It\u2019s Week 5, and because of the bye weeks, we only have 10 games on the main Sunday slate. I think this is going to be a feast or famine week. We should target star players from the potent offenses that are playing weak defenses. We can mix and match them, plus we can find some players who are filling in for injured players that can give you that cheap option that you\u2019re going to need to take down a tournament.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins<\/a> are coming off their first win, but they had a significant loss, losing WR Tyreek Hill for the season. Can somebody step up? Can WR Jaylen Waddle ascend into that number one role where he\u2019s getting 10 targets weekly, or can WR Malik Washington pick up some of the volume and be a good DFS flyer? TE Darren Waller got two touchdowns, but there wasn\u2019t a lot of volume, and I don\u2019t trust him going further.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to pass on all those guys in this matchup. The guy I want to play is RB De\u2019Von Achane, who should total over 100 total yards on six catches and a touchdown. He will be a staple in many of my lineups.<\/p>\n The Panthers<\/a> looked really good a couple of weeks ago, shutting out the Falcons<\/a>, and then looked exactly the opposite last week against the Patriots<\/a>. Expect them to throw that game away and play much better this week. Bryce Young is DFS viable as he is cheap, and I think WR Tetairoa McMillan will come out and have a big game. Look for him to score his first NFL touchdown. RB Chuba Hubbard is of interest if he plays, but he has not been practicing yet this week. RB Rico Dowdle is dirt cheap and in a great match-up if Hubbard is out.<\/p>\n I hope you all played RB Woody Marks. He came through in the 4th quarter, helping me have a profitable day. This week, I think the Texans<\/a> will have to do it through the air because it\u2019s a great matchup. The Ravens<\/a>\u00a0defense can\u2019t stop anybody\u2019s passing game so far. I think you can play QB CJ Stroud and match him with WR Nico Collins.<\/p>\n WR Christian Kirk is also in play and can be a sneaky option. One of these receivers will stand out, but I think it\u2019s going to be Collins. TE Dalton Schultz also has a good match-up, so you could stack this game if you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n The Ravens’ offensive hopes depend on QB Lamar Jackson. He is the straw that stirs the drink, and without him, I have no confidence vs. this Texans defense. I can\u2019t trust QB Cooper Rush can get the job done and would avoid WR Zay Flowers and TE Mark Andrews. If Lamar plays, I am very interested in RB Derrick Henry, but if not, I think the Texans will stack the line and stop him.<\/p>\n In fact, the Texans’ defense would come into play. What if Lamar does play? Andrews is somebody I might consider a tight end, but I don\u2019t trust Lamar to finish the game. RB Justice Hill had a very good game last week. Can he do it again? I could see a game script where he is heavily involved in the passing game, especially if Rush plays.<\/p>\n Also, check out our Week 5 Fantasy Football Stock Report<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Last week, Ashton Jeanty had his coming-out party, scoring three touchdowns. I think she will have a more difficult time this week against a solid Colts<\/a> run defense. Still, he has to be considered because of how explosive he can be, and he\u2019s not that expensive. As for the passing game, I think the Raiders<\/a> will fall behind, and we\u2019ll need to pass much better than they did last week. QB Geno Smith was inaccurate, throwing three interceptions, and because they could run the ball, none of the receivers stood out. TE Brock Bowers might be a little bit more hurt than we think. I like WR Tre Tucker the most out of all the receivers, as he will see less coverage than WR Jakobi Meyers, and he is almost one thousand dollars cheaper.<\/p>\n I really like the Colts this week. The Raiders’ defense isn\u2019t that good, and we can find good matchups across the board. First, running back Jonathan Taylor is in an excellent spot, and he will be in a ton of my lineups. The receiving core should be intact; Alec Pierce is practicing in full. WR Michael Pittman has been limited. He should play, and I like him a lot in this game. I will have several lineups with Jones and Pittman. WR Josh Downs can be sneaky, but won\u2019t make many of my lineups. WR Adonai Mitchell is no play with Pierce being back.<\/p>\n The Giants<\/a> are coming off their first win because they were very energetic with new quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo. They seemed to lift the whole team, inspiring the defense players. Unfortunately, they lost WR Malik Nabers for the season, and they don\u2019t have anybody close who can match that production. It\u2019s going to have to be a committee of players stepping up. It is a game they can win, but can either receiver, Wan\u2019Dale Robinson or Darius Slayton, put up enough numbers to win a GPP tournament?<\/p>\n I do like Skattebo, but I worry that the Giants have struggled scoring from inside the five. Because he\u2019s cheap enough and because of his rushing ability. We don\u2019t need to add another giant to the mix. TE Theo Johnson would be the only player I would consider.<\/p>\n Are the Saints<\/a> getting better? They played the Bills tough for three quarters and then fell apart. RB Alvin Kamara just doesn\u2019t look like he has it anymore, and he\u2019s always going to be a pass. I think RB Kendre Miller has a little bit of juice, and he is cheap. He can score another touchdown, so if you\u2019re trying to find an affordable, pay-down running back, he would be a man of interest.<\/p>\n We have to look at WR Chris Olave. I can see him having a ton of catches for how many yards I don\u2019t know, but he should have a lot of targets, and he could reach the end zone. WR Rashid Shaheed has to hit that big play to be viable, and I don\u2019t know if he can do that here. TE Juwan Johnson has been limited in practice, but he\u2019s been the forgotten man the past two weeks. TE Taysom Hill could be back, and he would take some production away from Johnson.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, the Cowboys<\/a> put up big numbers against the Green Bay Packers despite not having WR CeeDee Lamb. TE Jake Ferguson has been playing at an All-Pro Level, and he has to be considered amongst the top tight ends this week. It\u2019s a juicy matchup against the Jets, and also, WR KaVontae Turpin doesn\u2019t look like he will play, so volume shouldn\u2019t be an issue.<\/p>\n Another player who has been stepping up for the whole season has been RB Javonte Williams. He\u2019s still underpriced, and he\u2019s been 20 points for most of the season. He even has room to catch more passes. Outside of those two players, I have no more interest in the Cowboys. QB Dak Prescott might have a solid game, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll be in any winning lineups.<\/p>\n You have to like the top three players from the Jets<\/a>. QB Justin Fields, RB Breece Hall, and WR Garrett Wilson are all in great spots and need to be considered. I would be shocked if neither made value. You can stack them or play them individually. I also have a lot of interest in tight end Mason Taylor. I think he can break out anytime, and this would be a good week to do it. If you want to get really sneaky, WR Allen Lazard might be an option. I know it sounds sick, but everybody catches passes against the Cowboys.<\/p>\n I am going to fade this game totally. Both teams are outstanding defensively, and the total is only 43 \u00bd. I don\u2019t think either offense will be able to produce a player to get in the winning lineups.<\/p>\n Can we play the Titans<\/a> in this matchup? I don\u2019t think so. The Cardinals<\/a> have a pretty solid defense, and I just haven\u2019t seen anything from the Titans to want to play them.<\/p>\n The Cardinals are very interesting because this is a great matchup, but they are hard to trust. What kind of QB Kyler Murray are we getting? Is he going to be confident and get the ball out to his receivers downfield? Or is he going to be hesitant and just have a mediocre game? Regardless, you have to like WR Marvin Harrison and tight end Trey McBride. Both are priced very well and could have solid games.<\/p>\n The running situation is a little bit different. They lose Trey Benson to IR, so now it\u2019s next man up in Michael Carter. Don\u2019t forget they have RB Emari Demercado. I think Carter will out-snap him at minimum price, so he is very appealing.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay<\/a> comes in a bit banged up. I don\u2019t know if Bucky Irving is going to play, which could make RB Rachaad White more valuable. I think he would have to catch a lot of passes and score a touchdown to win a tournament. It can happen; I just don\u2019t think it will. It\u2019s not a good matchup for Emeka Egbuka. I\u2019m going to avoid the Buccaneer passing game altogether. It\u2019s either going to be a little bit of White, and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n As for Seattle<\/a>, it\u2019s WR Jaxon-Smith Njigba, and that\u2019s about it. He should get double-digit targets, but it is a tough matchup. Running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet cancel each other out, and Tampa is very good against the run. They will allow some catches to the backs, but with them splitting time, I don\u2019t think one will have enough to win a tournament.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to play your Lions<\/a>. I can make a case to play just about anybody on offense because the Bengals<\/a> are that bad on defense. RB David Montgomery is in a great spot. He didn\u2019t do much last week, but that was a different matchup. He should be able to run it through the middle and score a touchdown.<\/p>\n RB Jahmyr Gibbs could break off a long touchdown at any time, either on the ground or through the air. Both receivers, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, are excellent plays. Also, tight end Sam Laporta could have a good game, so there are so many options that it will be challenging to pick, but if I had to pick one guy, it would be Montgomery because of his price and the match-up. If you choose the receiving game, then QB Jared Goff has to be considered.<\/p>\n I think the big question of the week is, can the Bengals do anything on offense? QB Jake Browning looks bad, but he hasn\u2019t had any time because the offensive line has been terrible. All the receivers and running backs have been unplayable, but I think they could be sneaky this week. Receivers Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are very underpriced now, and Chase has a matchup where he could abuse the Lions secondary if Browning were to get time.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think this is a week for RB Chase Brown to get back on track. The Lions stop the run very well. It\u2019s the passing game or nothing, and they will be low-owned. We have to hope for a very high-scoring game. If you play the Bengals, you have to play an entire game stack. I don\u2019t think we should veer away from that. If the Bengals are scoring, then the Lions are scoring. Plus, your lineup will be very different because nobody will have the entire game stack. It\u2019s also not a bad idea because there are only 10 games, and it might be a low-scoring week, so if you can find that one shootout game, you could win big money with it.<\/p>\nHouston Texans at Baltimore Ravens 1:00 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
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\nLas Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts 1:00 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
New York Giants at New Orleans Saints 1:00 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets 1:00 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
Tennessee Titans at Arizona Cardinals 4:25 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks 4:25 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals 4:25 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n
Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Chargers 4:25 p.m. EST<\/h3>\n