Thomason: Sleepers & Daily Fantasy Value Plays For Week 5
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) As a reminder, this piece can be utilized for daily fantasy football and/or season-long leagues. The idea is to create one-stop show for sleepers at each position, no matter what league you're playing. Best of luck to everyone in Week 5.
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett, Colts (vs. 49ers) — Brissett continues to play well since coming over from New England and being tossed into Indianapolis' offense. He also has the benefit of using his legs to rack up fantasy points, as he's logged 14 carries, 69 yards and two scores over his three games for the Colts. The 49ers present a nice matchup, ranking 26th in Football Outsiders' pass DVOA. (FanDuel: $7000; DraftKings: $6100)
Jared Goff, Rams (vs. Seahawks) — After so many wrote off Goff, he's ninth in passing yards per game (268), first in passing yards per attempt (9.16), third in quarterback rating (112.2) and tied for third in touchdown passes (seven). He's facing the Seahawks' vaunted pass defense, but rams coach Sean McVay has done an incredible job scheming for Goff to be successful, and there are more weapons for him than there are defenders who can cover for Seattle. Not to mention, the Seahawks will likely be without one of their top pass rushers in Cliff Avril. This is the third highest over/under of the week at 47.5 on a weekly slate that looks to be rather low scoring. Goff's price justifies the risk in a tough matchup, and keep in mind he gets credit for all those yards that Todd Gurley picks up on dump-offs. (FD: $7000; DK: $5300)
Running back
Wendell Smallwood, Eagles (vs. Cardinals) — Arizona is no cupcake rush defense, but with Smallwood's dual-threat ability, he's the likeliest of running backs to succeed in this matchup, and he's priced well for taking over Darren Sproles' role. In the first week occupying that role, Smallwood tallied 34 percent of the touches (14) and 44 percent of the snaps, racking up 79 total yards and a touchdown. We can see similar production from him in this game and moving forward. (FD: $5900; DK: $4600)
Wayne Gallman, Giants (vs. Chargers) — Gallman gave the Giants the first semblance of a run game in four weeks, carrying 11 time for 42 yards and adding a receiving touchdown. Paul Perkins and Orleans Darkwa haven't shown much of anything, and both are nursing injuries. It may well be Gallman's time to shine. He's a no-nonsense runner and with the porous Giants' offensive line, that's what the team needs -- a back who gets up the field quickly and explodes through the first hole he sees. The Chargers are struggling defensively, ranking in the bottom third in most major categories passing and rushing, so why not give Gallman a shot at his basement pricing? (FD: $5200; DK: $3900)
Receiver
Jaron Brown, Cardinals (at Eagles) — The Cardinals continue to deal with injuries at the receiver position, and Brown has seen the biggest uptick in targets. He's had a whopping 29 targets over the last three weeks and leads the team in that category. During that stretch, he also has at least 73 yards or a touchdown, and he looks to continue those numbers against a Philadelphia defense that's allowing the third-most points to opposing receivers via 4for4's schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA). (FD: $6200; DK: $4500)
Danny Amendola, Patriots (at Buccaneers) — Thursday's game is the highest over/under point total of the week at 55.5. Given the way the Patriots defense has played, we should expect another shootout. And while that bodes well for all players, Amendola sets up nicely at his price point. The Bucs are ranked 32nd against "other receivers" in Football Outsiders' pass DVOA, and Amendola has seen at least five targets in every game he's played. He also has a touchdown or 100 yards in two of those three games and is always a safety blanket for Tom Brady. Plus, the Bucs are ranked 31st in aFPA to receivers, so there should be points aplenty for Amendola and everyone else. (FD: $6000; DK: $5000)
Tight end
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jets (at Browns) — Seferian-Jenkins is a far better price on DraftKings, but he has seen 10 targets (tied for second-most on the team the last two weeks) since returning from suspension and has caught nine of them. He has a great matchup against a Browns team that's allowing the most points to opposing tight ends, Seferian-Jenkins is on the field for 77 percent of the snaps too. (FD: $5500; DK: $3500)
Cameron Brate, Buccaneers (vs. Patriots) — Brate is playing on 53 percent of the snaps but is still running plenty of pass routes. He's scored in back-to-back weeks and is a favorite of Jameis Winston's in the red zone. Brate is second to only Mike Evans with three targets inside the 20-yard line and one inside the 10-yard line. The Patriots are swiss cheese on defense and are currently giving up the third-most points to tight ends. (FD: $5500; DK: $3700)
Just missed: Jay Cutler, Josh McCown, Andre Ellington, Bilal Powell, DaVante Parker, Aldrick Robinson, Ben Watson and Jared Cook.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and weekly guest of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter@jthomason77and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
