4 NFL FanDuel Tournament Pivots for Week 5

Running Back

Chalk

It doesn't need mentioning, but Todd Gurley is off to an incredible start. Gurley enters Week 5 with six total touchdowns. Since 1999 (which is as far back as the data goes for my query on Pro Football Reference), only 15 different running backs have scored at least six touchdowns in the first four weeks of a season. Gurley is one of only five to have done it multiple times.

His opponent this week, the Seattle Seahawks, have given up just the 23rd-most points per game to opposing backs. That said, three different runners have scored at least 15.3 FanDuel points against them this season. When Gurley last faced them on the road, he finished with 180 total yards, 4 total touchdowns, and 43.5 FanDuel points.

Outside of Gurley, we should expect Rivers' partner in crime, Melvin Gordon, to see much heavier ownership than last week. With Alvin Kamara not playing until Monday night, that will force a lot of people to look elsewhere, and a matchup against an Oakland team that just allowed nearly 200 yards and 3 scores to the Cleveland Browns is certainly going to be an appealing opponent to target.

On the cheaper end, Yeldon will no doubt inspire quite a few looks against the Kansas City Chiefs, especially with Fournette already being ruled out.

Pivot

Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans: $5,800 (at Buffalo Bills)

If you're not paying up for the big names or using Yeldon, this week could be the week to place your bets on Derrick Henry. To say that the third-year player out of Alabama has had a rough start to the season would be underselling how poor he's really been.

Henry enters the game averaging just 3.0 yards per carry, after averaging 4.5 and 4.2 in years one and two, respectively. He's never been a big receiving back, and that hasn't changed with Dion Lewis in town. If he had been able to find the end zone at least once so far, then fantasy owners probably wouldn't be as frustrated as they are, but, alas, that hasn't happened either.

Henry is frustrated, too, of course. More than you. More than me. More than any fantasy owner out there. This is his job, and we've seen how good he can be when he puts everything together. That has a great chance of happening this week when the Tennessee Titans take on the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills have only given up 301 rushing yards -- the 21st-most in the league -- but they've allowed opposing backs to find the end zone 7 times, including 5 on the ground. That's the second most, behind only the Arizona Cardinals.

We have Henry projected for 10.9 FanDuel points this week. While that may seem low, it's five more than he's scored in any week so far this season. In addition to that, our models have his tournament upside at 26.4, which would return just under 4.6 points per $1,000. He may not be the first name you think of using this week, but his potential makes him worth strong consideration.