Daily Fantasy Football Week 5: DraftKings Optimum Lineup Advice, Matchup Guide

No matter your strategy in daily fantasy football, you need to pick the right players in order to be successful. As long as you know where to look, though, you can find good options at any price range.

Whether you want to spend big on receivers and find sleepers at other positions or vice versa, here is a look at the top Week 5 options across the board at the major spots.

Quarterback

	Player	Team	Opp	Price
Top Performer	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	DAL	$7,800
Value Pick	Eli Manning	New York Giants	SF	$6,800
Sleeper	Sam Bradford	Philadelphia Eagles	NO	$6,000
Wild Card	Blake Bortles	Jacksonville Jaguars	TB	$5,100

As soon as it was determined Tom Brady would not be suspended to start the year, you pretty much could have expected this level of dominance. The New England Patriots starter is on something of a "revenge tour" and is putting up ridiculous numbers in the process.

Considering that even with a bye the quarterback enters Week 5 ranked fifth in passing yards and third in touchdowns, Brady is a great pick regardless of the opponent.

Meanwhile, Eli Manning has been much quieter with his strong play in 2015. The often-mocked passer has seven touchdowns and only one interception in the last three games with an average of 261 passing yards per game in this stretch.

Ross Tucker of NBC Sports actually compared Manning to Brady during his performance last game:

With the San Francisco 49ers ranking 31st in the NFL with 9.2 yards allowed per pass, Manning and the pass-heavy attack in New York should have a big game.

The only team that has been worse against the pass on a per-play basis this year (9.8 per attempt) is the New Orleans Saints, who, unsurprisingly, also rank 31st in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, per ESPN.com. This could lead to more quality numbers out of Sam Bradford, who is coming off the best game of his season in Week 4.

Despite losing to the Washington Redskins, Bradford totaled 270 passing yards with three touchdowns last week. For the first time, he looked like many expected coming into the year, finding receivers down the field for big plays.

There should be some open receivers in Week 5, and a stack with him and Jordan Matthews could end up being a quality fantasy play.

As for Blake Bortles, he is averaging 19.34 fantasy points over the last three games and consistently getting more chances to throw the ball. Considering he is still valued cheaper than scout-team safety Robert Griffin III ($5,200), you could do worse at the quarterback position.

Running Back

	Player	Team	Opp	Price
Top Performer	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	SD	$8,500
Value Pick	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens	CLE	$5,800
Sleeper	T.J. Yeldon	Jacksonville Jaguars	TB	$4,400
Wild Card	Chris Thompson	Washington Redskins	ATL	$3,300

Le'Veon Bell often embarrasses good defenses, like he did last Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens:

The Pro Bowl running back rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries last week, and the major complaint was that he didn't touch the ball enough in an overtime loss. The Pittsburgh Steelers won't make that mistake again versus a San Diego Chargers defense that ranks dead last in the NFL with 4.9 yards allowed per carry.

Just because it's an obvious play doesn't make it wrong.

Meanwhile, his counterpart from Week 4, Justin Forsett, also had his best showing of the season with 150 rushing yards. With the Ravens out of healthy receivers, they will need to keep pounding the ball on the ground against a Cleveland Browns run defense that has struggled for the past two seasons.

Even after a poor start to the season, Forsett is a safe pick going forward for a reasonable price.

To continue the trend of running backs coming off impressive weeks, fantasy owners could get good value with either Todd Gurley ($4,300) or T.J. Yeldon ($4,400) in Week 5. The problem is that you can expect the entire public to be all over the more exciting Gurley, which makes Yeldon a better contrarian pick for those looking for upside.

The Jacksonville Jaguars starter quietly had his first 100-yard game in Week 4 (22 carries, 105 yards) and is the clear every-down back for his team. As long as the Jaguars stay competitive—which shouldn't be an issue against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Yeldon will get plenty of rushing attempts and should finally be able to punch one into the end zone.

For those looking for an extremely deep option, consider Chris Thompson of the Washington Redskins. The second-year running back is considered to be the third option in the backfield at times, but he is extremely involved in the passing attack. Against an Atlanta Falcons defense that ranks last in the NFL in both catches and receiving yards allowed to opposing running backs, Thompson could be a legitimate weapon.

There is obviously a risk he barely touches the ball, but the upside is there.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Wide Receiver

	Player	Team	Opp	Price
Top Performer	Odell Beckham Jr.	New York Giants	SF	$9,000
Value Pick	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City Chiefs	CHI	$6,000
Sleeper	Kamar Aiken	Baltimore Ravens	CLE	$3,800
Wild Card	Ty Montgomery	Green Bay Packers	STL	$3,400

Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. both had relatively disappointing showings in Week 4, but there is no concern about going back to the well with either. Of the two, however, Beckham appears to be the smarter bet due to a quality matchup.

In reality, we are still waiting for the Giants receiver to truly explode in one game. The talent is still there, and Manning continues to look his way, so it is only a matter of time before we see a multitouchdown game like one of the many he had last season.

Considering the 49ers' lack of experience in the secondary, this could be that week.

The next two players on the board are quality picks due to their roles within the offense. Jeremy Maclin has 289 receiving yards over the last two games, catching 19 of his 24 targets. This workload is gold in points-per-reception contests like DraftKings, and his consistency makes him a safe pick even if he doesn't get into the end zone.

Meanwhile, Kamar Aiken hasn't proven quite as much but should be the best option for Joe Flacco and the Ravens in Week 5, as noted by Adam Levitan of DraftKings:

After totaling 77 yards and a touchdown in Week 4, the former undrafted free agent could be a cheap source of points for your fantasy team.

Still, the best value play with a high upside could be Green Bay Packers receiver Ty Montgomery. With Davante Adams still dealing with an ankle injury, Montgomery remains the No. 3 target in an offense that loves having receivers on the field. In fact, the rookie played in 74 of 75 snaps last week against the 49ers, even more than Randall Cobb (62) or James Jones (63), per Pro Football Focus. 

If a player spends enough time on the field with Aaron Rodgers, he will almost certainly break through with a big game eventually. 

Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

---

Enter the DraftKings $1.5M Play-Action Contest this weekend. Use Promo Code BLEACHER REPORT when you sign up.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for all your fantasy football and daily fantasy needs.