DFS – Fantasy Domination Primetime Slate – Week 5
Follow along every weekend as I share my favorite Primetime Slate lineups (Sunday night to Monday night), including a complete breakdown of all fantasy-relevant players on the slate.
Recommended Primetime DFS lineups
DK Lineup: QB Michael Penix Jr. ($4.9k), RB Bijan Robinson ($8.7k), RB Derrick Henry ($8.0k), WR Puka Nacua ($7.8k), WR Drake London ($6.7k), WR Rashod Bateman ($4.1k), TE Mark Andrews ($4.0k), FLEX Tyler Higbee ($3.3k), DST Buffalo Bills ($2.3k)
FD Lineup: QB Michael Penix Jr. ($7.0k), RB Derrick Henry ($9.4k), RB Kyren Williams ($8.1k), WR Puka Nacua ($9.1k), WR Drake London ($7.8k), WR Keon Coleman ($5.8k), TE Tyler Higbee ($4.9k), FLEX Austin Hooper ($4.5k), DST Atlanta Falcons ($3.4k)
The salaries of the studs on this slate will make roster construction very intriguing. Josh Allen (QB1) is the clear top option at the quarterback position, but his salary is a legitimate issue if you want more than two additional stars in your lineup. Rostering Allen will likely require you to use one of the backup running backs. Matthew Stafford (QB2) is more than $1k less than Allen on both sites. He has nowhere near the upside of Allen, but he is the happy medium play here. Personally, I will go down one level further and feature Michael Penix Jr. (QB3). His matchup isn’t as great, but there is no denying the positive impact he has had on the Falcons’ offense. Plus, his salary is roughly $1k less than Stafford’s. The injury to Lamar Jackson (ankle) means that Tyler Huntley (QB4) will get the start for Baltimore. Huntley is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL, but his fantasy play has always been just mediocre. I will have minor exposure to him based on his salary, but I’m not going overboard here.
This slate features four of the top 10 scoring running backs in fantasy. Unfortunately, their prices match their rankings, so you will be forced to choose just two of them (at most) if you want any of the stud wide receivers. On DK, Bijan Robinson (RB1-A) is RB1. On FD, Derrick Henry (RB1-B) is RB1. Between the two, I feel safer using Bijan because Huntley’s presence may cause Atlanta to stack the line against Henry. James Cook III (RB3) and Kyren Williams (RB4) also find themselves more optimal on one side versus the other. Williams would be my preferred RB2 on FD, while Cook would be my preference on DK. The perfect world would find you using three of them, but then you are really stuck at WR1. The workaround would be to use two of them, and then place either Brian Robinson Jr. (RB5) or Blake Corum (RB6) at FLEX.
Among the depth running backs, Justice Hill (RB7) has the most standalone value. He is a risky FLEX play, but he definitely opens up some cap space. I prefer to hold him for Showdown contests. Ty Johnson (RB8) will also be a popular roster filler in Showdown lineups (especially on DK). Ray Davis (RB9) has a ton of talent, but he will only return value with a Cook injury. You can ignore him here.
I really want to roster both Puka Nacua (WR1) and Drake London (WR2), but their combined presence makes the FLEX slot harder to fill. Nacua would be the easier of the two to pivot from. If I did, it would be with either Zay Flowers (WR3 – foot) or Davante Adams (WR4). Either way, you will want to have two of this foursome in every lineup, and you must have at least one of them in every lineup. If you opt to go cheaper, the other WR2 option is DJ Moore (WR5 – Shoulder), who is extremely questionable to play.
If the team rules out Moore, you could consider Keon Coleman (WR6) or Khalil Shakir (WR7) in the WR2 slot. Rashod Bateman (WR8) would also be in play if Flowers doesn’t play. Personally, I’d prefer to find a way to use one of this threesome at WR3. The other WR3 plays are purely dart throws. Jahan Dotson (WR9) has the highest upside, but I’d rather not use him unless I am skipping London. Joshua Palmer (WR10) and Zachariah Branch (WR11) feel like desperation swings. You can leave them for Showdown. Elijah Sarratt (WR12) could be a sneaky play if Flowers is out, but I prefer him in Showdown as well.
Devontez Walker (WR14) and Chris Moore (WR15) are deep-ball dandies, but the presence of Huntley locks both of them out of any roster build. If you choose to play Konata Mumpfield (WR13), Tutu Atwell (WR16), or Jordan Whittington (WR17) while Nacua is healthy, just save us all the time and set your money on fire instead of entering a DFS contest.
Much like his quarterback, Dalton Kincaid (TE1) is the best option available, but he is also the highest-priced by a sizeable margin. I will probably skip him, at least on DK. Mark Andrews (TE2) may get the biggest boost in value with Huntley under center. He has the highest ceiling among the tight ends this week. He will be a favorite play of mine. Salary cap issues will also tie me heavily to Tyler Higbee (TE3). His value increases dramatically if Colby Parkinson (TE4 – shoulder/knee) is ruled out. The enigmatic Kyle Pitts Sr. (TE5) actually showed a sign of life last week. I still don’t trust him. His price is not far enough below the other options to roll with him. Dawson Knox (TE6) and Austin Hooper (TE7) both have touchdown upside and could easily hit 3x with a score. I will definitely consider them in double-TE builds, or when salary demands it. Both are must-plays on Showdown.
I don’t love any of the defenses this week. Baltimore Ravens (DEF1) and Los Angeles Rams (DEF2) have the name recognition, but they are also facing my two favorite quarterbacks here. This puts me on the Atlanta Falcons (DEF3) as my defense of choice. Their salary is low, and they get to face Huntley. The Buffalo Bills (DEF4) defense is pretty shoddy this season. They might score you five points this week. I’m serious; that is their ceiling.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: DFS – Fantasy Domination Primetime Slate – Week 5
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.