We had some decent picks last week with David Carr, Mark Ingram and Danny Woodhead, but swung and missed bigtime with Andrew Luck who didn’t even play as well as Julio Jones and Seth Roberts. Let’s give it another crack in Week 5 and see what we can do.
The players listed below will help get you in the money, but you’ll need to put the work in to have a shot at finishing in the green in Week 5.
QB
Matt Ryan – With the Falcons running away and hiding from the Texans immediately after last week’s kick-off, “Matty Ice” didn’t need to use his arm much at all. Because of it, his and Julio Jones’ fantasy numbers really took a turn for the worst. Devonta Freeman has busted onto the scene the last couple weeks, but he’ll be up against it this week against a Redskins defense allowing just 78 rushing yards per game and an average of 11.0 fantasy points per game to running backs.
The Skins just allowed Sam Bradford to torch them for 270 yards and 3 TDs last week, and have given up an average of 23.0 FPPG to quarterbacks. Look for the Ryan to have major success through the air in Week 5, so confidently roster him in your cash games.
Jay Cutler – Smokin’ Jay returned to action last week and completed 65% of his passes for 281 yards and a 2:1 TD/INT ratio. He did that without the services of stud wide receiver Alshon Jeffery who is expected back in the Bears lineup after a three week hiatus due to a hamstring strain. Kansas City has conceded 311 yards and a league worst 11 touchdowns to opposing field generals this season. Cutler is dirt cheap and too good a value not to take a stab with in some GPPs.
RB
Le’Veon Bell – I’m all in on the Steelers RB1 this week against a Chargers defense that’s been decimated by the injury bug and has been very charitable to running backs in each of their first four games. San Diego is giving up an average of 126.8 rushing yards per game at a league worst 4.9 yards per carry, and have given up an average of 34.3 FPPG to opposing running backs. Bell is the most expensive RB to roster at DFS sites this week, but he should still be able to play for value against SD’s injury ravaged and porous defense.
Todd Gurley – The Rams rookie running back is going to be on a ton of GPP rosters this week with his salary yet to increase after making a solid debut against the Cardinals in the desert. Arizona didn’t allow a 100-yard rusher the first three weeks of the season, but got gouged by Gurley who steamrolled his way to 146 yards on 19 carries. Green Bay is giving up an average of 21.3 FPPG to opposing running backs this season, and has already been tagged for 30+ point allowances on two occasions.
St. Louis must keep Aaron Rodgers on the sideline as much as possible to pull out another solid road win, and for that to occur, the ground attack must succeed. I think it will, so look to snag Gurley in every single one of your GPPs and cash games and enjoy the salary relief while you can.
WR
Odell Beckham Jr. – OBJ is my top cash game wide receiver target. He enters this Week 5 tilt with the 49ers off a stinker in which he reeled in just five passes and turned them into a paltry 38 yards. He failed to impress in his first prime time matchup against the Cowboys Week 1, and followed it up with a decent showing under the lights against the Redskins. Look for the third time to be the charm against a San Francisco defense giving up 263.2 passing YPG as well as 40.3 FPPG against wide receivers. His price tag is costly, but he will no doubt play to value and could go off in one of his patented blow-up games.
Leonard Hankerson – I always like to pair my QB1 with a wide receiver or running back on the same team. Washington has been solid against the run, so I don’t expect Freeman to go crazy this week. A Julio Jones/Matty Ice combo is too expensive. With that, I’m all in on Hankerson and his reduced salary. Quickly overtaking Roddy White as Ryan’s second favorite target, Hankerson could reap the rewards if Washington goes all out to limit J.J. He nearly costs the minimum salary and has the pass catching skills to spring a big one that could help lead you to a GPP cash.
Best of luck with all your Week 5 DFS betting action – make that paper!
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