FanDuel Week 5: Value Picks

FanDuel Week 5 Value Picks: David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Julian Edelman are among this week’s smart FanDuel plays that won’t break the bank. 

The FanDuel Dollar Menu provides you with a list of players that provide excellent value for you each week in FanDuel contests. You know, the same way that the dollar menu at your favorite fast-food restaurant provides you with a meal that may not be gourmet but it fills you up without breaking the bank.

FanDuel Dollar Menu – Week 5 Value Picks

QB: Chase Daniel ($6,500 CHI @ OAK)

Chase Daniel played very well against the solid defense of the Vikings after Mitchell Trubisky went down with a dislocated shoulder. The backup signal-caller came in and completed 22 of his 30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.

After a week of preparation and reps with the starters, he will travel to London to face an Oakland Raiders defense that is currently 27th against the pass. The Raiders are allowing 281 yards per game through the air and are giving up 25.5 points per game. Daniel and the Bears offense should have a very productive day and his $6,500 price make him a solid value play.

Additional Value Pick: Kirk Cousins ($6,800 MIN @ NYG) and the Vikings have struggled to get things going through the air. There has been criticism from his head coach and receivers and now there are even Stefon Diggs trade rumors flying around. The perfect remedy for all of these problems is putting up big passing numbers against the dreadful Giants pass defense and getting a win. This week I expect Cousins to push the ball downfield, silence his critics and keep his receivers happy.

RB: David Johnson ($6,800, ARI @ CIN)

David Johnson is one of the top running backs in the league and this week is a perfect opportunity for the Cardinals to lean on him for production. Due to game flow and the Cardinals trailing this season Johnson is averaging less than 12 carries per game.

Despite that, he is still averaging 16 FanDuel points per game because he has been making up for his lack of carries with involvement in the passing game. He has 28 targets through four weeks and actually has more receiving than rushing yards at this point. The Cardinals face the lowly Bengals this week and I expect Johnson to log his highest number of carries this season and put up big numbers against the league’s 27th rush defense.

RB: David Montgomery ($5,700, CHI @ OAK)

David Montgomery only averaged 2.5 yards-per-carry in week four against the stout run defense of the Minnesota Vikings. That is clearly subpar but the rookie running back was given 21 carries and was clearly the feature back once again.

His feature back status will continue as the Bears travel to London to take on the Raiders this week where he will find much easier running lanes against the defense that allowed Dalvin Cook to eclipse 100 yards and bank 22.3 FanDuel points for his owners in week three. I expect Montgomery to have his best day as a pro this week, making him an absolute bargain at $5,700.

Additional Value Pick: Ronald Jones II ($5,900, TB @ NO) has out-carried and out-performed Peyton Barber in each of the last two games, including 10 more carries and 51 more yards in last week’s upset win over the Rams. Jones has shown the skills that lead to the Bucs choosing him early in the draft and he is now running confidently as they go into a contest with the 26th ranked defense of the New Orleans Saints.

WR: Julian Edelman ($6,500, NE @ WAS)

Julian Edelman and the entire Patriots offense had a tough time against the very strong Bills defense last week. Tom Brady played very poorly most of the game as they relied on their defense and special teams to pull out a win. Typically, after a rough outing, Tom Brady comes back in a big way and puts up gaudy numbers.

That should not be difficult for them this week against the Redskins, whose defense is allowing 29.5 points per game, which is second-most only to the Miami Dolphins. I expect the New England offensive machine to be firing on all cylinders, meaning Edelman will be heavily involved and highly productive.  

WR: Larry Fitzgerald ($5,800, ARI @ CIN)

Larry Fitzgerald has historically found a way to be productive throughout his entire career, no matter who was calling the plays or throwing him the football. Things have not changed this season although he is working with a rookie quarterback and head coach.

Fitzgerald is currently on pace to finish the season with 1,200 receiving yards and he finds himself in a familiar position as the go-to-guy this week as Christian Kirk is banged up and Damiere Byrd is not expected to play. Fitzgerald should get a good share of targets and history shows that he will likely produce catches, yards, and touchdowns.

Additional Value Pick: Auden Tate ($5,300, ARI @ CIN) has quietly had two promising outings as he has led the Bengals in receiving by posting 10 catches on 16 targets for 133 yards. John Ross was just placed on IR with a shoulder injury and A.J. Green is not set to return, leaving the door open for Tate to show what he can do with even more opportunities against a poor Cardinals pass defense.  

TE: Tyler Eifert ($4,600, ARI @ CIN)

Speaking of the poor Cardinals pass defense, they have been absolutely atrocious at covering tight ends this season as they are allowing over 107 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game to tight ends. In addition, starting safety D.J. Swearinger was cut this week, making now a great time for Tyler Eifert to have his breakout game of the season. Eifert has received five targets in three different games and at this price, against this defense, he is worth the investment.

Additional Value Pick: Noah Fant ($4,900 DEN @ LAC) is a very talented young tight end that is facing a Chargers defense that is absolutely depleted on the back end. He caught his first touchdown as a pro last week and now gets a favorable matchup as the Chargers are 25th against tight ends this season.

DEF: Panthers ($4,400 vs JAC)

Carolina has averaged 13.5 FanDuel points in their last two contests while facing Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray. This week they will be looking across the line at rookie 6th rounder Gardner Minshew, who admittedly has taken the league by storm but he is still a rookie 6th rounder.

The Panthers have been pressuring quarterbacks very well recently, racking up 14 sacks in the past two games, and Minshew was sacked five times last week in Denver. I expect the Panthers to pressure him throughout the contest, resulting in a good day for a well-priced defense.  

Additional Value Pick: Bills ($4,300 @ TEN) The Bills allowed only 10 points to the Patriots offense last week and made Tom Brady look poor in the process. This week they face off with the up and down offense of the Titans, making them good pick.