It seems like only yesterday we were begging for the season to start, and here we are in Week 5, about to say goodbye to (roughly) the first third of the season. If you are like me, the first month of football hasn't gone so well for you from a DFS standpoint. Not to worry, however, as there is still ample time to put on a good showing in the RotoWire & FanDuel competition and secure your shot at daily fantasy football glory. The rules of the contest are as follows:
- 10-week competition hosted on FanDuel
- $10 entry (max five entries each week)
- Compete against other users and three FanDuel experts (Jeff Erickson, Derek VanRiper, Kevin Payne
- Finish above the experts, win an entry in the Week 11 Freeroll with over $5,000 in prizes and RotoWire subscriptions up for grabs
- Each qualifying week acts as a double-up with the top 250 doubling up their cash
- This is not a continuous competition, so you can enter every week, and you don't have to have participated in Week 1 to enter this week's competition
- There is no limit on the amount of entries you can win for the championship round, so start racking them up this week if you haven't already
- You can sign up for this week's competition here
The rest of the RotoWire experts are in a league of their own that will run alongside the public competition until the end of the season. Julio Jones rebounded from a one-catch performance in Week 3 to post an astounding 300-yard day against the Panthers defense last week, giving him 42 FanDuel points. Few people were happier about this than Alex Spalding (ajump08), as it propelled him to 147.14 points and a first place finish.
You can find the rest of the leaderboard here, but the top-10 heading into Sunday's action looks like this:
- Chris Benzine (crispy272001) 519.04
- Joel Bartilota (joelbartilotta) 516.14
- James Seltzer (schweppy23) 511.74
- Dave Hunter (therolypolboy) 490.36
- Shawn Cwalinski (cwalinski) 490.24
- Kevin Payne (kevinccp) 476.66
- Peter Schoenke (rotopeter) 473.76
- Ken Crites (kencrw) 472.94
- Jeff Erickson (jefferickson) 466.54
- Shannon McKeown (rotoshannon) 463.90
Week 5 Value Picks
We enter Week 5 without Drew Breese and the Saints offense, but He Who Must Not Be Named will play after the Patriots and their fans suffered through two weeks of Jacoby Brissett. Mr. B won't make it on this list, but we will highlight a cheap signal caller facing the Lions, a team that has allowed the second most passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season.
QB Carson Wentz ($7,500) at DET
Wentz has averaged 256 passing yards and thrown for five touchdowns through his first three games of the year, but it looks like the DFS community has been a bit slow to warm up to the rookie, as sexier and more proven quarterbacks abound. Still, it's hard not to take a shot on the early promise Sunday, as the Lions defense has tallied just one interception this season. While the Eagles may not have a marquee wide receiver to pair with Wentz, Jordan Matthews already has a 100-yard game under his belt, and remains the primary option in the passing game.
RB Isaiah Crowell ($6,800) vs. NE
Duke Johnson may still be considered the running back of the future for Cleveland, but Crowell has been on an absolute tear to begin the season, as he already has two 100-yard performances. The Patriots sport a decent run defense, but Crowell looks to have a hammerlock on the lead back position, and is a threat to bring home big points.
RB Jerick McKinnon ($6,200) vs. HOU
McKinnon has established himself as the first option in the wake of Adrian Peterson's torn meniscus, notching a combined 34 carries for 130 yards over the past two weeks. The fact that Matt Asiata could be there to steal scores at the goal line is annoying, but McKinnon should still get plenty of volume while the ball is in the open field.
WR Steve Smith Sr. ($6,300) vs. WAS
Smith is a must-mention in an article featuring value plays, as he is coming off back-to-back 11-target weeks, and averaged 99 receiving yards over that span. A potentially difficult matchup with Josh Norman awaits, but it has to be worth taking a look at Smith when he can be owned for the same price as Anquan Boldin.
WR Dontrelle Inman ($6,100) at OAK
There are a few different mouths to feed in San Diego, but Philip Rivers may have chosen his favorite last week, as Inman is now the only member of the receiver corps to eclipse 10 targets in a game this season. The Raiders have allowed 858 passing yards to wideouts, which may bode well for another strong performance.
WR Robert Woods ($5,300) at LA
The Bills will be without Sammy Watkins and Greg Salas for the second consecutive week, which should give Woods an opportunity to build on his 7-catch, 89-yard performance against the Patriots. Marquise Goodwin played a distant second fiddle in that contest, making Woods a nice option against a Rams defense that has allowed 853 yards to wide receivers.
High Risk/Reward
WR Odell Beckham Jr. ($8,500) at GB
Beckham isn't here because of his dud against the Vikings last week, but because of all the craziness that has made its way into his life lately. From weird statements to the Media to reports that he may be fined (or even suspended) for behavioral issues, it's difficult to know what version of the stud receiver we are going to get Sunday. Beckham draws a Green Bay defense that has allowed 224.3 yards to wide receivers per game, but that may not mean much if Beckham isn't having fun. The Giants are short on threats down the field, so it's hard to imagine that he won't be targeted fairly often, though it is worth noting that another meltdown could be costly.
Steer Clear
WR DeAndre Hopkins ($8,200) at MIN
Save for a 113-yard performance in Week 2 against the Chiefs, Hopkins has looked fairly average this season, as he failed to eclipse 60 yards in his other three contests, totaling just one catch for four yards in his latest matchup against the Titans. Things may get worse before they get better for Hopkins, as he will face a Minnesota defense that has allowed just 367 total yards to wide receivers. While it probably isn't the best idea to sit him in yearly leagues, DFS players will have better options at their disposal.