Winning in daily fantasy isn’t always about finding contrarian picks to outsmart everyone else. Yes, you want to differentiate your lineup to increase your odds at winning in tournaments, but you can’t ignore the studs that are still worth their
Winning in daily fantasy isn’t always about finding contrarian picks to outsmart everyone else. Yes, you want to differentiate your lineup to increase your odds at winning in tournaments, but you can’t ignore the studs that are still worth their high price tags. Here are the studs to consider for Week 5:
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DAK PRESCOTT, QB, Dallas ($6,800 DraftKings/$7,700 FanDuel)
Prescott has come close to 20-plus points in every game so far and has thrown for seven touchdowns in the last three games. Two of those games include road starts against the Broncos and Cardinals. Prescott adds rushing upside, too, hitting the 20-yard mark three times and running for a score in the one week when he only had 16 rushing yards. The Packers are playing better against the pass this year, but they’ve faced mediocre play the past two weeks and still push the pace offensively. The Cowboys, especially Prescott, will need to be aggressive to keep pace given the weakness of their own secondary. At $6,800 and $7,700, Prescott is actually a relative bargain and one of three quarterbacks with a great chance to hit 3X value.
LE’VEON BELL, RB, Pittsburgh ($9,500, $9,500)
Find a way to afford Bell this week, especially if it’s a cash lineup. Bell is in line for his best game of the season. While the Jaguars are dominant against the pass, they are the third worst team against the run and just let Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire combine for 256 rushing yards, 65 receiving yards and two touchdowns last week. Alex Collins ran for 82 yards on nine carries against them and Derrick Henry had 92 and a touchdown on 14 carries. The Jaguars just can’t stop the run, and they have no shot at even limiting Bell this week.
JORDY NELSON, WR, Green Bay ($8,100/$8,600)
Going back to that Packers-Cowboys game, the Cowboys secondary is among the worst in the league. Randall Cobb is another great play this week, but when you can go with Aaron Rodgers’ No. 1 man, you have to do it. Nelson is 6 for 6 on his red zone targets with four touchdowns. If the Packers are in scoring position, there is a great chance that Nelson will have an opportunity for a touchdown. On top of that, Rodgers has increased his touchdown total each week, and while he likely won’t push it to five this week, he’s a lock for more than one. If Davante Adams is out, Nelson becomes an even better play, as Adams has eight red zone targets of his own.
DELANIE WALKER, TE, Tennessee ($4,700/$6,000)
In Matt Cassel’s one full start last year, he targeted Walker eight times. While Walker only finished with 35 yards, he did catch five passes and was second only to Rishard Matthews in targets, receptions and yards. The tight end is a quarterback’s best friend when that quarterback is young, lacking in talent or both. The Dolphins defense is struggling this year, and while Coby Fleener and Austin Seferian-Jenkins didn’t do much the past two weeks, the Dolphins gave up plenty to the Chargers. Hunter Henry went 7 for 7 with 80 yards and Antonio Gates caught a touchdown. Walker can get close to double-digit targets this week, returning 2X-plus value.
EAGLES DEFENSE ($3,100/$4,600)
While the Eagles secondary is one of the worst, the defensive line can get after the quarterback. That’s where the upside of using this defense comes into play. Yes, the Eagles defense/special teams carries risk if they do nothing to stop Carson Palmer and company, but if they can get pressure on Palmer, he’s shown to become turnover prone. Just look to the Cardinals’ first game of the season. The Lions got to Palmer early and often and he ended up throwing three interceptions. Not surprisingly, the Lions scored a defensive touchdown as a result, and the Eagles already have 10 sacks, four recovered fumbles, three interceptions and a defensive touchdown of their own.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com
