2018 Fantasy Football: DraftKings NFL Week 5 Picks, Predictions & Sleepers

There should be scoreboard explosions in Pittsburgh this week.

Week 4 was filled with plenty of chalk plays that hit big time, along with some surprises like Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears exploding. It just goes to show that we’ll be targeting the Bucs defense more and more going forward. That’s for sure.

QBs:

  • Ben Roethlisberger ($6,900)
    • The Steelers matchup against the depleted Falcons secondary in what has the highest projected scoring matchup of the week. Playing at home is a huge factor in Ben’s favor for a team struggling with a 1-2-1 record. You’d expect the Steelers best this week.
  • Matthew Stafford ($5,700)
    • An NFC North showdown between the Lions and Packers should result in a handful of points. Last year against Green Bay, Stafford put up 25.44 and 30.12 points respectively. His three headed receiving core of Tate, Golladay and Jones has never been stronger and Stafford is throwing the ball at least 30 times in every game in Jim Bob Cooter’s offense this year.
  • Russell Wilson ($5,100)
    • It’s not very often you see Wilson priced this low, but that’s what happens after back to back underwhelming performances. Wilson and the Seahawks face a dreaded matchup with the red hot Rams who were just in a shootout with the Vikings. While Seattle doesn’t possess the talent of Minnesota through the air, Seattle should still be throwing a ton to keep up with the Rams potent attack. Wilson offers huge bargain upside with this low price and likely high passing volume.

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RBs:

  • Melvin Gordon ($8,600)
    • Gordon has been playing like a man possessed this season thanks to a combination of his elite skill and high usage. Despite not carrying the ball more than 15 times in a game this year, his receptions and nose for the end zone has him scoring 30+ points in three of four contests this year. Gordon and the Chargers now face a Raiders defense that was just gashed by Cleveland’s running game, where the three backs totaled for 53.3 points. Los Angeles is also a 5 point favorite, tilting the game script in Gordon and the run games favor.
  • David Johnson ($6,300)
    • While his production thus far hasn’t been living up to expectations, David Johnson’s usage is rising with a glimmer of hope. His 22 rushes and 25 total touches were both season highs while managing to find the end zone for 19.20 points. Josh Rosen brought the offense up a peg, but it’s clear their best success will come from Johnson. Against the 49ers, Johnson should see another 25+ touch day against a weaker front seven.
  • TJ Yeldon ($5,600)
    • With Leonard Fournette ruled OUT for Sunday’s game, Yeldon will be the featured back for the Jaguars once again. He found the end zone twice against the Jets, while touching the ball 21 times throughout the game. It’s a known fact how bad the Chiefs defense is, as we watched both Royce Freeman and Philip Lindsay have their way with them. Yeldon should see little competition in the backfield, as Corey Grant only played 7 snaps in last week’s game.
  • Carlos Hyde ($5,200)
    • The Browns backfield had a massive day as Hyde (14.2), Johnson (13.6) and even Chubb (25.5) all scorched the Raiders defense. Now, it might seem difficult to trust this “committee” looking ground game, but Hyde has been dominating in snap count. Chubb’s game was an extreme outlier. On the field for 3 snaps, with 3 carries for 105 yards and 2 scores. He’s yet to play more than 5 snaps a game this year. Johnson still hasn’t really worked his way back into the offense with what he was last year and is basically pass game exclusive now. Hyde has dominated snaps, and been the goal line back of the offense. They face a Ravens defense that returns Jimmy Smith, so Mayfield is going to have a tough time throwing on this secondary. I’d expect the Browns to work the run game to their advantage through the use of Hyde who has scored in every game this year.
  • Aaron Jones ($4,300)
    • In his second game back from suspension, Jones saw an increase in both snaps and touches in Green Bay’s offense. The most encouraging takeaway from last game was Jones’ use down on the goal line in which he converted for a touchdown. Jones is clearly the most talented back the Packers have, and should garner more snaps and touches within the offense. A matchup with a struggling Lions defensive line could be Jones’ breakout game of 2018.

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WRs:

  • Adam Thielen ($7,700)
    • The Vikings passing game has been on a tear recently thanks to the hampering injury of Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray’s ineffectiveness. Thielen’s 40 catches through four games only trails Michael Thomas of the Saints (41) who set an NFL record. Thielen has been a monster for Minnesota, and draws a juicy matchup against the Eagles and their funnel defense. A stout front opens up the passing game for the Vikings, and Thielen has been as consistent as they come.
  • Golden Tate ($6,700)
    • Another dominating performance from Golden Tate in what’s his now third 20+ point performance. This week’s 36.2 was his highest yet as he torched the Cowboys secondary. We’ve covered how he’s a target hog in Detroit’s offense, and with a high expected point total versus Green Bay, I like him to exploit his slot matchup against rookie Jaire Alexander who left last game with an injury.
  • Tyler Boyd ($5,700)
    • A hot hand to ride, Boyd’s price is slowly increasing compared to the eye popping stats he’s been putting up. What I love most about this matchup is that AJ Green is likely to be shadowed by talented Dolphins corner Xavien Howard. That leaves Boyd to feast on the weaker Dolphins corners, after registering 20+ points in three straight weeks.
  • Doug Baldwin ($5,000)
    • Finally returning from injury, Baldwin was thrown right into the fire playing on 50/66 Seahawks snaps against the Cardinals. He only had 5 catches for 41 yards in the game, but the 7 targets he had led the team. Mentioned earlier in Wilson’s piece, it looks like Seattle will be throwing often, as they lack the RB talent against that front line and the Rams should score often forcing a pass heavy game script. Baldwin offers the higher upside opposed to Lockett who has consistently put up double digit points every week.
  • Mohammed Sanu ($4,000)
    • Sure Julio is the sexy name, Ridley has the sexy stats, but Sanu is the guy you want to roster this week for the Falcons. Last week Sanu played on 55/70 Falcons snaps which was much more than Ridley (37/70) despite the two touchdowns. Sanu finished with 6 catches for 111 yards on nine targets. This game is going to be a shootout and Sanu offers great upside for such a low price tag.

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TEs:

  • George Kittle ($5,400)
    • With former college teammate CJ Beathard under center, Kittle delivered on the strong chemistry game we expected. He broke free on a long touchdown over the middle finishing with 6 catches for 125 yards and a score, good for 27.5 points. Kittle now faces a struggling Cardinals defense alongside Beathard who’s been favoring the short passes mostly to his tight end.
  • Jared Cook ($4,800)
    • Is Cook likely to score another 30 points this week, probably not, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a second consecutive big game. The Raiders/Chargers matchup is one of the higher point totals this week, and Cook has been the leader in every pass catching category. On top of that, the Chargers corners have been relatively solid which would favor Cook in his plus matchup against safety Jahleel Addae.
  • Vance McDonald ($3,700)
    • Captain Stiff Arm is starting to show his worth in Pittsburgh offense as a bull dozer in the open field. He’s continuously shedding tacklers and racking up the YAC when Ben throws him the ball over the middle. He’s out snapping Jesse James by a small margin, but McDonald is heavily out producing in the receiving stats. There will be points galore here as Ben will be slinging the ball all day Sunday.

Defense

  • Tennessee Titans ($4,000)
    • The Titans are somehow 3-1 this year and have done a remarkable job of getting to the quarterback with 11 sacks in their last three games. They travel to Buffalo this week so targeting the Bills is usually a sound strategy as it turned out for the Packers defense last week (23 points).
  • Baltimore Ravens ($2,800)
    • The return of Jimmy Smith to the Ravens secondary should make them one of the better ones in the league. Facing the Browns this week, Mayfield has shown to be a little turnover prone with his risk taking shots downfield.
  • Minnesota Vikings ($2,300)
    • After getting torn to shreds by Goff and the Rams, the Vikings are my dart throw pick of the week. The Eagles offense has been rather subpar this year scoring 18,21,20 and 23 points in their four games. Minnesota still possesses good talent on the defensive side of the ball, and this game figures to have a low projected point total.

Do you have any early leans? Questions about which guy you should go with this week? Want to yell at me for missing an obvious play? Sound off below or hit me up on Twitter where you can follow for daily news or advice on players.

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