The bargain basement DFS plays are back for Week 5. Everyone knows to start Aaron Rodgers and Julio Jones most weeks. What can bring home the money in DFS is finding players who will produce at a lower salary but might not be on many lineup cards.
Here’s a look at some players in Week 5 who have low salaries but are worth considering for your rosters.
Quarterbacks
Andy Dalton, Bengals
DraftKings: $5,900
FanDuel: $7,800
Dalton has a salary below $6,000 on DraftKings. That’s pretty good value considering Dalton has topped 20 points in both of his road starts this season.
The Cowboys defense does a job against receivers but allows the 15th most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Opposing quarterbacks are averaging 271 yards and 1.8 touchdowns per game versus the Cowboys.
Dallas’ numbers against quarterbacks were helped by facing Blaine Gabbert last week. Hoyer and Kirk Cousins each threw for over 300 yards on them. Dalton has passed for 366 yards in each of his two road games this year.
Dalton’s fantasy numbers would be much better if not for his struggles in the red zone. He only has one red zone touchdown in 24 pass attempts this season. Unfortunately top red zone target tight end Tyler Eifert isn’t expected to play on Sunday.
Dalton has fared better on the road than at home early in the year and the Cowboys aren’t a formidable defense. When looking at quarterbacks in Dalton’s price range, he’s the most likely to explode for a big fantasy day.
Brian Hoyer, Bears
DraftKings: $5,500
FanDuel: $6,000
Hoyer has played pretty well in his two starts replacing Jay Cutler. He’s scored 22 DK points in each game.
Hoyer could make it three straight 20+ performances Sunday in a favorable matchup against the Colts. Indianapolis is allowing the 11th most fantasy points to quarterbacks. The Colts defense gives up 285 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.
The Bears defense played well last week but it will have a tough time holding down the Colts in Indy. Hoyer will to need to throw to keep up with Andrew Luck. The Bears fell behind the Cowboys two weeks ago and Hoyer piled up points playing catch-up. This could be a similar-kind of game.
Hoyer certainly won’t be heavily owned but given his matchup and game flow, he has a shot to eclipse 20 fantasy points for the third consecutive week.
Running Backs
Duke Johnson, Browns
DraftKings: $4,200
FanDuel: $5,300
Call it a hunch but there’s a slight chance the Browns may be playing from behind on Sunday. It’s always tough to predict how a game will go but with Tom Brady returning and a rookie quarterback facing Bill Belichick, the Browns are in a tough spot.
Johnson is one player who should actually benefit this week. If Cleveland is playing from behind, he’ll see more snaps and have an opportunity to catch passes out of the backfield. Johnson has been coming on the last two weeks, catching 11 passes and gaining 157 total yards on 29 touches. He’s scored 13.1 and 12.6 DraftKings points in those games.
The Patriots have a good run defense but the one area where they struggle is giving up receptions to running backs. New England’s defense allows an average of 7.0 receptions and 46.5 receiving yards to running backs.
Unless this matchup is a complete shocker and it’s close in the fourth quarter, it doesn’t set up as an Isaiah Crowell game. Expect Johnson to be a big part of the Browns offense, as Cody Kessler is forced to settle for dump offs to his running backs.
Jerick McKinnon, Vikings
DraftKings: $4,000
FanDuel: $6,200
The Vikings turned McKinnon loose Monday night. He responded with 95 yards and a score on 21 touches against a tough Giants rush defense.
Matt Asiata scored a short touchdown too and we’ll have to live with some of those. The important thing to take away though is McKinnon out-touched Asiata 21-8. McKinnon was always going to be the lead back in Minnesota; it was just a question of when. It took two games.
McKinnon gets an easier test this week. The Texans defense allows the 13th most fantasy points to running backs and after one game without J.J. Watt, it already looks like a different unit. Opposing running backs are averaging 100 yards and 1.3 touchdowns per game against Houston.
McKinnon’s salary is still too low because he’s not a big name and the Texans defense is traditionally strong. He took a big step with his strong performance against the Giants Monday night. It’s not unreasonable to expect over 100 total yards this week.
Wide Receivers
Quincy Enunwa, Jets
DraftKings: $4,400
FanDuel: $6,200
Eric Decker is dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out last week. He isn’t expected to play Sunday against the Steelers either.
Enunwa took over as the Jets No. 2 receiver against the Seahawks. He caught six passes for 60 yards. Seattle is as tough a matchup as Enunwa will face all season and he still put up a solid stat line. Enunwa has recorded double-digit DraftKings points in three of the first four weeks.
Enunwa has been targeted at least seven times in three of four games. In the one game he wasn’t, Enunwa caught all six targets for 92 yards against the Bills. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t playing well but Enunwa is good for 7-10 targets a game with Decker out. At just $4,400 on DraftKings, he’s worth a look this week.
Eddie Royal, Bears
DraftKings: $4,200
FanDuel: $5,700
UPDATE: If Royal ends up not playing due to his injury, Cameron Meredith is a viable replacement.
Royal has quietly been a solid fantasy option this year. He’s scored at least 15 DraftKings points in three of the first four games. Last week against the Lions, Royal caught all seven targets for 111 yards and a touchdown.
With Kevin White on IR and Alshon Jeffery less than 100 percent, Royal should be heavily targeted again this week. Royal did miss practice Wednesday with a calf injury but at the time this was published, he’s still expected to play on Sunday.
The Colts have been surprisingly stingy against receivers this year. Indianapolis’ defense is allowing the fifth fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers. The Colts have faced some pretty tough receivers too like Marvin Jones, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.
The matchup isn’t great on paper but expect Royal to eat up targets on Sunday with White out. Jeffery is only averaging six targets a game. His knee just hasn’t been right all year. Royal is in line for another strong fantasy game.
Tight End
Zach Ertz, Eagles
DraftKings: $3,500
FanDuel: $5,600
Ertz has been out since the opener with a displaced rib. He’s practicing in full this week and is on pace to return Sunday. Ertz was targeted seven times in Week 1. He finished with six receptions for 58 yards. Ertz is coming back at the perfect time. He should see a lot of looks this week in an elite matchup.
The Lions defense struggles when it comes to covering tight ends. Detroit’s defense is allowing the second most fantasy points to the position. Tight ends have scored six touchdowns against the Lions in the first four games.
The Eagles are averaging just under 31 points per game this season. Carson Wentz looked Ertz’s way in the opener and utilized the tight end the following week against the Bears. Ertz will make a big impact in his first game back thanks to this dream matchup. He’s not only a great play on his own but as a stack with Wentz.
Defense
Philadelphia Eagles
DraftKings: $2,900
FanDuel: $4,600
The Eagles defense is coming off a bye after allowing three points, registered four sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in their demolition of the Steelers. For the season Philadelphia has 10 sacks, three interceptions and three sacks. They average 12.7 DraftKings points through three games.
Despite all that, the Eagles defense is still undervalued at a salary of $2,900. For all the love over Jim Bob Cooter and the Lions offense, Detroit scored 15 points against the Titans and was held to 14 last week by the Bears. It’s not like the Lions have exactly been an offensive powerhouse during the first month of the season.
This is a good example of perception and reality. The perception heading into the year was the Lions offense is very good and the Eagles defense is weak. The reality is the Lions offense is average and the Eagles defense is very good. Just ask the Steelers.
