Yahoo DFS Football: Week 5 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 5 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The Sunday-only NFL main slate for Week 5 features 13 games, excluding the Bears and Buccaneers (bye), Colts-Patriots (Thursday Night Football) and Redskins-Saints (Monday Night Football). That's a lot of fantasy star power being taken off the table, but there are still plenty of options ready to pop in Sunday's games, including a risky rookie quarterback and a star wide receiver who's still without a touchdown this season.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Baker Mayfield, CLE vs. BAL ($25): Mayfield's a perfect fit for owners chasing upside considering he's mustered 496 passing yards in just over three halves of football and led Cleveland's offense to 42 points in last week's loss to the Raiders. The Cleveland crowd will be electric in the first overall pick's first career home start, though facing the stingy Ravens pass defense means Mayfield isn't for the faint of heart, even at just $25.

RB: Aaron Jones, GB at DET ($19): Jones has looked terrific since returning from a two-game suspension, producing 42 yards on six carries in his season debut before following up with 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes last week. His role should continue to expand considering alternative Jamaal Williams is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. A larger workload should lead to excellent results against a Lions defense that's been gashed for a league-high 157.8 yards per game on the ground.

WR: Quincy Enunwa, NYJ vs. DEN ($21): Enunwa has been flying a bit under the radar given the Jets' slow start to the season offensively, but it's apparent that rookie quarterback Sam Darnold will continue to force-feed him targets. The physical receiver has managed at least 57 yards in every game and has come close to finding the end zone on numerous occasions since scoring a touchdown in Week 1. Denver's pass defense is tough, but a little letdown on a short week could lead to a big game from Enunwa.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Marcus Mariota (TEN, $23); Blake Bortles (JAX, $27)
RB: Kareem Hunt (KC, $24); Royce Freeman (DEN, $18); Mike Davis (SEA, $15)
WR: Kenny Stills (MIA, $19); Sterling Shepard (NYG, $18); Jarvis Landry (CLE, $22)
TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (JAX, $14); Geoff Swaim (DAL, $11)
DST: Jacksonville Jaguars ($14); Los Angeles Rams ($21)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

Quarterback

Carson Wentz, PHI vs. MIN ($32)

Wentz is primed for a huge day against a Vikings defense that's allowed over 67 combined fantasy points to quarterbacks Josh Allen and Jared Goff over the past two weeks. The young stud looked as healthy and effective as ever with 348 passing yards and two aerial scores in last week's loss to Tennessee, and Philadelphia should continue to lean on Wentz with the team's running back corps banged up.

Running Back

T.J. Yeldon, JAX at KC ($24)

Yeldon has once again been handed a golden opportunity by Leonard Fournette's troublesome hamstring, as Fournette is projected to sit for this highly favorable matchup against a Chiefs defense that's allowing a league-high 451.8 scrimmage yards per game. Kansas City will also be working on short rest after playing in Denver on Monday, while Yeldon will stay involved regardless of game flow given his ability as both a runner and receiver.

David Johnson, ARI at SF ($26)

Johnson came alive with 112 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 25 touches last week, and he should continue to receive a similarly heavy workload moving forward after being eased back in over the first three weeks. Despite that bounce-back effort, Johnson's price has continued to drop, falling another $2 from last week's valuation. Outplaying his $26 price shouldn't be difficult given Johnson's prominent role in the offense against a 49ers team that's giving up 380.5 scrimmage yards and 29.5 points per contest.

Wide Receiver

Julio Jones, ATL at PIT ($34)

While teammate Calvin Ridley has been hogging the spotlight with six touchdowns in the past three weeks, Jones is having quite a productive season with 29 catches for 502 yards through four games. Jones is a valuable commodity even without finding the end zone, but he has a tremendous opportunity to end his touchdown drought against a Steelers defense that's allowing 304.8 passing yards and 29 points per game.

Corey Davis, TEN at BUF ($16)

Fantasy owners have long been waiting for a breakout performance out of Davis, and the fifth overall pick in the 2017 draft finally delivered with nine catches for 161 yards and the game-winning touchdown in last week's win over the Eagles. Davis' fantasy stock is on the rise with quarterback Marcus Mariota finally getting healthy, so don't expect the talented receiver to be available at $16 for much longer. Grab him at that price against an unimpressive Bills team while you still can.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT vs. ATL ($30)

Smith-Schuster has averaged 15.8 fantasy points to Antonio Brown's 14.9 through four weeks, yet he remains priced $8 below his outspoken teammate. Atlanta has been outscored 30.5 to 29 on average this season, so offensive production should be plentiful in this one. At his price, Smith-Schuster offers the best bang for the buck in Pittsburgh's high-octane passing game.

Tight End

Jimmy Graham, GB at DET ($17)

Graham was a touchdown machine with 10 last season for the Seahawks, and he finally scored his first touchdown with the Packers last week. He's nearly unstoppable near the goal line, so Graham will be a major touchdown threat once again this week. The veteran tight end's yardage should also tick up, as Graham will likely see greater attention from quarterback Aaron Rodgers with receivers Geronimo Allison (concussion) and Randall Cobb (hamstring) both injured.

Defense/Special Teams

Houston Texans, HOU vs. DAL ($14)

J.J. Watt is the key to Houston's defense, and he's finally shaken off the cobwebs with five sacks and three forced fumbles in just the past two weeks. Houston has struggled to defend through the air, but Dallas doesn't have the receiving weapons to capitalize on that weakness. With Ezekiel Elliott battling knee and ankle issues, the Texans' top-10 rushing defense is also primed to limit the Cowboys' output on the ground.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Philip Rivers (LAC, $36); Ben Roethlisberger (PIT, $39)
RB: Christian McCaffrey (CAR, $28); Matt Breida (SF ,$22); James Conner (PIT, $27)
WR: Dede Westbrook (JAX, $18); Keke Coutee (HOU, $14); Keenan Allen (LAC, $32)
TE: George Kittle (SF, $20); Zach Ertz (PHI, $22)
DST: Denver Broncos ($15); Cincinnati Bengals ($13)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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