Draft Kings Week 5: Best Bargains At Each Position

The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.

Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on Draft Kings that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is Draft Kings’ scoring system.

The bargains are listed in the order I like them.

Quarterbacks

DeShone Kizer, Browns ($5,500): Kizer had his fewest rushing attempts of the season last week, and it was still a healthy five carries. Kizer has yet to throw for 250 yards in a game, which isn’t great, but his rushing workload is going to continue to be robust. This week he has a great chance to cross the 250-yard threshold by picking on the Jets’ weak secondary. They rank 14th vs. the pass according to FootballOutsiders.com, but that’s inflated by facing Jay Cutler and Blake Bortles.

Joe Flacco, Ravens ($4,700): You know how I feel about starters priced as backups, and that’s where Flacco’s fallen. The London embarrassment was an outlier; last week Flacco chucked it 49 times against the Steelers, which isn’t crazy considering he led the NFL in pass attempts in 2016. This week, up against Oakland’s 28th-ranked pass defense, Flacco should throw for 300+ yards if he can amass the same volume.

Matt Cassel, Titans ($4,700): Make sure Marcus Mariota isn’t playing before you fire up Cassel, but if you do decide to trot out this backup-caliber QB, take solace in the fact that he’s out here against the Dolphins’ defense. Miami ranks second-to-last in the NFL against the pass, which means even Cassel can probably throw for multiple TDs. Think about the kinds of RBs and WRs you can load up on by trusting Cassel and his cushy matchup.

Running Backs

Doug Martin, Buccaneers ($5,500): This might be the only week in which you can get a Top-10 caliber running back this cheap. Normally, I’d advise waiting and seeing before hopping right on the Muscle Hamster express, but he’s got the tastiest possible matchup; New England ranks DEAD LAST vs. the run through four games, and they’re playing on a short week. Martin hasn’t played yet in 2017. He’s as fresh as a daisy, and could knife them up like a hot knife through butter.

Eddie Lacy, Seahawks ($3,400): LOOOOOK at this price! Lacy was the man who was trusted with 11 carries once Chris Carson broke his ankle, and Lacy looked pretty damn good, picking up 52 yards. Lacy has major touchdown upside with the workload he can expect to see, and even though Pete Carroll is talking up Thomas Rawls again, Rawls was a healthy scratch last week. The Rams’ run defense ranks in the NFL’s bottom third, so Lacy feels downright safe this week.

Isaiah Crowell, Browns ($4,700): I know, I know, Crowell has murdered your season-long league, hasn’t eclipsed 45 yards in a game and hasn’t scored a TD this year. I know. I also know he’s up against the Jets, who have been the third-worst defense in the league against the run. Crowell is a RB who is heavily dependent on game scripts; Browns-Jets is unlikely to be a barn-burner, meaning Crowell will see a lot of carries. I’m expecting close to 100 yards with a possible TD.

Wide Receivers

Danny Amendola, Patriots ($5,000): The Bucs’ are last in the league vs. “Other” WRs, per FootballOutsiders, which generally translates to slot receivers. Tom Brady has been the most prolific QB of 2017 thus far, and Amendola is his primary option out of the slot. If you believe in the stats – and I do – Amendola is in for quite a few targets, and a hell of a productive night. And Amendola has seen no fewer than five targets in all three of his games this year, so don’t sweat Brady’s plethora of options because he can spread it out.

Martavis Bryant, Steelers ($5,000): Believe in Martavis! He’s clocked in at fewer than 50 yards in three of Pittsburgh’s first four tilts, but there are things in his favor this week. First, he’s home, where the Steelers routinely dominate far more than they do on the road. Second, he won’t be used by many DraftKings players because the Jaguars are ranked first in the NFL against the pass. Dig deeper, and you’ll see that their ranking is inflated by stud CB Jalen Ramsey, who will be glued to Antonio Brown. Jacksonville ranks 21st vs. No. 2 receivers, which is what Bryant is. Expect the big plays in this game to be made by Bryant, not Brown.

Donte Moncrief, Colts ($3,900): Moncrief is alive, and he found the end zone last week for the first time in 2017. He hasn’t been heavily targeted by Jacoby Brissett, but he’s averaging more than 17 yards per target. Brissett is giving Moncrief the chance to make the big plays, and this week Moncrief is up against a soft 49ers secondary. He’s risky for sure, but there’s high reward in the form of touchdowns.

Tight Ends

Evan Engram, Giants ($4,000): Engram is one of the most heavily targeted TEs in fantasy, and he’s going up against the 30th-ranked defense vs. TEs (Chargers). This is easy. Use Engram.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jets ($3,500): On DraftKings, matchups really are king at TE. It’s a beautiful thing when a TE who is just okay has a killer matchup, and in this case Seferian-Jenkins fits that profile. He’s averaging five targets per game, and sooner or later ASJ will find the end zone with the dearth of quality receiving options in this offense. ASJ vs. Cleveland’s 27th-ranked defense vs. tight ends is high-quality value.

Julius Thomas, Dolphins ($2,800): Thomas has been a huge disappointment with the Dolphins, but frankly, the whole offense has been garbage. If Miami decides to ditch Cutler at any point and roll with Matt Moore – and I think that could happen this week – Thomas is likely to have a much better outcome. That possibility, plus a cushy matchup (Titans rank 25th vs. TEs) make him interesting at this exceptionally low price.