Now that the dust has settled on the opening weekend of action in the NFL, it’s time to quickly turn the page and focus on Week 2. We have several intriguing quarterback options across the price scale, setting us up to deploy a few different strategies.
Read MoreNFL Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 4 – Quarterbacks
*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
Early bird special! Use code EBIRD15 at checkout to save 15%.
After three weeks of a full schedule, Week 4 brings two teams on a bye with the Redskins and the Panthers getting an early breather. The Chiefs also play on Monday, taking their high-flying offensive weapons out of the equation if you playing the main Sunday slate in DFS. However, there are still plenty of great matchups to take advantage of at the quarterback position. Let’s examine some players to target and avoid as you craft your entry. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.
CASH CONTEST OPTIONS
Aaron Rodgers vs. Buffalo Bills
Stadium – Lambeau Field
FanDuel = $8,500
DraftKings = $6,800
Last year, Rodgers threw for at least 300 yards in each of the first three games of this season. Through the first three weeks of 2018, Rodgers has yet to reach that mark. He continued to battle through a knee injury Sunday against the Redskins, throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Although his yardage totals haven’t been great, he does have six touchdown passes and has yet to throw an interception.
Rodgers is certainly not going to be completely healthy again Sunday, but he could be in line for one of his best performances of the year. The Bills pulled off a miraculous upset against the Vikings last week, but that game was at home. Playing on the road in Lambeau Field is a completely different story. The Bills have allowed seven touchdown passes and recorded only one interception through the first three weeks, setting up Rodgers with a high floor in this contest.
Matt Ryan vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Stadium – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
FanDuel = $8,100
DraftKings = $6,100
Ryan’s season started with a whimper, registering 251 yards, one interception and no touchdowns Week 1 on the road against the Eagles. To say he’s bounced back well would be an understatement. In the last two games, Ryan has thrown for 646 yards, seven touchdowns and has even chipped in two rushing touchdowns. He completed just 48.8% of his passes in Week 1 but has completed 77.8% of his passes since.
Week 4 brings a third-straight home game for Ryan and the Falcons. They’ll face a Bengals defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks through the first three weeks. The Bengals didn’t exactly get lit up by Cam Newton last week, but the Panthers offense is built around their running game, which is not the case for the Falcons. Their wide receiver trio of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Mohamed Sanu can cause a lot of problems for opposing defenses, so don’t hesitate to roll with Ryan for your entry.
Philip Rivers vs. San Francisco 49ers
Stadium – StubHub Center
FanDuel = $7,800
DraftKings = $6,500
Sunday’s game against the Rams wasn’t pretty for Rivers, who completed 18 of 30 passes for 226 yards. He still threw two touchdown passes and avoided being intercepted, but it wasn’t all that surprising that he didn’t have a banner day against a tough Rams defense that has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. The two touchdown passes by Rivers were the first they had allowed this year.
Things swing back in Rivers’ favor for Week 4 against a 49ers team that is still reeling from the loss of their franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a torn in ACL. Their defense was torched in that contest, allowing Patrick Mahomes to rack up 314 yards and three touchdowns. The 49ers have now allowed eight touchdown passes and are still looking for their first interception. They will be short-handed in the secondary with Richard Sherman already ruled out due to a calf injury, potentially setting up Rivers for a productive afternoon.
GPP TOURNAMENT OPTIONS
Andy Dalton vs. Atlanta Falcons
Stadium – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $5,400
Dalton provided a mixed-bag against the Panthers in Week 3. While his 352 passing yards and two touchdowns look nice, he also threw four interceptions in the Bengals first loss of the year. His yardage total was boosted by his 46 pass attempts, which marked his second consecutive week with at least 40 attempts. He threw at least 40 passes in a game only two times all of last season.
The Bengals have a much easier matchup Sunday against a Falcons defense that is missing several key players due to injury, including linebacker Deion Jones and safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. They have allowed 731 passing yards and six passing touchdowns to quarterbacks over the last two games, leaving Dalton as an excellent option in tournament play based on his upside.
Baker Mayfield vs. Oakland Raiders
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $6,900
DraftKings = $5,300
The Browns finally ended their long losing streak and basically did so on the shoulders of Mayfield, who came in at quarterback after Tyrod Taylor left Thursday’s game due to a concussion. Although Mayfield didn’t throw a touchdown, he completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards and added some much-needed life to their offense. The Browns have already named Mayfield as the starting quarterback for Week 4, a job he should hold onto for the rest of the season, barring injury.
Playing on the road on the West Coast isn’t exactly ideal for a rookie quarterback’s first career start, but the Raiders don’t have an imposing defense. The trading of Khalil Mack has significantly hurt their pass rush as they have only three sacks through the first three weeks., which is the fewest in the NFL. Their lack of pressure has only resulted in one interception, as well. Don’t be surprised if Mayfield thrives in this game.
Ryan Tannehill vs. New England Patriots
Stadium – Gillette Stadium
FanDuel = $6,800
DraftKings = $5,500
Who would have thought that heading into this AFC East matchup that the Dolphins would be 3-0 while the Patriots would be 1-2? A lot of the Dolphins success can be attributed to Tannehill, who has completed at least 71.4% of his passes and thrown at least two touchdowns in each of the first three weeks. He’s also provided some value with his legs, rushing 15 times for 74 yards.
While the Dolphins’ start has been impressive, this will be by far their toughest task of the season facing the Patriots on the road. It might not be all that bad for Tannehill and their offense, though, since the Patriots have allowed 25.7 points per game across the first three weeks. The Dolphins are finally completely healthy at wide receiver, too, with DeVante Parker returning last week. I don’t think Tannehill has as high of a ceiling as Dalton and Mayfield do, but he can still provide value at this price.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Carson Wentz vs. Tennessee Titans
Stadium – Nissan Stadium
FanDuel = $7,300
DraftKings = $5,800
Wentz made his first start of the season Sunday, completing his return from a torn ACL suffered last year. He wasn’t great, but he wasn’t awful either, throwing for 255 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. It certainly didn’t help his cause that the Eagles were missing two of their top three wide receivers in Alshon Jeffery and Mike Wallace. They were also without Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles in their backfield. Ajayi and Sproles are expected to return for Week 4 and Jeffery might make his season debut, as well, which would certainly be a boost for their offense. That being said, Wentz is still coming off a long layoff, so it might be wise to spend your money elsewhere.
Derek Carr vs. Cleveland Browns
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $7,000
DraftKings = $5,100
The Raiders are a mess. They have led at the half in each of their first three games, but don’t have a win to show for it. Carr has posted a 76.6% completion rate and is averaging 312 passing yards per game, which would both be career-highs. However, he’s turned that into only two touchdown passes and he has five interceptions. The Browns defense has been much improved and has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. That’s especially impressive when you consider they have faced the Steelers and Saints already. Stay away from Carr when crafting your lineup.
NFL Lineup Daily Fantasy Football: Week 5 Cash and GPP Plays
Week 5 brings us the first scheduled bye week (Tampa Bay and Miami week 1 bye week was obviously not scheduled). This leaves us incredibly thin at Quarterback if you are playing the main slate. *Note that Draftkings main slate does not include Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, nor Monday Night Football* This week we’ll be without the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Redskins.
Let’s get to the position breakdown.
Quarterbacks
As I mentioned, QB is incredibly thin if you’re playing Draftkings main slate. With the teams on byes that leaves us without Brees, Ryan, Siemian, and Cousins. Each are quarterbacks who could warrant usage in a week with a solid matchup. The list of available quarterbacks becomes even shorter when you exclude the TNF, SNF, and MNF game. That removes Brady, Winston, A. Smith, and Watson from the slate. So as you can see we are missing quite a few relevant quarterbacks on the main slate. My best advice if you want to get exposure to any of these guys would be to play on the Thurs-Mon slate, but for the sake of consistency, I’ll only address players on the main slate.
Aaron Rodgers (DK $8,100, FD $9,500) – The highest priced QB on both sites and for a good reason. Rodgers comes into the game with the highest over/under at 52.5. The Packers are currently 2 point underdogs implied to score the second highest mark on the slate (25.25). Rodgers has played three of his first four games at home but was able to eclipse the 300-yard mark and throw two touchdowns against the Falcons in week 2. This week the Packers offense should look to rely more on Rodgers’ arm with Ty Montgomery expected to miss the game with a rib injury. Pay up for Rodgers if you can afford him in cash games.
Dak Prescott (DK $6,800, FD $7,700) – Staying in the same game, let’s go to the opposite side of the ball. Prescott and the Cowboys currently have the largest implied team total on the slate (27.25) and are at home against a Packers secondary that has yet to allow a 300-yard passer through the first four games. The Packers secondary has held opposing quarterbacks to an average of 210 yards and 1 touchdown. It is worth noting that three of those four games have been at home and against quarterbacks off to a slow start (Wilson, Dalton, and Glennon). The situation may not seem to be ideal for Prescott, but I expect the Packers secondary to regress a bit, especially with Rodgers needing to throw the ball more. Prescott does have some rushing equity, which could help him reach value. Currently, Dak is projected to score the fifth highest total according to Lineup Labs player pool.
Carson Palmer (DK $5,900, FD $7,200) – If you’re looking for value you may want to consider Carson Palmer, who is currently rated as our second highest points/dollar QB. Palmer is on the road facing the Eagles who have averaged 300 yards and 1.8 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks per game. The Cardinals are about a touchdown underdog so the game script could favor Palmer if the Cards fall behind and he has to throw 40+ times. Consider Palmer a gpp only flyer.
Other options to consider
Matthew Stafford (DK $6,300, FD $7,600) – Stafford is one of the most talented QBs on the slate but has a difficult matchup against the Panthers at home. The Panthers have averaged 211 passing yards and 1.3 touchdowns this season. They have shown vulnerabilities against good QBs, allowing Brees and Brady to combine for 527 yards and five touchdowns the last two weeks.
Brian Hoyer (DK $4,700, FD $6,500) – Again a pure value play that allows you to allocate salary at other positions, but Hoyer is facing a Colts defense that has averaged a touchdown and over 240 in every game this season.
Running Backs
Le’Veon Bell (DK $9,500, FD $9,500) – Finally, the Le ‘Veon we all grew to know and respect made an impact this season. Bell is coming off of a 39 touch game, in which he totaled 186 yards and two touchdowns against a solid Ravens defense. The Steelers are the biggest favorite on the slate (8.5) and are at home so Le’Veon checks all the boxes you’d want for your number 1 running back. The issue is trying to get the salary to pay up for him.
Todd Gurley II (DK $8,000, FD $7,800) – Gurley makes his way on the list over Zeke simply because of the salary savings you get. On DK you save $800, and on FD you save $900 from Zeke. I expect Zeke to have higher ownership than Gurley and rightfully so as Like Bell, Zeke is a home favorite and coming off of a big game. But here’s the kicker, Gurley is too. Surprisingly the Rams are a slight favorite over the Seahawks at home (-1) and are implied to score 24.25 points. Gurley has been heavily involved in the passing game this year and should get plenty of work in a game I expect to be a slugfest. Gurley is second in our projected points behind Bell.
Jonathan Stewart (DK $3,900, FD $5,700) – Looking for a value you may want to drop all the way down to Jonathan Stewart. Yes, I know his role has diminished since McCaffrey has joined the Panthers backfield, but Stewart has continued to get the majority of the carries. Through the first four weeks, Stewart has received 63% of the rushing attempts out of the Carolina backfield. Stewart is only playing in 42% of the snaps, which trails McCaffrey, but at 3,900 on DK if Stewart finds the end zone he could very well hit 3x value. Stewart is currently ranked as our top-rated value play according to DFSR projections.
GPP Flyer
Joe Mixon (DK $5,500, FD $5,900) – His price actually dropped a couple of hundred dollars ($200) on DK, which is surprising. Coming into the season, it was only a matter of time before Mixon took over the Bengals backfield. Since firing Ken Zampese and appointing Bill Lazor as the OC, Mixon has received 52% of the snaps and 65 % of the rushing attempts out of the Bengals backfield. Last week Mixon had 17 rushes and four catches on four targets but was only able to muster 28 yards. He’s going up against a tough Bills defense, but as a 3 point home favorite, I can get around the idea of sprinkling in some Mixon on my GPP teams.
** It’s worth monitoring the Packers practice reports. Montgomery is expected to miss so that could lead to more opportunities for Aaron Jones. But at $5,100 on DK and $5,900 on FD, I’d rather take my chances with Mixon over Jones.
Other options to consider
Melvin Gordon, Jay Ajayi, Frank Gore, Ameer Abdullah, Duke Johnson, Bilal Powell, Wendell Smallwood.
Wide Receivers
Dez Bryant (DK $6,500, FD $7,800) – Dez is perhaps my favorite wide receiver to play this week for the sole reason that the game script may lead to more targets for Dez. Dez is currently 4th in the NFL in targets with 40, which is just over 42% of Dak Prescott’s targets. The Cowboys are implied to score over 27 points, and the game script could mean that the Dallas passing offense will need to be in full force, so I expect Bryant to get a lot of looks. Bryant only has a 40% catch rate on his targets, but that has a lot to do with the difficult matchups he’s had to deal with through the first four weeks of the season. I like a Dak and Dez stack to help differentiate lineups.
Jordy Nelson (DK $8,100, FD $8,600) – Jordy will be the most popular receiver in the slate. Nelson figures to get a lot of work considering that the Packers will abandon the run game and force Rodgers to throw 45+ times. Nelson is coming off of a week 3 where he caught 4 of his seven targets, which included two touchdowns against the Bears. Nelson has now caught over 60% of his targets and has scored four touchdowns in what really was only 3 full games on the field.
Randall Cobb (DK $6,700, FD $6,600) – If you have not noticed yet, I really like every aspect of this Green Bay vs. Dallas game. The Packers are going to be one dimensional, and I think the Cowboys are going to have to play catch up. But Cobb is my sneaky play here. With Ty out I can see a situation where Cobb gets some work out of the backfield, adding in 3-5 more touches for the game. Cobb does most of his damage in the slot, but if Adams and Montgomery are out, I see him playing the same role that Montgomery played last year where the Packers had backfield issues. This, of course, could make Geronimo Allison a play with Cobb getting less work in the slot. This entire Packers offense is a situation worth monitoring.
DeVante Parker (DK $6,600, FD $ 6,100) – It’s tough to trust any aspect of the Dolphins offense attack, especially when you consider that Jay Cutler hasn’t thrown for more than two touchdown passes in his last 16 starts. That being said, Parker is someone worth writing about. Parker is 18th in the league with 18 targets and has caught over 75% of those targets (14). The Titans rank 32nd in the league in aFPA to wide receivers, so this could be the breakout week for Parker.
Aldrick Robinson (DK $3,100, FD $4,600) – One of my favorite DFS writers, Adam Levitan love Aldrick for the sake of #Preseason. Aldrick has dominated preseason the past two years under Shanahan and now may get more of an opportunity with Marquise Goodwin in the concussion protocol. Last week Robinson had 12 targets in an 86% of the offensive snaps. If Goodwin is out, like I expect him to be, Robinson is likely to be a beneficiary. The 49ers are going up against the Colts secondary that has had a lot of trouble at WR this year.
Tight End
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (DK $3,500, FD $5,500) – I don’t know why I went away from playing tight ends against the Browns last week but lessoned learned and I’m not doing that again. The Browns rank 32nd against TE in aFPA, averaging just over 15 points per game. Jesse James lit up this defense in week 1 and so did Ben Watson, now after adding Tyler Kroft to the list, I can’t help but add ASJ to the list.
Delanie Walker (DK $4,700, FD $6,000) – Walker is 6th in the league in targets with 14 and now has to deal with a quarterback change with Mariota out. Matt Cassel will start this week and will likely be looking for a security blanket to dump the ball off to. Walker should be the most significant beneficiary of the Mariota injury. Walker is currently the third highest projected tight end according to our projections.
Tyler Kroft (DK $ 3,200, FD $5,500) – Kroft leads our projections as our top value play for the week. After a big performance against the Browns, Kroft figures to be an essential role in the Bengals red zone passing attack. Kroft caught six of his seven targets last week with Tyler Eifert out for the Bengals.
Defense
Pittsburgh Steelers (DK $3,900, FD $4,800) – The Steelers are the highest projected defense on both sites according to Lineup Labs and rightfully so. They are the biggest favorite on the slate, at home, and are going up against the Jags who are implied to score 17.5 points. The issue here is that they’re costly. They may be safe, but I’ll more than likely be looking elsewhere for defense.
San Francisco 49ers (DK $2,600, FD $4,200) – I think the 49ers are in a good spot to take advantage of a lousy offense. The Colts line gives up over 3 sacks per game, and the 49ers have a much improved defensive line. This 49er team has had a rough schedule to begin the season, but their defense has performed well even without their late first-round pick Reuben Foster.
Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 5
*Mike Barner*
Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations – Week 5
We have hit bye weeks, leaving less options than normal for your DFS entry. While that means less unique lineup possibilities are available, that doesn’t mean there still aren’t plenty of great options to help you come away a winner. Put your favorite daily fantasy football recommendations from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the NFL Player Lab.
**QUARTERBACKS**
Aaron Rodgers vs. Dallas Cowboys
Stadium – AT&T Stadium
DraftKings = $8,100
FanDuel = $9,500
Rodgers is off to another great start this season as he has 1,146 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. While he had his lowest yardage total with only 179 yards Week 4, he also had his highest touchdown total with four. Starting running back Ty Montgomery was injured in that game and while word at this point is that he’s going to try and play in Week 5, expect him to be limited even if he takes the field. The Cowboys have allowed eight passing touchdowns this season, tied for fourth most in the NFL. With the offense squarely on the shoulders of Rodgers yet again this week, expect him to come through with a big performance.
Carson Palmer vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Stadium – Lincoln Financial Field
DraftKings = $5,900
FanDuel = $7,200
Palmer isn’t off to the best of starts this season as he has five touchdowns compared to five interceptions. However, he’s actually thrown for more yards than Rodgers has (1,282). He has thrown for at east 325 yards in each of the last three games, though it did come against three poor defenses in the Indianapolis Colts, Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. He gets another favorable match up this week as the Eagles have allowed the second most net passing yards in the NFL. I think he has a relatively high floor considering how little he will cost you.
Eli Manning vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Stadium – MetLife Stadium
DraftKings = $6,100
FanDuel = $7,000
The Giants are off to a surprising 0-4 start and there has been a lot of blame placed on their offense, particularly their offensive line. While the offensive struggles were a big reason why they lost their first two games of the season, that hasn’t been the case the last two weeks. They have made some changes to their offensive line and are now getting the ball out of Manning’s hand quickly, resulting in at least 288 yards and two touchdowns for Eli in both of the last two games. They still have no running game, so it’s going to be up to Manning to help them finally get a win this week. The Chargers have allowed at least 24 points in three of their four games this season, so their defense is certainly no juggernaut. I like Manning to put up another valuable stat line this week.
**RUNNING BACKS**
Le’Veon Bell vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Stadium – Heinz Field
DraftKings = $9,500
FanDuel = $9,500
Bell is coming off of his best game of the season as he rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns to go along with four receptions and 42 receiving yards last week against the Baltimore Ravens. He only had 180 rushing yards and one touchdown through the first three weeks combined, which may have been a product of sitting out the preseason. Last week was a great sign that he is busting out of his slump and he gets a great match up this week against a Jaguars defense that has allowed the most rushing yards in the NFL. Pay up for Bell Sunday, he’ll be worth it.
Marshawn Lynch vs. Baltimore Ravens
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
DraftKings = $5,100
FanDuel = $6,100
Lynch is not off to a very good start in his return from retirement as he only has 151 rushing yards and one touchdown through four games this season. He is only averaging 3.4 yards per carry, which would be the lowest of his career. A player known for being a workhorse, Lynch has received 12 or fewer rushing attempts in three of four games this season. That should change this week though with quarterback Derek Carr out due to injury. I expect Lynch to be significantly more involved in this game, which is good news considering the Ravens have allowed the eighth most rushing yards in the NFL this season. Look for a breakout performance from Beast Mode.
Andre Ellington vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Stadium – Lincoln Financial Field
DraftKings = $4,600
FanDuel = $5,400
Ellington has become a very important part of the Cardinals offense with David Johnson out, especially catching passes out of the backfield. While he hasn’t rushed for more than 22 yards in any game this season, he has 14 receptions on 24 targets for 145 yards over his last two games. Johnson caught 80 passes on 120 targets last season, so having their running backs catch passes is clearly a major part of their offensive scheme. I already mentioned the Eagles struggles in pass coverage, making Ellington a great play this week at a cheap price.
**WIDE RECEIVERS**
Jordy Nelson vs. Dallas Cowboys
Stadium – AT&T Stadium
DraftKings = $8,100
FanDuel = $8,600
Nelson entered 2017 having scored at least 13 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons that he played. He’s well on his way to reaching that mark again this season as he already has five touchdowns. Although he hasn’t recorded more than 79 receiving yards in any game so far, you don’t need a ton of yardage to be extremely valuable when you reach the end zone as often as Nelson does. There is a chance fellow receiver Davante Adams might be out for this game due to a concussion, which would leave Nelson to shoulder even more of the offensive load. Either way, the production from a Rodgers-Nelson stack this week is too good to pass up.
Larry Fitzgerald vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Stadium – Lincoln Financial Field
DraftKings = $6,800
FanDuel = $6,700
Fitzgerald continues to produce as he has 276 receiving yards and two touchdowns so far this season. Even in his 14th year in the NFL, Fitzgerald is the focal point of the Cardinals receiving core and has received 41 targets this year as a result. He has received at least 100 targets in every season of his career, so this should come as no surprise. As you can tell, I like the match up for the Cardinals this week against a porous Eagles secondary. I expect another big performance from Fitzgerald in this contest.
DeVante Parker vs. Tennessee Titans
Stadium – Hard Rock Stadium
DraftKings = $6,600
FanDuel = $6,100
It has been an ugly start for the Dolphins offense, but that’s not because of a lack of production from Parker as he has recorded at least 69 receiving yards and eight targets in all three games this season. That’s saying something considering the Dolphins only have 548 net passing yards this entire season. The Titans secondary has struggled as they are tied for the most passing touchdowns allowed this season with 11 and have also allowed the fourth most net passing yards. He presents a solid mid-tier priced option for Week 5.
Jermaine Kearse vs. Cleveland Browns
Stadium – FirstEnergy Stadium
DraftKings = $4,500
FanDuel = $5,600
After getting off to a hot start this season, Kearse has slowed considerably as he only has seven receptions for 59 yards over the last two games. He laid an egg last week with only 17 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it should be noted that the Jaguars have allowed the fewest net passing yards this season. Week 5 brings a much more favorable match up against a Browns defense who has allowed the fourth most yards per pass attempt and third most passing touchdowns in the NFL. I expect Kearse to get back on track with a valuable performance Sunday.
**TIGHT ENDS**
Zach Ertz vs. Arizona Cardinals
Stadium = Lincoln Financial Field
DraftKings = $6,200
FanDuel = $6,600
Ertz has been heavily involved in the Eagles offense this season as he has received at least eight targets in all four games. He has cashed in on his opportunities as he had at least 81 receiving yards in three of those four games. The Eagles made some significant changes to their receivers this off season, leaving Ertz as a player who quarterback Carson Wentz has a comfort level with from last year. Although Ertz only has one touchdown this season, the volume of targets he receives makes him another valuable option Week 5.
Hunter Henry vs. New York Giants
Stadium – MetLife Stadium
DraftKings = $3,800
FanDuel = $5,200
Henry is off to a terrible start this season as he only has nine receptions, 96 receiving yards and one touchdown through the first four games. His lack of touchdowns is surprising as he had eight touchdowns in 2016. That being said, I’m going to take a risk on playing him this week. The Giants have really struggled to cover tight ends as they have allowed 309 yards and five touchdowns against them this season. At such a cheap price, Henry makes a lot of sense for your entry.
**DEFENSES/SPECIAL TEAMS**
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Stadium – Heinz Field
DraftKings = $3,900
FanDuel = $4,800
The Steelers defense has allowed nine points in two of the last three games and has allowed more than 20 points only one time this season. They have done a good job forcing turnovers as well as they have four interceptions and three fumble recoveries this season. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has been turnover prone during his career, so this could be a tough task for him on the road Sunday. In a week where I don’t think there is one defense that stands out as the obvious play, I believe the Steelers have the potential to be very productive.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Oakland Raiders
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
DraftKings = $2,900
FanDuel = $4,500
While I think Lynch is primed for a big game, that doesn’t mean the Ravens defense as a whole still doesn’t have value. With Carr out, EJ Manuel will be starting at quarterback. For his career, Manuel has 16 interceptions to go along with only 19 passing touchdowns. He threw an interception in relief of Carr last week against the Denver Broncos as well. The Ravens defense has nine interceptions this season, most in the NFL. That’s not a recipe for success for Manuel.