Daily fantasy football continues to climb in popularity as jackpots have risen consistently and more fans are joining sites every week. Our weekly article showcases players to target at three general levels of value: The big dollar talent (Heavy Hitters), the average-priced contributors (Average Athletes), and the guys very questionable players at the bottom of the cost charts (Sneaky Sleepers). Our selected players are based on DraftKings values as that is our daily fantasy site of choice, but the values should translate fairly well to any other sites you may use. We don’t share specific lineups or optimized computer rankings, but we will give you some great candidates for you to consider. We set this breakdown up that way because while winning is great, a big part of the fun draw of daily fantasy is mixing and matching your lineups to see how you can maximize your team. That and the fact that we are trying to win the same way that you are, and quite frankly, we don’t want our readers to all have the same exact lineups.

NFL Week 4 Recap

Who Made Us Look Brilliant?

We try not to give out the obvious in fantasy football, but with our heavy hitters it’s becoming apparent there are some players we’re going to be able to count on week in and week out. Russell Wilson is playing an almost unbelievable brand of football and no matter his salary he’s a near must play. The money players in DraftKings didn’t disappoint as there were some huge performances and the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns led the way as we’re getting used to seeing in Dallas. After a quarter of the season we’re starting to really get a good feel for which guys we want to roll with and which teams we want to go against based on matchups the rest of the season.

• Dalvin Cook – 130 Yards Rushing, 16 Yards Receiving, 2 Total TDs
• Russell Wilson -360 Yards Passing, 5 Yards Rushing, 2 Total TDs, 1 Int
• Mark Andrews – 57 Yards Receiving, 2 Total TDs
• Will Fuller V – 108 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Dalton Schultz – 72 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD

Who Made Us Look Foolish?

The player we’re probably most disappointed in was our Star of the Week, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff. The Rams QB was no slouch throwing for 200 yards and a touchdown with no picks, but we expected and needed more from Goff against a weak New York Giants defense. If it weren’t for a long TD to Cooper Kupp late in the third quarter, Goff would have had a pretty pathetic day. Our biggest whiff had to be Brandin Cooks who is clearly not on the same page with Deshaun Watson in Houston as he had a goose egg on three targets. As far as some others that didn’t perform, it was mostly our sleepers, which you’ll never fully be able to count on.

• J.K. Dobbins – 16 Yards Rushing, 1 Yard Receiving, 0 TD
• Brandin Cooks – 0 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Logan Thomas – 8 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
  

NFL Week 5

STAR OF THE WEEK:

It’s tempting to just put Dak Prescott in this role each week, and he’ll undoubtedly crush it again versus what will be an overmatched Giants defense. There’s not as much fun in stating the obvious as there is in trying to find a cheaper and slightly quieter Star of the Week. We’re instead taking a flyer on a guy who has quietly stepped into the big shoes vacated by Christian McCaffrey while he’s on IR. You may not know a lot about Panthers backup running back Mike Davis, and that’s ok as we can’t truthfully claim that we do either. After watching their game last weekend here’s what we can share: He’s not CMC, but the Panthers use him in a similar fashion, and he can absolutely put up yards and touchdowns. The Falcons are banged up defensively, and not great as stopping running backs to begin with. Couple that with the facts that Davis should catch some passes, and this should be a high scoring affair and we’ll roll the dice with him. (If you decide to make Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson your Star, we get it, but let’s see what this guy can do).

As you evaluate week five this could be the week that some players and teams that have stalled get things going. Could the coaching change in Houston paired with a depleted Jaguars defense be the ticket for Deshaun Watson and David Johnson to have breakout performances? If we could give one piece of advice based on what we’re seeing, it’s don’t spend your money this weekend on the running backs. Invest in a quarterback or possibly a dominant wide receiver. Good luck in week five!

PLAYERS WE’RE TARGETING:

Quarterbacks:

Patrick Mahomes – $7,700 vs. Raiders
Josh Allen – $7,500 vs. Titans

Running Backs:

Ezekiel Elliott – $7,800 vs. Giants
James Robinson – $6,700 vs. Texans

Wide Receivers:

Calvin Ridley – $7,500 vs. Panthers
Stefon Diggs – $7,000 vs. Titans

Tight Ends:

Darren Waller – $5,900 vs. Chiefs
Tyler Higbee – $5,600 vs. Washington Football Team

Defense / Special Teams:

New England Patriots – $4,200 vs. Broncos

Quarterbacks:

Ryan Tannehill – $6,000 vs. Titans
Teddy Bridgewater – $5,900 vs. Falcons

Running Backs:

Mike Davis – $6,400 vs. Falcons
Jonathan Taylor – $6,200 vs. Browns

Wide Receivers:

Robby Anderson – $6,000 vs. Falcons
Julian Edelman – $5,700 vs. Broncos

Tight Ends:

Johnnu Smith – $4,900 vs. Bills
Mo Alie-Cox – $4,200 vs. Browns

Defense / Special Teams:

Indianapolis Colts – $3,300 vs. Browns

Quarterbacks:

Daniel Jones – $5,400 vs. Cowboys
Derek Carr – $5,300 vs. Chiefs

Running Backs:

David Johnson – $5,200 vs. Texans
Frank Gore – $4,000 vs. Cardinals

Wide Receivers:

Darius Slayton – $4,800 vs. Cowboys
Laviska Shenault, Jr. – $4,500 vs. Texans

Tight Ends:

Darren Fells – $3,400 vs. Jaguars
Chris Herndon – $3,200 vs. Cardinals

Defense / Special Teams:

Houston Texans – $2,600 vs. Jaguars

If you play Daily Fantasy Football we love talking sports and we’d love to hear your take and who you like each week, find us on Twitter @TheBetCrushers and let us know. Good luck and enjoy the weekend!