Top Tier
Kyler Murray, ARI - Murray is on another level right now and if you had any doubts about him he answered those last week when he went into Los Angeles and completed 75-percent of his passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns against a highly touted Rams defense. This week the Cardinals return home to face yet another divisional foe in the 49ers who allowed three total touchdowns to Russell Wilson last week in a home loss to the Seahawks. Murray is the top priced player on the slate but his ability to impact the game both through the air and on the ground warrants your attention this week.
Dak Prescott, DAL - I was skeptical of the Panthers defense last week and therefore put Prescott in the Contrarian Corner video and he did not disappoint, tossing four touchdown passes. In Week 5 the Cowboys have yet another home matchup and this time they welcome in the New York Giants. New York's defense has been nothing special to this point but their offense has shown some life which is great news for Prescott as a competitive game with a current total of 52.5 should lead to plenty of fantasy production.
Tom Brady, TB - The Buccaneers return home in Week 5 to face Dolphins in a game that the Bucs are 10-point favorites with an game total sitting at 48. The Buccaneers secondary is in shambles right now so while the Dolphins offense has looked horrible of late, there is a chance that this one becomes somewhat competitive enough to keep Brady throwing the football. In his two home games this season Brady has totaled nine passing touchdowns while throwing just one touchdown in his two road games.
Mid-Tier
Kirk Cousins, MIN - Week 5 was an awful week for the Vikings offense as they mustered just seven points at home against the Browns. To be fair, the Browns do have a strong defense but much more is expected from a team that has Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Fortunately, the Vikings get to face off against the Lions this week in another home matchup. While Dalvin Cook has a great matchup, I can see Cousins having a strong game himself this week against this porous Lions defense.
Daniel Jones, NYG - We went into this fantasy season with a big question mark on the head of Daniel Jones and the kid has so been impressive, completing 66.7-percent of his passes for 1,184 yards with four touchdowns and just one interception while adding 188 yards rushing and two more scores. He has fumbled three times this season but only lost one. Reducing the turnovers is a major development for Jones as is getting a healthier Saquon Barkley in the lineup. Jones has targeted Barkley 13 times over the past two weeks and in Week 4 he and Kenny Golladay hooked up for six receptions and 116 yards. Jones mobility along with his improved passing ability makes him a very interesting play this week against a Cowboys defense that has flashed but allowed two rushing touchdowns to a less mobile Sam Darnold last week as well as two TD's through the air. This game has a high 52.5 total making Jones a great value.
Justin Herbert, LAC - Herbert is off to a solid sophomore season, completing 68.9-percent of his passes for 1,178 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. In Week 4 we saw him throw three touchdowns against the Raiders in a 28-14 win. Week 5 will bring stiff competition as the Browns just went into Minnesota and held the Vikings to just seven points. This is more of a contrarian play option for me this week.
Sam Darnold, CAR - Back home, Darnold will face an Eagles defense that really struggled against the Chiefs high powered offense in Week 4. The Panthers may still be without Christian McCaffrey this week as he looks to work his way back from a hamstring injury which would me the offensive focus will go back on Darnold. In a wild stat, Darnold leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns with five have running for two scores in each of the last two weeks. My lone concern for Darnold this week is the game total which sits at just 44.5 which is one of the lower totals on the board.
Value Tier
Taylor Heinicke, WAS - The Washington QB has been impressive since taking over for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1, completing 69.5-percent of his passes for 960 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Against the Falcons last week he threw for 290 yards and three scores. Heinicke and Terry McClaurin have great chemistry and a healthy Curtis Samuel will do wonders for this offense, especially if Logan Thomas is going to miss some time with an injury. The Saints defense hasn't been anything too special and we saw Daniel Jones put up points on them last week. New Orleans is generally not a great road team so Heinicke getting to play at home is a great oppurtunity.
Trevor Lawrence, JAX - Lawrence is the cover of Howard Bender's NFL DFS Watch List and truthfully, if not for him being on the cover of that he would have been on the cover of the QB Coach this week as well. There is a lot of questions surrounding the Jaguars, especially given the controversy surrounding their head coach but in Week 5 they get a home matchup against a Titans defense that just lost to the New York Jets of all teams. Lawrence actually looked good last week against the Bengals, despite not throwing any touchdowns, he didn't turn the ball over and completed 70-percent of his passes. Against this awful Titans secondary I can see him hooking up with Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault and dare I saw Dan Arnold as well?
Fade
Trey Lance, SF - If Jimmy Garoppolo is ruled out there is going to be a lot people looking at Trey Lance, looking at what he did in the second half of last week and think this is a good time to capitalize on the decreased price tag but I am here to put the breaks on that endeavor. While yes, Lance finished with 20.4 DK points despite playing just a half of football, we also have to acknowledge that the 76-yard touchdown to Deebo Samuel was due to a blown coverage where ZERO people were covering Samuel and that type of defensive mishap is unlikely to happen against a Cardinals defense that is getting after the QB and turning the football over. Not to mention that this game is being played in Arizona. Listen, I like the kid, and the upside he can bring to the table, but just not in Week 5.
Jalen Hurts, PHI - Hurts has been great this season, no doubt about it. The Eagles QB has completed 66.2-percent of his passes for 1,167 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 226 yards on the ground and another score. He is coming off a 31 FP outing against the Chiefs in Week 4. So, why am I fading? Well, for one, this game has just a 44.5 game total which means Vegas isn't expecting a ton of points to be scored here and while I did call the Panthers defense overrated heading into last week against the Cowboys and feel vindicated with that call, I also think, being at home, will benefit them in this matchup and keep Hurts and this Eagles offense limited enough for there to be better plays than Hurts this weekend.