Five weeks into the NFL season and we’ve decided to crank up the stakes a bit at BretskyBall. This week, our rankings crew is taking their talents to the DFS Gridiron, facing off in a head-to-head DraftKings battle. We’re gonna mix things up a bit for our regular sleepers and values column and give you both lineups along with some notes on our choices as well as the fabulous, sortable cheatsheet courtesy of FantasyPros.com. Good Luck!
Week 5 DraftKings Duel
| Position | Bretsky | Value | Bell | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Drew Brees | $8,900 | Ben Roethlisberger | $7,400 |
| RB | Rashad Jennings | $5,500 | Rashad Jennings | $5,500 |
| RB | Giovani Bernard | $6,700 | Chris Ivory | $3,100 |
| WR | Alshon Jeffrey | $6,700 | Brandin Cooks | $4,700 |
| WR | Jeremy Maclin | $5,600 | Kelvin Benjamin | $4,800 |
| WR | Emmanuel Sanders | $5,100 | Reggie Wayne | $5,700 |
| TE | Travis Kelce | $3,000 | Jimmy Graham | $7,600 |
| FLEX | Andre Ellington | $5,600 | Antonio Brown | $8,100 |
| DST | Cowboys | $2,500 | Chargers | $3,100 |
Quarterback
Drew Brees vs. TB ($8,900)
Coming off of a “disappointing” showing on the road in Dallas in which Bress still managed to top 300 yards and hurl a pair of scores, expect Brees to get back on track in a big way as the 1-3 Saints look to jump start their season in the Superdome. Tampa Bay’s defensive struggles have been exploited in recent weeks, allowing back-to-back 20+ point performances to Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger. If you are gonna pay for a QB this week, Brees is your man. –Bretsky
Ben Roethlisberger @ JAX ($7,400)
This was a tough call as Russell Wilson also has a fantastic match up for a similar price. The Jags, however, are giving up the most points to opposing QBs and I was able to use the $200 saved to get some more expensive players at other positions. –Bell
Running Backs
Giovani Bernard @ NE ($6,700)
Bernard has done a little bit of everything through the first three games of the season and will have fresh legs coming off the bye. The matchup this week is a tasty one after the Chiefs pair of backs piled up 199 rushing yards and four total touchdowns against the Patriots defense on Monday night. –Bretsky
Rashad Jennings vs ATL ($5,500)
A top 5 back through 4 weeks playing the team giving up the most points to RBs on the season, and he only costs $5,500! I am pretty sure someone screwed up on this price tag and everyone will be using him this week. –Bell
Jennings has been a clear workhorse in the Giants rapidly improving lineup and now faces off with a pitiful Atlanta defense that is allowing a league-worst 29.5 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. He’s simply a steal at this value. –Bretsky
Chris Ivory @ SD ($3,100)
It’s not the greatest matchup, but Ivory is averaging double digit points and for almost the minimum cost he is a steal this week. –Bell
Wide Receivers
Alshon Jeffrey @ CAR ($6,700)
The 2014 Carolina Panthers defense just is not the same unit that would strike fear into the hearts of fantasy owners. Jeffrey looks to be fully recovered from his Week 2 injury and primed to take a lead role while the Bears’ take to the air. Alshon caught a touchdown in Week 4 and should have had another that just barely slipped through his fingers. Continually priced below the top-tier of wideouts, Alshon is a nice buy with position-leading upside. –Bretsky
Reggie Wayne vs. BAL ($5,700)
Wayne had a great game last week, and should now be fully comfortable playing on his reconstructed knee. Baltimore is historically a defense you sit your guys against, but even in their best performance of the season last week Kelvin Benjamin was still able to go for 70+ and a score. The Ravens have given up over 15pts to their opponents #1 receiver in each of their four games so far I see no reason for that not to continue. –Bell
Jeremy Maclin vs. STL ($5,600)
Maclin was just about the only usable Eagles player last week in any fantasy format and remains a strong volume play week-to-week, averaging over ten targets per game so far this season. Chip Kelly’s explosive offense should have no problem getting back to their high flying ways Sunday in South Philly. –Bretsky
Emmanuel Sanders vs. ARI ($5,100)
Some may be scared off by the return of Wes Welker, but Sanders — who has a league best three receptions of 40+ yards — will continue to have a massive role in the Broncos offense. He’s a nice value while priced at just over 10% of your budget for a Week 5 showdown with the Cardinals. –Bretsky
Kelvin Benjamin vs. CHI ($4,800)
I don’t see why Benjamin is so cheap still. He is clearly the teams top receiving target and with the banged up backfield he will be called upon to make more plays. He has been putting up numbers like a top 10 WR all year long and gets a Bears defense that has been struggling — just ask Jordy Nelson and crew. –Bell
Brandin Cooks vs TB ($4,700)
While Cooks has been a steady contributor so far, the breakout game is coming this week. Everyone knows how good the Saints play at home in the dome, and this is a must win for them to stay in the division hunt. I expect big things from the New Orleans passing game this week. –Bell
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham vs. TB ($7,600)
Did I mention that I expect big things from the Saints pass game… Look, if you have the cap space then you play Graham he is by far the best tight end in the league. There will probably a be couple of cheaper options at the positon to put up comparable points, but his consistency is afforadable at $7,600 this week. –Bell
Travis Kelce @ SF ($3,000)
The matchup is certainly not enticing, but the price point is too sweet to pass up for one of the top young tight ends in the league. –Bretsky
Flex
Antonio Brown @ JAX ($8,100)
I always set my flex last and go with the best player I can afford. This week that happened to be Brown. It’s a great match up for the Pittsburgh passing game so the Steelers stack is an obvious move. Look for the Steelers to take a page from what the Chargers did last week and the Eagles did in week one by taking advantage of their superior athletes against a struggling Jaguars secondary. –Bell
Andre Ellington @ DEN ($5,600)
Coming off of the bye, Ellington’s foot should be feeling better than it has all season. The Cardinals are going to need a couple of explosive plays from their position players to keep up with the Broncos this week so expect Arizona to get their home run hitting back the rock 20+ times. –Bretsky
Defense
Chargers vs NYJ ($3,100)
The general rule of thumb so far this season is play the D who is facing the Jags, but that happens to be a banged up Steelers unit this week so, turn to the next best thing. The Jets (primarily Geno Smith) are giving the ball away almost 3 times a game and allowing over 2 sacks per game. For the low low price I couldn’t pass this one up. –Bell
Cowboys @ HOU ($2,700)
The Cowboys D did an excellent job of limiting the high-powered Saints’ offense last week and now get a much lighter matchup in the Battle for Texas. Ryan Fitzpatrick loves to sling the rock, and better yet, he doesn’t always know where it’s headed. Pencil the ‘Boys in for a couple of picks in this one with a solid chance to take one to the house. —Bretsky