Fanduel Quick Picks for Week 5 in NFL DFS
By Brian Quick
It’s been a scandalous couple of days for Draft Kings and Fanduel. The last thing I wanted to see was employees of either winning big prizes with potential inside information. The public’s trust is essential to the survival of either company so I fully expect this to be handled correctly by the companies. There is too much profit at stake to risk the integrity of the games. With a current ban on playing for employees this may be the best week ever to play as many lineups and tournaments as possible. Therefore, we must really concentrate. It may be our only chance to win big. Here are this week’s Quick Picks for FANDUEL TOURNAMENT LINEUP CONSTRUCTION. (Editor’s note: I was always aware of employees playing and thriving in the DFS industry and it has been a bit of a sore subject. I think Ethan Haskell is a very good player and did nothing wrong when he took second in a millionaire maker for FD. The problem is the narrative that can be created after he inadvertently sent out data for DraftKings while doing his duties as DKPlaybook’s Editor. It’s a shit storm and things could get ugly for a while as talking heads like Mike Francesa and Keith Olberman have joined the offensive. Heck, even Steven King took a shot at both companies on Twitter.)
PLAYER PICKS FOR WEEK 5
Quick Tip #1 (Player Pick) – Jamaal Charles – RB – Chiefs ($9100) – I usually tend to spend big on WRs and find value plays at RB but this week I encourage you to make the investment on Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs have had a tough two game stretch where they were on the road vs. two very good teams in the Packers and Bengals. Jamaal Charles performed well in both of those games and the Chiefs are primed to release some pent up frustration on a suspect Bears defense. Last week Jamaal rushed for 75 yards on just 11 carries and added 6 catches for 70 yards. This week he could double the rushing numbers and add two touchdowns providing you with a solid foundation of points.
Quick Tip #2 (Player Pick) – Mike Evans – WR – Bucs ($7500)
It’s time to play guess the Tampa Bay WR that will do well this week. Many people will go with Vincent Jackson after last week’s performance which is why you should consider Evans. Last week, he still had 8 targets, which shows Jameis Winston’s interested, but was held in check by wind driven rain and a great corner. He is due for a big week.
Quick Tip #3 (Player Pick) – Alex Smith – QB – Chiefs ($6900)
Anyone can tell you to pick Tom Brady this week. I like the value here of Alex Smith vs. a Bears D on the road that has already given up 10 receiving touchdowns this year. Smith is coming off of a 31-45 performance for 386 yards last week but failed to find the endzone. He’ll have no problems finding the endzone this week although his yardage numbers will be down. Picture a screen pass to Jamaal for a 65 yard touchdown and a couple more to Maclin and Kelce. The Chiefs aren’t going to be messing around in this game and they will do whatever is necessary for a lopsided victory. Smith is a good play if you’re going expensive at other positions.
Quick Tip #4 (Player Pick) – Justin Forsett – RB – Ravens ($7200)
Coming off of a 27 carry 150 yard performance last week Forsett will go up against a Cleveland defense at home that is bad against the run. Combine that with the fact that Flacco has very few options to throw to and you’re looking at a Forsett perfect storm.
Quick Tip #5 (Player Pick) – Todd Gurley – RB – Rams ($6700) Gurley looked awesome in the second half of the Rams/Cards game this weekend as he introduced himself to the fantasy football world. 19 carries for 146 yards vs. a very good defense was impressive. Now, if you’re the Rams and you have a good defense, what would be your game plan vs. Aaron Rogers and the Packers? The plan should be to pound the ball with Gurley and keep Rodgers off of the field. The price here is nice and the return could be special.
THE LONGSHOTS
Below are 5 longshots that have a chance to hit this week along with a small blurb about each one and their Fanduel price. Adding any one of these guys is like adding a longshot into horse racing exacta or trifecta. They also will not be used in a majority of lineups especially since fanduel and draftking employees are not playing this week (wink wink).
CJ Spiller – RB – $5500 – Doubling down on CJ for this week too. That 80 yard TD run may be a sign of things to come. However, he is still a long shot until his role is more defined or he gets more touches. I expect a high scoring event in Philly this weekend.
Kamar Aiken – WR – $5800 – 7 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown last week. If Steve Smith is out this week, Aiken at this price should be in.
Chiefs D – D – $4600- It certainly hasn’t been pretty this year for the Chiefs D, but to be fair, they’ve only had one home game thus far at Arrowhead. In that game, they came up with 3 sacks, 1 INT, and 1 TD vs. Peyton Manning and the Denver offense. This week they have Jake Cutler and the Bears. If you’re spending elsewhere, this is not a bad fit.
Dontrelle Inman – WR – $5100 – Basically, he’s one of two healthy WRs for Phillip Rivers going into week 5, although you’ll have to monitor the availability of Malcolm Floyd and Stevie Johnson. If both of those guys are out on Sunday then Inman is a steal at this price vs. the Steelers.
Willie Snead – WR – $5300 – 6 targets for 89 yards last week. Let’s face it, he’s been better than Brandin Cooks this year and will go up against a weak Eagles’ secondary in a game that should be high scoring. If Brandin Cooks was $5300 would you use him in lineups?
Thank you once again for taking the time to read this. Remember, this is early week advice, so make sure you read up as the week goes on and make necessary changes to your lineups before game times. Please follow me on twitter @QuickRotoTips and feel free to offer feedback or to blame me if you take some of my advice and it all goes terribly. Good Luck.
