The NFL moves into the second month of the season on Monday morning, with a 10-game slate on deck. We kick things off with six games in the early window, highlighted by the Ravens and Bengals in an AFC North showdown, and a massive AFC battle between the Bills and the Texans. The late window includes four games, with two divisional matchups and a big NFC battle between the Rams and Packers. Don’t forget, with Daylight Savings commencing, the action kicks off an hour earlier this week, so thankfully we no longer have to set our alarms for 2:30am!
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NFL 2024-25 Daily Fantasy Tips: Week 5
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson - $17,380
Hard not to back another big game for Jackson and the Ravens this week against the Bengals, a team that has struggled mightily defensively this season. With a total close to 50, points are expected in this contest, and I anticipate Lamar will get it done both through the air, and with his legs. In week 3, Jayden Daniels torched this Bengals defence with 293 total yards and three total touchdowns, scoring 28 points in Draftstars. Expect much of the same from Lamar here.
Brock Purdy - $13,830
Purdy is a great mid-priced quarterback for week 5, as he takes on a Cardinals defence that has given up the second-highest yards per attempt, as well as the third highest completion percentage over expected (CPOE), and passer rating. Purdy, meanwhile, ranks second in yards per attempt and CPOE, eighth in passer rating, and third in hero throw rate. Purdy will also have time to work, with the Cardinals generating the sixth-lowest pressure rate in the NFL. Purdy is a sneaky good shot at the MVP award this week, and he gets another chance to impress here.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry - $14,890
It’s hard to not pick the King after his performance last week, and any concerns over his fitness and lack of use have been put to bed. Over the last two weeks, Henry has rushed the ball 49 times for 350 yards and two touchdowns. This week, he gets to take on a Bengals defence that is sorely lacking in the middle, with Sheldon Rankins still out. The concern is that this turns into an utter track meet and the Ravens have to do this through the air, but I think Henry will get his share of touches and will do plenty with them.
D’Andre Swift - $11,110
Little bit worried about this selection, given how poor Swift was over the opening three weeks of the season. But he showed enough last week, against an admittedly terrible Rams’ run defence, that he is worth another look this week against another poor run defence. The Bears will host the Panthers this week, who have allowed the tenth-highest yards after contact per rush, the fourth-most rushing yards, the third-highest yards per carry to zone runs, and the sixth-highest success rate to zone runs (Swift runs well over 50% zone). Added to this, the Panthers have lost both middle linebackers and are potentially without nose tackle Shy Tuttle. Swift should eat.
Javonte Williams - $8,220
If you can save money elsewhere, there is no reason to pick up Williams, however if you need a cheap RB2, Williams might be the guy. The Raiders are conceding the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, and allowed the ninth-highest explosive run rate, yards after contact per attempt, and rushing yards per game. With quarterback Bo Nix seemingly unable to pass the ball, the Broncos will surely look to run the ball as much as possible. Williams is playing over 50% of the snaps at RB, averaging 13 touches and over 52 total yards. A touchdown would be huge, but he should still have a decent floor for your RB2/FLEX option this week.
Wide Receivers
Jayden Reed - $12,640
This is a cracking spot for a stack here in my opinion, as the Packers head to LA to take on the Rams in perfect conditions for fast, flowing football. You could easily stack four Packers in this game, but Reed is the most obvious choice in my opinion. In two games with Jordan Love under Center, Reed has scores of 36.1 and 30.1, and with Christian Watson sidelined, Reed may be targeted even more this week. Against a heavy single-high defence like the Rams, Reed should eat, as his yards per route run (YPRR) sits at 5.56 and his air-yard share sits at an impressive 38.3% against single-high. The Rams have struggled containing slot receivers this season, and I expect another big game from Wicks at WR2 price.
DJ Moore - $11,820
A bit of a revenge spot here, with Moore taking on his old teammates at the Panthers. This is surely a breakout performance for Caleb Williams, with the number 1 overall pick struggling to get things going so far this year. This week should be different, as the Panthers have zero pass rush, and allow the second-highest points per reception (PPR) per target, and the seventh-most receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers. Moore has been the redzone target for Williams, and against this defence the Bears should see the redzone plenty. High upside and a breakout chance here for WR2 price.
Josh Downs - $8,800
I like the Downs play either way, but if Joe Flacco starts in this game, smash Downs into your teams as a WR3/FLEX play. The Jags have changed their defensive approach in recent weeks, which should agree with Downs even more, as they have deployed a far more two-high heavy look. Against two-high, Downs commands a 23.8% target share, has 1.94 YPRR, whilst leading the team in first-read share (33.3%). Last week with Flacco at the helm, Downs saw 9 targets, of which he hauled in 8 catches for 82 yards and a score. Great WR3/FLEX play against a defence that has looked horrible.
Tight Ends
Tucker Kraft - $6,590
Kraft is another option in your Packers’ stack this week. With Love back last week, Kraft was targeted 9 times, hauling in 6 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Kraft gets a great matchup here against the Rams, who allow the fifth-most fantasy points per game and seventh-most receiving yards to tight ends. In this dark time for fantasy tight ends, Kraft is an option with a high upside that is worth stacking with other Packers if you believe they put a score on this week.
Colby Parkinson - $5,000
Parkinson is the best option for those players who want to spend as little as possible on a tight end this week. I can’t blame anyone for this thought, given how poor the tight end position has been this season, and Parkinson offers a solid floor this week in what should be a high-scoring affair. The Packers have struggled to contain tight ends too, allowing the 12th-most receiving yards and eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.
D/ST
Denver Broncos - $6,660
The Broncos are the fourth-highest scoring D/ST unit in fantasy this season. They are doing this through their defence, which is top-5 in the NFL in my opinion, and in the opinion of others, with the Broncos ranked as the fifth-best defence according to DVOA. They rank second in the league for sacks (16), whilst also being above average at taking the ball away. Against a poor Raiders offense, in a divisional game, I love this unit to score well again here.
Chicago Bears - $6,380
The Bears have managed 8 takeaways this season, good for third in the league, and are currently conceding less than 20 points per game. They are a top half of the league defence, and this week get a Panthers team on deck that whilst they have looked better since Andy Dalton took over, still aren’t exactly an elite offense. This could easily be a regression game for Dalton, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all the see the Bears create a couple of turnovers in the matchup.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
