Week 5 NFL FanDuel Salary Movers
Things can change quickly in fantasy football. To quote Ferris Bueller -- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
We're here to "look around" and make sure we don't miss any week-to-week salary changes that could pay dividends on FanDuel.
Maybe a player had an outlier performance and saw their salary rise too high, making them a sub-optimal play. Perhaps a player saw an increase in their role but played on Monday night after salaries for the following week's slate already came out, and therefore they haven't been priced accordingly.
This week's article will take a look at which players' salaries have changed the most from Week 4 to Week 5.
Now that you're ready, let's get to it!
Quarterback
Case Keenum, Washington
Week 4 Salary: $7,200
Week 5 Salary: $6,400
After three weeks of the NFL season, Case Keenum had passed for 933 yards and seven touchdowns. On the road against divisional foe, New York Giants and their 31st-ranked passing defense seemed like a nice spot for Keenum to continue his strong early season start. However, he missed two deep throws to open receivers that should have been long gains or touchdowns. He finished just 6 of 11 passing for 37 yards and an interception before he was pulled for rookie Dwayne Haskins in the second quarter.
Now it seems Keenum, Haskins, and the returning Colt McCoy are all in consideration to start this week against the New England Patriots. Due to the uncertainty of his status and the matchup against numberFire's top-ranked defense, it's no surprise his salary takes a hit, down $800 to $6,400. Even with the drop-down to the bottom range of starters, there are a lot better options this week than whoever coach Jay Gruden throws to Bill Belichick, Keenum, Haskins, or McCoy.
Other Big Movers:
Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers: $7,800 | $8,200
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: $7,400 | $7,000
Chase Daniel, Chicago Bears: $6,000 | $6,500
Running Back
Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers
Week 4 Salary: $4,500
Week 5 Salary: $6,800
With Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson carrying the load for the Chargers backfield, Melvin Gordon's quest for a new contract slowly waned. Gordon reported to the team last Thursday, ending his nearly 70-day holdout and did dress for their game against the Miami Dolphins. With Jackson injured, Troymaine Pope spelled Ekeler, limiting Gordon to emergency work only. The former first-rounder failed to record a snap Sunday but his salary has adjusted up $2,300, making him the biggest mover of the week at any position.
Ekeler has averaged nearly 24 FanDuel points per game over the first four games of the season and Gordon's workload against the Denver Broncos this week remains in question. Ezekiel Elliott was given 14 touches in his first game back for the Dallas Cowboys after missing all of training camp but did get a new contract extension, unlike Gordon. The Broncos have surrendered almost 600 yards rushing through four games, which bodes well for both running backs as six-point home favorites and an implied team total above 25. However, unless more information comes out regarding touch distribution, taking advantage of Gordon's lowest salary in a long while will have to be limited to tournaments only.
Other Big Movers
Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts: $7,300 | $6,700
Jordan Howard, Philadelphia Eagles: $5,500 | $6,500
Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $5,100 | $5,900
Wide Receiver
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
Week 4 Salary: $4,700
Week 5 Salary: $5,600
The 2019 rookie class of wide receivers have already crashed the fantasy party in the first month. In week one, A.J. Brown caught three of four targets for 100 yards and 11.5 FanDuel points. Not to be outdone, Marquise Brown posted a 4/147/2 line for 28.7 FanDuel points against the Miami Dolphins. Terry McLaurin became the first rookie receiver to record five receptions and a touchdown in each of his first three games. In the absence of Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman posted double-digit performances in weeks 2 and 3. A.J. was at it again versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, hauling in all three of his targets for 94 yards, two scores, and 22.9 FanDuel points.
Given the Titans receiving options of Corey Davis, Adam Humphries, Jonnu Smith and Delanie Walker, Brown's selection in the second round of the NFL Draft didn't seem to fill an immediate need for the team. Thus far, his impact on the field is hard to argue as he leads the team in receiving yards. Was this the "breakout" game? Not so fast. Perhaps we should lower our expectations for the exciting rookie. Brown is still third on the team in total receptions and target share. This week the Titans face the Buffalo Bills, in a game with the lowest over/under on the main slate at just 38.5 points.
Other Big Movers:
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7,100 | $7,800
Julian Edelman, New England Patriots: $6,900 | $6,500
D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers: $6,400 | $5,900
Tight End
Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
Week 4 Salary: $4,000
Week 5 Salary: $5,200
The following tight ends have a combined four receptions for the New England Patriots this season: Ryan Izzo, Matt LaCosse. To say the void left at the position by Rob Gronkowski's retirement is vast is an understatement. Benjamin Watson decided to hold off on his broadcasting career and signed with the Patriots in May on a one-year deal. Near the end of the month, Watson announced he tested positive for a banned substance and would miss the first four games of the year. Watson can now resume his role as the starting tight end this week against Washington, who has given up the seventh-most receptions to tight ends, and is the biggest mover at the position this week, up $1,200.
Watson faces a long pecking order to sort through with Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett, and James White as the top pass catchers. Watson is certainly capable, with over 500 career receptions, and may be needed most in the red zone. The Patriots have scored on just 50 percent of their red zone attempts through the first four weeks. Adding Watson into the mix as a bigger receiving option, especially near the goal line, could help. The Patriots have the highest implied team total on the slate at 28.75 points. Using Watson as a cheap/contrarian stack with Tom Brady in tournaments is a nice way to differentiate your lineups.
Other Big Movers:
Evan Engram, New York Giants: $6,800 | $6,300
Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers: $4,600 | $5,500
O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $5,900 | $5,400
Ryan Bobbitt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Bobbitt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Drummerinabox. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
