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FanDuel’s Week 5 Main Slate features 16 games and will kickoff at 3:30 ET for the second time in three weeks.
Central Florida (53) and Alabama (48) both boast massive team totals but are such heavy favorites, it is hard to expect more than two or three quarters from the starters. Clemson (44) is also a big favorite but North Carolina, playing at home, has a better chance of keeping it close enough we get four quarters of Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and the rest of the Clemson stars. Ohio State has a 42-point team total in what should be a competitive game in Lincoln. Expect Buckeyes like Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins to be amongst the most popular options on the slate.
This slate breakdown will go position-by-position, highlighting the top options and giving an overview of the toughest choices we face this week. The top options are broken down into two categories. Players listed as Core Plays are those who you can play with high confidence in both cash games and tournaments. Players listed as Worth Considering are viable as cost-saving options in your main lineup or high-upside options for tournaments
Quarterback
Positional Overview
The quarterback position is difficult in Week 5. Justin Fields ($10,700) and Tua Tagovailoa ($10,600) are both in decent but not great spots. Fields will get his first start in a true road environment and Ole Miss probably does not have the offense to force a full four quarters of Tagovailoa. Both are priced at a huge premium and it isn’t easy to fit both in while comfortably filling out the rest of your roster. Jamie Newman is also priced way up ($10,300) but is one of the top options on the slate given his dual-threat skills. In cash games, you just bite the bullet and roster two of these three and take the strong floors.
In tournaments, these top quarterbacks are going to carry huge ownership. If there were better pay-down options, I would fade the top quarterbacks in tournaments. However, there is nobody who stands out as a screaming bargain. Guys like Ian Book ($9,600), Trevor Lawrence ($9,400), and Brock Purdy ($9,800) could produce similarly to the top guys but come with much lower floors. The cap savings aren’t anything to write home about either.
Core Plays
Justin Fields, Ohio State ($10.700)
In four games at Ohio State, Fields has put up 40.5, 27.1, 33.2, and 35.5 fantasy points for an average of over 34 PPG. He has yet to play a full four quarters. A road night game at Nebraska should provide our first opportunity to see Fields play a full 60 minutes. Ohio State is favored by 17.5 points and has a very healthy implied team total of 42.5. The matchup against the Cornhuskers defense is manageable. Against middling Power 5 opponents Colorado and Illinois, Nebraska allowed 34 and 38 points, respectively. On paper, this is a spot Fields should have a huge game. There are just two concerns. First, we have to worry that the touchdowns go to the running backs. If J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague combine for three rushing touchdowns, it is going to be hard for Fields to hit value. Second, we have yet to see Fields as a starter in a hostile road environment. This will be his first true road start (Bloomington was half Buckeye fans) and it should be extra crazy in Lincoln with Gameday making its first visit in more than a decade.
Jamie Newman, Wake Forest ($10,300)
Newman came on like gangbusters after taking over the starting job midway through last season and looks even better through four games this season. He is averaging 320 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns per game. He has also been consistently productive as a runner. In his last five starts, he has rushed for 251 yards and 6 touchdowns (an average of over 12.2 fantasy PPG). Of the top options on this slate, only Fields brings more upside as a runner. The matchup looks great. Boston College ranks just 103rd in SP+ defense and gave up 48 points to Kansas in their last home game.
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama ($10,600)
Through four games, Tagovailoa has been incredibly consistent. He has accounted for either four or five touchdowns in each outing and scored between 30.3 and 36.6 fantasy points in each game. The proven consistency makes him a strong option for cash games. His upside for tournaments may be a notch below the two guys listed above, however. Tagovialoa is averaging just 11 rushing yards per game and has one rushing touchdown this season. He is almost entirely reliant on racking up yards and touchdowns through the air. He should be able to do so against anyone and certainly Ole Miss is no exception. The Crimson Tide have a massive 48-point implied team total. Tagovailoa may have to do his damage in three quarters again if this game goes to script because Alabama is a 35.5-point home favorite.
Others to Consider
Ian Book, Notre Dame ($9,600)
Book has been forced to take on a bigger role as a runner this season due to a slew of injuries to the Notre Dame running backs. His 26 carries are just 4 fewer than top running back Tony Jones Jr. and he is just 3 yards shy of leading the team in rushing yards. He is tied for the team lead with 2 rushing touchdowns. Book was also forced to throw it 47 times at Georgia last Saturday night. His 275 passing yards and 2 touchdown performance was relatively impressive considering the talent of that defense and the difficulty of playing in that environment. The matchup isn’t great this weekend, with Virginia and their 18th ranked SP+ defense coming to town. Still, for GPPs this could be a nice spot for Book. Notre Dame has an implied team total of 31 points. If Book can get into the end zone as a runner for the third time in four weeks, he has a chance to post another strong fantasy score (he’s averaging 29 PPG) and the $1,000+ in savings compared to Fields and Tagovailoa could be a huge differentiator in GPPs.
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson ($9,400)
Clemson is going to score points. They have an implied team total of 44 points against a North Carolina defense that ranks just 76 in SP+. It is just a question of how many scores come on the ground versus the air. To date, most of Clemson’s touchdowns have come via the rush. Lawrence has just seven passing touchdowns to date, which is the reason he is priced down so low. We could easily see what I’ll call a regression to preseason expectations, with Lawrence throwing for 4+ scores this week and busting out of what has been a bit of a sophomore slump. In addition to the passing upside, Lawrence has called his own number quite a bit down around the goal line. His three rushing touchdowns are just one fewer than Travis Etienne has managed this season.
Running Back
Positional Overview
The top of the salary scale is loaded with backs with 30+ point potential. Cam Akers ($10,200), AJ Dillon ($9,700), Travis Etienne ($9,500), J.K. Dobbins ($9,900), and Chuba Hubbard ($10,500) are each great options. It may make sense to make sacrifices at other positions to slide two of these guys in and hope they combine for 60 or 70 points.
The pay down options are decent. Many guys have solid upside, though perhaps lack a strong floor. Maurice Washington ($7,500), Greg McCrae ($7,600), and Sean McGrew ($6,300) are all in play as RB2s that allow you to roster a pair of top quarterbacks and still have enough money to fit in a trio of mid-priced wide receivers.
Core Plays
Cam Akers, Florida State ($10,200)
Akers was one of the top recruits in the nation two years ago and lived up to the hype as a true freshman, putting up 1,141 total yards and 8 touchdowns. After a down season in 2018, he has bounced back in a big way through four games in 2019. Akers handled 32 touches on his way to 133 yards and 3 touchdowns last week in a win over Louisville. Florida State is a 6-point home favorite with an implied team total of 33 points this weekend against NC State and Akers should again be in for a big day. Adding to the appeal of Akers is his recent usage as a wildcat quarterback down around the goal line. If you can fit the salary in, Akers is the top play on the slate at the position.
AJ Dillon, Boston College ($9,700)
Dillon had an up and down sophomore season in 2018 due to struggling through a nagging ankle injury. He is back to his dominant ways in 2019 and again receiving a workhorse share of carries. He has at least 24 touches in every game. Wake Forest has an improved defense but plays at such a fast pace their opponents get extra plays to work with. In what should be a competitive, high-scoring game, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Dillon get 30+ touches for the second-straight week.
Sean McGrew, Washington ($6,300)
Assuming Salvon Ahmed misses a second-straight game, McGrew offers a solid salary-saving option on a slate in which we are desperate for them. He split touches basically 50-50 with Richard Newton last week as the 1B in a relatively potent Washington ground game. With an implied team total of 35 points, Washington projects for 2.3 rushing touchdowns as a team. McGrew has a solid shot of notching a score and handling 15 carries. Given his bargain salary, he is an intriguing pay down RB2 option who allows you to some flexibility at wide receiver.
Others to Consider
Greg McCrae, UCF ($7,600)
Noting in my writeup of McCrae last week that he had scored at least one rushing touchdown in 10-straight games felt like a jinx when I wrote it. Lo and behold, McCrae had his worst fantasy outing in more than a year and was held out of the end zone at Pittsburgh. He is unlikely to be held out of the end zone for a second-straight week considering UCF has an implied team total of 54 points. The Golden Knights project for approximately four rushing touchdowns in this matchup. McCrae is averaging just under 13 touches per game this season and is likely to see a similar total on Saturday against UConn. He can make some hay on that modest workload, however. For his career, he is averaging 7.9 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per reception. Facing one of the worst teams in the nation, the efficiency numbers should be off the charts. The price point is the key here. He saves you approximately $2,000 over what most other lineups are going to spend on their RB2s.
Wide Receiver
Positional Overview
The wide receiver position has plenty of top options this week but it is hard to play any of them. Jerry Juedy ($10,100), Rondale Moore ($9,700), Sage Surratt ($9,800), and Tylan Wallace ($9,200) are great WR1 options but we might have to take some shortcuts at the position this week.
The most popular builds are likely to feature a pair of $10K+ quarterbacks and a pair of $9.5K+ running backs. If we do pay up for studs at other positions, we are only left with something like $20-21K for our three wide receiver spots. We will need to look for value in the $8,500 and under range. Players like Bryan Edwards ($8,100), Justyn Ross ($8,200), Scotty Washington ($8,300), and Chris Olave ($8,500) have WR1 upside at a slight discount.
We are likely to need to take some chances at the WR2 and WR3 spots. Cole Kmet ($6,900), Jaylen Waddle ($6,800), Seth Williams ($7,400), Garrett Wilson ($5,900), and Braylon Sanders ($5,400) are some of the top options to save some cap space.
Core Plays
Bryan Edwards, South Carolina ($8,100)
Edwards was the top recommendation here last week as well and he came through for us with 6-113-1 at a bargain price. His price has risen $700 but the matchup is even better, playing at home against an inexperienced Kentucky secondary (four new starters) that has allowed 254 passing yards per game despite not facing any high-powered passing attacks. Edwards is a future NFL player, projecting as 3rd or 4th round pick, and the clear top player in the Gamecocks offense. After an awful first week, he has been riding a bit of a hot streak. In the last three games, he has caught 20 passes for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Cole Kmet, Notre Dame ($6,900)
Kmet made quite a season debut against Georgia last week, catching 9 passes for 108 yards and 1 touchdown. The talented tight end looks like the #2 target in the Notre Dame passing offense behind only Chase Claypool. While Notre Dame is getting a little bit healthier at running back, this is still a team heavily reliant on the passing game to move the ball. The team will use Kmet on quick screens as almost an extension of the running game. Virginia (and Bronco Mendenhall defenses in general) has been stout against the run and Notre Dame isn’t simply going to be able to grind away with their running game. As a home favorite with an implied team total of 31 points, Ian Book should do some damage through the air. All of which makes Kmet an attractive cap-saving option in the sub-$7K range.
Justyn Ross, Clemson ($8,200)
It is hard to know what to do with this Clemson offense. They have such a massive talent advantage across the board against their awful schedule, it looks like they are sleepwalking at times. Plus, even when they do come out firing on all cylinders, that just means the backups get into the game extra early. We can’t ignore these Uber-talented playmakers despite the frustrating usage. Ross is one of the best receivers in the country and has proven capable of exploding for 150+ yards and multiple touchdowns even in tough matchups. We haven’t seen anything near that type of performance yet but it feels like at some point soon, Ross is going to have one of those standout performances. The huge upside and solid floor (he has averaged 5.0 receptions per game) combine to make Ross a solid option given how far his price has fallen (he was $9,700 earlier this season). In an ideal world, you would prefer to roster one of the WR1 options listed below who all have more guaranteed volume than Ross. But with pricing extremely tight this week, getting up to $9,000+ for one or more wide receiver is easier said than done so it makes sense to take the discount on Ross over paying way up for a similar talent without the blowout risk.
Others to Consider
Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State ($9,200)
There are a number of elite receivers on this slate. In addition to Wallace, Rondale Moore ($9,700), Jerry Jeudy ($10,100), and Sage Surratt ($9,800) are each outstanding options. If you are multi-entering, you will want exposure to all of these guys. We will feature Wallace here simply because he is the cheapest of this top tier and every single dollar matters on this slate. Wallace is coming off of a bit of a dud (5-83-0) against Texas and faces a pace-down matchup against Kansas State but both of those factors should also keep his ownership a bit lower. Wallace is one of the top deep threats in the nation, which gives him slate-winning upside. Of his six touchdowns so far this season, half have been huge plays (69, 75, and 90 yards).
Braylon Sanders, Ole Miss ($5,400)
More than any slate so far this season, we almost have to dig deep for some WR3 bargains to piece together a high-upside lineup in GPPs. Sanders is one possibility. He came into the season expected to be the WR2 in the Ole Miss offense (behind Elijah Moore) but suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1. Sanders returned to the lineup for the first time last week and put up a solid 5-73-0 line against a good Cal defense. The odds of a touchdown from Sanders aren’t good given Ole Miss has an implied team total of just 13 points in their matchup against Alabama. He should at least see a decent number of targets, however. Even relatively modest numbers like he put up last week would be just fine given his bargain salary.
