OwnersBox NFL DFS: Week 5 Picks

OwnersBox NFL DFS: Week 5 Picks

This article is part of our DFS NFL series.

OwnersBox's SuperFlex contests provide participants with a chance to roster up to two quarterbacks per lineup, opening up the opportunity for major scoring boosts and more entertaining fantasy sweat overall.

Each week of the NFL regular season, we'll break down multiple appealing candidates for OwnersBox's Sunday slate NFL SuperFlex DFS contests. 

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott, DAL vs. NYG ($7,600)

Prescott makes for an appealing cost-savings pivot off some of the bigger QB names on the slate, potentially a prudent move considering Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray have matchups that could make it a bit challenging to justify their hefty salaries. Meanwhile, Prescott gets a chance at a Giants secondary that's allowing 277.5 passing yards per game and 10.5 yards per completion on the road, along with a 75.0 percent completion rate overall. Prescott may be just a tad off the radar for those who are paying up as well, considering the presence of Mahomes, Josh Allen and Murray above him.

The Cowboys gunslinger racked up 37 fantasy points against Carolina in Week 4 despite throwing for under 200 yards, and he could certainly up that total by adding to the seven touchdowns passes and two rushing touchdowns New York has surrendered to opposing quarterbacks. There's some nice synergy between two areas of the field where the G-Men have proven most vulnerable early – the short/mid left and short/mid center passing windows, in which they've allowed passer ratings of 118 and 139, respectively – and where Prescott has enjoyed his most success, as he's thrown for a combined 492 yards and a 3:0 TD:INT on 63 attempts in those parts of the field.

Kirk Cousins, MIN vs. DET ($6,900)

Cousins is likely still smarting from how south the game went for him and the Vikings against the Browns in Week 4, a contest Minnesota opened with a commanding 14-play drive that the QB capped off with a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson. Minnesota never scored another point after that opening drive, and Cousins finished with a season-low 11 fantasy points after tallying between 26 and 33 in the first three contests of the season. His down week combined with a reasonable mid-level salary and solid matchup makes him an intriguing SuperFlex tournament option in Week 5.

The opposing Lions have yielded a middle-of-the-road 248.5 passing yards per game, but their deficiencies against the deep ball were exposed by rookie Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney in Week 4. In fact, Detroit is surrendering an NFL-high 14.8 yards per completion, along with a 75.0 percent completion rate in two road games. Cousins completed 68.0 percent of his passes and posted a 6:0 TD:INT in two games versus the Lions last season, and his robust 117 and 138 passer ratings in the deep middle and deep right portions of the field mesh well with the respective 158 and 110 figures Detroit has yielded in those passing windows.

ALSO CONSIDER: Sam Darnold, CAR vs. PHI ($6,400); Mac Jones, NE at HOU ($5,800) 

Running Backs

Derrick Henry, TEN at JAC ($8,300)

Henry's last three games are the talk of fantasy circles, as he's rattled off tallies of 47, 19 and 25 fantasy points on the strength of three straight 100-yard efforts and four rushing touchdowns. Whether or not Julio Jones and A.J. Brown make it back for this contest after suffering hamstring injuries that kept each receiver out Week 4, Henry should still enjoy a robust workload against a Jaguars squad he trampled for 299 rushing yards and two touchdowns at 5.9 yards per carry in two games last season.

Jacksonville has been better at defending the run this season, allowing a respectable 106.2 rushing yards per game at just 3.5 yards per carry. Nevertheless, Henry has shown he's matchup-proof often in the past, and the Titans' offensive line is facilitating a solid 4.5 RB yards per carry. Henry is also averaging the same amount per tote off right tackle, while the Jaguars defense has surrendered a hefty 4.8 yards per carry on runs in that direction.  

Nick Chubb, CLE at LAC ($6,700)

Chubb hit 100 yards for the first time this season in Week 4, but with minimal passing game involvement, it resulted in a modest 11 fantasy points. His Week 5 matchup lines up for a much bigger game, as the Chargers have given up 139.5 rushing yards per game on 5.3 yards per carry. Chubb has over 20 carries in his last two games, and with Baker Mayfield's play a bit erratic of late, it's certainly possible Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski opts to lean on the running game as much as possible Sunday.

The Browns offensive line is one of the league's best, already facilitating 5.2 RB yards per carry overall while ranking fourth in second-level yards (1.6) and second in open-field yards (1.1) per carry. In turn, the Chargers have been victimized in both areas, as the Bolts check into Sunday's contest ranked just outside the bottom five in the league in each of those categories. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. NYG ($7,000); Leonard Fournette, TB vs. MIA ($5,200)

Wide Receivers

Justin Jefferson, MIN vs. DET ($7,200)

Jefferson is poised to take advantage of a weak Lions secondary. He has seen between seven and 11 targets in each of his first four games and he has touchdown grabs in three straight, posting 18 to 26 fantasy points in those contests. Jefferson also generated a 12-197 line in his two games against Detroit as a rookie last season.

The Lions susceptibility to downfield throws should especially suit Jefferson, who's boasting a healthy 11.3-yard aDOT while garnering 40.9 percent of Minnesota's air yards and 24.0 percent of the team's targets. Detroit has also given up a whopping 17.3 yards per catch to wide receivers, certainly brightening the prospects of Jefferson to enjoy a big day downfield that could help deliver a great return on his salary.

Deebo Samuel, SF at ARI ($6,200)

Samuel came through with flying colors as a $5.500 suggestion last week thanks in large part to a pair of second-half touchdowns. Samuel is a bit big-play reliant as he's currently drawing a modest aDOT of just 7.7 yards, but he owns a healthy 31.5 percent of the 49ers' targets through four weeks.  He showed good chemistry with rookie QB Trey Lance in the second half of the Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, and Lance could well be under center again Sunday, as Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with a calf injury.

The Cardinals have been playing aggressive pass defense with four INTs in four games, but they're also tied with several teams for second-most touchdowns to wide receivers allowed (seven). Arizona is also ranked in the top half of the league with 6.2 yards per attempt and 9.6 yards per completion allowed, which dovetails well with the short-area role that Samuel has been operating in.

Emmanuel Sanders, BUF at KC ($4,700)

Sanders has enjoyed a strong start to his Bills tenure with a 16-268-2 line through four games. The Chiefs pass defense has been the polar opposite of Arizona's, as KC has been giving up downfield plays all season while allowing 8.3 yards per attempt, 12.0 yards per completion, a 291.8 passing yards per game and five receiving touchdowns to wideouts.  

The speedy veteran's aDOT is sitting at a robust 15.7 yards, and while that also leads to a lower catch rate, it has helped Sanders garner 29.2 percent of the Bills' air yards this season. KC is weak defending the deep right of the field (147 passer rating allowed) while Sanders has hauled in seven of his 11 deep sideline targets for 177 yards and a touchdown.

ALSO CONSIDER: Davante Adams, GB at CIN ($7,500); Marvin Jones, JAC vs. TEN ($5,100)

Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz, DAL vs. NYG ($4,600)

It may not be a week to spend up at tight end as Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and George Kittle are all facing tough positional matchups, which makes Schultz all the more appealing. The fourth-year pro has recorded at least six grabs in three of his first four games, along with three TDs in his last pair of contests. He's posted an 87.0 percent catch rate with a modest aDOT of just 4.3 yards, but with at least six targets in three of his first four games, he makes for a potentially highly rewarding value play against a Giants squad that's already yielded a 24-214-4 line to tight ends through the first four games.

Hunter Henry, NE at HOU ($4,400)

Henry hasn't enjoyed the same statistical success in New England that he did in San Diego/Los Angeles, but he has enjoyed a consistent role that's seen him garner between four and six targets in his last three games. Henry is coming off a season-high 13 fantasy points against the Bucs, and he could be primed for his best showing yet in Week 5. The Texans have been mostly helpless against tight ends early, yielding a 26-267-3 line to the position. He does have Jonnu Smith – not to mention a solid receiving corps -- to compete with for targets, but Henry's reliability and strong 77.8 percent catch rate should lead to more targets, especially with James White out due to a season-ending hip injury.

ALSO CONSIDER: Dallas Goedert, PHI at CAR ($4,700)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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