DFS NFL Game by Game Breakdown, Week 5

The Week 5 DFS NFL slate looks to be a really fun one and we’re here to go game by game and break everything down to figure out who to play!

We have a very interesting DFS NFL slate this week and we also still have some injuries that we’ll need to monitor this week as we go. Last week wasn’t my best week ever mostly because Odell Beckham was pretty quiet and I didn’t play Tyler Boyd and Sterling Shepard in the same lineup together enough. Let’s move forward to Week 5

DFS NFL – Broncos at Jets

Broncos Defensive Ranks 2018

QB – 20th, 18.5 RB – 21st, 19.9 WR – 6th, 20.5 TE – 30th, 12.3 D/ST – 24th, 6.25 PPG

I have a hard time finding anything of value in this game. Case Keenum and the Broncos just let a lot of people down against the Chiefs at home. Now they have to go across the country on a short week and coming off an emotional loss to a divisional opponent. If an offense can’t get it done against Kansas City, I don’t want to use them the following week. No running back saw more than 40 percent of the snaps and that’s just not enough to use, no matter how talented Royce Freeman or Phillip Lindsay are. Emmanuel Sanders is way too expensive to use and I’m much happier to just use the Jets or Broncos defense here.

Denver Players to Target

Cash/GPP Options – Broncos D/ST

Jets Defensive Ranks 2018

QB – 10th, 15.2 RB – 19th, 18.2 WR – 17th, 24.6 TE – 3rd, 4.8 D/ST – 3rd, 15.25 PPG

Sam Darnold may not have been the turnover machine that I though he might be in Jacksonville, but this matchup may not be that much friendlier. What’s going to be interesting is Quincy Enunwa has been the go-to in this offense and he’s been running most of his routes from the slot. Chris Harris is one of(if not the) best slot corners in football. This is going to be a tough spot for Darnold and without his favorite target, my interest is fairly limited on this side of the ball. We have at least four games with an over/under of 50 points or more and going head long into this one isn’t a path I’m excited about. Maybe Bilal Powell sees more targets since Enunwa might be blanketed but he’s right on the edge of being uncomfortable on DraftKings. You’re not going to get a locked in floor for cash and the upside for tournaments doesn’t appear to be there with Isaiah Crowell splitting work as well.

Jets Players to Target

Cash/GPP Options – Jets D/ST

DFS NFL – Packers at Lions

Packers Defensive Ranks 2018

QB – 14th, 16.6 RB – 9th, 14.5 WR – 15th, 23.4 TE – 19th, 7.7 D/ST – 4th, 10.0 PPG

My loathing of Matt Patricia knew no bounds this past Sunday as Kerryon Johnson looked well on his way to a breakout game until he wasn’t allowed to touch the ball anymore. I’m not sure I want to use the Lions all that much. In seasonal, you just start all three of the receivers and you deal with the hand you get. DFS is a much different ball game but I’m going to head back to Marvin Jones. He continues to be the cheapest and continues to lead the trio by a wide margin in red zone targets. In addition, he leads the team in snaps. This is a recipe for a breakout game sooner than later.

Johnson is worth a dart throw at his price but you have to understand the same thing might happen to him again this week. It’s going to be tough to hit value if he’s only getting 8-12 touches and the Packers have been tough on running backs. Until Patricia decides to use his best back, it’s going to be a dart throw with Johnson. There is definitely GPP appeal because if you catch him on the breakout game, you’re going to be sitting pretty. I will give all the credit in the world to Pat Mayo for pointing out that the Lions defense could be a sneaky play. Green Bay has given up the sixth most sacks and the Lions have gotten home 13 times. Nobody plays defenses against the Packers. Teams can score a ton of points and the opposing defense can still be solid. Just look at the Colts this past week against the Texans.

Lions Players to Target

Cash Options – Matthew Stafford

GPP Options – Any of the three receivers, Kerryon Johnson, Lions D/ST

Lions Defensive Ranks 2018

QB – 8th, 14.1 RB – 30th, 28.2 WR – 2nd, 15.7 TE – 14th, 6.2 D/ST – 17th, 6.0 PPG

At first glance, it’s entirely possible that Aaron Jones might be one of the more popular players on the slate. He’s still under $4,500 and actually barely edged out Jamaal Williams in snaps. In case you missed it, Aaron Rodgers was none too thrilled with the offense after this past game and consistently said they need to get the ball in the hands of their best players. I don’t think Rodgers was talking about Williams at all and Detroit was just totally gouged by Ezekiel Elliott. Granted, Aaron Jones is not Zeke by any stretch but jones did see two of the three possible red zone rushes with Montgomery seeing the other. He’s priced so low that it won’t take much to hit value and the ceiling is incredibly high.

We’ll have to wait and see how the receiving corps shakes out with injuries. Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison might both miss this game with injuries. Marquez Valdes-Scantling drew 54 snaps in place of Cobb and would become chalk if they both missed. Rodgers himself is in play all the time but he’s down to the sixth most expensive quarterback on the board. That’s very enticing even on the road against a reasonably solid secondary.

Packers Players to Target

Cash Options – TBD with receiver health

GPP Options – Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams

DFS NFL – Giants at Panthers

Giants Defensive Ranks

QB – 12th, 16.1 RB – 22nd, 20.5 WR – 5th, 18.0 TE – 10th, 5.7 D/ST – 29th, 3.0 PPG

The big question here is do we want to pay the price for Christian McCaffrey on DraftKings or not. With Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon above him and James Conner against the Falcons and Saquon Barkley below him, CMC might go under owned in a spot that could be good. We saw that Alvin Kamara was able to get the job done and McCaffrey played 100 percent of the snaps before the bye week. He’s rested and should see at least 20 touches in this game. The only issue is the red zone because Cam Newton lurks. While Cam punched in two touchdowns in Week 3, McCaffrey is still doubling him in red zone rush attempts. CMC also is the current target leader so I really am warming up to him if it seems like the other backs in this range are getting all the attention. Newton is fine but there’s a lot of other quarterbacks that are cheaper and probably in better spots. You can always catch Newton on a ceiling game but there’s not a lot of metrics that point to that being the case here. Past CMC and Newton, I think I’m going to pass on the rest of the Panthers offense. The Giants have been nasty against receivers so far and just held Michael Thomas in check. I hardly think Devin Funchess is a prime candidate to do much damage.

Panthers Players to Target

Cash Options – Christian McCaffrey

GPP Options – Cam Newton

Panthers Defensive Ranks

QB – 19th, 17.8 RB – 12th, 15.9 WR – 9th, 21.8 TE – 28th, 10.5 D/ST – 20th, 5.75 PPG

After they mostly were a let down against the Saints last week, nobody is going to be too eager to get back to the Giants on the road in Carolina. I can’t say I blame them all that much but players like Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard are still in play here. Barkley is almost guaranteed a floor of 15 touches between rushing attempts and receptions and is game flow proof unless the Panthers go high wild here. He’s hit at least 100 yards from scrimmage in every game and the upside is there every single play for him to break a long touchdown. Speaking of breaking the big play, Odell Beckham is still without a touchdown so far and has to be far past due for a monster play on a eight yard slant. He’s seemingly reliant on that type of play since Eli Manning is iffy at best. Manning has dipped under $5,000 on DraftKings and I know I should be interested but it’s sort of a tough sell. Carolina is middle of the road against quarterbacks but the Saints were the stone cold worst and Manning couldn’t get it done. Sterling Shepard should see at least eight or so targets and is still in consideration at his price. If Manning continues to dink and dunk and Evan Engram remains out, Shepard out of the slot is always going to be in play.

Giants Players to Target

Cash Options – Sterling Shepard, Saquon Barkley

GPP Options – Odell Beckham

DFS NFL – Titans at Bills

Titans Defensive Ranks

QB – 13th, 16.5 RB – 4th, 11.9 WR – 24th, 27.5 TE – 4th, 4.9 D/ST – 5th, 9.0 PPG

I can very easily say pass for the Bills offense in this spot. The Titans defense is quietly pretty solid. The one spot that they struggle with is defending the receiver position but sadly, Buffalo has no receivers that I would be interested in. LeSean McCoy has rarely been under $5,000 in recent years but I can’t take that shot against Tennessee. They’re a funnel defense and have been good against running backs for well over a season now. Josh Allen is priced low but if you’re into that range, there are better options.

Bills Players to Target – None

Bills Defensive Ranks

QB – 21st, 18.6 RB – 25th, 23.9 WR – 10th, 22.1 TE – 24th, 8.9 D/ST – 15th, 8.0 PPG

If it looks like Aaron Jones might be the chalk at running back, Derrick Henry might be the direct pivot. He had a miserable game last week but the Eagles are also the literal worst matchup for running backs. In the previous two games, Henry had seen 18 carries in each. If he gets that type of work in this game, he’s going to smash this defense. The red zone is also where Henry holds a significant advantage. He’s near a 40 percent sure of the red zone opportunities on the team and has two to three touchdown upside in this spot. Dion Lewis is certainly in play as well but the $1,000 difference makes the choice more intriguing.

I’m excited to see Corey Davis bust out but I’m not chasing that game against what will likely be Tre’Davious White. That means that Taywan Taylor becomes very interesting at $4,000. He continues to see work without any other options in the passing game and could see a ton of work if Davis gets taken out of the game by White. Marcus Mariota is a little tough to stomach at his price even though he finally looks healthy and he brings the rushing yards as well. DraftKings has certainly give the Tennessee defense the “Buffalo Pricing” since they are $4,000. That’s almost always my cut off point for a defense.

Titans Players to Target

Cash Options – Taywan Taylor, Dion Lewis

GPP Options – Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry, Corey Davis

DFS NFL – Falcons at Steelers

Falcons Defensive Ranks

QB – 28th, 25.2 RB – 28th, 23.8 WR – 26th, 28.9 TE – 20th, 6.4 D/ST – 31st, 2.25 PPG

We’ve arrived at the main event of the slate as this game features the highest over/under and there’s no reason to dispute that. Don’t be surprised if this gets over 60 points by the end of the week and we need to have a piece of this game. James Conner has been very quiet the past couple games but this is the bounce-back spot and he’s under $8,000. We’ve seen every running back throttle this Atlanta defense and Conner should be no different. Even if his rushing ability still is struggling, the reception floor is pretty high since Atlanta has allowed an insane 42 receptions to the running back position. JuJu Smith-Schuster is $1,600 cheaper than Antonio Brown and I’d rather play him this week since he’s running so many of his routes from the slot. The targets are in a virtually dead heat and Brown appears to be off script with his quarterback way too often to this point. We saw what happened last week with Tyler Boyd against this defense and I dare say Smith-Schuster is a better receiver than Boyd.

A start of Conner, JuJu and Austin Hooper from the Falcons leaves you with about $5,300 per player on DraftKings and that’s a very workable amount of money. Vance McDonald saw his snaps go over 60 percent for the first time all season and he sees favorable coverage. The Falcons couldn’t handle Tyler Eifert last week before he got hurt and McDonald could have a big game here. At some point, James Washington is going to post a line of four receptions for about 125 yards and a touchdown and this could be that game. Ben Roethlisberger is the highest priced quarterback on the slate but it’s rare that I’ll pay up for that in any week. I don’t think I’ll do it this week but Big Ben at home in a must win game versus a terrible defense is fairly tempting.

Steelers Players to Target

Cash Options – Ben Roethlisberger, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner

GPP Options – Antonio Brown, Vance McDonald, James Washington

Steelers Defensive Ranks

QB – 29th, 27.9 RB – 7th, 13.0 WR – 31st, 32.6 TE – 31st, 12.9 D/ST – 11th, 7.75 PPG

The Atlanta side of this game is just as interesting as the Pittsburgh players. Pittsburgh’s defense is terrible and their points per game was boosted by facing Ryan Fitzpatrick in Tampa. Any of the three receivers of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu are in play but I’d prefer to either pay up for Jones or down to Sanu. Ridley should produce but this is interesting from Adam Pfeifer-

Because he has 6 TD on 15 receptions. https://t.co/pugr9ocam0
— Adam Pfeifer (@APfeifer24) October 1, 2018

Ridley has also been consistently out-snapped by Sanu and saw fewer targets last week. Still, it’s hard to call him a fade given the matchup. Julio has gone three weeks without a red zone target. That streak has to come to an end this week and the Steelers can’t communicate or cover anyone. The cheapest options to get a piece of the offense is Austin Hooper or Ito Smith. Hooper isn’t super involved but the Pittsburgh has gotten scorched by tight ends all year. Smith is all the way down at $3,000 and he saw 10 touches in Week 4, including a touchdown. If Devonta Freeman remains out, Smith is a very interesting punt play. Anyone and everyone is viable in this spot.

Atlanta Players to Target

Cash Options – Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tevin Coleman(if Freeman is out), Austin Hooper

GPP Options – Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu, Ito Smith

DFS NFL – Ravens at Browns

Ravens Defensive Ranks

QB – 3rd, 12.4 RB – 3rd, 10.4 WR – 13th, 23.0 TE – 6th, 5.0 D/ST – 12th, 7.0 PPG

While I came away mostly encouraged from Baker Mayfield‘s first start, I’m not about to test a Ravens defense that just walked into Heinz Field and shut down the Steelers offense. Don’t fall for Nick Chubb and his monster game on three rushes because that is literally the only time he touched the ball. Mayfield turned the ball over four times last game and the Ravens are getting cornerback Jimmy Smith back. Perhaps Jarvis Landry can get enough receptions to get the job done but you’re looking at 21 points to hit 3x value. Carlos Hyde is getting all the work on a team that leads the league in rushing attempts but again, the matchup is just too difficult even at a reasonable price tag. It was nice to see Duke Johnson at least get some receptions in the last game. The Ravens are great in that facet of the game as well, allowing the fifth least receptions to backs this year. The Browns offense has a cupcake schedule the next four weeks and I’ll get all the Mayfield I can handle at that point.

Browns Players to Target

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway

Browns Defensive Ranks

QB – 11th, 15.2 RB – 24th, 22.0 WR – 21st, 25.6 TE – 23rd, 8.8 D/ST – 6th, 8.75 PPG

Alex Collins and Buck Allen make an infuriating pair right now since they’re basically splitting the work evenly as far as snaps. Collins fumbled at the goal line last week in Pittsburgh and didn’t see the field for a while after that. I’d rather pass on those two but John Brown is averaging 7.5 targets a game and his aDOT is over 22. That’s an enormously valuable role in any offense and he’s a great GPP target in this one. It’s only going to take one play for him to hit value. Joe Flacco might be a quiet target after watching the Browns defense get ripped up by the Raiders last week. I don’t think I’ll be using him but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has another very solid game. Hayden Hurst needs to get back into this offense soon because the trio of tight ends are getting over 24 percent of the targets. If we find out that he’s back this week and not restricted, he’s in play as a GPP dart considering the position weakness and the Browns are still terrible against the position. This game might not be the most glamorous but there’s plays to be had.

Ravens Players to Target

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Joe Flacco, John Brown, Hayden Hurst, Ravens D/ST

DFS NFL – Dolphins at Bengals

Dolphins Defensive Ranks

QB – 4th, 12.5 RB – 30th, 26.1 WR – 9th, 21.3 TE – 10th, 5.7 D/ST – 7th, 8.5 PPG

The Bengals offense is fourth in points per game so far this year, sifting at over 30 points a game. That was pretty surprising considering they’re middle of the pack in yards. Part of that reason is because the receiving corps has taken a big step forward and that includes Tyler Boyd. He’s either recorded six receptions or 100 yards in his last three game while amassing 23 targets. I would likely play him instead of A.J. Green since he should draw mostly Xavien Howard. Their defense is beat up right now but Howard is an excellent corner no matter who else is playing.

It would appear that Joe Mixon could be back in this game which would be a real pain. If he’s back and they wan to ease him in, he could split the carries with Gio Bernard. It’s much better for fantasy purposes if Mixon is either totally healthy or out so we know where the work is heading. Miami has struggled against running backs so we’ll see how that situation shakes out through the week. Tight end is hard to figure out for the Bengals because CJ Uzomah and Tyler Kroft are splitting work more than most would guess. The targets are similar but Uzomah has seen a lot more snaps at 59 percent to 34 percent for Kroft. I’d rather see how that situation plays out.

Bengals Players to Target

Cash Options – Gio Bernard or Joe Mixon if one of them is going to be in their normal role, Tyler Boyd

GPP Options – Andy Dalton, A.J. Green

Bengals Defensive Ranks

QB – 28th, 24.2 RB – 21st, 19.7 WR – 23rd, 27.4 TE – 28th, 10.5 D/ST – 21st, 5.25 PPG

The Bengals haven’t played well on defense but trusting the Miami offense after the egg they laid in New England is going to be very difficult. I really wanted to see Kenyan Drake against the Patriots running backs last week but the Dolphins decided to give him a whopping four touches. Easy there, Adam Gase. Best not to give a running back too much work lest they get too tired. Drake has only seen 11 touches in two weeks which is just ridiculous. He’s definitely off the table in this one and it’s tough to figure out who we should play at receiver as well. No receiver has seen more than 19 targets through four games and you really don’t want to take that kind of risk very often . The Dolphins offense is also 26th in points so they seem like a fairly easy fade at this point.

Dolphins Players to Target

Cash Options -None

GPP Options – Ryan Tannehill, Kenny Stills

DFS NFL – Jaguars at Chiefs

Jaguars Defensive Ranks

QB – 1st, 11.1 RB – 5th, 12.6 WR – 1st, 14.1 TE – 5th, 4.9 D/ST – 8th, 8.5 PPG

We saw the floor game for Patrick Mahomes this past Monday night…and he still scored over 28 DK points in Denver with over 300 passing yards and a rushing and passing touchdown. He also did it without Sammy Watkins who left with a hamstring injury. There seems to be a chance that he’ll miss this one but I’m still going to have a Mahomes-led GPP lineup. The question is who I’d want to play him with. There’s no easy choice here, especially if Watkins is out. Jalen Ramsey could try and stick with Tyreek Hill but that would be interesting with who would cover Travis Kelce. Kareem Hunt finally had a big game in Denver with over 120 yards rushing and three receptions. He even found the end zone and I think he’d be on my radar if Watkins is out. Both Hill and Kelce also saw over 11 targets since Watkins had left in this matchup. The Jaguars might be one of the only defenses left in the league to fear and this will be the hardest test for Mahomes to date. I’m interested but it’s certainly not a safe cash play.

Chiefs Players to Target

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hunt, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt

Chiefs Defensive Ranks

QB – 29th, 24.5 RB – 31st, 30.2 WR – 16th, 23.7 TE – 29th, 11.5 D/ST – 25th, 6.25 PPG

The Chiefs had been bleeding points until Case Keenum couldn’t take advantage of the great spot. I don’t think Kansas City suddenly turned into a good defense so I have a ton of interest on the Jacksonville side of the ball. Blake Bortles could well be a cash game chalk play and even though he let folks down in Week 3 when a lot of people were on him, I don’t think that happens again in this one. He’s averaged six more points without Leonard Fournette, who is basically a lock to not play for at least a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. That means that T.J. Yeldon is this week’s free square in cash games. He’s got a touch percentage of 42 percent and averages .30 points per snap. What’s interesting is if Corey Grant is healthy. If he is, he was a sizable part of the game plan against the Patriots in Week 2. Grant saw seven targets and caught six of them for over 50 yards, which would pay off his $3,700 price tag on DK.

Dede Westbrook sees fewer snaps than Keenan Allen but he also took over the target lead in this past game. The Chiefs have had issues with receivers and Westbrook is just a hair cheaper. I wouldn’t blame anyone if they wanted to stack Cole, Westbrook and Bortles in this game. Don’t sleep on Austin Seferian-Jenkins in this spot either. Even Jeff Heuerman ripped them up for four receptions for over 50 yards. ASJ has seen at least four targets in every game so far. The Jaguars have been a little tough to predict but I would think they need to put up some points in this one. Mahomes and company should be able to score at least 20 or so points at home.

Jaguars Players to Target

Cash Options – Blake Bortles, T.J. Yeldon

GPP Options – Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook, Corey Grant, Austin Seferian-Jenkins

DFS NFL – Raiders at Chargers

Raiders Defensive Ranks

QB – 18th, 17.7 RB – 27th, 23.6 WR – 29th, 30.2 TE – 16th, 6.7 D/ST – 24th, 4.25 PPG

Can I interest anyone in some Melvin Gordon this week? He gets to feast on the team giving up the third most rushing yards in football and only the Chiefs allow more yards per rush. Considering the volume of a 72 percent snap percentage and a 37.7 percent red zone market share, he’s one of the best plays on the slate from the running back position. Austin Ekeler is still at a price that can be used in tournaments since he’s seeing just about 10 touches a game and averaging 8.6 yards a touch. Keenan Allen hasn’t had a big game quite yet but the target share is basically the same from last season. It’s only down but about 2.5 percent which isn’t something to worry about. There’s going to be other receivers in his price range that are more popular so Allen might be a nice pivot. The only small concern is he’s only seen five red zone targets but that will come around. Allen, Gorodn and Ekeler make up roughly 60 percent of all targets so there’s not a lot left to love from Mike Williams or Antonio Gates on a weekly basis. Philip Rivers as the second highest quarterback on the slate doesn’t do a lot for me. I’d much rather just eat chalk of Matt Ryan or Big Ben.

Chargers Players to Target

Cash Options – Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen

GPP Options – Philip Rivers, Austin Ekeler

Chargers Defensive Ranks

QB – 23rd, 21.8 RB – 18th, 18.2 WR – 28th, 30.1 TE – 17th, 6.8 D/ST – 28th, 3.25 PPG

Do I have to stop making fun of Jon Gruden since the Raiders offense are second in yards, fourth in passing yards and 15th in rushing yards per game so far this season? Nah, I’m still going to poke fun at his lack of a pass rusher but I also will give credit where it’s due. The Raiders offense is actually looking very solid and Derek Carr is only trailing Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins and Ben Roethlisberger in passing yards this season. He’s also dirt cheap against a defense that hasn’t played the pass well so far. They’ve given up the 12th most yards, the second most 40+ yard plays and are tied for the most 20+ yard plays. To say they’re missing Joey Bosa is an understatement. Could this be an Amari Cooper spot? He’s been wildly up and down so far but maybe he can put two straight games together. Coming off an 8/128/1 game, he’s at his lowest price point of the season. Jordy Nelson is also super low priced and has seen eight targets in back to back games. I’m still having a hard time buying into Jared Cook but he’s leading the team in targets.

The Raiders pricing isn’t much more sensical when we take a look at running back because Marshawn Lynch is still just $5,500 and has averaged 16.8 DK points and that would be 3x value right off the bat. He’s only seeing about 50 percent of the snaps but when you average 17 carries on an offense that can chew up yards and you carry a market share of 36.9 percent in the red zone, that’s a great play for cash games. Lynch is also tied for third with Melvin Gordon with 17 red zone chances on the season. I might regret this come Sunday, but the Raiders are in a good spot at outstanding prices.

Raiders Players to Target

Cash Options – Derek Carr, Jared Cook, Marshawn Lynch

GPP Options – Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson

DFS NFL – Vikings at Eagles

Vikings Defensive Ranks

QB – 27th, 23.0 RB – 11th, 15.3 WR – 27th, 27.5 TE – 19th, 7.7 D/ST – 22nd, 5.25 PPG

It’s really hard not to like the Carson Wentz-Zach Ertz stack from this side of the game. First thing is first and that’s Ertz is fourth in the NFL in targets. That’s not amongst tight ends, that’s an overall number. Adam Thielen and the two Pittsburgh receivers are the only three ahead of him and all three of those players are at least $1,000 more. Now that Wentz is back at the helm and he threw the ball 50 times in the last game, he’s way too cheap for a home matchup against a Vikings defense that is reeling. Xavier Rhodes will likely be tasked with slowing down Alshon Jeffery and he’s still a very good corner.

However, that leaves Ertz to run around against the rest of the defense and don’t think for one second Doug Pederson didn’t see the Rams destroy Anthony Barr in coverage last Thursday. Minnesota has remained tough on the running back position and that ranking includes giving up over 150 total yards and a touchdown to Todd Gurley last week. We’ll see how healthy the Eagles running back corps is coming into this game before we decide if they can be used. My initial lean is not at all, but if they’re down to just one or two that would change. This game could be a very fun shootout and the quarterbacks along with certain pieces could be the key to this slate.

Eagles Players to Target

Cash Options – Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz

GPP Options – Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Jay Ajayi

Eagles Defensive Ranks

QB – 22nd, 20.8 RB – 2nd, 9.7 WR – 27th, 29.6 TE – 7th, 5.5 D/ST – 16th, 6.0 PPG

The Vikings offense has been extremely one dimensional so far and that shouldn’t change this week. Minnesota will be looking to exact some sort of revenge after they got spanked in the NFC title game last year and they will likely need Kirk Cousins to work his magic in this one to score point. Philly doesn’t give anything up to running backs so I’d pass on Dalvin Cook or Latavius Murray. However, I’m all in on Adam Theilen and Stefon Diggs.

The cornerback tandem of Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby haven’t been playing that well, especially Mills. He’s gotten roasted to the tune of giving up 15 receptions and two touchdowns with a 140.8 rating on 21 targets so far this season. Based off the routes run this season, Stefon Diggs could see Mills about 42 percent of the time compared to 20 percent for Thielen. Actually, Thielen might quietly have the toughest matchup. He’s been running almost 60 percent from the slot and Sidney Jones has given up the lowest passer rating among Eagles corners at 80.4. While I think both will be excellent, Diggs being cheaper and the better matchup by route data is very interesting. I think those three are the core plays from the Vikings with Kyle Rudolph always being a threat to catch a touchdown.

Vikings Players to Target

Cash Options – Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs

GPP Options – Kyle Rudolph

DFS NFL – Rams at Seahawks

Rams Defensive Ranks

QB – 9th, 14.1 RB – 8th, 13.6 WR – 12th, 22.2 TE – 20th, 8.2 D/ST – 2nd, 15.5 PPG

Russell Wilson has always struggled against the Rams and I’m not looking for him to change it up in this game. Los Angeles is a buzz saw and the Seahawks offense sits 26th in total yards and 24th in scoring. Getting Doug Baldwin back does help the cause and he could be in play at just $5,000 on this slate. The Rams are likely going to score gobs of points so this game script is likely to get out of hand. I guess that should put me on Wilson, but I would much rather pay the extra $100 for Derek Carr.

The running back split could be a disaster. Mike Davis took over for 71 percent of the snaps in the absence of Chris Carson last week and Pete Carroll has already said they’re going to use a committee int the backfield. That’s a big no thank you from me. Seattle’s defense has been solid all season but between facing the best offense in football and losing safety Earl Thomas, they’re totally off the radar this week.

Seahawks Players to Target

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin

Seahawks Defensive Ranks

QB – 6th, 13.7 RB – 15th, 15.4 WR – 13th, 22.7 TE – 9th, 5.6 D/ST – 9th, 11.0 PPG

This will be a familiar refrain through the season but it doesn’t matter to me in the slightest where the Seahawks are ranked defensively. The Rams offense is the best offense in the NFL right now as they are racking up the most yards per game and they’re only a point and half off the pace from the Chiefs offense for the number one spot. You can use any of their big five players in Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The prices are all elevated from their explosion last Thursday night so this is likely a stacking situation for me. I would use Goff, Gurley and then your favorite receiver. They are very difficult to rank since they are within two targets of each other but I think Cooks is the lead dog here. Sean McVay might want to test this Seattle defense deep since Earl Thomas is no longer back there.

Rams Players to Target

Cash and GPP – Any of the big 5

DFS NFL – Cardinals at 49ers

Cardinals Defensive Ranks

QB – 5th, 13.1 RB – 32nd, 31.8 WR – 2nd, 15.7 TE – 15th, 6.6 D/ST – 23rd, 6.25 PPG

If Matt Breida is healthy, I would have some interest. The Cardinals are dead last in the league against the running back position and just got beat up by Mike Davis of the Seahawks. Breida has been insanely efficient in his touches so far and would be a pretty solid option even at 10-12 touches in a game. We’ll have to wait and see on that and maybe George Kittle can reproduce his magic from last week. He ripped off an 82 yard touchdown for a monster day but more importantly, he led the team in targets. With Beathard under center, that might be a trend in the 49ers offense. Past those two players, my interest in this offense is pretty limited. I think they might have a tough time against the Cardinals defense.

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49ers Players to Target

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Matt Breida, George Kittle

49ers Defensive Ranks

QB – 25th, 23.0 RB – 23rd, 21.2 WR – 20th, 25.2 TE – 30th, 11.4 D/ST – 25th, 4.0 PPG

If you were interested in David Johnson last week at $6,600, you have to be in on him at $300 cheaper this week against the 49ers. I will definitely have some Johnson again this week since he paid off last week with over 100 yards and a touchdown. He also ran over 20 routes, which is a shift in usage from the first few weeks in a positive way. The defense has some upside facing off against C.J. Beathard since he threw two picks last week and they’re a solid option in the lower priced tier. I wish Larry Fitzgerald was healthy and we could use him but unless we get word during the week that he’s fully healthy, I can’t get there. He’s playing his usual allotment of snaps but he’s been under 30 yards receiving for three straight games. I guess if you really wanted to go bottom dollar at quarterback, you could consider Josh Rosen. The box score doesn’t jump out at you but his receivers dropped some balls and there’s not many points needed to pay off his salary. Ricky Seals-Jones is a solid tight end punt as the 49ers have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends already, most in football.

Cardinals Players to Target

Cash Options – David Johnson, Cardinals D/ST

GPP Options – Josh Rosen, Larry Fitzgerald

DFS NFL Sample Lineup

QB – Carson Wentz

RB – David Johnson, T.J. Yeldon

WR – JuJu Smith-Schuster, Stefon Diggs, Mohamed Sanu

TE – Zach Ertz

Flex – Aaron Jones

D/ST – Cardinals

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