FanDuel Fantasy Football: Week 5 Value Picks

FanDuel Fantasy Football: Week 5 Value Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.

QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT vs. ATL, ($8,400): Matt Ryan ($8,300) is in play here, as well, as this is a case of a really bad defense (Pittsburgh) against an injury-depleted defense (Atlanta). The Steelers look as if they've scrapped the running game and gone totally to the passing game, which makes sense considering their receiving options. The two teams here have given up the third and fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, showing why both signal callers are good plays this week.

RUNNING BACK

Christian McCaffrey, CAR vs. NYG ($8,100): CMC isn't cheap this week, but a prime matchup against the Giants, at home and coming off a bye week, is a great spot. He's averaged 17.1 fantasy points per game this season, and the G-Men are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. McCaffrey is a special player in that he can do his damage in the run or passing game; he has a game of more than 100 yards for each. There's no Alvin Kamara in the main slate this week, and Todd Gurley ($9,100) has a tougher matchup at Seattle.

T.J. Yeldon, JAC at KC ($6,500): With Leonard Fournette already ruled out for this one, it'll be Yeldon handling the workload for the Jaguars backfield. In relief of Fournette last week, Yeldon had 21.5 fantasy points and he's hit double-digit fantasy points in three of his first four games this season. The Chiefs play at an up-tempo pace and they've been bad against opposing running backs, surrendering the most fantasy points to the position this season.

WIDE RECEIVER

Calvin Ridley, ATL at PIT ($6,800): This price still feels way too cheap for a player who has scored 19.5, 37 and 14.7 fantasy points over the last three weeks. The Steelers have been terrible against the pass, giving up the third most fantasy points this season to the position. In addition to six touchdowns over the last three games, Ridley also has a carry in each, showing the Atlanta coaching staff's intent of getting the ball into his hands.

Keelan Cole, JAC at KC ($5,700): Cole is a great GPP play this week as a player who's arguably the top receiver on his team coming off a poor performance (2.5 fantasy points). This should be one of the higher-scoring games in which Jacksonville is involved, therefore they'll likely be throwing more than usual. Cole has a 21.1 fantasy-point game under his belt this season and he'll be less than three percent owned, even in GPPs.

TIGHT END

Austin Hooper, ATL at PIT ($5,000): While Hooper isn't the safest play it's been a tough year to trust any of the tight ends outside of Zach Ertz or Travis Kelce who are both expensive. The key to Hooper is the matchup, as the Steelers have given up the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Hooper has a 14.4 fantasy-points game under his belt and has at least four targets in three of his four games this season.

FLEX

David Johnson, ARI at SF ($7,600): This price seems too low for DJ who has as much upside this week as anyone at the position. He has at least 14.1 fantasy points in three of his four games, and the 49ers have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. It's also a good sign that the Cardinals gave Johnson 25 touches last week, the most by far of any game this season. This suggests he'll be back to being the focal point of their offense, especially with a rookie quarterback making his first start on the road.

DEFENSE

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo ($3,900): The Titans will likely be chalky this week given the Bills' woes on offense. This game has the lowest over/under total according to Vegas, and the Bills have allowed 12 sacks of Josh Allen in three starts, and he's turned over the ball five times already.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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