Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Week 5 DraftKings Plays: Ezekiel Elliott, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and More

Week 5 DraftKings Plays; This week's set of plays include the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and others.
Week 5 DraftKings

Through four weeks, with how excited everyone was for this rookie class, it’s undrafted James Robinson that leads the running back position. So, it goes in 2020. One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings. Every week is like a new puzzle to figure out. Whether you are more of a cash game player or a tournament player, each presents a unique challenge. Let’s take a look at my favorite Week 5 DraftKings plays.

Week 5 DraftKings Plays

Week 4 Recap

It’s always good to be completely transparent and demonstrate accountability. That’s what I like to do with everything I do and that goes for fantasy football as well. Whether it’s bold takes or DraftKings recommendations, I always like to keep track of wins and losses. It’s not only good for the readers to know, but also helps me learn from mistakes moving forward.

Looking back at Week 4, 56.7% of my recommendations hit the 2.5x value we look for in cash game lineups. Quarterback was once again the best group at an 83.3% success rate. Meanwhile, the tight end group brought up the rear again down at a 33.3% success rate. For me personally, though, it was another down week as I didn’t play enough of my recommendations that hit. We’ll look to do even better with the Week 5 DraftKings plays.

  • Week 4 – $383 → $34 ($349 LOSS)
  • Year Total – $1,302 → $750 ($552 LOSS)

Week 5 DraftKings Plays

Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson (BAL) – $7,900 v CIN

Anytime Lamar Jackson is under $8,000 is a good time to use him in cash if you have the budget for it. His rushing ability brings such an insanely high floor that he’s almost a guaranteed lock for 20 points at a minimum with upside for much, much more. This week’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals doesn’t scare anyone either. While Cincinnati doesn’t look like a great matchup on paper, they also haven’t faced a lot of top quarterbacks so far. This feels like it could be an eruption spot for Lamar and the Baltimore Ravens.

Matt Ryan (ATL) – $6,100 v CAR

Ryan has had a rough time the past two weeks as he’s scored 12.4 DraftKings points in each of the past two weeks. That’s extremely low for a guy like Ryan who’s generally been a 20-point floor type of player. With the 300-yard bonus in DraftKings scoring, Ryan is usually one of the most likely to hit that bonus every week. Lately, he’s been without some weapons as Julio Jones has been hampered by a hamstring issue and Calvin Ridley has been a bit banged up as well. This week seems like a get-right spot against the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers haven’t been fruitful to opposing quarterbacks so far, but they are not a good defense at all. This one is at home, in a dome and both defenses aren’t good either. He’s priced down compared to his usual price making him a nice value this week.

Daniel Jones (NYG) – $5,400 @ DAL

I know Jones has been brutal to start in 2020. I’m willing to look past that a bit considering the schedule. He’s had to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chicago Bears, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Los Angeles Rams to this point. That’s a gauntlet. He hasn’t played well but not many quarterbacks would be looking great after facing those defenses. He’s still bringing a running aspect as he’s averaging over 30 yards on the ground per game, including 45 and 49 in the past two games. I wrote more about Jones in my Stream Team article, but the matchup is as good as it gets, and he should be a great value option this week.

Others to Consider: Kyle Allen (WAS) – $4,100 v LAR, Dak Prescott (DAL) – $7,400 v NYG, Teddy Bridgewater (CAR) – $5,900 @ ATL

Running Backs

Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) – $7,800 v NYG

Elliott checks all the boxes when it comes to everything you look for in a cash game running back. He’s seeing massive usage both in the running and passing game. He’s also seeing the most fantasy friendly usage of any running back in the NFL currently as well. The Dallas Cowboys are still playing at a much faster pace than anyone else which helps play volume. Elliott has run more routes than any running back in the league. There’s not much this guy isn’t leading or near the top of the leaderboards in. This week Dallas plays a New York Giants team that hasn’t been good so far. The game is also in Dallas, in the dome, and game script projects to be in his favor. I mean if you aren’t jamming Elliott into your cash game lineups, what are you even doing at this point?

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC) – $6,800 v LV

Speaking of checking all the boxes, Edwards-Helaire is the value Zeke. Through the first four weeks, Edwards-Helaire has handled 78% of the running back touches. He’s seen anywhere from 16 to 25 touches in every game so far. Outside of Week 1, he’s seen good involvement in the passing game, and even that opening week he ran a lot of routes. Running backs have shredded the Las Vegas Raiders so far this season and the game script looks perfect as well. Edwards-Helaire looks like a smash play in cash game and GPP lineups alike.

Kareem Hunt (CLE) – $6,500 v IND

Kareem Hunt has long been regarded as an extremely talented running back in the NFL. Unfortunately, he’s been relegated to backup duties behind another extremely talented running back, Nick Chubb. Chubb went down with a knee injury last week, which should lend Hunt more opportunities. It’s an unfortunate break for the Cleveland Browns, but for Hunt specifically, it should allow him to become a workhorse for however long Chubb is out. This week isn’t a strong matchup against a good Indianapolis Colts defense; however, Hunt is heavily involved in the passing game so he shouldn’t be game scripted out should the Browns fall behind. This might be the last time Hunt is this cheap for a while, so take advantage while you can.

Mike Davis (CAR) – $6,400 @ ATL

Davis is the latest in the “running backs don’t matter” line. After Christian McCaffrey went down, Davis has stepped right in and done an amazing job. He’s scored 22.1 and 23.1 PPR points in the last two weeks, respectively. Davis has seen 21 touches in both of those games, including five and eight receptions. He’s basically seeing the CMC role and doing a nice job of producing. This week he gets to face the Atlanta Falcons defense, in Atlanta, in a dome. This looks like a beautiful spot for him to smash again.

Others to Consider: Antonio Gibson (WAS) – $5,000 v LAR, James Conner (PIT) – $6,900 v PHI, Jerick McKinnon (SF) – $5,800 v MIA, David Johnson (HOU) – $5,200 v JAX

Wide Receivers

DeAndre Hopkins (ARI) – $7,900 @ NYJ

Hopkins is seeing a ridiculous target share this season. A lot of people, including myself, thought there would be at least somewhat of an adjustment period with his new team. That hasn’t been the case for Hopkins. This week’s matchup is another good one. The New York Jets are one of the worst teams and defenses in the NFL. If this game doesn’t get out of hand, Hopkins should have no problem producing a nice game. This makes him a good option if you are looking to pay up at the wide receiver position.

Diontae Johnson (PIT) – $5,600 v PHI

Diontae Johnson was everyone’s favorite sleeper wide receiver heading into the year. For those that drafted him, it’s paid off. For those that didn’t, you can still take advantage on DraftKings. The price still hasn’t caught up to the usage so far. Through the first two weeks, Johnson saw a whopping 23 targets. He then left early in Week 3 with a concussion and the Steelers had a bye in Week 4. He’s back to full practice right now and is taking on the Philadelphia Eagles defense. The only concern for Johnson is he may see a lot of Darius Slay in this one. If he does, that may limit his ceiling a bit, but it’s hard to turn from this level of target volume.

Jamison Crowder (NYJ) – $5,800 v ARI

Normally I’d advise avoiding the Jets completely. Crowder’s level of target share combined with his price and DraftKings scoring format can’t be ignored though. Like Diontae Johnson, Crowder has only played in two games to this point but has also totaled 23 targets. He’s been able to cash those in for seven catches in each game for over 100 yards in both as well. The Jets always project to be trailing in their matchup so they should always be in passing situations more often than not. Sam Darnold has now been ruled out which puts a bit of a damper on this play, but I still don’t mind Crowder as a high floor option.

Robby Anderson (CAR) – $5,900 @ ATL

One of the biggest shocks of the season so far for me has been Anderson’s emergence as more of a possession receiver to this point. He spent his time as a Jet being a field stretcher. It appears he and D.J. Moore have swapped roles. Anderson is the one with the lower aDot role while Moore has been running deeper routes. While it’s a bit surprising, Anderson has produced well in the role. So far, he’s seen 34 targets through four games, turning those into a 28/377/1 stat line. He’s produced double-digit PPR points in all four games so far and is averaging 19.7 per game. This week’s matchup is another juicy one against a banged-up Falcons secondary. Take advantage.

Others to Consider:  D.J. Moore (CAR) – $6,000 @ ATL, Amari Cooper (DAL) – $7,400 @ MIA, Golden Tate (NYG) – $4,600 @ DAL, Darius Slayton (NYG) – $4,800 @ DAL, Laviska Shenault (JAX) – $4,500 @ HOU, Marquise Brown (BAL) – $6,300 v CIN

Tight Ends

George Kittle (SF) – $6,600 v MIA

Kittle is truly incredible. He had a rough game in Week 1 and then got hurt and missed two weeks. He returned in Week 4 to drop 43.1 points on the Eagles. He’s now the TE7 on the year despite all this. Last week, despite being his first week back from injury, the San Francisco 49ers fed him 15 targets. He rewarded them by turning those 15 targets into 15 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown. Kittle is a matchup nightmare and I don’t see the Miami Dolphins being the ones to stop him.

Evan Engram (NYG) – $4,600 @ DAL

Like quarterback Daniel Jones, Engram has faced a brutal opening month schedule. That all changes this week when the Giants travel to Dallas. Dallas has leaked fantasy points to everyone so far and that shouldn’t change this week. Engram has been disappointing so far but he’s playing over 90% of snaps and seeing a healthy target share at over 20%. As mentioned with Jones, Dallas is playing faster than anyone in the NFL. This should help Jones and the Giants push a faster pace as well. Combine all of this with the probability they are trailing and chasing points and we should see a nice bounce-back game for Engram here.

Travis Kelce (KC) – $6,400 v LV

This could be a better week to pay up at the tight end option, especially in cash game lineups. The lower options don’t look too enticing. When paying up, Kelce is always one of the safest options. Every year he puts up wide receiver level numbers at the tight end position. This gives you an advantage over the field. Kelce brings such a safe floor with a massive ceiling that I’ll never advise fading him. This is a week that I may end up with the salary to pay up at tight end and Kelce taking on the Raiders is as safe as it gets.

Others to Consider: Dalton Schultz (DAL) – $4,800 v NYG, Zach Ertz (PHI) – $5,700 @ PIT, Darren Waller (LV) – $5,900 @ KC

Defense/Special Teams

In terms of choosing a defense/special teams, it’s the last spot I fill in every week. It’s pretty random but there are a few areas to gain an advantage. I look to target the heavily favorited teams as they usually are playing with a lead. This forces their opponent to throw it more often which can help lead to extra sacks and turnovers and hopefully a touchdown. Another aspect to target is turnover and sack-prone quarterbacks. With that being said, my advice is to fill out the rest of your lineup first and then pick your favorite D/ST out of the remaining money.

My Tentative Cash Game Lineup

  • QB – Kyle Allen
  • RB – Clyde Edwards-Helaire
  • RB – Mike Davis
  • WR – Robby Anderson
  • WR – Diontae Johnson
  • WR – Darius Slayton
  • TE – Travis Kelce
  • Flex – Ezekiel Elliott
  • DST – New York Giants

Make sure to tune in next week to see the results from my Week 5 DraftKings plays and to see the best picks for Week 6. Best of luck to everyone and let’s all enjoy some football and win some money!

Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:’jAh8hzsSRvt5k8C97x4Dgg’,sig:’8k-77ng_ZDrpMSl2E9BlV2ZxEVKyFJGdqI3Iiqt2FrY=’,w:’594px’,h:’396px’,items:’1277026249′,caption: true ,tld:’com’,is360: false })});

Robert Norton

Robert Norton

He's been writing about sports on and off for years now but started back more regularly again in 2019. His main focus has been fantasy sports, with most of the articles being fantasy football based. It originally started as a fun way to add a unique aspect to his longest-running home league and has expanded from there. Sports and fantasy sports are definitely a love and passion of his as he's been watching and playing since he was very young. He played most sports growing up, although basketball was always his favorite to play and still play regularly to this day. He's currently 33 years old, work in Accounting/Analysis for Accuscripts Pharmacy, and live in Ohio with his amazing wife of 7 years and their 4-year-old and 6-month-old sons. Any questions, whether personal or sports/fantasy sports related, don't hesitate to reach out and ask!

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message