Every year, there is a week when something bigger than football happens that deserves to be addressed in the intro of this article. I’m sure most of you have seen the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene by now. While I know many have been impacted, I cannot help but focus on what has happened just two and a half hours away from my home.
I am fortunate to have been minimally impacted by Helene. But I know several people in the Asheville and western North Carolina area who were not as fortunate. Some I am assuming are safe, but I have not received official confirmation yet. And it’s been a week since Helene rolled through our state.
If you have the means, I encourage folks to find a way to donate. Roads in the area are still closed. Work continues to restore access to basic necessities. Every dollar counts. Let’s show up for our friends and neighbors.
There’s no easy way to make the pivot. Let’s get into Week 5 NFL DFS.
Cash is in session.
REMINDER: You can play DFS against Austin and Ryan Weisse this year! Join our contests by clicking the links:
DraftKings Contest
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NFL DFS Week 5
Teacher’s Pet
Chuba Hubbard (DraftKings: $6,100 / FanDuel: $6,800)
The Carolina Panthers look like a new team since Andy Dalton took over at quarterback. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still bad. But they are less bad. One notable shift over the past two weeks has been the increase in utilization for Chuba Hubbard. He has now seen over 20 touches in two consecutive games, including sizable pass-game work. He now faces a Chicago Bears defense that is allowing the second most points to running backs. Because of this, he is easily my favorite player this week, combining opportunity with a favorable matchup.
Honor Roll
Brock Purdy (DraftKings: $6,200 / FanDuel: $7,700)
This is the first week I am not picking a mid-priced dual-threat quarterback as my Cash quarterback. Frankly, their situations all scare me. Anthony Richardson is coming off two consecutive plays where he exited with a hip injury. Kyler Murray has to play the 49ers. And Jayden Daniels plays the Cleveland Browns. So, this week, I’m pivoting to a stable force in Brock Purdy. The 49ers have the highest implied team total on the slate at just under 29 points. San Francisco has been known to stay aggressive when playing from ahead, so Purdy should fare just fine, even if they stomp the Cardinals.
Jayden Reed (DraftKings: $6,500 / FanDuel: $7,200)
I think Jayden Reed gets a bad rap as a boom-or-bust player, but in actuality, his opportunities have been fairly consistent this season. The only week where he barely touched the ball was that Week 2 matchup with Malik Willis at quarterback. That was easily explained by Josh Jacobs carrying the ball 30 times. That is unlikely to occur this week with Jordan Love back under center and getting healthier. Reed now has two consecutive weeks with nine targets, and with other Green Bay receivers likely to miss this matchup, he should continue that volume into Week 5.
Brian Thomas Jr. (DraftKings: $5,900 / FanDuel: $6,300)
The 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft is already making his mark on the league and in DFS. Brian Thomas has two consecutive weeks with nine targets after starting off the season with just four targets in each of his first two games. Thomas has quickly moved into the WR1 role in Jacksonville, and now he faces an Indianapolis Colts defense that struggles against perimeter receivers. Thomas should be highly contemplated in both your Cash and tournament plays this week.
Check the Chalkboard
Jordan Mason (DraftKings: $7,400 / FanDuel: $8,700)
If you took out the name Jordan Mason and put in Christian McCaffrey, 100% of DFS players would start him at this price point. And no, I’m not saying Mason is as good as McCaffrey. But he has the same role, which is highly valuable in a Kyle Shanahan offense. I like Mason so much that I’m even willing to pair him with Purdy, because there’s an easy pathway for them to both hit this week. Don’t overthink this one; play Jordan Mason.
Participation Grade
Tre Tucker (DraftKings: $4,100 / FanDuel: $5,800)
This is the first week there’s been a cheap wide receiver I’m interested in. I was shocked to discover that Tre Tucker has a combined 15 targets over the past two weeks. Playing him this week is too good to avoid. Davante Adams is officially out this week, and Pat Surtain is likely to cover Jakobi Meyers. So Tre Tucker becomes the prime target outside of Brock Bowers. For $4,100 on DraftKings, I’ll take that.
Back of the Classroom Studs
Josh Downs (DraftKings: $5,100 / FanDuel: $6,000)
Whether or not Anthony Richardson starts on Sunday, I am a fan of Josh Downs. But, for the record, I would speculate that Richardson sits, given the nature of oblique injuries. It will be hard for him to play four quarters of football as a passer with that type of injury. Setting that aside, Downs reclaimed his role in the offense last week, racking up nine targets and a touchdown. He already saw a decent workload in his first game back and seems to be back to a full load heading into Week 5. Any player who can expect eight or nine targets and is priced at around $5,000 is a lineup lock for Cash contests.
Brock Bowers (DraftKings: $5,500 / FanDuel: $6,300)
Similar to the Tre Tucker line of thinking, Brock Bowers is likely to be a beneficiary of Pat Surtain taking Jakobi Meyers out of the game. Further, while the Broncos have been a stingy defense overall this season, their one weakness has been to tight ends. They’ve allowed the ninth most points to tight ends through Week 4. Meanwhile, the Broncos are actually favored in this game, so the Raiders will want to pass the ball to keep up. I’m also completely comfortable playing both Tre Tucker and Brock Bowers, especially given their salaries.
Green Bay Packers (DraftKings: $3,000 / FanDuel: $4,700)
I will keep this one short. The Los Angeles Rams are practically starting a college-level offensive line. Play defenses matching up against them.
Report Card
DraftKings
Scoring System
- A: Scored over three times their price
- B: Scored over two times their price
- C: Matched their price
- F: Scored lower than their price
| Player | Price | Points | Grade |
| Kyler Murray | $6,800 | 9.98 | C |
| Brian Robinson | $6,100 | 23.30 | A |
| Chris Godwin | $6,800 | 12.90 | C |
| Diontae Johnson | $5,600 | 21.30 | A |
| Saquon Barkley | $8,000 | 13.60 | C |
| Pat Freiermuth | $3,900 | 16.70 | A |
| Rome Odunze | $5,200 | 2.00 | F |
| Demario Douglas | $4,500 | 4.30 | F |
| Houston Texans | $3,000 | 2.00 | F |
| Overall | $49,900 | 106.08 | B |
| Season Long | $197,100 | 471.60 | B |
FanDuel
Scoring System
- A: Scored over two times their price
- B: Scored over one and a half times their price
- C: Matched their price
- F: Scored lower than their price
| Player | Price | Points | Grade |
| Kyler Murray | $8,700 | 9.98 | C |
| Brian Robinson | $7,300 | 21.80 | A |
| Chris Godwin | $7,300 | 9.90 | C |
| Diontae Johnson | $6,200 | 17.80 | A |
| Saquon Barkley | $9,700 | 12.60 | C |
| Pat Freiermuth | $5,000 | 14.20 | A |
| Rome Odunze | $5,200 | 1.50 | F |
| Demario Douglas | $4,500 | 2.80 | F |
| Houston Texans | $4,100 | 2.00 | F |
| Overall | $58,000 | 92.58 | B |
| Season Long | $229,000 | 417.10 | B |
Be sure you’re following Austin on Twitter! Also, you can find our Week 5 rankings here and the rest of our Week 5 content here!
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