Take our advice: Hell hath no fury like a Bill Belichick Patriots team scorned.
We present our Week 5 picks, starting with the stack of the week in Tom Brady’s return from DeflateGate suspension for the Pats.
WEEK 5 DFS: FD tournament lineup | DK cash | DK tournament | DFS lineup builder
Week 5 daily fantasy football picks: Best stack
QB Tom Brady / WR Julian Edelman / TE Rob Gronkowski / Patriots D/ST / K Stephen Gostkowski
FanDuel – $8,700 / $7,000 / $7,200 / $4,800 / $5,100 DraftKings – $7,500 / $6,700 / $6,500 / $3,700 Yahoo – $40 / $28 / $27 / $19
We’re not going to welcome just Brady back to daily fantasy football lineups – we also have to welcome back the lost Gronk and recently quiet Edelman, too. Brady is going to be taking aim on a Browns defense that has given up the third-most touchdowns to fantasy quarterbacks (10), ranking eighth worst against the position. The Browns are also sixth worst against fantasy tight ends.
NESN.com’s Doug Kyed outlined Gronk’s increasing usage this past week, playing a reported 70 percent of snaps and 22 of the Pats 33 passing plays in Sunday’s loss. Gronk is going to get a plethora of red-zone opportunities and will be Brady’s primary target in those.
Edelman is going to be a high-volume play, too, as the Pats are a double-digit favorite. We have found it to be a paying DFS strategy to stack the primary weapons from the week’s biggest favorite. That includes the Pats kicker and defense against the overmatched Browns.
WEEK 5 RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Defense | Kicker
Week 5 daily fantasy football advice: Quarterback picks, values
Derek Carr, Raiders vs. Chargers
FanDuel – $8,100 DraftKings – $6,800 Yahoo – $38
Carr and the Raiders remain overlooked on FanDuel and DraftKings price lists. This matchup lines up nicely for not only big numbers, but also value. Carr is facing the sixth-worst team against the pass and the fourth worst against fantasy quarterbacks. Drew Brees, believe it or not, was the first QB to fail to throw for 300-plus yards on the Chargers this season – and that list includes none other than Alex Smith. You should love Carr and his Raiders targets in their return home here.
Philip Rivers, Chargers at Raiders
FanDuel – $8,300 DraftKings – $6,900 Yahoo – $38
The other side of that Chargers-Raiders game is equally intriguing, if not more. The Raiders are dead last in the NFL against the pass and third worst against fantasy quarterbacks. Rivers doesn’t have much to work with in the passing game, but that also means his primary weapons are undervalued in DFS action, too. We love loading up on DFS quarterbacks playing other promising QBs, especially when both defenses have been getting exposed to date.
Carson Wentz, Eagles at Lions
FanDuel – $7,500 DraftKings – $6,400 Yahoo – $34
OK, that blowout of the Steelers in Week 3 has us convinced – or at least reconsidering our past fades on the Eagles rookie quarterback. He threw for 301 yards on the Steelers, which should be far tougher than doing so on a Lions defense that is second worst against fantasy quarterbacks. Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers both torched the Lions for four-touchdown days, so we should consider Wentz’s value in a potential 300-yard, three-TD effort in the climate-controlled conditions in Detroit.
MORE: Week 4’s perfect DK and FD lineups
Daily fantasy football Week 5 picks: Running back
Todd Gurley, Rams vs. Bills
FanDuel – $7,600 DraftKings – $6,500 Yahoo – $32
Still our favorite RB in fantasy, Gurley’s price has dropped from the elite thanks to his mere 2.6 yards per carry (82-216). That season yardage total might be what he racks up against a Bills defensive front that gave up 100-3 to Matt Forte and 83-2 to David Johnson. This is going to be a heavy volume and a heavy scoring day for Gurley in a home game against the Bills that we think will be in the Rams’ hands throughout. You might as well try to buy low on Gurley in GPPs.
Terrance West, Ravens vs. Redskins
FanDuel – $6,400 DraftKings – $4,800 Yahoo – $17
Justin Forsett’s release Tuesday morning makes official what we already had learned: West is now the Ravens’ feature back. He racked up 21-113-1 against the Raiders on Sunday and draws a Redskins defense that has been third worst against the run and second worst against fantasy running backs, allowing a league-high 530 yards. Only the Saints (on bye) have allowed more rushing TDs to RBs than the Ravens (seven). This should be a 100-2 day for West, who becomes the Ravens No. 1 scoring threat against any opponent because of the way Baltimore values defense and the running game.
DeAndre Washington, Raiders vs. Chargers
FanDuel – $4,700 DraftKings – $3,400 Yahoo – $10
With Latavius Murray (toe) doubtful, Washington could get the start and the bulk of the carries against a Chargers defense that has given up the third-most points to fantasy running backs to date. The Chargers’ eight TDs allowed to RBs is also second most in fantasy, and they have given up at least one TD to an RB in each of the first four weeks. Washington is a min-priced option with a big opportunity before him in a good matchup and a game that should feature plenty of points.
WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS: DK cash | FD tournament | DK tournament
Daily fantasy football Week 5 picks, values: Wide receiver
Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos vs. Falcons
FanDuel – $7,100 DraftKings – $6,800 Yahoo – $26
It hasn’t mattered who is the Broncos quarterback, be it Trevor Siemian (shoulder) or rookie Paxton Lynch. Sanders and Demaryius Thomas (also a strong play in Week 5) are hot and facing a Falcons defense that has given up a league-high 13 TD passes, ranking dead last against fantasy quarterbacks and second worst against the pass. We go with Sanders over Thomas because Sanders is more of the vertical threat off play-action, benefiting from all the attention Gary Kubiak’s bell-cow back C.J. Anderson draws in the run game.
Travis Benjamin, Chargers vs. Raiders
FanDuel – $6,500 DraftKings – $6,500 Yahoo – $26
It isn’t always easy to project who Rivers’ primary target will be on a weekly basis, but since it tends to be a different one every week, we are going back to Benjamin as the play here. The Raiders are the second-worst team in fantasy against WRs and dead last against the pass. Benjamin’s quiet Week 4 sets him up as a nice value play in a high-volume passing game against the Raiders.
Julian Edelman, Patriots at Browns
FanDuel – $7,000 DraftKings – $6,700 Yahoo – $28
The pricing algorithms at FanDuel and DraftKings don’t know about suspensions. Brady’s return gives Edelman the potential for a 10-120-1 monster effort coming off a near-silent (1-16-0) performance against the Bills. Joe Haden, who is now healthy and slowed DeSean Jackson last week, is usually a concern against No. 1 WRs, but the Pats move Edelman around and operate him underneath to open him up for Brady. If you’re playing Brady in his return, you have to stack good buddy Edelman with him.
Daily fantasy football Week 5 strategy, picks: Tight end
Zach Ertz, Eagles at Lions
FanDuel – $5,600 DraftKings – $3,500 Yahoo – $20
Ertz’s return from his two-week absence (ribs) and Week 4 bye comes at a perfect time for DFS value. His price is in the bargain range, and his matchup at the Lions could not be better. The Lions have given up the second-most points to fantasy TEs to date, including a league-high six TDs. They gave up three in Week 1 and one each in the past three games. Ertz might have his best performance of the season at his lowest price of the season.
Richard Rodgers, Packers vs. Giants
FanDuel – $5,000 DraftKings – $2,900 Yahoo – $10
You get Rodgers at a huge bargain against a suspect and banged-up Giants secondary here. Rodgers reeled in an Aaron Rodgers touchdown in the game before the bye and comes off it as the sure-fire starter with Jared Cook (ankle) having gone down during the layoff. Rodgers should get targets, particularly in the red zone, in a game in which we’re confident the Packers offense is going to go off.
Hunter Henry, Chargers at Raiders
FanDuel – $5,400 DraftKings – $3,300 Yahoo – $14
While we cannot be sure which WR Rivers will favor on a weekly basis, we do know he loves using his tight ends. Antonio Gates (hamstring) might return, but we love what Henry has done with Rivers of late, emerging as a go-to man. Henry has gone 5-72 and 4-61-1 in the past two games, and he draws the last-ranked Raiders pass defense this week. Continue riding Henry’s value with Rivers, even if Gates returns.
MORE: Build your perfect lineup with RotoQL
Week 5 daily fantasy football picks: Defense
Minnesota Vikings vs. Houston Texans
FanDuel – $4,800 DraftKings – $3,400 Yahoo – $19
Fantasy’s No. 1 scoring D/ST is facing a Texans team at home. You didn’t even have to watch the Vikings dismantling of Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Eli Manning the past three weeks to know this defense is not to be fenced with. Clearly, Brock Osweiler is not in the class of that trio. Xaiver Rhodes has shut down Kelvin Benjamin and Odell Beckham in past weeks, so DeAndre Hopkins is in his wheelhouse. DFS sites need to start putting the Vikings at the top of the price list. Until they do, ride ‘em in all formats.
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns
FanDuel – $4,800 DraftKings – $3,700 Yahoo – $19
The Pats coming off an embarrassing home loss in the return of Brady? Yeah, you have to love them playing inspired against an overmatched Browns team. It doesn’t even matter that the Browns have yet to give up a TD to a defense, especially since they’re still in the bottom 10 against fantasy D/STs. The Pats are going to blow it out in this one, leaving a lot of pin-their-ears-back moments for this defense this week.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Buffalo Bills
FanDuel – $4,700 DraftKings – $3,200 Yahoo – $16
Sure, the Bills are coming off that huge road victory at New England, but you should not discount the past Rams home game (Week 2 vs. the Seattle Seahawks). They knocked out a far more capable contender than Tyrod Taylor and the Bills. After that victory at Arizona, we are believers in this Rams team, especially the resurgence of its defense. If you’re looking for a D/ST that will be used in less GPP lineups than the Vikings or Pats, the Rams are our choice.
Eric Mack has joined the Sporting News Fantasy staff for the 2016 season. You can find him on Twitter @EricMackSports, where you can make fun of his analysis. You can catch his in-depth weekly matchup breakdowns every Friday on DailyFantasyCafe.com and his daily fantasy value picks here every Tuesday.
