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FanDuel NFL: Picks and Pivots for Week 5 Monday -Thursday

By Brian Tulloch

Oct 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) runs the ball against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) runs the ball against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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FanDuel NFL: Picks and Pivots for Week 5 (Monday Night – Thursday Night)

Welcome to the NFL edition of Picks and Pivots, a fantasy football column focused on helping you find the best FanDuel NFL lineup! The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

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In Week 3, FanDuel has changed the game for us as we can no longer get exposure to the Monday night game through the Main Sunday slate but that does not mean we cannot play this game.

Fellow Fantasy CPR Expert, Matt Rogers introduced me to this Monday Night- Thursday Night two game slate last week and it is quickly becoming a favorite play for me.

Typically playing the Monday/Thursday night games became more of a strategic decision in how to weight ownership as the nationally televised games tended to be more heavily owned. As a result these became strategic fades for me most times, but by isolating these two games into one slate we get to enjoy these games and get some added fantasy football time!

So let’s get started on this two game slate and dig into the top FanDuel NFL plays from the Panthers-Buccaneers and Chargers-Broncos.

On this short two game slate, frankly the decision comes down to two signal callers when selecting your quarterback. With Cam Newton out for Carolina and the Broncos QB situation too murky to lock in 3 days before kick-off, the choice comes down to Phillip Rivers or Jameis Winston.

Jameis Winston ($7,400) is my preferred option as I expect many will shy away from attacking the “name” defense in Carolina without understanding that this defense is one we can exploit in the passing game. Want proof? Ask Matt Ryan and Julio Jones how they fared in Week 4 when they put up over 500 yards through the air against this same Carolina passing defense that is 26th against opposing QB’s and 31st against opposing WR’s (largely due to the Falcons game).

We have already seen the upside that Winston possesses this season as he has two games with over 26 FanDuel Points, racking up 7 touchdowns in those two games. There is a bit of boom our bust risk here as Winston has only 2 touchdowns in his other two games this season, averaging just over 10 points per start in tough match-ups with Arizona and Denver.

Frankly this is a spot where I think Winston can excel and keep in mind that Tampa Bay will likely be without its top two running backs which will mean an even heavier reliance on the passing attack. Fire up Jameis on Monday night as your QB on FanDuel and get your week off to a big time start!

Running back is another spot where injuries help narrow our decision down to really two choices (maybe three) and since we start two running backs on FanDuel this is an easy spot to eat chalk and roster the two best options at the position.

C.J. Anderson ($8,000) & Melvin Gordon ($7,700) are the two highest priced running backs but also the safest bets to build your lineup around on this slate. Melvin Gordon continues to put up rock solid numbers as the bell cow back of the Chargers and we are seeing an expanded role in the passing game emerge for Gordon as well with back to back weeks with 7 targets.

The Broncos defense was shredded by the Falcons Tevin Coleman on Sunday as he caught 4 balls for 132 yards as Atlanta routinely lined him up to take advantage of the Broncos linebackers in coverage. Expect Phillip Rivers and the Chargers to attack that same spot on Thursday night which increases the usage and upside of Gordon.

Anderson has seen his production slip, with three straight weeks under 50 yards rushing and frankly this price would be entirely too high if we had any realistic other options. I can see the case for Jacquizz Rodgers ($5,700) as the top back for Tampa Bay if you are looking for a pivot, but my roster construction truthfully didn’t need the savings so I am happy to take the relative safety in Anderson in what should be a shootout on Thursday night.

Mike Evans ($7,900) is the top priced WR on the slate but becomes a must play as part of a Tampa Bay stack with Jameis Winston at QB. Evans has been a target monster, racking up 48 targets through the first 4 weeks of the NFL season which is the most of any WR during that span! After what we saw Julio Jones do last week, I am happy to pay up for Evans as the top target in the Bucs passing attack!

Demaryius Thomas ($7,700) & Emmanuel Sanders ($7,100) against San Diego make for an interesting WR stack attacking the exploitable Chargers defense! On Sunday, the Chargers gave up over 300 yards passing to the Raiders and Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper put up 37 FanDuel points while combining for 185 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Even with rookie Paxton Lynch at QB on Sunday, both Broncos wide receivers managed to notch double-digit FanDuel points so regardless of who is under center on Thursday I expect both WR’s to produce.

With the questions for Carolina at QB and Denver’s ability to shut down opposing WR’s (ask Julio Jones how his day was in Week 5), I will look to maximize my exposure to the two best match-ups and load up on Denver and Tampa Bay passing options!

Cameron Brate ($5,400): When the Bucs made the decision to move on from Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brate stepped into the starting role and has made immediate big time contributions. In the last two weeks, Brate has 18 targets and two receiving touchdowns and can be paired with Mike Evans to complete a Tampa Bay passing stack to give you maximum exposure when building around Winston as your QB.

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Brandon McManus ($4,700): McManus has been perfect this season, missing only one field goal so far this season. I expect the Broncos will move the ball easily on the Chargers defense that is without their top corner and in the event the offense stalls, having McManus allows you a solid contingency plan!

Tampa Bay Defense: ($4,000) Listen the Tampa Bay defense is not “good” but they have been effective (15th in the league) against the rush this season. Their weakness is their passing defense and if Cam Newton was healthy I would not even dream of recommending them but with Derek Anderson under center, I have no issue playing the Bucs defense. The Panthers have had essentially no running game without Jonathan Stewart and if Derek Anderson is asked to throw the ball to move the offense, than I am happy to roll the dice!

Next: Fantasy Basketball Preview: Is James Harden the #1 Pick?

Best of luck as we end Week 5 and kick off Week 6! We will see you back with Picks and Pivots later this week for the Main Sunday slate!