In the first few articles of the week, we constantly mentioned the shuffling of the schedule and the presence of the unknown. We expected this to have a negative impact on how we made our lineups, but it turned out to not be the case. Most of the question marks have been moved out of the main slate, and we can focus our attention on the teams — and players — we’ve liked all week.
Based on our expected Week 5 DFS game flow analysis and Week 5 Games to Target published earlier, we can carry our thoughts into actual lineup positions. The long list of players that fit the requirements set forth by the projected flow of the game was cut dramatically by the requirements set forth by salaries.
Below are Sporfolio’s DFS Week 5 Plays:
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson – We always target coaching changes as an opportunity for a new position to thrive under a former coordinator. That isn’t exactly the case with the Houston Texans on Sunday, but it’s close. After moving on from Bill O’Brien, the Texans named defensive coordinator Romero Crennel as the team’s interim head coach. Crennel could obviously take a more conservative approach if he wants, but the organization also just gave its quarterback a large contract extension. It would be foolish to limit said quarterback’s opportunities. Deshaun Watson will probably be asked to carry the entire Texans’ offense — he already has been doing this for weeks.
Dak Prescott – The expectation across the football-watching world is that the Dallas Cowboys will destroy the New York Giants and, thus, not need to throw. Maybe. It’s entirely possible that Dallas takes its metaphorical foot off the gas pedal, but it’s not a guarantee that the Cowboys will run the ball in that scenario. Why can’t Dallas want to throw? Despite the 1-3 record, quarterback Dak Prescott has continue to keep his team in games that the defense has allowed to get out-of-hand, and it might simply be a function of trust for the Cowboys’ coaching staff. They clearly don’t mind letting Prescott throw, and neither should we.