Daily Fantasy NFL Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Week 5 Sunday 10/13/24

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Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson FD 9500 DK 7800
Opponent WAS
Proj Points FD - 27.11 DK - 27.11

This game has the second-highest total on the slate, and Lamar Jackson has been the best fantasy player in the NFL this season. Do we need much more explanation than that? Probably not.

Through five games, Lamar has eight touchdowns through the air and three on the ground. He’s completing 66% of his passes and the 53 rushing attempts are second among QBs.

The Commanders are a bottom-third defense and are second-worst in the league in opponent yards per rushing attempts. This is a dream spot for Jackson.

Jordan Love FD 8500 DK 6600
Opponent ARI
Proj Points FD - 21.84 DK - 21.84

More of a DraftKings play than FanDuel because of the pricing, I do like Jordan Love in this matchup against the Cardinals. Arizona owns the 7th-worst defensive DVOA in the league this season, and this game’s 47.5 total is the third-highest of the slate.

I do wish Love ran a bit more just to provide a safer floor, but the Packers should be able to work against this defense.

Running Back

Saquon Barkley FD 9200 DK 8200
Opponent CLE
Proj Points FD - 20.65 DK - 22.07

We want to target running backs at home as big favorites. That’s the case with Saquon Barkley who’s very expensive but is also coming off the bye in Week 6. He ranks 10th in rushing attempts despite playing one fewer game than everyone above him on the list.

And he’s seeing plenty of work in the passing game as well. In the right game script, he’s a smash play against an average Cleveland defense.

Derrick Henry FD 9100 DK 8000
Opponent WAS
Proj Points FD - 19.43 DK - 20.08

It’s expensive, but stacking Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in cash games would appear to have a tremendous floor, especially considering what the Commanders let up on the ground this season. Only the Bills are allowing more rushing yards per play.

Henry has averaged 20.5 carries per game over the last four, putting up a crazy 526 yards in that stretch. He hasn’t lost a step, and this is a sick spot.

Rico Dowdle FD 6100 DK 5900
Opponent DET
Proj Points FD - 12.21 DK - 13.87

It sure looks like he’s the RB1 in Dallas, and Ezekiel Elliott is looking increasingly old. He carried the ball 20 times in the Cowboys Week 5 win over the Steelers going for 87 yards in all though it’s worth mentioning he did play only 50% of the offensive snaps in that game. But at these prices in what has the highest game total on the slate, getting a piece of the Dallas offense here works out at his price points.

Consider:

Tony Pollard could see higher ownership here as home favorites against the Colts who’ve allowed the second-most opponent rushing yards this season.

Tyrone Tracy if Devin Singletary were to sit out again for the Giants.

Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs FD 8000 DK 7400
Opponent NE
Proj Points FD - 16.13 DK - 19.94

Tank Dell FD 6700 DK 6200
Opponent NE
Proj Points FD - 12.23 DK - 14.83

Nico Collins was absolutely balling out to start the season, but now is on IR for the next few weeks. That’s going to open up a bunch of targets in the Texans passing game, and these two stand to be the biggest beneficiaries. Collins went down early in Week 5 and Diggs saw eight targets, finishing with a 6/82 line.

Meanwhile, Tank Dell has underperformed this season for sure, but his snap share is set. There are big games in his range of outcomes. That, plus Houston has some designed runs in their playbook for him. The floor should be very high, especially at his FanDuel price.

Jalen Tolbert FD 6100 DK 5000
Opponent DET
Proj Points FD - 12.73 DK - 15.45

With Brandin Cooks out for the foreseeable future, Jalen Tolbert had a breakout game in Week 5, going for a team-high 10 targets and converting them to a 7/87/1. He played on 89% of the snaps and basically just put it all together. He could see a similar opportunity against the Lions in a game that is projected to be a shootout in optimal conditions. If he’s the Dallas WR2 then he’s simply too cheap.

Consider

Darnell Mooney who spiked in Week 5 with 16 targets, but has seen steady production in the Atlanta offense before that as well.

Tight End

Jake Ferguson FD 6100 DK 5000
Opponent DET
Proj Points FD - 12.32 DK - 15.52

We’ve got a lot of Cowboys here for good reasons. The game against the Lions has a 52 over/under, the highest on the slate. And the Boys could be playing catchup in this one. Ferguson’s 30 receiving targets rank fourth among tight ends, but he ranks first in targets per game at the position.

It’s tough to play tight ends with any confidence this season, but he’s one of the few guys seeing a consistent opportunity in the offense.

Tucker Kraft FD 6000 DK 4800
Opponent ARI
Proj Points FD - 10.18 DK - 12.59

Chalk and crushing is a nice way to go through life. That’s exactly what happened with Tucker Kraft last week when he was one of the most popular plays on the slate and finished with four catches, 88 yards, and two touchdowns. Not bad. Finding the end zone twice on five targets is run-hot, but Jordan Love looks his way down and closes, so it isn’t too crazy.