4 NFL FanDuel Value Plays to Target in Week 5
One of the crucial aspects of daily fantasy football is unearthing cheap production.
Our projections can help you do just that by allowing you to sort players by their point-per-dollar value. A lot of times, the top value plays come as a result of injury situations, meaning it's imperative to see inactives on Sunday morning before setting your lineups.
When looking for a salary-saving option, check out one of these main-slate players this week.
Week 5 of the NFL is here! We have a loaded 13-game slate, and there are plenty of options across the board. Let's take a look at some value plays to help you afford the top stars on the main slate.
[Editor's Note: The games between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills have been removed from the main slate.]
Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots ($4,500)
[Editor's Note: This game has been removed from the main slate.]
With Sony Michel going on Injured Reserve there is a bit of value in the New England Patriots' backfield.
Week 4 for the Patriots was a bit of a whirlwind, but even after their 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, there is something positive to take moving forward. Running back Damien Harris was activated from Injured Reserve to play his first game of the season, where he totaled 100 rushing yards on 17 attempts. This is very encouraging, since the Patriots are known for having a backfield with no true lead back. The 17 rushing attempts were the highest on the team, with Rex Burkhead behind Harris with 11 attempts and James White only getting 3 attempts.
Things were flipped in the passing game, where White saw eight targets, Burkhead saw six targets, and Harris saw zero. No targets isn't ideal, but that might not matter this week since the Patriots are 11-point home favorites against the Denver Broncos. This is setting up for a game script where the Patriots will be leading and have the ability to feed Harris with rushing attempts. He is the minimum salary for a running back and has a clear role carved out for himself while Michel is out.
Eric Ebron, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers ($5,100)
A battle of the Keystone State brings us a bit of value on the Pittsburgh Steelers' side of things this week.
After having the week off, the Steelers are at home to host their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. This game has an over/under set at only 44 points, but we see the Steelers with a 25.50 implied team total, hopefully giving us a good offense to look towards. Through three games this season, tight end Eric Ebron has 14 targets, which is the fourth-highest on the team. That includes two red zone targets, which is tied for the third-highest on the Steelers.
While the volume might not be insane to start the season, this matchup is one you absolutely want to attack on a weekly basis. The Eagles are allowing 17.9 FanDuel points per game to opposing tight ends, which is the third-worst in the league. The top tier at tight end is certainly loaded this week, but if you don't have the salary to pay up, Ebron is a great value option.
Darius Slayton WR, New York Giants ($5,800)
With an over/under set at 54.0, the New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys game is set for plenty of fantasy scoring.
If you haven't been following the NFL to start the season, I'll give you a quick update: the Cowboys have an electric offense and a terrible defense. OK. You're caught up.
The Cowboys have allowed 38 points or more in each of their last three games, but, more importantly, they are allowing 43.1 FanDuel points per game to opposing wide receivers. This is fantastic to see when we are looking for players with upside, who are also value options.
That is where Darius Slayton comes into play, considering he is under $6K and is arguably the best offensive weapon on the Giants. He is second on the team in targets (28), second in receptions (15), first in receiving touchdowns (2), and first in red zone targets (5). You should be jumping at the chance to have Slayton in some lineups this week with the weak Cowboys' secondary in front of him and his role in the offense.
Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team ($5,800)
Can we trust Antonio Gibson this week as a value option?
The Washington Football Team has made a change at quarterback by benching Dwayne Haskins, in favor of Kyle Allen. The impact this will have on the offense isn't 100% certain, and if that is the case, leaning on their most consistent player -- Gibson -- could help them.
Over the past three weeks, Gibson has 12 total touches or more in each game and has managed to find the end zone once in each game. It's a strong start to his rookie season, which was highlighted by his 46 rushing yards and 82 receiving yards last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
Regardless of who is at quarterback for Washington, this is still a good matchup for Gibson to attack. He is up against the Los Angeles Rams, who are allowing 21.7 FanDuel points per game to opposing running backs. In the event Washington ends up playing from behind, that won't matter, as Gibson has started to carve out a role in the passing game with eight targets in the past two games.
