored the second most points for running backs in PPR scoring, and ranks third in yards per carry of all players with at least 20 carries. Playing against a porous Chicago Bears defense, I feel very safe with Charles at the flex spot.
Cincinnati Bengals, Defense/Special Teams, $2800
The Seattle Seahawks play in Cincinnati this week. The Bengals have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and they love getting after the quarterback. Russell Wilson has been sacked the most of all quarterbacks this year (tied with Alex Smith). Also, the Seahawks play noticeably worse on the road as opposed to at home. Seems like a match made in heaven to me.
