Stick’s Picks – NFL FantasyDraft Week 5 GPP Targets (Main Slate)

NFL FantasyDraft Week 5 GPP Targets

After another great week of cashing in Week 4, it’s time to get back at it with the NFL FantasyDraft Week 5 GPP Targets for the Sunday Main Slate. The only two teams on a bye this week are the Bears and the Bucs, and the Saints play on Monday – so we finally won’t have to contemplate if we’re going to pay up for Alvin Kamara or not (which is nice).

There are plenty of great options to target to ensure your GPP lineup cashes once again in Week 5. I’ve been having a significant amount of success by mainly game-stacking (multiple players from the same game(s) in one lineup), so let’s continue doing so in our GPP lineup construction.

Here are the games I’ll be focusing on for my game-stacks:

• Atlanta @ Pittsburgh
• Green Bay @ Detroit
• Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle
• Oakland @ Los Angeles Chargers

*I’m currently undecided if I’m going to have exposure to the JAX/KC matchup, please check my twitter feed on Sunday morning for a final stance on that game. For the moment, I think I’m going to fade that game completely.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @sticks022 and @FantasyCPR for more fantasy football information. Thank you for reading and best of luck this week!

Stick’s Picks – NFL FantasyDraft Week 5 GPP Targets (Main Slate)

NFL FantasyDraft GPP Quarterbacks:

Ben Roethlisberger ($13,100)

The highest total on the board this week according to TeamRankings.com, is the Atlanta/Pittsburgh matchup at Heinz Field. You’re going to want to get a lot of exposure to this matchup.

If you’re looking to pay up at QB, Big Ben is the best option of the 4 quarterbacks coming in with a salary of $13k+. Over the past 3 weeks, the Falcons have allowed an average of 31+ fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. That trend isn’t going to stop this week.

We all know how lethal Roethlisberger is at home, and this is the definition of a “plus matchup”. Lock him into your lineup if you can afford his hefty price tag – he will be worth it.

Matt Ryan ($12,900)

On the other side of this game, Matt Ryan is also in a great spot. The Falcons have an implied total of 27.5 points, which is more than enough to get my attention. The Steelers’ pass defense is nothing to fear, so feel free to pivot to Matt Ryan if you want to save a few hundred dollars from Big Ben.

Jared Goff ($12,300)

Goff looked unbelievable last week against the Vikings and it seems that he is finding his groove in this McVay offense more and more each week. The Rams are currently a 7-point favorite, so I highly doubt Goff goes for another 465 passing yards and 5 scores, but he offers an extremely high floor.

The Seahawks just lost Earl Thomas and have had a hard time defending anyone this season even when Thomas was on the field. I expect Gurley to have a field day, but Goff should have plenty of opportunities to do damage as well.

Goff is averaging 27.86 FantasyDraft points per week and he should have no issue getting to that 27 point range again this week.

Matthew Stafford ($11,900)

Stafford and the Lions are going to be hosting the Green Bay Packers in a projected shootout (51 point total) in the dome at Ford Field. I’ll keep this one plain and simple, Matt Stafford locks in when he has to play the Packers.

Over the past two seasons, here are Stafford’s numbers against the Packers in their 4 match-ups:

• 361 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions
• 323 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions
• 385 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception
• 347 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception

Stafford is a lock to throw for 300+ yards and a least two touchdowns on Sunday. Assuming the Packers can score early and often, Stafford is going to be active in the passing game in order to keep the Lions in the ballgame.

I do have a slight concern that Patricia comes in with a “take the air out of the ball” style of game-plan to keep Rodgers off the field as much as possible, but at his price, I’m fine with getting Stafford in a lineup or two.

Derek Carr ($10,200)

Carr finally had an offensive blowup in Week 4 when he tallied in 36+ fantasy points. For some reason, he is $300 cheaper than C.J. Beathard, LOL. The Raiders’ defense can’t stop a nosebleed, and the Chargers are expected to score a lot of points. Count on Carr having a minimum of 35 passing attempts and lots of opportunity to pay off that cheap salary.

Derek Carr is my favorite quarterback on the FantasyDraft Sunday main slate in regards to Value. He will be my QB in 55-65% of my entries – simply too cheap to pass up.

Honorable Mention:

Josh Rosen ($10,000)

Aaron Rodgers ($13,000)

Phil Rivers ($13,100)

Cam Newton ($12,900)

Russell Wilson ($10,600)

NFL FantasyDraft GPP Running Backs:

Melvin Gordon ($16,200)

I will be stacking a lot of the Chargers/Raiders matchup, and Melvin Gordon is going to be a mainstay in those stacks. He is averaging 6 catches per game and is always a threat to run for 70+ yards and score a touchdown or two.

I’m projecting Gordon to finish this high scoring matchup with 130+ all-purpose yards, 8-10 catches, and a touchdown. If he can be in that ballpark, Melvin will make DFS players very happy again this weekend. Todd Gurley is the only runner in PPR formats that I have ranked ahead of Melvin in Week 5.

Todd Gurley ($17,200)

He’s arguably the most lethal weapon in the NFL. He continues to produce 25+ on weekly basis in 2018, and is a lock to do that again this week. It’s impossible for me to fade him in GPPs or cash games.

Ezekiel Elliot ($15,600)

I’ll get right to the point: Elliot should not be $1,600 less than Todd Gurley. If you’re looking to fade Gurley or Melvin, Zeke is an excellent pivot to be an RB1 in your DFS lineups. Nothing about Houston warrants fading Zeke in Week 5.

Christian McCaffrey ($14,800)

In a PPR format like FantasyDraft’s, it’s very hard to avoid playing McCaffrey. The Giants just got destroyed by Alvin Kamara in both the run and the pass game, so I’m fine with going right back to the well to target the Giants banged up defense.

If you roster McCaffrey, I think it would be a great idea to counter that with Saquon Barkley at $14,100 for a mini-stack in that game – it will be a low-owned mini-stack.

James Conner ($13,700)

Go ahead and press the lock button on James Conner for Week 5. As I mentioned last week, the Falcons bleed fantasy points to pass-catching running backs. They’ve now allowed 42 receptions to receivers out of the backfield through just 4 weeks!

This ATL/PIT game may be the best game-stack of the week, so get Conner in your lineups as a key piece to your game-stack. He will also be a one-off play of mine in other lineups. Conner is in a great spot for a bounce back week.

After back to back below average fantasy performances, I’m expecting DFS players to be hesitant to roster Conner this week and instead flock to Big Ben/Antonio Brown/JuJu  Steelers’ stacks. Lock in Conner for your RB2 or one of your Flex spots.

David Johnson ($11,600)

A David Johnson blow-up game is coming soon and you’re going to want to have ownership of him when it happens. At $11,600 and a solid matchup against the 49ers, it’s a great spot to buy-low on David Johnson before his price skyrockets in DFS outlets.

I have him as a top-5 running back in PPR formats for Week 5.

Aaron Jones ($9,100)

Aaron Jones day is upon us, and it’s going to happen this Sunday. Jones was able to out-snap Jamaal Williams in Week 4, and it looks like the RB1 job in Green Bay is now Jones’ to lose. Jones averaged an impressive 5.9 yards per carry in Week 4, with a touchdown and a 17 yard reception.

He could have had a much bigger impact on the game if Mike McCarthy didn’t insist on getting Jamaal Williams touches. I’m banking on Sunday being a 65%/20%/15 % snap split between Jones/Williams/Montgomery. This should be an excellent opportunity for Jones to run away with the job.

He is my favorite play of the week in regards to value running backs. Lock him in to one of your flex spots on FantasyDraft.

Honorable Mention:

Matt Breida ($10,600)

Kareem Hunt ($10,300)

Dion Lewis ($10,100)

Corey Grant ($7,400)

NFL FantasyDraft GPP Wide Receivers:

As discussed earlier, this Atlanta at Pittsburgh game is going to be an absolute shootout with a total of 58. This means everyone that receives significant volume in their teams’ passing attack is in play for DFS. Here are the main 4 that should obviously be fine plays this Sunday (in order of my preference for DFS):

1. JuJu Smith-Schuster ($13,900)

2. Julio Jones ($15,900)

3. Antonio Brown ($17,200)

4. Calvin Ridley ($11,700)

Outside of the ATL/PIT game, here are my other GPP WR targets:

Keenan Allen ($15,200)

My second favorite game-stack of the day is the Chargers/Raiders game. In most my lineups with Melvin Gordon, I’ll be pairing in Keenan Allen. Keenan is always a safe bet for 7+ targets and with the expected total of 53 points, I’m thinking Keenan sees 10+ targets on Sunday.

Keenan Allen is a top-3 Wide-out for me this week in PPR formats.

Adam Thielen ($14,600)

Adam Thielen currently leads all wide receivers in targets with an absurd 56 through 4 weeks and has yet to have a game with under 100 receiving yards. He is always a great play for DFS.

Golden Tate ($13,100)

Tate is an absolute target-monster with an average of 11 targets per game. In what should be a high-scoring shootout against the Packers, Tate is going to highly involved in the Lions’ passing attack yet again.

Cooper Kupp ($11,300)

Kupp is Jared Goff’s favorite target in the red-zone and the Rams are going to spend a lot of time inside Seattle’s 20 yard line. This is a great spot for Kupp to score another touchdown and come in with 6-10 catches and 75+ yards.

Assuming he finds his way into the end-zone, Kupp is a great play for his relatively low price point. He should have a field day in the slot for the Rams.

Amari Cooper ($9,900)

If I love Derek Carr this week, I need to pair him with a Raiders’ pass catcher. Cooper is coming off of a monster, 8 catch, 128 yard with a touchdown performance in Week 4, and he should continue to stay hot in this shootout against the Chargers.

If he has another big game, this may be the last time we see Amari under $10k. Take advantage of this low price point in a great matchup.

Honorable Mention:

Odell Beckham Jr. ($14,000)

Stefon Diggs ($13,200)

Jordy Nelson ($8,800)

Taywan Taylor ($8,400)

Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($6,400)

NFL FantasyDraft GPP Tight Ends:

Jared Cook ($9,200)

Coming off a huge, two-touchdown performance in Week 4, the majority of DFS players are going to be rostering Jared Cook at tight end this week. This is a “chalk” spot that I will not be fading due to high ownership.

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Cook will be my main tight end target this week as I pair him with Derek Carr in multiple lineups.

Vance McDonald ($6,700)

Vance will be another “chalky” tight end in the DFS world on Sunday. As many players heavily stack the ATL/PIT game, I’d assume almost all of them use McDonald as their tight end. Regardless, the value is just too hard to pass up on this week. Vance is my favorite tight end this week if you’re looking for value.

Honorable Mention:

Zach Ertz ($12,300)

Travis Kelce ($11,300)

Jimmy Graham ($8,700)

NFL FantasyDraft GPP DST:

Tennessee Titans ($6,400)

Cincinatti Bengals ($6,000)

New York Jets ($4,500)

NFL FantasyDraft GPP Sample Lineup:

QB: Derek Carr

RB: Melvin Gordon

RB: Todd Gurley

WR: JuJu Smith-Schuster

WR: Taywan Taylor

TE: Jared Cook

FLEX: James Conner

FLEX: Marquez Valdes-Scantling

DST: New York Jets