NFL Week Five DraftKings Picks
Week five is upon us and there are just two undefeated teams left in the NFL in the Bengals and the Cardinals. At the other end we see two teams yet to record a win in the Raiders and the Jaguars, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen being the first casualty of the season.
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers $7,400
Roethlisberger has made something of a solid start to the season, with six touchdowns and just two interceptions, averaging 270 yards per game. The Steelers have been very unpredictable so far, beating up the Panthers in Carolina and then losing to the Buccaneers in Pittsburgh, however this week they face the Jaguars. The last two weeks have seen me load up against the Jags, and it has worked a treat, so I see no reason not to go there again.
Eli Manning – NY Giants $7,500
It’s been a tough time for the younger Manning recently, however with back to back wins and an excellent performance at the weekend it looks like he has some confidence back. The Falcons visit New York this weekend, a team which has given up more yards than any other in the NFL against the pass, so Manning looks value this week.
Running Backs
DeMarco Murray – Dallas Cowboys $7,500
Murray is on fire this season having rushed for 534 yards in the opening four games of the season. He has scored five times in this time, as well as catching nine passes for 68 yards. Murray and the Cowboys are flying high this season and their three wins on the spin see them full of confidence. This week they host the 3-1 Texans – the hardest test of the year so far for Houston.
Rashad Jennings – NY Giants $5,500
Jennings is another player flying high with 341 yards in his four games so far and a couple of scores. This pick is all about the salary, this looking sheer value to me as I don’t see many higher valued players gaining as many yards as Jennings this week. Although I’ve picked Jennings and Manning this week, I wouldn’t necessarily pick both – if one has a good week, the other might not, but they are certainly both value.
Andre Ellington – Arizona Cardinals $5,600
In his three games so far, Ellington has rushed for 206 yards as well as receiving for another fifty yards. The Cardinals are unbeaten but face a baptism of fire this week at the Mile High stadium this week, and this will put a lot of players off this pick. However, the Broncos strength is in offense, and are actually only spending 28 minutes on the field per game (even last year that figure was an average 30 minutes), meaning plenty of chances for Ellington against an average defense.
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown $8,100 and Markus Wheaton $3,300 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Both of these players are value picks this week despite the huge differential in salary (Wheaton is the sleeper pick of the week for me). The quarterback/wide receiver combination is working well so far in 2014, and both these players are sure to pick up a whole load of yards this week. Brown has made 29 catches for 427 yards and 5 TD’s this year and Wheaton 19 catches for 227 yards.
Brian Quick – St Louis Rams $5,900
With 16 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown, Quick has made a good start to the season. This week the Rams head to Philadelphia, possibly the most unpredictable team in the league – although you know you’ll have many chances to score in opposition (even the Jaguars went 14-0 ahead..) with the Eagles rated 26th against the pass.
Tight End
Martellus Bennett – Chicago Bears $6,000
Bennett is on the back of a career high game, and this season has caught four touchdown passes with 295 yards receiving. A couple of weeks ago I wouldn’t have picked any player against the Carolina Panther defense, but they have looked very average of late, so this pick looks great value for Sunday.
Defense/Special Team
Seattle Seahawks $4,200
After a heavy defeat at home to the NY Giants, Washington have to contend with the defending Super Bowl champs the Seahawks this week. After a week off after their overtime win against the Broncos, the Seahawks will hope to go on a run now, and I cannot envisage the Redskins scoring double figures at the weekend.
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